New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1849-06-15
REVIEWS OF NEW BOOKS.
Book. that ". Books,


qainng into the Literary tastes and m-nis naoi-
ta1e. Of our people. The standard Of public taste
IS gradually rising The yellow covered deiage IS
sobsiding, and those who were first moved 20
read by rrurisnt curiosity or e morbid aPPe-
tite for fsnciful moonshine, are fast bstskins
themselves 70 better books. Any Of our extensive
booksellers will satisfy you that iar more good
| books In comparison 70 the worthless are sold now
than there were ten or even FIVE years ago HIS
tory Biography, Topography, bat above al works
Of Natural Science, are fast suppantiug the great
mass Of Novels
The Phrenological Cabinet Of Messrs. Fowlers
& Wells, l3l Nsssau.st. fifty typifes the new
direction Of mental activity. Here are two apart
rnents Of Clinton Hall devoted, the one TO skulls.
the other 70 brains the first showing hat sort Of
heads men had in the past the other making pro-
vision for better formed or better furnished heads
in the future. The publishers original text was
! Phrenology, bat they have already preached many
and various discourses from 1t. They publish
nearly all the PhreHologcal Works issued in the
country but not these alone. Whatever relates
10 the physical moral intellectual nature OF Man
is in their line, aud whoever seeks TO obey the
wise precept Know thyself can 10 where fit
himself better than at Fowers Weiss. Among
the books they regularly publish are those OF the
Messrs. Combes. including Geo Combe's Constr
tuition Of Man. Andrew Combes Principles Of
Physiology applied to the improvement OF Menta
and MORA Education and Infancy also, Spur
helms Education. founded on the Nature Of Man
Judge Hurlbuts Essays on Human Rights and
their Political Guarantees Liebigs Chemistry
SC &c. including great variety OF popular trea
tises on Phrenology, Childhood, Education. Love
Marriage Paternity, &c sc by the Messrs Fow
ers and by Mrs L. \. Fowler. Beaumonts Ply
sioogy of Digestion and Experiments is not pop
ular book but contains a fund Of original iniorms
ton of vital moment to all who would know
themselves.
Lectures on the Science Of Human Life by
| Sylvester Graham, is a more elaborate and com
prehensve exposition Of the physical laws rcla-
tive to Health Food. Exercise, Dress, Beverages
SC too bulky for popular reading. yet full Of de
monslratlons Of important truths which every hu-
man being ought to know, yet which alas very
few have any but the dimmest and most confused
| idea Of. We do not know that this book can now
| be procured elsewhere than at l3l Nassau, and
probably not many are sold and yet few Libraries
OF five thousand volumes have fifty more useful
works
Mesns Fowers Wells publish monthly the
American chronological journal which they
edit and The Water-Cure Journal edited by
Dr. Joel Shew. Each is a handsomely printed oc
tavc OF 80 pages price, = per annum. The for
mer hes some 1000 subscribers the latter has
risen rapidly from 1000 to 5000. Both are Ire
works, containing large proportion OF matter
which is true and useful. whether Phrenoogy and
Water-Core are or are not; We rather think they
| GOSPEL STUDIES BY ALfxASDES vrNFr p Pro-
! lessor Of Theology IN Lausanne New-1Ork W
| Christianity has two modes Of existence Ia the
world, one as profession Of 'aith in the Gospel
the other as life. Some persons regard 1t chiefly
as historical fact, whose meaning is ell shut up
in the individual man, Jesus Of Nazareth Others
re gard it the highest or distinctively divine
| life in universal humanity life which was fully
synbolized indeed in every event Of the life OF
Jesus, but is exclusively realized by no individual
experience whatever. The former persons fix
their imaginations upon the finite physical man
Jesus. The latter r, gard mainly his infinite office
| or function. To the one class Christianity IS q
naked or superficial fact fact altogether of pri-
waite experience, and therefore void OF universal
or philosophic import. To the other class /. is IN
terestng also as an historic fact, bat the fact itself
is interesting as profound and mystic symbol OF
the relation which uHirersaI humanity at its high
est evolution will sustain to God, relation Of
complete and conscious unity. In short, to the one
class the divine life upon earth IS tradition, be-
onging exclusively to the sphere OF the memory
To the other it is most living and present hope
Engaging the proioundest homage OF the affections
| and understanding.
Prof Vinet belongs 70 the first described class,
aud he advocates It's cherished views with no 1t
| tie vigor and freshness. Although we cannot
comprehend what the editor means by calling
Prof Vinet the first metsphysicsn In Europe,
since there is no trace Of such prmscy visible In
his writing, we yet have no hesitation in Pronoun-
cling him man Of decided talent. Those who
wish 10 have their faith confirmed in the particu
ar tenets he espouses and who have been shut
up to the routine Of domestic and English theolo
gy, will be apt we conceive TO ooncede him sur
passing measure Of ability.
But the book will not profit the unpledged
reader. 1t does not breathe the tone OF the bench
50 much as that of the bar. 1t IS not the Impartial
summing up OF the judge, intent only upon the
interests OF Truth, bat the ingenious plea Of the
attorney jealous for the claims Of his client only
Thus while Prot. V continually sssails the spirit
ual view Of Christianity, while he continually
denounces il as q heresy vastly more dangerous
than avowed lnfdehty and vastly more certain
therefore, OF Satanic patronage and sympathy yet
he never once balances the one view against the
other in the scales of a dispassiouate criticism.
His jury lis packed i IS not a jury Of twelve
apostles, commissioned TO maintain the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing bat the truth, as It IS IN
Jesus but Of twelve intrepid Presbyterians,
pledged u maintain the truth the whole truth
and nothing but the truth. which filtered through
the brain OF John Calvin. Hence no chance word
OF instruction beisls the uncommiited or inquirIng
student. Doubtless IN every quarrel there must
be a right and wrong. which risht and wrong can
ouly be distributed by law superior 70 the will o.
either htisant. In Prof VS. quarrel nth his an
tsgonists, accordingly. some law must be sccessl-
bic, cspsble Of doing exact Justice TO both sides
some ground Of appeal either exegetic or philo
sophie, must exist, superior to the prsjudices OF