The New York herald., 1870-01-15
LITERATURE.
CrIticisms or New Books.

i
| EVERY DAY SUBJECTS IN SUNDAY SERMONS. by
| robert Laird Collier. Boston: American unitarian
| Association
The broad and liberal spirit with which these
| sermons are invested Will arrest the attention
OF the reader from the start Mr. Collier 10 anything
but Puritan, and he does not disguise his liberal
ism In the least Indeed, II we were called upon to
closely analyze his religious opinions we should de-
clde tnat they smack strongly OF raonalisni but or
| u character that reconciles raticnallsm with the
oviny OF GOD ana OF saviour. IL Is not often tlat
| one hcaTs clergyman defending from the pulpit
such public ana popular recreations hsaopeatre
ana ar lhe opera billiards, &C., aud claiming they
lelgion as other things and that their abuse Is
| ,h, ,he iauIt of those who abuse them, and not
lhelr crime. This ~ what Mr. Collier does very
entertaining ana instructive DISCOURSE Another,
| which we cannot pass without reference 10, Is on
| "Ihe Folly or Converting the Jews y in when the
auhor takes the ground THAT rationallstc Judaism
s nearer IN its tenets 10 primitive Christianity than
tae I Christianity oI the Orthodox churches.n lhe
| Jews as people and Judaism as religion are very
| nieny spoken oil; but much of this praise must be
| atriputed TO an implied desire Tor union
vi thc reformed and liberal lsraelites with the
| Unitarian denomination, aside from thevmany IN
uilsic merits OF the Chosen People. thrd and
ast seynon tnat we are abe TO noticc specially IL
gool-huinored and clever review OF q sermon de.
m%verea % Dy Father Hecker. OF this city, in thus
MI. CVner displays MS broad liberaity OF sent
ment TO greater extent than in any OF the others.
more ~ conceded TO CalioAcl.y than one would eA-
pect coming from Unitarian Clergyman. 10 Is
heid. however, thar Romanism Is "daiy aud hourly
losing strength the Christian world over" But we
cannot agree with the assertion tat Boston IS In
every moral sense the most splendid city OF the
wora' or that the high morality OF ner popu9tion
presents picture Of civilization such as the world
had scarcely dared 10 hope tor.' We are ratner OF
| the opinion that statistics ana our general
knowledge OF society at the Hun tell radically olf
ierent tale. However, the sermon IL very readable.
All OF the sermons. in fact afforded us several
very Pleasant hours OF reading, ana viii undouoJed
De ehJoyed by al who nave the good fortune 10
| OBTAIN the volume.
| THE LIFE PASSION DEATH AND RESURRECTION or
| OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST EiiGed Dy the REV. Henry
forlnby. New YORK: Catholic Publication society.
This ably edited edition OF the life Of Christ is very
neatly printed and bound. IL is prosusey illustrated
'witl an entirely new series of engravngs on wood
! from designs by c. Clasen d. Moscr and otnersr
some OF the illustrations rather poor specimens
OF arC but she most OF them are good ana Iew are
really admirable conceptions.
| THE STUDENTS MANUAL or CATHOLIC DBvorIoNs
Baltimore : J. Murphy Co.
TO the already very large numocr or Catholic
prayer books IN circulation this Is added. lii the
preface the compiler explains that supplies want
long felt by containing 1.-THE devotion TO the sacred
heart or Jesus generally pracised by students or
colleges and pupils OF converts, ana the prayers
prescribed to the members OF the Sodaiily.n The
manual IS published with the appreciation Of tie
Archplshops ol ST. Louis ana Baltimore anu seems
10 US q very acceptable computation.
TIE NATIONAL QUARTERLY REVIEW Edited by
Edward J. Sears, Ll.D. Vol XXX, No. So
| editor and proprietor
This number Of the best "review" published In
the United States ends the last year, fully maintain
| ing the enviable reputation il has made. The con-
tents embrace an able article .'Hndoo Mythology
! and It's influence" "Hugo ana Sainte Eeuver
is also good, but, we think, rather severe on the
| literary merits OF Hugo though undenlably lust
.rhc Greek Church" gives us very clear
insight into The religion OF the Russlans
ana the slavish subsection OF the masses TO the
| clergy. "Woman's Rights Viewed Physloogically
and historically Is, perhaps the best article IN the
| RerteW. While written III the best OF temper It
Is keen and analytic IL suggestion OF the pin hys0log
| cal character OF those men and women who support
| tho ism" Is decluedy original rlch The error
| into which those women nave ialien who advo.
| Gated the doctrine OF "woman's rights'' Is also
aDiy exposed, anu the evii consequences that VIII
| "Robin Hood anu His Times" "Our MillIonnaIres
and Their influence" ''Mr. Gladstone the Heroic
| Ages" "Ecipses and their Phenomena ana .No-
| tees and Critclsms' complete the contents OF a
number that will compare fuvoraby with any or the
| English and Scotch reviews
| THE LIFE OF JOSEPH ADDISON ALExANDpa D. ID.
II By Henry Darlington Alexander. TWO volumes.
I New York: Charles Scribner Co.
| Biographical literature Is enriched by these
volumes which we have read with mnch Interesr
and attention. The life OF DR.. Alexander was OF 80
tranquil and domestic a character that we would
hardly have supposed there existed material for the
composition Of a work so bulky as this. His bogra-
pher has not only possessed the materials, but M
mas arranged 1t with considerable skill, 80 that we
| are furnished with a minute history or all events
nat transpiied connected with the llfe OF the sub
Ject We must leave the reader to become acqua
| with the purity aud excellence OF DR., Alexander's
character, with his strong religious feeling ana M
| great learning. In a limited space we could not
do justice TO the biography, and must needs be con-
tent with repeating that these volumes afford much
pleasure and entertainments
THE AMERICAN JoCRNAL or sYrHILodEAPgY AMI
| DERMAToLoGY. Edited by N. H. Henry NJ. D., &c
| January, 1870. New York: f. w. Christem.
This is the lrst number OF a periodical that 1t Is
proposed to publish quarterly in the future and that
breaks ground field OF medical literature hither
| to comparatively unWOrked on this side OF The
| Atlantic The programme IL laid down very broadly
in the Introduction, which promises 10 make thc
journal on the one hand a medium OF communca
| tion between prOcsSed syphllOgraphers and uerma
tologlsts and on the other hand the means OF laylnl
before the profession at large digest OF the progress
| made IN these branches OF our
Whether II be from the inherent interests OF the
| subjects In question or from the editorial judgmen
brought to bear, tins specimen number Is more
readable and even more permanently valuable thaI
| any single medical iUraisOn recently gwen to tnc
| public or the original communications the chapter
on capitalization" by Dr. Boeck, ana the "Contrbu
| ton to the study OF Congental Svphlfs," by DR.
Van Buren,, are especially exccient. We hope thai
future numbers OF the journal may sustain the anpil
| promise oil THIS Initiative.
THE FAMILY Dooa; OK THE 5IN or A COUNTESS
| BY Mrs. Emma y. r.. \. SouthwOrth. Phiadel
| piia: 4. Il. Peterson a Brothers.
| This latest work OF the most prolific of American
novel writer's will doubtless be as warmly welcomed
by those who take pleasure In her fictlons as any
its predecessors. IL IT, we should say, trnc bette
than we are accustomed to get from Mrs. South
WORTH but that Is all. The rapldty with which sn
writes makes It almost impossible for her to produc
O really artistic novel; Some OF the characters II
| this are good conceptions. marred by beng hast,
| drawn. However, rs we once before remarked. /
avails little TO date upon the mperfectIons OF Mrs
| SouthwOrth as an author. She seems incapable o
| concentrating thought or else ls content with III,
fame OF writing more than any other woman or he
| time. "A farldea OF the character OF .'Ihe Fam
| DOOM can be found rom the title ol its forthcom
| ing sequel. "The Maiden Widow.n
| FIrZ POODLE AT NEWPORT. An Incident OF the Sea
son. BY George Douglas Beaverton. Cambridge
/ Mass
AS satire this "poem" Is quite ordinary; the sub
Ject Is as old as Methuselah and has been mucl
| abler treated by other writer's. OF the poetica
ability displayed we can say but little better. 1h
| lines rhyme correctly and read smoothly enough, bu
| that Is about all.
|
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.