The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-09 00:00:00

THE MAGAZINES.

" A Century of English Caricature" is the first subject
met with in the Dublin, and it furnishes a fund of enter-
tainment. The substance of the article is taken from
Mr. Wright's " Caricature History of the Georges," a
work which impresses the characters of the period moat
strongly on - the mind and memory. Law's Mississippi
scheme and the South Sea bubble were fruitful sub-
jects for the caricaturists of the time, and, strangely
enough, the Dutch then gave the tone in satirical art to
France and England. It is remarked upon as some-
what! inconsistent that Pope, who was so sensitive
himself to satire, should have; by his " Dunciad," set
all the literati of the day against him. Among the
numerous sketches of the poet one is cited as worthy of
preservation ; it contains the declaration that Pope and
wit are so closely linked that one cannot be demolished
without the other being destroyed. Sir Robert Walpole
was one of the victims of the satirical mania then in
vogue, and his foreign policy in particular gave rise to
abundant caricatures. Hogarth's delineations are said to
bear the same relation to caricature as comedy does to
farce. He made some attempt at the historical style, but
soon became sensible of his unfitness for that line of art,
and returned to the satirical and humorous school.
In the account of the " Vaudois and Albigenses" the
realer is reminded that it is a mistake to fancy they take
their name from Peter Waldo; rather lie was so called
from being one of them. They are the dalesmen of the
woody Alpine valleys, and were so named more than a
century before Peter began to preach. Peter Waldo was
a rich Lyons merchant, who sold his property, gave half
to the poor, and spent the other half in getting the Bible
translated into the langue-d'oc. "Memorable Odds and
Ends" contains many curious scraps of information, and
makes mention of some strange hallucinations which have
possessed people at different times. One man thought
he was made of glass, and was afraid to move lest he
should break in pieces. Another believed that he was
permanently frozen, and was cured by the ingenuity of
his physician, who wrapped him in sheepskins saturated
in aqua vitfe, and thus dressed, set him on the fire. Very
shortly he rushed off dancing and leaping, crying out that
" he was now quite well, and rather too hot."

Some of the articles in the current number of the
Contemporary Review are scarcely up to the ordinary mark,
but others are of great merit, and the table of contents is
more varied than usual. The preponderance of space is,
however, allotted, according to custom, to questions
affecting philosophy and religion. Those who are inte-
rested in the demolition of Dr. Bence Jones's theories on
Matter and Force will find a vigorous attempt at that great
work by Mr. Heath. But as the refutation of individual
opinions is not ordinarily very lively reading, the general
reader. I imagine, will find much more enjoyment in the
paper by the Rev. C. A. Row, on " Moral Philosophy
and Christianity." This is, indeed, a very superior con-
tribution, well written in point of style, and not without
some claim to originality in respect of matter. Mr. Row
points out the distinction between moral philosophy and
Christianity, and shews that whereas the old philosophers
failed utterly in their attempts to regenerate man-
kind, because men could not be taught virtu&
unless a sufficiently virtuous community were formed
and therefore the ideal state of the philosophers could not
be realised because there was no substratum upon which to
found it, Christianity introduced this very substratum in
the shape of the principle of faith. The philosopher
taught very truly that by performing virtuous acts the prac-
tice of virtue becomes a habit, but this course is prac-
ticable only with that small minority of mankind whose
natural tendencies seem more or less virtuous ; the great
mass of humanity, which is more or less deeply
contaminated with vice is not to be reached by such an
influence. Thus, whilst philosophy dealt only with a
small fraction of humanity, religion, aided by the prin-
ciple of faith, reaches both bad and good alike. Mr. Row
enlarges very ably on this important theme. He finds,
however, ground for complaint in the unprogressive
character of Christian moral philosophy. Since Butler,
very little has been done in this direction ; and Butler's
work was elaborated unsystematically rather to combat
the sceptical principles of the eighteenth century than to
regularly investigate the relations of man's moral and
spiritual nature to the great truths of the Christian
revelation. Christianity ought to claim her right to a
distinct recognition in every sound system of philosophy
as the most powerful principle which can operate in human
nature. Another high-class paper in this branch of writing
is supplied by the Rev. Professor Plumptre, in a review of
M. Ernest Renan's last work, "St. Paul." Though Mr.
Plumptre energetically combats his author, the spirit of
the work is very carefully and impartially presented,
and those who care not to read the whole
of " St. Paul " may be satisfied with the repre-
sentation of it given here. Amongst the general
articles, "The Management of the Speakinc, Voice," by
Mr. Hullah, will be found very useful. The Contemporary
continues the agitation on behalf of the education of
women, of which it has lately become a leading advocate.

This month we have " Girls' Grammar Schools"—a
lament over the general lack in the metropolis
of good schools fur the daughters of professional
men and others, to whom the education of their
girls is a matter of paramount importance, but who
cannot afford to pay much for the boon. This is a want
which is felt in the country generally a.; well as in London.
The middle-class man can have his sons (Nell educated at
such an institution as the City of London School for ..£lO
a year ; but nowhere can he obtain any instruction worth
having for his girls for such a price. "Pictures of the
Year" would have been more satisfactory if the writer had
not endeavoured to cover so much ground. The remain-
ing artic!e is one by Professor Corrado Tommasi-Condeli,
on the state of education in Italy. Very bad it is. Of
every hundred men throughout Italy seventy-two can
neither read nor write ; and of women the proportion is
eighty•four. Lately the War Minister of Saxony an-
nounced, as an extraordinary and uncommon occurrence,
that two recruits who could neither read nor write had
presented themselves at the Conscriptioa of 1868. In
Italy 35,009 such are to be found at every Conscription.
Such are national differences.

The marvellous success which has attended the patient
efforts of the modern instructors of the deaf and dumb is
described in an interesting paper in the June number of
the Sunday Magazine. The account of the perfect hush
which reigns in the busy schoolroom, where teachers and
taught are alike silent, is graphically given, and the
manner in which the instruction is conveyed to the poor
little scholars is ingenious and striking. A noticeable
fact in connection with this affliction is the manner in
which it shews itself in particular families. Thus in one
family of ten children no fewer than eight are deaf and
dumb, in a family of eight, seven are similarly afflicted,
and in many smaller families all the children are deaf
mutes. One hundred and five children in the Asylum
belong to twenty-three families. The visitors to the
Royal Academy's Exhibition this year have seen a paint-
ing by an artist who received his early education in the
Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb, in the Old Kent-road.
The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles is described by the
same writer who has formerly given us some account of
the manner in which the Israelites were bound to celebrate
their two great feasts of the Passover and of Pentecost.
Dr. Vaughan contributes an essay on the " Valley of
Humiliation " and Professor Plumptre continues his
" Bibilical study " of the Babylonian captivity.
Several topics are pleasantly discussed in the current
number of Good Words. The Rev. B. Johns tells the
story of "A Blind Inventor," Dr. Jame Gale M.A.,
who, in spite of his great drawback, has achieved a
recognised position among the scientific inventors
of the day. The Hon. and Rev. W. Lyttelton appa-
rently shares the continental opinion that we English
are too grave a people, for be makes an animated defence
of Laughter, drawing, however, a wise distinction between
seemly and unseemly mirth. The Good Words' Commissioner
continues his accounts of our working people, and describes
the Buckinghamshire labourer, whom he regards as a fair
specimen of the Inglis b peasant. One of the best articles
in this number is "'he Two Breaths," by the Rev.
Charles Kingsley, in which the necessity of ventilation
for health is insisted on. The aublect is not a new one,
for many social philosophers and men of science have en-
deavoured to popularise it before Mr. Kingsley, but it is
very certain that the lesson is not yet generally learned,
and therefore it needs repetition. The Bishop of Oxford
continues his " Heroes of Hebrew History," taking fur
his central figure the character of Joseph ; and Miss
Edwards proceeds with her story of "Debenham's Vow"
at some length.

St. Paul's is not quite up to its usual standard. The
articles are well written, but the subjects are not of a
character to excite any, great degree of interest. The
writer of the notice on ` Austria in 1869," after passing
in review the chief elements of discontent which exist in
that empire, comes to the conclusion that the real source
of Austria's present troubles is not so much the mutual
hostility of rival nationalities as " the frenzy of cen-
tralisation," as Mr. Lowe calls it, which characterises
the rule of the German element. A radical change of the
present system is wanted, and the writer believes that no
statesman will ever succeed in the difficult task of
saving the empire from internal dissolution unless
he abandons, once for all, the pernicious system
of governing for the exclusive benefit of a
minority, which has brought it to the verge
of ruin. The vexed question of " Naturalisation
and Allegiance " is again discussed, the author of the
article on the subject contending that, an alteration in the
present state of the law being necessary, the Government
cannot do better than adopt many of the recommenda-
tions suggested by the Royal Commission which was
appointed some time since. D.I. Victor Hugo's "L'Homme
Qui Rit " is condemned as a stupendous anachronism.
The reviewer asserts that it contains such " a mass of
misconception and alsurdity regarding the Court, the
law, the letters, the whole civil and social state of Eng-
land, as might warrant an amazed reader in declaring that
the author had touched nothing which he did not dis-
figure." The article entitled ' Goldoni " gives some
particulars of life in Italy 120 years since ; and the tale of
" The Three Brothers " is continued.
London Society is as varied as usual this month. There
is a serial story by Mr. Whyte Melville, which is vigorously
sustained, a shorter tale, and an infinite collection of essays,
sketches, poems, &c. A short paper on " Parisian Clubs,
Past and Present," contains very little i nformation respect-
ing the clubs of either tense ; but "Social Superstition "
is better, and " Dove Dale," a sketch of a ramble
in Derbyshire, better still. " Ancient Hostelries,
and the Men who Frequented Them," is a very old topic,
which has been especially well worn of late ; but it always
seems to furnish a fund of ideas, and accordingly the
articles on this .subject iu London. Society are readable.
There is an interesting account of the Brompton Hospital
for Consumption, and a list of all the remarkable cases
of longevity in " Very Old People." The "Piccadilly
Papers," as usual, contain some fair writing.
The verses as a rule are weak, and the
defect of the articles in general is that they are,
too sketchy and trifling. It is impossible to satisfac-
torily deal with a large subject in three or four pages, and
yet this seems to be the average space accorded in London
Society. By the way, the portrait of the Crown Princess
of Prussia, inserted opposite page eighty, must surely be
a mistake. The eldest daughter of the Queen is yet a
young woman, but not quite so young as represented in
this case. The other illustrations of this magazine are,
however, as tuatal, of a very high order,