The Press.
London, England, 1858-10-09 00:00:00

THE PRESS, OCTOBER 9, 1858.

strates beyond all doubt the almost universal
interest inspired by the authoress of " Jane
Eyre." Not that we would detract from the
merits of Mrs. Gaskell's handicraft, or withhold
the due meed of praise for her masterly delinea-
tion of that strange family—each member so
distinct, and yet all blending into one harmo-
nious whole. It is to be regretted, however, that
the passages relating to the unfortunate Bram-
well have not been further curtailed, or rather
expunged. No light can possibly be thrown upon
either the personal or literary character of the
subject of this biography by the exposure of her
brother's intemperance, and we cannot but think
that Mrs. Gaskell will do well, in any future
edition, to allude in more general terms to the
vices and follies of the erring brother.
4. Mr. Sibson has good claims to be consi-
dered the farmer's friend. A knowledge of the
elemental principles of chemistry is now indis-
pensable to every agriculturist of ordinary in-
telligence. At the same time it cannot be ex-
pected that our " bold yeomanry " will find
leisure to study with much success a science ever
in progress, and requiring multitudinous experi-
ments for the deduct►on of the simplest formula.
Mr. Sibson has, therefore, come to their assistance,
and, within the limits of a short treatise, has
gathered together all with which it is essential
that a practical farmer should be acquainted. He
explains the chemistry of the atmosphere, and
the relations of its component parts to animal and
vegetable life, the origin and composition of soils,
the physical conditions of water, the structure
and food of plants, and the means "of restoring
" the impaired fertility of land exhausted by the
" growth of cultivated crops, and of improving
" land naturally infertile." All this, and much
more to the same purpose, is so clearly and simply
told that it is impossible not at once to perceive
that Mr. Sibson is thoroughly master of the sub-
ject he has undertaken to illustrate.

5. Ten years ago, the author of " Clare, the
Gold-seeker," was unable, as he himself tells us,
to write half-a-dozen lines correctly, and only
six years ago he " wore a canvas smock, and
" worked hard, physically hard, as a porter in
" Billingsgate-market." Since then, by d►nt of
perseverance and honest industry, he has " suc-
" ceeded in shaking the porter's knot" from his
shoulders, and in becoming the owner of a fish-
stand in the market. His " leisure moments are
" employed alternately in reading, stringing
" verses, writing stories, cultivating his " gar-
" den, and romping with" his " children." Two
or three times in the week, moreover, Mr. 'Watts
brings together a little party of working men,
imbued like himself with literary tastes and a
desire for self-improvement. Thus much regard-
ing the humble minstrel ; and it is necessary to
bear this in mind while criticizing the labours of
his Muse. Indeed, it would be manifestly
.unfair
to apply any very strict amount of criticism to
these lowly effusions. Though defective in exe-
cution, they evince a kindly and genial spirit,
and inspire a cordial respect for the man who
has so bravely overcome the difficulties which
obstructed his pursuit of knowledge.
6. Dr. Lebahn has been long and favourably
known as the author of various useful works con-
nected with the study of the German language.
The object of the present volume is to furnish
the learner with a series of exercises on the irre-
gular verbs; in addition to which, various de-
tached pieces are introduced for the purpose of
translation.

7. " Homely Ballads" is a good nursery and
school-room publication, and may safely be
placed in the hands of children ; but we would
suggest to Miss Sewell that she should not so
invariably render worldly success the result of
good conduct, or hold up temporal advantages as
the sole or even chief inducement to the per-
formance of duty. People must be taught that
the narrow path must be trod for higher objects
and with purer motives than any to be found in
this life merely.

8 and 9. We had nothing so taking in the days
of our own childhood as these gay-looking little
books in their clothing of blue and gold, and with
their admirably-designed illustrations printed in
colours. "Old Gingerbread and the Schoolboys"
is delightful, and the drawing and colouring of
the pictorial part done with a spirit and correct-
ness unknown to the last generation of the nur-
sery. Our sons and daughters are far better off,

it must be owned, as regards supplies of literary
fbod than we ever were.

10. The October selection from Blackwood
consists of a very conventional story, entitled
" A Reading Party in the Long Vacation," evi-
dently written by a University man under the
influence of the first aspiration for literary
honours, and of " Father Toni and the Pope," a
boisterous effusion of hyper-llibernian humour. It
would be difficult to lay out the large stun of
sixpence more agreeably than in the purchase of
these monthly resuscitations from Maga.

PERIODICAL LITERATURE.

TILE QUARTERLIES.

I

FOUR out of the seven articles in the Westminster
Review are devoted to foreign subjects. The first
(fifty pages long), upon " France under Louis
Napoleon," is distinguished by all that animus
against the Imperial system which a certain party
in this country glories in displaying. We are
sorry to see such an article, not less because we
regret the application of so much ability to so
unpatriotic a work as fanning the sparks of dis-
cord between France and England, than because
we honestly believe that if every word the writer
utters were correct, they would constitute no
valid reason against the existence of Imperialism.
The real truth is, that Louis Napoleon is the re-
presentative of 1789, though not, perhaps,
exactly in the sense in which he would desire the
words to be taken. A democratic despotism
is the natural result of a convulsion that
eliminated the aristocratic element from so-
ciety.—" Indian Heroes " is a very eloquent
and stirring paper.--And now we come to the
most pretentious article in the whole number,
entitled " F. W. Newman and his Evangelical
Critics." The tone of this paper is so contemp-
tuous towards the latter that the writer ought at
least to have carefully guarded himself from the
same class of blunders at which he sneers;
whereas a very cursory perusal of his essay con-
vinces us that Mr. Newman will have no cause
to thank him for his advocacy :
We shall begin (says lie) with an examination of the
analogical argument as originally presented by Butler,
and now revived and expanded by the author of the
`• Eclipse of Faith," and its " Defence."
The object of the famous treatise we have now alluded
to is not, it appears to us, to prove the truth of revelation,
but to confirm it ; not to establish its divine origin for
those who do not receive it, but to vindicate its credibility
for those who do. Consequently, while the believer may
find in it an auxiliary to faith, the unbeliever is absolutely
untouched by it. The cardinal principle of this argu-
ment is, that there is no greater difficulty in accepting the
religion of revelation, than in accepting that of nature, on
the ground that the phenomena of the external world are
as much opposed to our moral intuitions as the reputed
difficulties in Scripture. To our wind, this logics'
dilemma is, relatively is the unbeliever, altogether
nugatory. To exhibit its futility, we have but to substi-
tute the sacred hooks of other religionists fur those of
the Christian. That because objections, adduced in dis-
proof of the infallibility of the Koran, the Shasters, or the
Vedas, may be paralleled by ohjectious adduced in disproof
of the Perfect or Divine Government of the external
world, therefore these writings emanate from God, is an
inference whose validity the orthodox logician would in-
dignantly deny. Thus, while the argument from analogy
may confirm conviction, it never can produce it.
Now here is a total misapplication of Butler:s
argument to begin with. His argument is pri-
marily of a negative character, and only secon-
darily a positive one. The first part of the above
paragraph is expressed correctly enough, but the
concluding sentences are quite inconsistent with
the beginning. To say that the objections to our
believing that the Bible came from God are no
other than would compel us to disbelieve that the
constitution of nature was from God, which we
don't do, and that therefore this particular set of
objections must be put on one side, is one thing.
To say that because they don't make us disbe-
lieve in natural religion, they must therefore
make us believe in revealed, is another t.hingimself
,
which Butler has so often gu
from being supposed to say, that the presnt
writer lays himself open to the supposition of havrg
or,
got his knowledge of Butler secondhand.
I.
unless h
ob-
unless he has expressed himself with gross
scurity, it is Butler's " dilemma," and.
which not
oe_
put by
he
the i authorspea k
speaking. of the
again :
says
es
u of
" F
The existence of a system of temporal retribution con-
firms, it is said, the dogma of eternal punishment.
gel o
between finite error and finite punishment there is. a pro
portion ; but between finite error and infinite puniahine:
there is no proportion. Thus, in its present appliciallont