The Express.
London, England, 1859-11-03 00:00:00

LITER.ATURIL

Twenty Years 411 Mr Mora. By the Rev. JAMES
Pecitorr. Author of " Recollections of College
Days." Booth.
We rarely meet with a volume to engage and
ratify onr attention so well as this has done, at once
by high literary qualities and the solid interest of its
subject. In form it is the autobiography of a fie-
titiou person, the Rev. Henry Austin; but Mr.
Pycroft tells is in the preface that the sketches are
from life • real persona and *ones have been before
him, so ;hat in some parts he has been obliged to
resort to new combination to spare private feeling.
This intimation was hardly necessary. Reality re
stamped on every page. There is hardly a church
question of the day which is not presented in this
volume in an agreeable form. By church ques-
tions of the day we do not mean diepatea
about baptismal regeneration, or the doctrine
of the real presence, but rather such as
these : How are the ignorance and religions indif-
ference of millions of our countrymen to be grappled
with ? Whet agencies and ministries are most
suited to the purpose, and how are they to be ob-
tained? Oocuionally didactic and argumentative, Mr.
Pycroft relies mainly on narrative and description.
Nineteen eat of twenty of 111 have no conception,
or rather we have an entirely wrong conception, of
the duties and trials of the minister. Submitting
patiently, it may be from secondary motives,
to sit still in our sesta for three-quarters
of an hour on a Sunday morning in church be-
tween the Nicene Creed and the last benediction,
his gulps than elregymea's obligations by oar own
wants, and will writs him a fall acquittal)°, if he will
only combine rhetoric, speculation, poetry, and
lively allusion so as to beguile the time and
convert a rigorous duty into a pleasant amusement.
To correct this selfish state of mind nothing is better
fitted than this volume. Another tendency of our
author may be noticed, one which makes him every-
where to deprecate a sentimental disposition to over-
refine the standard of tree clerical character. He
leaves you with the impression that it is more im-
portant that the motives of the clergy should be such
as will wear—honesty of purpose and thorough dedi-
cation to their work—than a hyper-spiritualism,
which shrinks from encountering the world as it is.
Mr. Austin takes a curacy in a very dark village,
such as may be found by hundreds in England. As
to the religion of the people he says "It exemplified
what I once read on a tombstone—' Hie religion
was that by law established.' " And hers the ques-
tion of the value of secular education per as presented
itself in a practical form, easy of solution.
Imagine my difficulties at Yana. Somewhat the same ea
In the wilds of Arabia. Row can a Paul plant or ea Apolloe
water, when the ground is yet unbroken fur the eeect. I
hove heard much well-intended nonsense talked about eds.
oatioo beteg won* than useless if religion la not taught in
the school. Ono home missionary, at least, at Yatton, woad
have found his labours materially lighten, d, had the Yetton
ass% and Yatton minds been already mareleed with reading,
aritlunsdc, and geography. had this I say, not for the
positive use of thine Mktg'. For as to arithmetic, they could
all work fractions of days with the fernier, and check the
bolt-plats chalked up behind the alehouse door. And se
to geography, the two Tuckers had gone very straight to
Botany Bay, after stealing old Cottle's sharp. No, it wee
not for the use but for the mercies; these things are wanted
by the pastor to awaken, to galmaue, and open the portals
to the swaL
I have known an aid granny's Bible laid on the shelf for
wont of apseenalsa. I have blown a deaf man brought to
church by a peasant of an ear-trucupet. I would, therefore,
have greeted a schoolmaster es I would an optician or as
1,11741, Le making way for the word to enter.
The educated clergyman, he thinks, is too fine a
tool for all the work the church has to do, even in
villages.

I am far frommakingexciame for idleness well know-
ing that Judges and counsel will breathe the offensive stoma
of as unwashed crowd twelve knee a day at ageism. Still
I have seat those of a lower order sitting with so little tn-
ot avaienos, and almost by choice, In the room of • cancerous
patient, and Ignore all pretence foe opening • window,
whines we have been taught from childhood to pamper our
nerves olfactory with lavender, end to deem it vulgar not to
alutik aside it anything "unmannerly " pas betwixt tb•
Mad and our " nobility." In this repeat the devoted mem-
bers of the City Mission do muck whicn some of the clergy
would be physically incompetent to perform.
There is also another advantage pomemed by men of an
Inferior order, in visiting. They feel as much excitement
(and excitement is extra power) while hammering truisms
into three oe four washerwomen, u a clergyman feel' before
an Wile coagregatioo. This is • decided advantage. A
speaker soon wearies where he is not conscious of any sym-
pathy or response. But • plain man, like Isaac Hopkins,
would bawl away delighted with the sound of his own voice.
Isaac was our bellowe-blower at Yattoa Church, though all
the time &dissector at heart. Nothing but the bellows kept
Ilse "tree to his church." The Badminton menial refused
• whig candidate his vote, because, he said, " I hunt with
the Duke." Hopkins held to the church party because be
could say, " I blow for the parson." But the staring fact,
that when Isaac slipped off to hear "Method y" on the
he heard his mother tongue " wall the NMI In it," and all
seemingly hot from the heart, whereas master's was cold and
Ids "nothing to nobody" from a book—this tried leases
orthodoxy very hard, no ism being halt as repulsive as
dalliers.
Seeing that the said Hopkins was a compound of about
two pans religion to one part commit, and use part a scholar,
I hit upon a ,plan, which I would strongly recommend for
keeping—if worth keeping—a would.be dissenter to the
church. I found Isaac Hopkins a sphere for hut enthusiasm,
and • platform for his eloquence at the same time.
"Molly Hancock, poor soul I" I said, one day, "cannot
Prevail upon her bad legs to carry her as far as church.
Yon have • floe loud voice, Hopkins, and Molly is herd of
hearing."
This was Mat enough for Hopkins. Oh, how often have!
envied his leather lungs Before I was within twenty yards
of Molly's house I could hear him, and see a cluster of women
without bonnets, and generally Teddy Edwards of the alms-
house, clustering like bees about the door. Now I couldn't
do that. I could no more compere with Hopkins in poending
texts into can hard of hearing, and heads dull of
log, than in handling a pickaxe.
After spending a few months in this and another
village curacy he removes into a Peel district, of
which be obtains the incumbency. The boundary
of this district was like a Chinese puzzle, " for the
lines were drawn zig-zag," to take in the houses
of the poor and leave out the houses of the rich.
The church of this district was built, not indeed
before it was wanted, but before a Christian career
adequate to sustain it and its minister. The mixed
motives which induced a set of worldly people to
concur in subscribing to the funds with which it was
built are exposed with great spirit by our author,
and the whole history of the straits and trials of hie'
incumbency—too much, we fear, like what many
clergymen are enduring in some of the new churches
upon the rise of which we are so apt to congratulate
ourselves—should be read by all who care to inquire
how our great towns are to be evangelised. "From
my experience," says the author, "I unconvinced that
a church and the church service is not by any
moans the first step for converting the heathen of
our overgrown towns." He found he ooald speak
beet, that is moat effectively to little flocks, to whom
he might adapt his address as a counsel adapts his
speech to a jury, looking each in the face by turns
until the expression of the eyes betrays that
he is convinced. The more splendid the
church the lese chance of the poor man's
feeling it is intended for him. Those wholly
unused to divine worship are unfitted for the sermon
by the appointed churchmongen. A church to
them was like a university to a child. These con-
victions have been gaining ground with the public
of late years, and we are persuaded that on the use
said. of them depends the soca= of future efforts
for the extension of religion, whether by the agency
el the church or of nonconformity, amongst the mass
of the population. We heutily commend Mr.
' Pycroft'e book to every clue of our readers.

SAciUrio T640=7.-011 Tuesday the R.T. Mr.
Waddell, of Girmus, read has has owe pulpit a poetical
tragedy, of width be le to. Wiser, entitled "Kies Baal."
t/ .
illustreting the power of madam, sapirsUnoo, and jealousy
combined. It is a despot Mee
adheriag throughout to
the narrative as It smears la y Writ, and containing on
every page delaseamm of chancery. and dos dramatic mate,
which would not di•grace the pm of the greatest drummer.
—.elyrehirs Esprou.
CIiTnAL PAI AC. •••• OVZ SHILLING DAIIr
WEANS/DAT, Nov. Z. AdaleAses ea Impling, 666;
ditto by aima &kola, 416 ; vaulters, 961.

DRAMA.