The Press. — London, England, 1855-09-29 00:00:00

SEPT. 29, 1855. for plume and sword. As the Czar is Gog, and foredoomed to wrath, the Doctor finds it quite consistent with his Christian profession to pummel him most unmercifully. We may even fancy that he takes pleasure in thinking that he is himself in his humble way contri buting to the fulfilment of prophecy by his martial exhortations. It is thus that he ex poses the designs of the " imperial robber," as Nicholas is mildly termed, at the com mencement of the war : And what led to Russia taking up its present policy? She too felt the shock, saw that the nations of the earth were tossed and driven like leaves in the whirlwind; and thinking France had more upon its hands than it could manage; that Britain had just enough to do to keep all its own under its sway ; that Austria and Germany were too frightened to resist, said, " Now is the moment fir me to carry on my mission—a mission begun and felt a hundred years ago—and as I have appropriated Poland, and absorbed the Danubian provinces, I will now seize upon Constantinople, the ancient mistress of the East ; with all the glorious traditions of a thousand years, with its capacious harbours and noble seas; and having extir pated the Moslem, consecrated the Mosque into a Cathedral again, and made St. Sophia the mother church of the East, I will then take time to consider when and where I may choose to descend like an Alpine avalanche upon Britain, and teach her the duty and necessity of being subjugated to the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Czar, its representative head, and the necessity of humbly taking up the position of a depressed and second-rate nation, shorn of her ancient and traditional glory." Wo have here the whole explanation and reason of the origin of the Russian war. There aro other passages in a like strain, but more violent. Russia is represented as being constrained to pursue her course of cri minal ambition, and as being the more guilty for the very constraint. The true predestina rian never consigns sinners to perdition with such fervent zeal as when he fancies that their fate has been sealed from all eternity. " Russia." writes the Doctor, " will eventually " march through Europe, and sweep all before " it, and finish its career where prophecy pre " dicts it will finish it—in the plains of Pales " tine, and in the great struggle that is to " restore the Jew to his home." Ten years are but a short period, according to human probability, for the accomplishment of so vast a " sweep." Erratic divines have not unfrequently made themselves conspicuous by their confident announcements that the end of the world is at hand, but few have carried out their notions with such precise definition of prophecy as marks the preaching of Dr. Cumming. In one respect, however, he differs from the fanatics of past times. While they acted on their belief, the Doctor, prudent,in the midst of his wildest speculations, declares that he shall continue to act as though the world was destined to last for ever. He will never give occasion for any reproach of extravagance in conduct. Were he quite sure that the world was to end to-morrow, he would still take or give a lease for ninety-nine years to day. When the End is visibly near, the soldier must not " sell out," the captain must not leave his deck, nor the tradesman his counter. This " selling out" linage is a favorite with our author. He says that when soldiers came to John, questioning him " What shall we do ?" he would, had they been sinners, have replied, " Sell out instantly : But did John say so ? He had good sense, and he had inspired wisdom; and he therefore said to the soldiers— not, Sell out, not, Leave your regiments, and join a cotton mill ; but he said—" Do violence to no man, and be con tent with your pay." This vulgarising of the sentiment of Scrip ture, by appropriating it to party purposes of the day, more resembles the manner of a negro Methodist preacher than of a Scotch doctor of divinity. " The captain on his deck" is another expression we meet with so frequently, that it led a punning friend of ours to remark, that as the End was so near the captain would be very fitly bedecked for sacrifice. Perhaps, as " trifles light as air " are to the mind pre occupied with one idea "proofs strong as Holy " Writ," and as in the last days there will be Scoffers, Dr. Cumming may see in this critique of ours a new evidence of the coming End, hut other persons will rather take it as fore • showing the end of Cumming. It is impos sible that the extravagance we find here can have a lengthened reign. Following Carlyle, the Doctor declares that the " age of shams is " gone." We deny the assertion. It is pre sent. It. will last as long as the world. tis THE PRESS. like an article at a mock auction, always going, but never gone. Dr. Cumming's scheme of apocalyptic interpretation is on the wane, but it will doubtless be succeeded by some other delusion just as vain. We doubt if he has much of the fanatic about him after all. But he is very fond of notoriety, and very prolific as an author. It is one of Rochefoucauld's sayings, that there is no man so foolish but he will find greater fools than himself in the world to listen to him. The Doctor is not one of the foolish ones, but he presumes on the credulity of his public. We have great respect for some parts of his character, and readily admit that he has an effective style of eloquence, though much of his published matter reads detestably. He is an old hand at press labours ; and we think sufficiently well of his sense to believe that, whatever he may say of this critique on his latest performances, he will be able to dis criminate between wit and scoffing, between indifference to prophecy and criticism on the vagaries which must, in proportion as they are successful, destroy its sublime and sacred character. It is a province of Scripture on which no man should enter but with most careful and reverent sentiment; as to misin terpret it is really to afford vantage ground to the sceptic. By a natural movement of the mind we are always apt to exaggerate the importance of present events ; and this tendency should always keep us on our guard against supposing that all prophecy is to find its fulfilment in our day. Charlatanism, with all its defects, may sometimes be amusing ; but even this sole redeeming quality of its nature must be absent when it deals with Holy Writ; and our disgust with it becomes the stronger as we find that we cannot even laugh at it with decency. The Constitutional History of England. By Henry Hallam, L.L.D., F.R.A.S., Foreign Associate of the Institute of France. Eighth Edition. London : Murray. THE appearance of the works of Mr. Hallam in the present excellent edition, at once cheap and elegant, justifies us in paying some critical attention to this admirable writer, who has gained from the leading and thinking minds of many nations that calm applause which is the sure presage of a classical fame. The Institute of France has bestowed on him a rare honour; and, by taking his works into their new course of legal education, the rulers of the Inns of Court have testified to the pro fundity and closeness of this distinguished author's erudition. Mere praise of such a proved reputation would be gratuitous. Criti cism is the best compliment that could be paid to such eminent abilities ; and we regret that we have not more space for dissertation on Mr. Hallam's literary qualities. Yet, in truth, criticism on a writer like Mr. Hallam is far from being an easy office. Up to a given length there cannot be the least room for dissent on his obvious merits. The only point at which there is opportunity for critical questioning is as to the exact degree in which some of his peculiarities may be noticed. Like every great writer, he has his mannerisms, which in his case are those inci dent to high natures rather too prone to an intense individualism. In commenting on some of these traits (for they are not faults) we shall take care not to be misconceived as to the heartiness of our admiration and respect for this great writer. For many years we have been accustomed to consult his various works, and, unlike the case of certain of his contemporaries, frequency of reference has increased and not diminished our opinion of his honest learning and genuine qualities. There is no hollow glitter in his erudition, and no empty parade in the proofs of his wide reading. He is not, like other authors, a scholar amongst mere popular writers ; he is a strong thinker and eloquent essayist amongst scholars. He can dive deeply, as is visible in his profound dissertations on Bacon and other master-thinkers of the world ; but he does not rely on his own inherent energy of thought. His vigour is strengthened and his swoop is enlarged by ample knowledge of what others have said and written. 9'33 Upon the soundness and extent of his scholarship there never have been two opinions in the learned world. His cynical contempt for makers of learned notes and ingenious sciolists is characteristic of a nature enriched with various learning. Neither Eichorne nor Sismondi eau be compared to him for closeness and accuracy of knowledge, though, like him, they have aspired to the widest range of critical investigations. Unlikc certain of our deservedly famous scholars of the preceding century, there is nothing para doxical in his opinions. His philosophy has never degenerated into casuistry. He does not split upon crotchets like a Warburton, or put on the gaudy trappings of a learned phrasemonger like Parr. After acknowledging these merits, we may next see what may be ad vanced in critical qualification of his great literary claims. While admirable for his attainments, and the general soundness of his opinions, Mr. Hallam is not entitled to the distinction of perfect originality. His mind is more inde pendentthan original—strongly individualised, but not distinctively creative. His subject must be always given to him. He is a critic, a scholar, and a historian, rather than a philosopher. He has founded no system of thought, nor has he, like David Hume (in his " Essays "), or Adam Smith, enlarged the boundaries of certain speculative questions. In the genesis of novel opinion Mr. Hallam's powers are not specially suited. He can help to establish what is tottering, but he cannot discern and shadow forth with the soul of genius those truths which are only in their dawn. With another mode of education and exercise, it is highly possible, and even pro bable, that his intellect, so strong and prompt, might have partaken of creative power ' • but criticism long continued has made him a judge of conflicting opinions, rather than a primary contributor of new ideas. But it is the characteristic of this remark able author that what he wants in perfect originality is amply compensated for by his moral resources. The annals of criticism do not record another instance of such true moral temper as adorns every page written by Henry Hallam. Sometimes ho may be cold, but he is never morose or snarling. There is no learned vituperation in his adverse judg ments, nor any reckless levity in his depre ciation. While avoiding the flippancy of Lord Jeffrey, Mr. Hallam has not fallen into the mawkish habits of the eulogistic Mackin tosh. If in treating of historical reputations he is rather too penurious in his rigid economy of praise, he does not squander his superlatives when discussing the purely in tellectual glories of Shakspeare, Bacon, Milton, l3ossuet, or Pascal. ,In order to pro duce a strong sensation he never drops corro sive sublimate over a famous grave •(like Mr. Macaulay, in the case of "Dryden,' and other instances) ; nor doeshe malce desperate efforts to be wholly distinctive by whimsical dissent (like Coleridge) from the received opinions of the learned of ages. If he has not an in ventor's force of new moulding the minds of men on a moral question, he has a true philo sopher's unbiassed love of truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And what more precious boon could a writer confer upon his readers than to communicate to them the love of philoso phical truth ? What greatet benefit do we derive from the pursuit of all knowledge than that our natures are purified and exalted by our vision being enlarged as we behold the height, and depth, and length of the regions of moral science ? In too many authors their ingenuity and far•sought learning obscure the end, and diminish the utility of their pursuits. They tell us what the truth looks like, and not what it really is. As Lord Bacon has observed of such minds, they use their know ledge as a terrace upon which they may walk up and down. In Mr. Hallam's writings the great end of all knowledge is not lost His affec tions are equally divided between the good and the fair, and his conceptions of utility are heightened by his veneration for moral beauty. The " Constitutional History of England,' now before ta t is the work which ham most cow