The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-24 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

May Templeton : a Tale of Faith and Love. Re-
vised and edited by the author of "Eastern
Hospitals and Englisn Nurses," &c. Dolman.
This is a very interesting little story, which is
written with great earnestness and eloquence. The
author is evidently one who feels deeply, and who
possesses skill to describe what he witnesses. May;
the heroine, is a fine character; and:the many trials
and sufferings which were her portion for so long
a period were bravely endured with patience and
resignation. Her brother is also attractive from
his zeal and his unselfishness ; and one of the most
impressive passages in the book is that which tells
of his fearful shipwreck on the shores of his native
land, while his sister stood waiting for him on th ;
shore. The despairing agony of such an event is
pictured in a few impressive sentences. It is one
of those dark pages of woe that are ever and
anon opened before us as we turn the volume
of human life ; and it is therefore peculiarly solemn
and striking. The many struggles that the poverty-
stricken family, hitherto living in luxury, had to
encounter, are vividly described ; and the scenes of
Lady Mansfield's life in Italy are also worthy of
notice. It will be seen that, while Arthur Tem-
pleton expresses everywhere his conviction in the
efficacy of his own form of belief, that there is no
attempt made to render this a controversial book.
The author maintains his own opinion in a calm
manner, and there is nothing to deter those who
think differently from entering into the spirit of
the story, and admiring the many great and noble
qualities that appear in the personages sketched
before us. It is altogether a clevDr work, and will
doubtless gain the approbation of a large circle of
readers.

Secret History of the Austrian Government. Com.
piled from official documents. By Alfred Mi.
chiels. Chapman and Hall.

This volume records the history of the successive
Governments of the Austrian Empire since Ferdin-
and 11. It concerns itself chiefly with the mani-
festations of religious intolerance which the rulers
of this country have systematically displayed for
centuries. In his preface the author refers to the
sources from which he has drawn his information.
This work is, he affirms, " a really secret •historyof
the Austrian Government, its disloyal ambition, its
pernicious schemes, and hypocritical violence.
" My book does not contain a sentence, or even part
of a sentence, which is not supported by proof. The
Viennese Cabinet knows this well; for, as its
scribes could not refute me, it chose the clumsy ex-
pedient of interdicting my work through the en-
tire monarchy—proving by this stupid mrneeuvre
the exactness of my information and the fidelity of
my narrative." He observes further on, with re-
ference to the system of Austrian misgovernment,
" The infamous regime against which Italy con-
tends was not invented for her, nor is it all peculiar
to her. All the Austrian provinces have been suc-
cessively or simultaneously treated with the same
bloodthirsty hypocrisy or implacable stupidity.
he outlines of history offer nothing to resemble it ;
the madness of the Roman Emperors fades before
that of the Hapsburgs." It is in some respects a re-
markable and useful work, and the sketches it gives
of the chief rulers and ministers of the Austrian
empire add to its value.

Social Innovators and their Schemes. By W.
Lucas Sargent, author of "The Science of Social
Opulence," Sze. Smith and Elder.
This is a work well worthy the attention of the
social philosopher. It sums up the opinions of the
social would-be reformers of late years, Saint Simon,
Fourier, Louis Blanc, Proudhon, and Emile de
Girardin. It is extremely useful to collect and
contrast the schemes of these men, that what good
there is in them may be winnowed from the chaff,
and that their contradictions may be discovered by
comparison and analysis. It is also useful in another
point of view, that their rash and dangerous doc-
trines should be exposed, and that those who would
contend with them should know their real strength
and weakness. It affords a useful chart of the state
of opinion among the social innovators from the
days of Saint Simon and the Great Revolution to
Louis Blanc in our own time. In his able introduc-
tion Mr. Sargent traces the ready diffusion of these
socialistic schemes in France to the lamentable con-
dition of the labouring classes. After speaking of
the miserable destitution of the burdened 'peasantry
in the days before the outburst of 1789, he says :
" In our time, though the old oppressions are re-
moved, there is still great destitution. In the
country parts the splitting up of the land into eleven
million separate estates, the greater part with a
few shillings a year of rental, prevents all improve-
ment, and makes any legal assistance to the poor
impossible. In the great towns, the restlessness
and immorality of the people make them greedy of
every novelty. Thus it is that oppression formerly,
and destitution in the present day, have led to the
ready reception in France of schemes however
monstrous or hopeless. Fourier, and Saint Simon,
and Louis Blanc, and Proudhon have found willing
disciples for projects which a contented population
would have treated with neglect." In the follow-
ing pages will be found a sketch of the more noted
of these schemes : of the new Christianity of Saint
Simon, of the phalansteres of Fourier, of the
socialism of Louis Blanc, of the levellin gdoctrin es of
Proudhon. Of these authors I think it will be
found that Fourier is the most extravagant, Louis
Blanc is the most eloquent, Saint Simon is the
most scholarly, and Proudhon is the most scholas-
tic ; Fourier raves, Louis Blanc declaims, Saint
Simon lectures, and Proudhon wrangles," we
commend this work to the attention of all who
interest themselves in a discussion on the principles
of political economy, and the social well-being of a
neighbouring state.

The Sense Denied and Lost. By Thomas Bull,
M.D., author of " Hints to Mothers," &c. Long.
man.
This little work possesses an especial interest,
from the melancholy fact that its author, the late
able physician, was himself deprived of sight during
the last eight years of his life. We are told, in the

pr-e.fice-by--kir, devoted wife,- that -he had.iketchaa
out the plan of the work previously, but that th(
whole of it was composed and dictated after perfect
blindness and almost helplessness had set in. He
wrote to give himself an occupation, and also from
an ardent desire to excite sympathy and activity in
behalf of his fellow sufferers. He treats separately'
of the born blind, the educated blind, the embossed
system, and of remarkable cases of blindness. He
informs us that those born blind are comparatively
few in number- It is believed that of the 30.000
blind persons in this country, this class numbers
only about 2,500. In the chapter on the educated
blind we meet several interesting accounts of those
who have attained proficiency in various branches
of learning. The cases of Laura Bridgman, and:
others similarly afflicted, who have been deprived
a more than one sense, are cited, and the means of
instruction most succes::fully employed are alluded
to. The calm and cheerful tone of the work would
scarcely lead the reader to suppose that it was com-
posed by one suffering so great a deprivation; but
we gather from the preface that the Christian for-
titude of Dr. Bull enabled him to meet his loss with
courage and resignation, and that he continued to
the last his endeavours to benefit others, one el
his occupations being that of teaching the blind to
read. " He sought them out wherever he was star
ing, and by means of small brass letters, on Moon's
system, enabled many a solitary person to read the
word of God for himself. Of this the appendix on"
tains many instances, as recorded in his p rivate
journal," All who are personally interested to the
moral and mental welfare of the blind should Pro"
cure this little volume.

LB

A Tale for the Pharisees. By the author el
" Dives and Lazarus." Judd and Glass.
The. author of this Work is evidently well ac-
quainted with tbc,, struggles, sorrows, and temPtsi;
tions of the suffering poor in London. This work
records the life of a mother whose only son fat..
into bad company, and whose whole life is a and
petual. struggle to save him from the disgrace an
punishment he deserves. The conclusion of thie,
s.tory is most painful, since the mother herself
sinks into intemperance, having lost her character
by herself assuming the guilt of the theft her
had committed. There is much true and life-I
portraiture in the book, though its interest is °f
painful kind. The author does not in the lease
attempt to palliate the vices and errors of those b
describes. Differing in this respect from most
those who take their heroes and heroines fr°_,
among the lower classes, he does not represent thV ''e
as invested with any extraordinary attributes. ye
meet. no specially favoured individuals who. bathe
retained through a long and struggling hfe 0
Christian impressions of the Sunday-school; 11,0
pious invalid or toiling moralist, ever striving
instruct and convert his neighbours. But thong
,°:
less gratifying to the charitable there is
e
doubt that his portraiture is the more
His writings remind us of the allusion of gore
the muse of Crabbe—
Still softening as she frowns along
O'er scenes which angels weep to see,
Till Truth herself half veils the wrong

In pity of the inisery,-- Vw
- tee
The moral he draws from his desc,riptions is 9-43,,,E,
and harshnd. the book, though many of its o°n-tit
are and repulsive, and its heroine lose5;,;0;
sympathy from her final recklessness and dis'ron.
tion, is truly a tale to make the Pharisees less ceo
fident in their self-satisfaction, since it teachesith an
how heavily some of the fallen have been tried 61'
tempted.

Memories of Rome. By Denis O'Donovan,
Catholic Publishing Company.
An enthusiastic record of the impression Is of
on a young and ardent traveller by the nlarv,e..via
the Eternal City. It gives a fresh and wit
description of the various wonders of art which
description
the writer paid homage to, and though sollle4 of
rhapsodical at times is evidently the res,.urallf
genuine feeling. The writer, as a Catholic, nal? the
introduces some account of his introduction to of
Pope and his presence at the grand festivals oot
the Church. There is nothing, however, to Oro
the reader of a different creed, since he Preset
a tone of moderation highly commendable.

lVanderings in India and other Sketches of ill°
in Hindostan. By John Lang.
These lively and entertaining sketches frarerao.o
the most part reprinted from " Household I°,,i• fet
The readers of that periodical will be glad t° :110-
them in a collected form, while those who ar" and
Routledge• for
acquainted with them will find much to please
lo-
interest them in these animated records of Ang
Indian life.

The Northumbrian Abbots. By R. B. Warb°r".-
Saunders and Ottley. A and
This is a tale of the seventh century, brie of
simply told. It is intended to show the stallst
ecclesiastical and theological questions at ut
ere
time, especially as regards the monastic life. There
are also some discussions on the Christian cleg—act
and matters of faith. It is not likely to tract
aiid matters of faith. It is not likely to
bOt it
those who seek for an exciting narrative, btl,b,
gives an interesting picture of that remote sP.uis
and may serve to suggest reflection on Sc
matters.