The New York herald., 1869-09-17
LITERATURE.
Revio ws Of New Books.

False as It's doctrines are and dOuOy pernict0uB a.
hey would be II their influence was anything near
great a. the author DESIRES this book Is deserving
)f notice, as much because the subject Is that
must sooner or later, attain TO considerable 2romi
nence in our 1nal settlement of the Mormon ques-
lion, as because 1t is plausibly and ngeniousy
gued and at the same time delicately wOrded. Tue
author av0ws himself o polygamist, but whether hs
s one In practice as well In theory be leaves ~
only to conjecture He Ii evidently man OF abtlity
and is not without refinement. There is nothing In
the book that can offend the most sensitive reader.
is written in spirit Of earnestness aud
with delicacy OF expression which show the
writer to be really conscientious In his defence OF
most abominabie theory Of social life.
This advocate Of pOlygamy opens his argument by
to show that the Bible sanctions ana
authorizes a multiplicity Of wives. He quotes King
David and numerous others 70 sustain his assertion
and is really quite ingenious IN his argument. we
cannot forget however. that the Bible can be quoted
in defence OF almost any crime IN the catalogue Y
we translate Its language literally The crime OF
incest can be and really has been justified oy the
criminal on the ground Of Scnptural authorization:
MOnOgamy, 1t Is claimed, 1s relic OF "PaganiSm ana
Romanism.n In ancient Greece and Rome where
1t obtained, the social evil was recognized and
encouraged institution. Men married fOe
the sake OF pr0pagaung their species and for the
AFFAIRS. There was little afectiOn between hus-
bands and wives. The Aspaslas OF tue day
mere s nc he otheT Ssn
In pOlygamous countries, tue evils OF prostitution
were not great there was. In TACT, no necessity
for them. Men being authorized by law and custom
tO nave plurality or wives were enabled to avoid
Outragng public sentiment by employing the arts ol
tine sedIcer or 6y visiting women 81 aes S Si tSa nc Su 4
and Turkey at the present day the social eva Y 9
feature Of society SO garing ana 30 audacious that
stranger. Certainly II mOnOgamy encourages 1mm0-
rality p0lygamy does not repress It. And yet thls
power OF repression is distinctly claimed for The
latter.
Referring to the civilization of the present day. a.
1t Affects virtue, very vivid picture ID drawn OF the
extent and inhuence Of immortality. or course thD
lack Of morality is held up as the fruit OF monOgamy.
The animal passions Of men make poly
tuted that they cannot ind happiness in
life companiOnship with single woman. Enable
TO take q second Wife, ON account OF the laws ana
prejudces OF the Christian world, such men are ns
PEELED, by uncomfortable desires, to the arts OF Tho
seducer or to the haunts OF vice. And yet while
wander from the paths of virtue and become the
misresses OF are held up TO public sc0rn theit
children are looked upon as 0utcasts, ana they an
most cases finally end their career public caterers
to the passions OF men, selling their avOrs for con-
sderallon and flllng the world with loathsome dts-
o S
doctrine OF resistance TO the flesh 1t permits secret
Indulgence to an unlimited extent. LIT ID veil q
aDstemiOusneSs assumed to conceal mass OF hid
den corruption" Hence the writer ts called upon
by the Justice OF God and the suffering OF humanity
in behalf OF greater freedom to marry and greater
purity OF the marriage relation"
Such is the argument OF this new advocate for
plurality Of wves-bredy given Of course out sttll
Sufficiently clear enable the reader to understand
from " hat point Of view he writes. His strongest
and at the same time weakest argument % Is hs plea
passions are averse to It. Because man ID
debauchee and cannot control hls propensties We
are asked to sanction the qualification OF his sensu-
ality by legalzlng his connection with az many
women as he Will. We might as well be asked =
robbery because certain men 10 t9s l Cas
ing. ''The History and philosophy OF Marriage" az
argued here, however. is but the natural 1ruit OF
New England materlalism. 1t il due to system 0(
education persisted IN for the past two centures-n
system by which Christianity assumes o repu,stye
aspect. or is so distorted that when the mind
Secomes emancpated from its teachings it rushes ID
the extreme opposite and claims as The religion 0l
CHRIST the theory and pracuce OF an tnhdeity thae
recognize as divine Ony thas wuisn 4Vcs Presous
pleasure.
MAN IN GENESIS AND IN GEOLOGY. BY Joseph P.
Thompson, ID. D., LII. ID. New YORK: Samuel Il.
Wells.
Ever since geology has been upsetting accepted
interpretations OF the Bible men have been engaged
In reconciing the apparent differences II careful
consideration be given the subject It will be found
that few or no actual facts in geology conflict with
Holy Writ. There are, however, numerous-fsr Loo
numerous-theories and speculati0ns, mingled with
incontestabe facts. which not only conniot with all
we have heretofore regarded as Of Divine origin bus
which accepted as realities must inevitably over
turn Christianity. Unfortunately, Also ReOogists
been anything else but Christians and many of their
real or alleged discoveries have been given to the
world In forms that seem designed to destroy our
faith In the Bible. Thus such books as this
have become necessary, and the more the pity
thar they have. DIR. Thompson in this work has
aimed to "adust the facts Of science to the Bible"
and to this end has written very clever and argu-
mentatve series OF lectures on MAN IN Genesis and
In Geology" He has evidently given the subject
pItfrht ma hA ia hAn
arrived are OF course favorable to the rec0ncement
OF science and religion. Beginning with "The Out
line OF Creation in Genesis he follows his subject
through its various paths until he reaches the ques
OF 1.-The Antiquity OF Man." In the nth lecture
The two remaining lectures are only incidentally
connected with the subject They comprise "Yhe
sabbath Made for Man" and "Woman and the Fam
lly,n In the last OF which we lind an argument
against woman being invested with the right to vote.
However, II taken collectively, these lectures are
quite entertaining and instructive They are hardly
conclusive as one could wis but In some OF them
the extensive research OF the author has enabled
MIN to set up an argument which cannot be readily
shaken, even any person could be found willing To
attack It,
SIBYL HUNTINGTON. Novel. BY Mrs. Julia O. r.
Dorr. New York: g. W. Carleton, publisher
This is domestic story, and will be read with
some interest. 1t is written In clear, simple style
aud has Just enough Of incident to save 1t from
notony. None OF the characters are original crea-
tions nor is the subject very new but the book 10
respectable. The story Is that Of the clouds ana
sunshine Of Sibyl Huntingtons life ending, az all
these stories end in happy marriage. Ruth, tho
sister OF Sbyl, Ia very well drawn. She is the ira
dltional sweet gentle creature whose span OF lite %
cut short by accident and often as she has appeared
In novels the public never tires Of reading OF her.
The dialogues are here and there forced and long
drawn out, and some Of the religious parts are
rather tiresOme We Will, however, end as we be-
gan, by saying that the book will be read with some
interest. It's chief merit Is its simplicity 1t does
not aim at efect there are no conspiracies against
runs along calmly, with hardly ripple to disturb
its serenity. As people will read novels In which
there Is no constructive art displayed we can fairly
recommend this to them.
THE WRITINGS OF DE Foe AND THE ILLUSTRATED
WORKS OF HOGARTH.
Among the cheap valuable publications OF the dag
which place within reach Of the most moderate
means standard volumes like these perhaps there
are none more acceptable to the million than tho
two whose titles head this notice. They are i'm.
ported from Ethnburg and London by Swayne, Of
Fulton atreet RrOokIyn ann New York we'll printed