The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-02-01
LITERARY NOTICES.


This story of the fifth century takes US back
10 the arena of the last great struggle between
beathensm and Christianity. The scenes are
laid in Alexandria and the surrounding deserts.
The Introductory chapter is fine specimen of
the concise and forcible in style.
Hypatia, woman Of rare endowments and
noble impulses, philosopher and teacher, is
represented as maintaining, with the might of
her great influence, the cause of the nearly de-
throned gods, whose names symbolic to her
mind no vulgar, sensual attributes, but the
eternal principles of truth and loneliness
Cyril, bishop Of Alexandria, her antagonist.
alternates with her in swaying the ignorant,
hafsayage masses of the people. The Jews,
aud the monks of the desert, also bear their
part in the exciting scenes of the age From
the rude but peaceful cells of an Egyptian
monastery, comes forth Philemon, the hero of
the book, Young man, to mingle with such a
world and TO learn from it what is life, what
i, truth. If these are problems hard to solve
in the light and experience of the nineteenth
century, what must have been the difficulty of
dealing with them thirteen hundred years ago?
Surely, no one who compares with the world
it now exists, the pictures of anarchy, i'm
morality, and fendish cruelty, here depicted,
can deny that the tide of human purposes and
events, in spite of its frequent ebb, has flowed
far upward toward truth and humanity. We
NAV vet, in time, hope for the millennium.
But this narrative teaches higher lesson
one thasshould stir mems souls at the present
era viz; the suicidal folly of intolerance in
matters of conscience. Jew heather, and inf
del, stand before US, armed in deadly hatred
against each other. Each in turn grasping
little transitory power, hurls it with crushing
weight upon the heads of his adversaries. A
reaction ensues; retaliation follows; and the
baser passions of men, fired to frenzy, work
ont fatal retribution that involves the inno-
cent with the guilty.
We no longer deliver to wild beasts the fell
low-being who worshiIs his Maker in manner
different from our own; we no longer torture
and tear piecemeal the shrinking human flesh of
the I" hereto. The " old face has been cast off,
like hideOus mask never more, be it hoped,
10 disgrace the earth. Is not the new foe"
even now among us, arming the passions and
prejudices of Americans against their broth
ers? Intolerance is not less the demon for
It's change of form or of weapons. The man
who, at this day, would, for religious opinions,
deny to his neighbor any of the political or So
cn privileges of freeman, would, in the fifth
century, have trampled upon body as well as
upon spirit-a prosecutor for conscience sake.
Cyril and Orestes, Miriam and Hypatia, have
had their counterparts in all ages. Let their
fate stamp more deeply into every bigoted soul
the words of the Mercifu One" With what
measure We mete, it shall be measured to you
again
I'"eRs CLEMENS or GRAMMAR TOWERS GRADUAL
IEssoNs ~ GRAMMAR. New York Daniel Burgess &
Co.
These new treatises upon an old theme seem
well worthy to take places in the vast array of
excellent school books. The English language
can never be too thoroughly studied.
LYRIC or THE MORNING LAND. New York Partridge
4 Britain
The clue to this labyrinth of confused meas
nres and rhymes seems to lie in the statement
appended, which informs us that, I" fed by con-
nnua intiuxes of celestial life, these archie
rpa IDEAS internally unfolded within his inte-
nor or spiritual self; until at length, having
attained to their maturity, they descended into
''e eNternals of the mind, and uttered them
selves in speech" &c.
10 the yotaries of clairvoyance, biology, &C.,
Inc unfolding of these archetypal ideas y will
doubtless prove easy and edifying. For our
selves, We prefer plain common sense.
iHE oRLD WoRksHoP: or the Physical Relationship of
Man 10 the Earth. By Thomas Evbank, author of
Hydraulics and Mechanics" New York: d. Apple
Ton Coz 3t6 and 3is Broadway. 1855.
We have had opportunity to look over the
sheets of this highly original and very instruct
I've work, in anticipation of its publication.
Few men have more honorably distinguished
themselves in mechanical and physical science
'Aan the author of this work; and those who
are familiar with other productions from his
pen, or who know the great ability he displayed
while Superintendent of the Patent Office, will
nan the appearance of the volume before us,
which expresses well-considered thoughts on
subjects in which our whole race are deeply
interested. We are acquainted with no writer
"a physical science who blends with the state
'neht Of facts and principles so much beauty
ana force ofillustration as Mr.. Ewbauk. Indeed,
mere Is much of the grace, originality, and life
u poetry, in all his writings, and perhaps in
NOhe more than in this volume. There is also a
great amount of valuable information, in brief
'0n pass while from mines of deep reflection
orc brought up rich treasures of thought.
Inc leading idea in this work is, that God
mas supplied great and exhaustless storehouse
raw material in the earth, to occupy the
'"uy' The skill, and combined labor, of the
human race, in working it up into all the varied
'y.nlS OF beauty and utility. He has also sup
Pieu what Mr.. Ewbank terms caloric engine,
'he centre of the orb-"an engine whose
I'iineys and safety valves are volcanoes, and
''O'e action and diversities of action are sub
~ u laws as definite as any that control a
"'''unlll Or water wheel. The continued
10y oil this Plutonic power is significant of
''n work to be done, and the more SO when
en In connection with the fact that the stock
oau rH~rought material has hardly been touch
,oho. are not prepared to adopt what we infer
&c authors view in regard to diversity
Vi men, ushered into existence at diff.