The Press. — London, England, 1858-07-10 00:00:00

One of the besetting sins of the clergy is the ' inconsiderate haste with which they repeat and a pply detached phrases and texts of Scripture. Like bad makers of Latin verses, they think they have caught the spiric of the Bible if they can speak its dialect fluently. As Hood said, they try to prove that their stomach is full of meat by speaking with victuals in their mouth. The necessary consequence of this practice is that the phrases so constantly used are not unfrequently abused. Indeed, it is not thought necessary that the original sense of them should be rigidly ad hered to ; some divines cultivate an art of grace fully accommodating texts to uses never contem plated by their original authors. It is, however, indispensable, if any doctrine in religion is to be proclaimed with authority, that it should bear about it manifest signs of a Jewish origin. This is the stamp of legitimacy which renders docu mentary proof almost superfluous. If you can present your opinion on any religious matter in the words of Scripture, however perverted, you will take the majority with you in most audiences, unless your antagonist succeeds in doing the same. We think few people can have listened attentively to the sermons which are ordinarily preached in our churches without observing what an invete rate habit this has become with many clergymen, and how continually they practise this uninten tional trick upon themselves and their hearers. It seems to us that Mr. Meyrick does this when he tells us that "the primary duty of a clergy " man is to preach the good tidings of salvation," and that, therefore, it is only in exceptional cases that he can venture to describe in detail the evils of our social system ; to tell the rich, not in ge neral phrases, but with accurate statistical par ticulars, how the poor live, whose fault it is that they so live, and how they can, may, and must be helped. It would certainly seem, at first sight, that it must be a most important part of the functions of a clergyman, and not only an occasional and exceptional duty, thus to remind the ±h of their ditty to the poor ; but then the phrase "good tidings of salvation" is perfectly scriptural, and no one can fail to recollect that St. Paul more than once declares that to pro claim these good tidings is the one business of his life. Since the phrase is perfectly scriptural, and the sentiment that of St. Paul, there can be no doubt, a good number of readers will think, that the argument must be perfectly sound, and that we were mistaken in our view of the office of a clergyman ; for there are many to whom it will not for a moment occur that a phrase may be quite scriptural and yet entirely misapplied, and that a sentiment of St. Paul might be a very just one in his circumstances and yet inappro priate in circumstances widely different. The scriptural phrase excludes all debate, though, if it were not for this, every one would detect a certain inappropriateness in it. To the congre gations which are addressed from the pulpit on Sundays the great doctrines of Christianity are not in any sense "tidings." There is scarcely ever an individual in any one of them who has not heard these doctrines announced a hundred times before, and there is, perhaps, not a much greater number who question their truth. That St. Paul should make it the great business of his life to proclaim them, that he should think it criminal waste of time to talk of anything else until these great cardinal facts were admitted, is reasonable enough. He was living among people, few of whom had ever heard of them, and still fewer had received them. He was, in short, not a parochial clergyman but a missionary, and his task was to force a great but somewhat unpalat able fact into the belief of a world of reluctant men. If Mr. Meyrick considers that his primary duty is to proclaim over and over again "in the simplest form " a fact which every one has heard before, and which nobody questions, he is cer tainly not doing at all what St. Paul did, and he has every reason to look forward to a quiet life. It can scarcely, however, be denied that if this be the whole of a clergyman's work, the poorest curate is somewhat overpaid for it. There seems no reason why the clergy should be educated men, nor why they should take the trouble to write more than one sermon if they have only one thing to say. Indeed, why should they write sermons at all, when the Apostles' Creed is already blazoned on the walls of all our churches ? The truth is that the proposition that the pri mary duty of a clergyman is " to proclaim the One of the besetting sins inconsiderate haste with whi a pply detached phrases and Like bad makers of Latin ye] have caught the spirit of flag speak its dialect fluently. try to prove that their stom speaking with victuals in necessary consequence of thi phrases so constantly used a abused. Indeed, it is not th the original sense of them s hered to ; some divines culti fully accommodating texts ti plated by their original and indispensable, if any doctrin , proclaimed with authority, about it manifest signs of a is the stamp of legitimacy mentary proof almost supei present your opinion on an: the words of Scripture, how will take the majority with 3 unless your antagonist succe We think few people can hal to the sermons which are a our churches without obseri rate habit this has become v and how continually they p tional trick upon themselve It seems to us that Air. M( he tells us that "the prim, " man is to preach the good and that, therefore, it is onl, that he can venture to descr of our social system ; to tel neral phrases, but with acc ticulars, how the poor live, they so live, and how the} be helped. It would cell sight, that it must be a mo the functions of a clergym occasional and exceptional c the ±h of their ditty to the phrase "good tidings of a scriptural, and no one can St. Paul more than once claim these good tidings his life. Since the phrase i and the sentiment that of no doubt, a good number ( that the argument must be that we were mistaken in of a clergyman ; for there will not for a moment occi be quite scriptural and ye and that a sentiment of St. just one in his circumstan , priate in circumstances w scriptural phrase excludes it were not for this, ever, certain inappropriateness gations which are addressee Sundays the great doctrir not in any sense "tidings ever an individual in any not heard these doctrines times before, and there is, greater number who questi St. Paul should make it th life to proclaim them, the criminal waste of time to until these great cardinal f reasonable enough. He wi few of whom had ever hea fewer had received them. a parochial clergyman but task was to force a great bi able fact into the belief of men. If Mr. Meyrick con duty is to proclaim over at simplest form " a fact whit before, and which nobody tainly not doing at all wha has every reason to look It can scarcely, however, 1 be the whole of a clergyrr curate is somewhat ove : seems no reason why I educated men, nor why trouble to write more thi have only one thing to say they write sermons at a Creed is already blazoned churches ? The truth is that the p : wary duty of a clergyma THE PRESS, JULY 10, 1858. " good tidings of salvation in the simplest form" vanishes altogether as soon as it is examined, or at least is shown to mean something not at all inconsistent with the most detailed and particular treatment of social evils, their causes and their remedies. For whatever be meant by the phrase "simplest form," it is clear that the preacher, according to another favourite phrase, is to "de clare the whole counsel of God." He is to make it clear to his generation, as the Apostles did to theirs, what remedy is provided in Christianity and for what evils. He is certainly to awaken the conscience of his congregation, to enter into the peculiar temptations of each class, to lay his hand on every sore, to say to rich and poor " Thou ailest here and here," and then out of his treasure-house to bring forth remedies new and old. But how imperfectly must that man un derstand, how dimly must he conceive, those sins of the rich which it is the special duty of the preacher to reprove, who has not deeply pondered the matters treated of in this volume ; who has not studied the statistics of crime, of gambling, of prostitution, of infidelity ! And how much more sharply might a preacher point his reproofs who should have at his command such stubborn and pungent facts as those which Mr. Meyrick has gleaned from " London Labour and the London Poor," than he who, like so many, has nothing to offer but generalities, or, like so many more, conjectures ! Any one who has closely observed the state of English society, who has nicely weighed the crime and measured the misery, and has traced the advance of some of those giant vices which are known to precede the downfall of States, will be surprised that our preachers should seem to want matter for reproof and practical exhortation. He might rather expect that a time of such vast and perilous change, of such nicely balanced hope and fear, when so much that is old is expiring in stench, and by the side of it the earth teems with so much fresh-smelling and hopeful verdure, would convert the feeblest preacher into a pro phet of warning and comfort. It is perhaps hardly fair to quarrel with Mr. Meyrick's theory of preaching, when his practice is so much better than his theory. It is true that he represents the sermons before us as of an ex ceptional kind. We are sorry that he should do so, and think that sermons might advanta geously be made, as a rule, of this sort of material. But at least we may congratulate Mr.Meyrick upon having in these sermons, exceptional or not, told some homely truths in homely Saxon words. This is to " blow the trumpet with no uncertain sound." A sermon on Costermongers and Pat terers is, as far as we know, a new thing. Even those women whose generic name a prudent preacher will suppress, but for whom, notwith standing, Mr. Meyrick judges, Christ died, are made the subject of a whole discourse. We will give a specimen of the manner in which Mr. Meyrick turns Mayhew into sermons : I have spoken of the poor in general. I wish to speak tl is morning of certain classes of the poor, to whom, as Chris tians, we owe duties which are not performed as they ought to he performed. The first that I will mention are sempstressea ; and select this class, not because there are no others who suffer in a similar, if not an equal, manner with them, but because thee form a large holy of sufferers, and appeal the more to our sympathies, from not having the strong heart and the strong arm of manhood with which to bear up against and ward off affliction. I do not intend to cite any special instances of oppression here ; that they exist, is a too well known and acknowledged fact. You know that delicate young women are being worked fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, or more hours a day, while twelve is as much as the human frame is capable of enduring, and ten as much as is consistent with permanent health. You know that they ere being driven blind, old, decrepit, while they ought still to be in the freshness of health, with all their faculties perfect. You know that women woi k day by day, and night by night, unceasingly, uncomplainingly, and yet cannot earn sufficient sweep to keep body and soul together. You know that hundreds whose hope and effort it was to live in the fear of God, are driven, by sheer inability to gain their livelihood by their needle, to the streets fur their home and to despair for their portion. You know diet associations are formed, meetings are held, sermons are preached, even newspapers cry out, but still the system continues, because human selfislinesa is a stronger and more urgent motive than human bene volence. la there nothing that we can do to alleviate this misery ? And if there ie anything lhat we can do, ought we tolPt indolence or indifference proven; us from exerting ourselves ? Let us turn to the clans of tailors. The fair number of hours in the week during which they should be employed is seventy two. By working on compulsion sixteen hours each day instead of twelve, and spending the whole of Sunday in their labour, they frequently work for 112 hours, thus not only ruining their own health, bat taking away 657 labour and therefore bread from others. And yet with all this work, destructive alike of body and soul, they are not seldom unable to keep themselves and their families from starvation. The consequence of this is that the wife and children at•e enployed ou the same work with the man, and then follows the necessary result; the woman's household duties are undone, the children are untaught and un• schooled, and grow up, not as though they were men and women or Christians, but simply tailors and sewers, mere assistants to the bead of the family in his profession. Nay, even more than this, " the wife has been made to compete with the husband, and the datriiter with the wife." ]f the man wilt not reduce the price of his labour to that of the fimole, lie must remain unemployed; and if the fnll.grown woman will not take the work at the same price as the young girl, she must remain without any. These sermons do not indicate any remarkable talents in their author. They do not furnish new facts nor unfold new views of theology. But they arc worth attention as examples of the condescension of the pulpit to the homeliest and most disagreeable facts, and of an earnest attempt to solve on Christian principles the great practical problem of the age. PERIODICAL LITERATURE. Blackwood this month contains a preponderance of grave articles—grave, but good. The opening one is on a most interesting subject, and ably executed; but if it has a fault, we should should say it is treated in too purely literary a style. " The Soldier and the Survon " is the title of it, and the sanitary conili• Lion of the army the subject it discusses. The fol lowing extract contains opinions over and over again enforced in our own columns : ;his, as we say, comes close to the point. Frankly, we would have the entire condition of the common soldier uplifted in the social scale, by the expenditure necessary to produce that result. If we are told that this may coat the nation two or three millions, the answer is, that they would be well expended. Perhaps some one will say that the army is not a mercenary profession. This argument may be decorously employed by those who receive, but not by those who give. The parson and the surgeon of the parish arc not perhaps mercenary, and yet if each have not a good house anti clean linen, with the means of educating his family, the usefulness of his functions will be impaired, and the position dins children will sink in the scale of' civilization. it may be truly urged that our troops cost more by the head than any other troops in the world s but yet it is notorious that iu scarcely any other country is the soldier sn far below the level of the other citizen. Until he reaches a position corresponding to what he holds in other nations, we maintain that the expenditure assigned to him is insufficient. From the constvution and habits of this country—especially from our way of dealing with the army—money is the sole means by which the amendment can be accomplished. We have ceased to be in any way a feudal people—we buy all services in hard cash—and we must pay what they are worth, instead of attempting, through the flaunting recruiting-sergeant at the gin-house door, to obtain them by a combination of fraud and force. In "What will he do with it ?" we have the full history of Arabella Crane and Jasper Lonely revealed to us, as also the mysterious connection between these people and Darrell. The following sketch of Parisian society is in Sir Bulwer's happiest style : In that strange social fermentation which still prevails in a country where an aristocracy of birth, exceedingly im poverished, and exceedingly numerous su far as the right to prefix a De to the name, or to stamp a coronet on the card, can constitute an aristocrat—is diffused amongst an ambitious, adventurous, restless, and not inelegant young democracy—each cemented with the other by that fiction of law called egalite ; —in that yet unsettled and struggling society in which so much of the old has been irretrievably destroyed, and so little of the new has been solidly con structed—there are much greater varieties, infinitely more subtle grades and distinctions, in the region of life which lies between respectabiiity and disgrace, than can be found in a country like oars. The French novels and dramas may apply less a mirror than a magnifying glass to the beings that move through that region. But still those Freue a novels and dramas do not unfaithfully represent the elassificationa of which they exaggerate the types. Those strange combinations, into one tableau, of students and grisettes, opera-dancers, authors, vlscounts, swindlers, romantic Lorettee, gamblers on the Bourse, whose pedi gree dales from the Crusades ; imposters, taking titles from villages in which their grandsires mig a have been oa dlera ; and if detected, the detection but R matter of laugh ; delicate women living like lawless men ; men making trade out of love, like dissolute women, yet with point of honour so nice, that, doubt their truth or their courage, and—pill'! —you are in Charon's boat,—humanity in every civilized land may present single specimens. more or less, answer ing to each thus described. Rn t where, save in France, find them all, if not precisely in the sante salons, yet so crossing each other to and fro, as to constitute a social phase, and give colour to a literature of unquestionable genius ? And where, over orgies so miocellsneougly Bery cynthian, an atmosphere so elegantly Horatian? And where can coarseness so vanish into polished expression as in thot diamond-like language—all terseness and sparkle— which, as friendly to Wit in its airiest prose, as hostile to Passion in its torrent or clond-wrack of poetry, seems in vented by the Grace out of spite to the Muse ? " A Plea for the Principalities " is an article founded • on a pamphlet by a native of that country, strongly "•". 6 '+‘;