The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-07 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

Parables of Our Lord. Illustrated by Franklin.
John Mitchell, Royal Library, Old Bond-street.
It affords us much gratification to be enabled to
invite the attention of our readers to a guinea edi-
tion of this choice and exceedingly beautiful work,
which was originally published at two guineas. The
" Parables of Our Lord," illustrated by Franklin,
the text engraved by Becker's patent process on
steel, and printed by McQueen, is one of those
gems of art that command universal admiration,
and unmistakeably attest the enlightened taste and
enterprising spirit of a publisher. A work in the
execution of which the inventive genius of the easel,
the skill of the engraver, and the ingenuity of the
printer have been put into contribution in harmo-
nious rivalry with the most satisfactory result. And
surely if the resources of art are to be drawn upon
in the service of Truth, they could not be better
employed than in garlanding and illustrating the
parables of the " Wonderful, Counsellor," wherein
are enshrined as living waters in vessels of alabas-
ter the rarest lessons of mercy, wisdom, and right-
eousness humanity has ever had placed within the
grasp and scope of its comprehension. Beginning
with the Parable of " The Merciless Servant,"
we have the miserable defaulter with his sorrowing
wife and family at his heels, abjectly imploring com-
passion of " a certain King" (gracious as " The Son
of Mau") vividly depicted. The engraving occupies
one-half the broad quarto page (minus the margin),
and inone-halfof the remainder the merciless wretch
unsoftened, or rather hardened, by the clemency
displayed towards him, is seen fiercely grasping
by the throat prior to casting into prison his fellow-
servant, who owed him merely the tithe of the
debt he had himself been forgiven. The remainder
of the page contains the opening portion of the
Parable in engraved old English letters, printed
in carmine, with the initials tastefully illuminated.
The rest of the parable, also illuminated, appears in
the succeeding page. The letterpress, &c., of each
page, it may be noticed, are environed by a car-
mine border, and each parable has a separate title-
page, and one or more illustrations. " The Lord
of the Vineyard" is represented in the act of ex-
postulation with the early labourers in the vine-
yard. The expression of the characters generally
is very fine. Not less, perhaps more so, is that of
" The Wicked Husbandmen," conspiring together
to kill the King's son, a large and most merito-
rious engraving Very beautiful, is the group illus-
trating " The Wise Steward," who is represented
in the act of communicating the sacred elements
to devout recipients of both sexes and of various
conditions, including royalty beneath the ap-
proving presence of his Great Master. Chaste and
attractive, the five wise and hardly repellant, the
five foolish, representatives of " The Ten Vire
gins," but very mournful the anxiety and despair
of the latter, while from an upper window, with the
Wise Virgins on either hand, the Bridegroom re-
plies to their entreaties, " Verily, I say unto you
—I know you not." Appalling the convoluted
horror as writhing in serpentine folds the (meta-
phorical) Goats topple down headlong on the left
from the presence of their Judge, while the Sheep
on the right meekly abase themselves in grateful
adoration. Very touching, "The Good Samaritan,"
as witnessed soothing and supporting the poor
wretch who " fell among thieves" on his journey
from Jerusalem to Jericho ; and hardly less so
" The Prodigal Son," burying his tears in his aged
father's bosom, or chewing the bitter cud of repen-
tance as the herdsman of swine. Seldom has been
seen so perfect a portraiture as the last—the cruel
memory of the past and the misery of the present
as it were welling from the poor prodigal's eyes.
"qartling the difference between the Falstaffian
Dives and the sore bestead Lazarus. Pitiful to a
twofold compassion " The Good Shepherd," sur-
rounded by his sheep, and pressug a lamb to his
bosom, while the ravening wolf snorts fiercely before
the fold ; and awe inspiring beyond expression the
last eventful scene of all, in which " The Good
Shepherd" is represented laying down his life
(on the cross) for the sheep. From that scene of
brutal execration, speechless sorrow, God-like en-
durance, and wonderful expiation we would turn
humbly away in reverent gratitude, that lessons like
the preceding, so glorious in their humanity, and
so divine in their wisdom and mercy, have, not-
withstanding, been bequeathed to us by Him who,
having spoken "as never man spoke," and suffered
(at the hands in part of men) as never man suffered.
" with a loud voice gave up the ghost." To con-
clude our notice : Christmas is fast approaching,
and we can conceive of few if any more appro-
priate presents than this edition of the " Parables
of Our Lord," for which the majority of the reli-
gious public will doubtless feel greatly indebted to
Mr. Mitchell.

Common Sense versus 11 omceopathy. By Samuel
Knaggs. John Churchill.
Those who wish, without wading through the
contents of a • little library, to learn what can be
said against homoeopathy, may consult these pages
with advantage. The writer does not profess to
offer any new information on the subject, but is
entitled to the merit of presenting the facts and
arguments opposed to homoeopathy in a popular
manner. In the first place he discusses the modo
by which, according to the Hahnemann theory,
disease is to be treated. Secondly, the remedy to
be chosen ; and, thirdly, the dose to be adminis-
tered according to homoeopathic doctrine. Vnder
the first head he points out the absurdity of adapt-
ing remedial agents to certain symptoms of disease
rather than their causes, adducing; by way of illus-
tration, the mechanism of a watch, the cause of
any irregular movement in which, according to the
same principle, should be sought on the dial ; and
three descriptions of headache, notoriously re-
quiring a different mode of treatment, one abso-
lutely antagonistic to that indicated for the other
two. Under the second he shows that the similia
similibus principle, considered as a universal law,
will not bear scrutiny—adducing by way of proof
the facts that, while bark is of singular utility in
ague, and sulphur and lemon juice are respectively
specifics for itch and scurvy, they never produce
in the healthy person symptoms in any way re-
sembling these diseases. Under the third head he
points out, among other things, the differences of
opinion among Homceopathists as to the power of
a medicine being increased by the mode of prepara-
tion and in proportion to the extremity of its sub-
division, and applies the argumentum ad absurdum
with relentless vigour. The alleged success of the
homceopathic mode of treatment also is subjected
to examination, and the writer adduces reasons
for discrediting the correctness of the statistics
advanced in proof thereof, together with strik-
ing instances of failure where homoeopathy
was resorted to for the cure of disease, and
also when the production of Symptoms by
the use of medicines as alleged by Homoeopath-
ists was attempted by way of experiment. The
curative powers of nature, including imagina-
tion, it is suggested, indeed it is the main object
of the writer to show, will account for the cures at
first sight attributable to homoeopathy, and some
amusing anecdotes are related in which homceopa-
thic cures were effected where, by some blunder or
trick, homceopathic remedies were mixed, or some-
thing Oven instead of them. In one case we are
told a cure was effected by percussion pellets, ad-
ministered, of course, by mistake. A more dam-
natory fact is narrated, on the authority of Dr.
Glover, of Newcastle, viz., that one of the first, if
not the very first, wholesale firm in London, was
in the habit of supplying its customers simply with
sugar of milk globules, labelling them, however, ac-
cording to the different homceopathic names of
drugs. This statement, it is said, was made by an
agent of the firm at the house of Messrs. Gilpin
and Co., druggists, Newcastle. With a quotation
from the writer, likely to meet with pretty general
approval, we conclude our notice :—" The first
object of the physician is the benefit of his patient,
and therefore he strives to enlist in his service
every means thttt has proved available in the treat-
ment of disease. With this end in view he selects
from the many special schemes of practice what-
ever of truth they may seem to embody, and ap-
plies the hints thus gained to the further improve-
ment of the science of medicine. Thus, from
homoeopathy he learns to estimate highly the
advantage of attention to strict dietetic rules, and
amusement of mind ; from hydropathy, the dif-
ferent ways in which a simple element may be
made to produce most powerful effects upon the
human body, either for good or evil ; and from
mesmerism the influence of fixed attention upon
the nervous system. He who refuses to make use
are mingled with
bheicsa
bigotry,
e4hy
rye,
but not his sense,
and shames the noble calling which claims from
of
quackeries,these influences
betrays
him the truth wherever he may find it."

•
Inverse Elementary Tactics of Cavalry. By
A. B. C. Thomas Bosworth.
The author is evidently one who feels an interest
in the art of war, and has given considerable atten-
tion to this branch of it. The subject being purely
professional we shall only add, the pamphlet com-
prises simple, compound, and partial inversion,
with the application of them to regimental, exten-
sive, and auxiliary lines, together with the con-
version of the squadron.

The Australian mail-clipper Red Jacket, Captain
Miliward, of the White Star line of Liverpool and Aus-
tralian packets, which left the Mersey on the 20th Sep-
tember, was spoken on the 22d October, thirty-two days
out, lat. 2 S. lon. 30 W., by the John Dalton, from
Caldera, arrived in the Mersey.