The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-12-11 00:00:00

Elt 11, 1855.] 203 CE:\I BER. ;Teat 'I b e was ili,perpl exe 41 0 as that tis in conn at tLisbon. r a, bl° y ja t ( d It i n hi r recor 10 6 3 e , r e he ha, ,r 4t q'S good, iy a Nion t h e ( ll i t 'ter all b e , d ;7 2 ; God i n ii e r ao inj u r y e r 4 e al reai dis , e lements is eq l '"" a n unu ace to h , unlike ote , rr . e cocioLlS cDpri for thei r 1 ,ese gel led witl os t 14j aition 0 his ea )ros a element i 0; :!Y use. emotit tbe acul oba b : , , °r etical Portions drew •In the s .Peculiaril 611 0' ' Y of th ;ol ds e(1 th 0111 tro abstral Joe) l i i l lfancY g 3 ll' , 01C b c „'' 'city of ct iltf flif N of 11 e ea rl 1 ;0 5. to * ‘t , dark 1 0111 c 8 4 , rp cen V:gell hue t 2it ki til terior n 'of' t e s 0;, , .; i mp e fe' Y. The ° isd • 4 Subjec f t I k interf p ro' , t ; Mr. I the dif e t r' r: 4 „ C ed a w e q ) ' . 4 ed by o 2u i Act than a, itia , 0 0 g ,(8 11 — " j et' for she 'l t ience s w e e ers Nir throe b Poi I)itie up, ss of ern Za ; "Y as to settled. t ' ', e) historic at e valuat t!eretood, tl 4 4t, and so sclr to the e ti' \‘ Which e 2 e t 1 , pl-4RYroan. ma y S‘n may pu P t; sb t livin g is for a cle certain "for a cl ', l) te t ie is 0 I,— game_ SUPPLEMENT TO THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD. he was but in his sixth year, his mind Perplexed with the' question of God's as that was debated among the mystical in connexion with the disastrous earth- Lisbon. I NPA.NT GOETHE ON GOD'S JUSTICE. d It in his own mind as he heard it debated around ha records that on his coming one day from ' he had listened to a sermon on the subject, s goodness was justified, his father asked him a the sermon had made. " Why," said he, all be a much simpler matter than the clergy- God kno ws very we ll t h at an i mmorta l sou l 10 injury from a mortal accident.:' already seen that the poetic and sne lernents were developed in the mind of an unusually early period of life ; but unlike what has been usually remarked -ions genius, the faculties and the their use grew with his growth and . with his strength. His facility in ition of languages was extraordinary, his earliest days he appears to have elementary studies a store of material use. His mind was peculiarly alive emotion, and his perception of the acute, clear, and strong, as evinced tical treatises ; but infinitely more so tions of his work where, as was his drew upon his theoretical resources the creations of his fancy. Out of iliarities arose probably the greatest of them all—Goethe himself. An though mysteriously abstract poet— abstract and mysterious artist—from 'ancy through ripe manhood, and old age the same impression of intellect the same subtle of mental speculation held pos him. Many portions of his life dark suspicion, and not a few are ) censure. The power of his genius hue to many of his acts, which, in ;or mould, would have been repul strength of his intellect surrounded improprieties with a halo of simu- The biography of such a man was, subject difficult to treat of, if not interfere with; but in the two volumes Mr. Lewes has manfully grappled the difficulties and the dangers, and a work of deeper interest than can L by any labour which aims at no than mere amusement. Itiagazine. Edinburgh : Blackwoods. ier for the concluding month of the -ices with the final part of " Zaidee— Which has maintained the interest throughout the past twelve months, . up, in the old orthodox fashion, with 'ess of the chief parties concerned. )g Zaidee returns to Cheshire, and 1' as to the inheritance is most satis 41.ed. A p a p er on " Si mon y or L ay historically and morally considered," Valuable information on a subject but :Eton& notwithstanding the interest and some important suggestions are t ° the best mode of removing the Which exist, and which are thus briefly .an may not purchase a next presentation to I may purchase a next presentation, but not living is vacant. for a clergyman to give a bond of resignation if certain specified relatives of the patron. f or a clergyman to give a general resignation to t, UN „, bell - maly a more general popular error iti oh `Pe the sale of an advowson or next tj; to be the sale of a cure of souls. It e light of nominating the individual already adjudged to be duly qualified. The writer recommends a full legalisation of sales, with a right of veto on the part of the bishop, on physical as well as moral and doctrinal grounds, subject to an appeal to the Metropolitan court. Such a mode would remove many reason able objections to the present system, and is at least entitled to serious consideration. Illustrations of Herodotus " is an in teresting review of two recently published works on the subject by Mr. J. T. Wheeler, which are highly eulogised. In an article on " Modern Light Literature—Art," the writer, after a good-humoured assault on the inconsistencies of Mr. Ruskin, notices favourably Mrs. Jameson's " Sacred and Legendary Art," and Mr. Leslie's " Handbook for Young Painters," while Lord Napier's " Modern Painting at Naples" is spoken of as a literary curiosity, and Mr. Street, for his " Brick and Marble Architecture in Italy," is re commended, when he takes his next holiday, to carry some one with him who can do the writing, and to confine his own labours to his pencil. Of " Courtship under Difficulties" it is difficult to speak, except that it is a humorous history from the German of Ferdinand Stolle—a fact which accounts perhaps for .its extravagant absurdity. By far the most important article in the magazine is the one headed " Our Rural Population and the War," which is deserving of the most serious consideration. The writer shows by clear and forcible argument that, owing to the discouragements given to agriculture, and that insane preference of wealth to men which particularly characterised the last few years of. Sir Robert Peel's political career, the military strength of the country has considerably diminished since the last war, notwithstanding the increase of population. The working people have been driven from the fields into the towns, and instead of the stalwart men who once re cruited our armies, we have only the factory popu lation, deteriorated both physically and morally. The necessities of war may, however, force an attention to the subject which it failed to excite during a time of peace ; and it is to be hoped that the ably written comments to which we refer will not be without their effect. The number concludes with a brief notice of the death of the Rev. John Eagles, whose contributions to this Magazine, of "Letters to Eusebius," " Once upon a Time," &c., were so highly esteemed. sionally shoot forth ; but when these do occur, which, it must be admitted, is but seldom, the prompting motive is so obviously an innocent, if not, indeed, a virtuous one, that reprobation, if bestowed at all, is administered " more in sorrow than in anger." Hogg's Instructor. Edinburgh : James Hogg. The November number of this periodical literary miscellany is a fair average specimen of the publication. Though never rising so high as to brush its wings upon the craggy summits of Parnassus, it soars at a sort of middle altitude, which it occasionally so far exceeds as to catch a glimpse of the " poetic land," clear over the " lion crest" of Arthur's Seat, and sustains such an elevation as to be rarely, if ever, infected by the foetid mists which rise from Craigentiny. A popular periodical it is, in the best sense of the term, and as such, it skims its way into the family circle of many a quiet snuggery, which would close every aperture against the intrusion of a more ambitious work. Its contents are in general varied and amusing, while it sometimes emerges into the realms of a more elevated litera ture. The utile et dulce, both in moderate de gree, appear to be its aim ; and that aim is most respectably carried out. The Christian Family Advocate. Edinburgh : Murray and Stewart. The December number of this periodical maintains its place as a safe repertoire of family reading. Aberrant rays it does, indeed, occa- A _ROMANTIC STORY. SOME twenty years ago, a young man whom I shall call " Jamie," was pastor of a large congre gation of the Established Church of Scotland. At school and at college he was distinguished for his love of learning, and as a minister was un rivalled for his eloquence and mental attainments: He had been settled about a year, and was upon the eve of being married to a fine young woman whom he had loved from childhood, when the heritors, and several English gentlemen who were then on a visit to the north, attended kirk to hear the famous preacher. He more than verified his fame ; he enraptured his audience. His theme was the story of his Church. Its many disas trous wars, its martyrs; its heroes, its undying hopes, even when despair seemed to shroud it in endless night ; its unwearied toils and its final triumphs were each in turn presented to the minds of the hearers with a power and feeling which defy description. He stood the genius of eloquence personified. But there was one among his hearers who was not bewildered by his glow ing pictures. The gentle-hearted Belle, his betrothed, when the congregation dispersed, followed him to the manse. He received her in his study, but while conducting her to a chair she sank to the floor and burst into tears. " Oh, Jamie !" she ex claimed, as he raised her tenderly in his arms and seated her on a sofa, "ye hae broken my puir heart ?" " How so, my Belle ?—explain !" "Ye were drunk, raving drunk, Jamie, and I wonder the elders did nae tak ye out o' the pulpit ! Ye whined and ranted, and sometimes, God forgive me for saying sae, I thought I saw the Evil One standing beside you, laughing and clapping you on the shoulder. My puir brain reeled—l was mad and knew it—l'm mad now—l canna live out this day—l feel my blood freeze-0 God, be merciful to me a sinner, and save, 0, save my Jamie !" Her head reclined upon his bosom, she gazed at him for a moment, and expired in his arms. He had preached Ms last sermon. No en treaties of a .congregation who loved him—no flattering offers of future preferment tendered by the gentry could induce him to resume his labours as a minister. Five or six years passed, when the writer of this, who was his schoolfellow, accidentally met him in London. Jamie was then one of the principal teachers in a large educational estab lishment, and was highly esteemed for his moral excellence of character, as well as his learning and skill as a successful teacher. He was dressed in deep mourning, shunned society, and when the labours of the day closed, he either wandered alone through the streets, or retired to his lodg ings. The scene of Belle's death was ever present to his memory. . _ _ Her pure soul, he said, saw him as he was—a poor, vain, self-conceited sinner. For the pur pose of concentrating his thoughts, and infusing life into his sermons, he was in the habit of taking a glass of whisky before entering the pulpit. The morning before lie preached the fatal sermon he felt rather nervous, for he knew there would be strangers there to hear him, and he took nearly two glasses. What he said, or how he conducted himself, no effort could recall—the death of Belle alone had merged into itself the doings of that fearful day. The compliments