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

HE PRESS, JULY 10, 1858.

more than a project, and perhaps could not have
been executed at all.
We may also draw attention to Mr. Clark's
estimate of the accuracy of Homer; a matter in
which he would probably be found on the oppo-
site side to such writers as Colonel Mure and
Mr. Gladstone. Thus, in his visit to the bridge
at Xero-Kampo—a curious and very ancient
structure over a stream flowing from Taygetus,
south-west of Sparta,—he opposes the opinion of
the first-named writer, who conjectures that it
may have been this very bridge which enabled
Telemachus to drive from Pherie t 3 Sparta in
one day, as related at the end of the third book
of the Odyssey. Mr. Clark found upon inquiry
that no road could ever have existed over the
mountains sufficient for the passage of vehicles,
and draws his conclusion accordingly as to the
incorrectness of Homer. Ile does not, however,
notice in his quotation that the passage occurs
partly at the end of one book, and partly at the
beginning of the next, and that an opening is
thus left for supposing Telemachus to hive
halted for the first evening after leaving Pherte
at some place before reaching Sparta. In the
note, too, at p. 156, Mr. Clark adopts Buttmann's
view that " Lacedsomon" means the country, and
not the city ; on which hypothesis Telemachus
might be supposed to have reached the frontier,
and have proceeded to Sparta next day. lie
also refers to the discrepancies of Homer on the
topography of Ithaca, a point in which the poet
is probably less defensible.

The exact correctness of Homer on so unim-
portant a point is, perhaps, of little consequence.
But Mr. Clark calls it in .iuestion with respect
to a site about which scholars have hitherto been
uniformly agreed. In the north of Arcadia, the
valley of the Crathis terminates in a narrow
gorge running up into the heart of the mountains,
and closed at the upper end by a lofty barrier of
rock, over which falls a stream of water with a
sheer descent of several hundred feet. The view
bears some resemblance to that which, in the
valley of Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland, the tra-
veller leaves on his right before ascending the
Wengern Alp. On the strength of the descrip-
tion of this spot in Pausanias, and certain lines
of Hesiod, this waterfall has been identified with
the xami3op.Eyov /1-vvOc Law' p,--tTuyO; aiiEd iii9ra, of
Homer. Mr. Clark, on the contrary, urges that
Ilomer does not mention the Styx in speaking of
Arcadia in the Catalogue of Ships, and does men-
tion it in speaking of Thessaly ; that it is in-
voked, along with " earth " and " heaven," to
witness to oaths ; and that, as this clearly shows
that it represents the remaining part of the uni-
verse, or infernal regions, it must therefore be-
long to the subterranean world. He also thinks
that if Homer had been acquainted with this, one
of the wildest spots in Arcadia, he would have
known accurately places which were more easy
of access ; but he shows ignorance respecting
many of the latter, therefore the former was
unknown to him. Allowing all due weight to
the first and last of these arguments, we cannot
but think that Mr. Clark lays far too great stress
upon the definiteness of position which he ima-
gined to have been assigned by Homer to the
river in question. Our notions of the ancient
Hades are insensibly coloured by the particu-
larity of the descriptions in Virgil's lEneid ; but
everything in Homer which relates to the sub-
ject is vague and inexact, and belongs as much to
the surface as to the under-world. When Ulysses
converses with the ghosts, he does not descend
into a cave, but digs a trench on the Cimmerian
shore, where they come and surround him.
There seems no reason why any one of Homer's
hearers might not go and do the same. The
Muses live on Parnassus and the Gods on Olympus
—both perfectly accessible mountains. The In-
ferno of the Greeks does not seem of necessity to
have been wholly " in the cellarage," as Hamlet
would say, but seems to be conce►ved as a vast
subterranean region which " crops out " here and
there in localities which from some cause or other
were sanctified by religious awe. The state of
feeling which could behold a perfectly material
river and yet regard it as an infernal one is
somewhat difficult to describe, but not wholly
impossible to realize. It seems analogous to the
"taboo" which prevails among certain savage
tribes, or to the mystic genealogy which Mr.
Grote refers to as existing in New Zealand, where
the chief of a tribe will affirm a mountain to be
his actual progenitor, or the ancestor of his race.

Nor, even on the hypothesis of an underground
Hades, would the notion of a river which belonged
both to the visible and invisible world present
much difficulty to one conversant with a country
where so many streams are swallowed in the
ground in the plenitude of their waters, and
where so many spring full-grown from the soil
after an indefinite period of aubterraneous travel.
Mr. Clark's style is good, without any attempt
at fine writing, and the carefulness with which
his diary seems to have been kept would make
the volume a useful as well as agreeable com-
panion in a similar tour. We must, however,
say a word of complaint about the map, which
ought at least to have expressed with accuracy
the places encountered on the route. The
mountain ranges are particularly defective, and
the pass between Karya and Mantinea—which
figures in one of our extracts—does not appear at
all. The pass of Mount Parnon, between Trip-
litza and Sparta, is similarly omitted. It is not
every one who can have Kiepert or Spruner at
his elbow in reading a work like this, and a
little more pains would have been well bestowed
on so indispensable an adjunct to a book of
travels.

Mr. Clark presumes in his readers a sufficient
knowledge of ancient lore to enable them to
follow him ; but on mediaeval and modern history
he has done well to be more copious ; and though
no associations can compete in vitality with the
classical ones, there are many spots not thus dig-
nified which some tale of French adventure or
Turkish oppression will prevent the tourist
from passing with complete indifference. Mr.
Clark's volume—though its author is far from
being either a Stanley, a Kinglake, or a Warbur-
ton—may take a creditable place both on the
shelf of the library and in the saddlebag of the
traveller.

The Outcast and the Poor of London; or, Our
Present Duties towards the Poor. A Course of
Sermons preached at the Chapel Royal, White-
hall. By the Rev. Frederick ➢leyrick, M.A.,
Fellow and Tutor of Trinity College, Oxford,
London : Rivingtons.

A VOLUME of sermons is seldom interesting
except to a small section of admirers of the
preacher, to those among the clergy who are in
want of models, and to some ladies who have a
special taste for this kind of literature. To the
rest of the community a sermon is interesting
enough to be listened to, but not interesting
enough to be read. And as few sermons contain
anything new or even anything moderately old,
if they are difficult to read, they are, as a general
rule, still more difficult to review. It may
perhaps be the preacher's function to repeat old
truths in old language, and to eschew novelty as
he would eschew heresy ; but if so, the reviewers
of literature must eschew him, and he must
refrain from making pretensions to literary dis-
tinction. The author of the present volume does
not, however, regard his own office exactly so :
his sermons contain much that, if not new, is at
least not familiarly known to everybody ; and,
in consequence, though the matter of the book
might not have tempted us to review it at length,
yet the innovation of putting such matter into
sermons deserves some comment.

Mr. Meyrick's plan is described by himself in
the preface :

About two years ago (he says), there was a cry raised
against sermons. It was said that the clergy did not deal
with any subject in which the heart of the nation was
interested. but that they continued repeating the same
dry truths to each generation us it came, without attempt•
ing to grapple with its peculiar needs. There is always
some truth at the bottom of a cry, and there is generally
some untrudi mixed with it. No one who considers the
master thoughtfully can for a moment doubt that it is the
primary duty of the o'ergyman to preach the good tidings
of salvation in their simplest form to the flock with which
the Great Shepherd hes intrusted him. But there are
certain occasions on which the needs of the nation, or of
the church at large, msy be well treated from the pulpit.

We think that this extract is a very fair index
of Mr. Meyrick's character and talents. A
candid man, prepared to listen to the voice of
truth, even when it conveys reproaches against
his own order but not accustomed to exact from
himself a precise account of the words he uses,
and not superior to all the prejudices which his
profession, like every other profession, clique, or
class, cherishes.

One of the besetting sins of the clergy is the '
inconsiderate haste with which they repeat and
apply 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
apply 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