, 1873-03-23
The Function Of Prayer in the Econ
omy Of the Universe.
Three Interests in Old English
Literature.
Goodwin Smith on the Labor ~Noyclnent---
Hereditary Psyehical Trans.
nissie1.

way of the study Of Sociology. This series q
sociological papers from his pen is being pub
iishcd simul aneouely in the Contemporary ane
the Popular Science Monthly.
The Rev. William Knight, OF Dundee, has q.
Essay on the much-vexed question Of
TIE FUNCTION OF PRAYER
IN the economy OF the universe, first started or
its controversial path By Prof. Tyndalrs nov
famous paper in the Contemporary eevcral
months ago. Alr. Knight thinks that
40 one, even slightly. acquainted with eciaatiEc
OF any iuterferenco with the laws of external
NATURE produced by human prayer. We msy add that
s sa Of aoast 4
the universe is incapable either Of iucrease ltnr
tion but only Of endless 1nodiaca;on that the phys-
1ca! ue1ua between phenomena in t:tr ceasclc5G dn1
and redu1, Is nercr broken; while tho order in which
the phenoena appear il governed by the gor Of ld.
mantine law. The LINKS Of the chain OF physical
quence continue 10 leugthen cut intesnsiuably,
meeting the past with the present, md uniting the
ing Of the chain-is simply inconceYa5e. This con-
cepon Of the absolute ixity OF the relations matter
ttat forced to the conclusion that human prayer
las no validity IS force directly working within the
domain Of physical nature. The truu sphere and
1nnctaon OF prayer IRE purely epiritual4
Ar. Knight does not believe, With thinkers
like Buckle, Lecky, Huxley, md Spencer. that
the rein of Law il IS dominant in tho realm of
mind as Of matter; that there is metaphysical
as well as d physical science. Ho SAYS:
In the conscious freedom of our own wills We rec
oguze power, trrcducible By analysis, which pro-
clsim superiority to the nks Of physical cauxz-
tion, whfo ii acts, in unDrcEcn harmony With these
External nature IL regulated end uuchauec.bie in
ter1al forces are uagovegnea and can be combined,
modided7 altered at the Divine will In that outer re-
g1on Ill s orderly ind fair. But in the region Of the
spiritual there is conscious disorder moral chaos which
the resemblance OF interference with it. Since
then 1t can 10 altered for the better (whie physical
ture canno and since the alteration Ut this Internal
world 10 accomplished BY the efforts OF MAJ. g free
Eil7 while God works in it,-and is impossible in
liz IT,. highest phases, without lelp and co-opc-
ration from Uim,-why should not man petition for
tnat hepwhy should he not zsk for the presence of
ttIe to-o1tratr? For that is absolutely ILL., Prayer
involves petition but It s request Tor nottiny out
ward The petition il but the expression tia: hun
ger and thirst for the Divine Presence Of which the
Hebrew psulnists write with such passionate nrdors
the longing for perfection the desire to escape f1o,
fell disorder and conform to the order Of everlasting
Eernh Thus the sct OF prayer Is the very key to the
Kingdom of God. We cannot dispense with it without
9isc.rdng al worship whatsoever, Eli recognition O. :e
Supreme Being or Of ''the power which males for
righteous" in the world. If religion be the recog1i-
ton q, and allegiance TO- the personal and ever
devotion.
Besides this purely spiritual phase, prayer has often
fso nssnce We oT end Ii LIE hs
eeems endangered. Such prayer never be in
fusntia element in at1estiug the ph:sca Of
ditease by one ot.. But it may bring fresh sag-
geston to the mind ef physician, Other attendant
to adopt remedy which, by natural lnean4, turns
The tide" Of ebbng lie, and determines the recovery
Of tho Patient or prEy for tho removal Of peg
tileacc, and the answer given within tie minds aud
hearts Of those who tske to check OF uproot
it. The latent power TINT les within tho free calaaty
OF man may be stimulated and PIT i'll motion from 3
point beyond the CHAIN Of physical SEQUENCE aud
cs4ses nnumerable may be nvcrted through human
prayer, thus dsloogus spiritual for:e that sluners
placo Of power"
There is another aspect in which prayer for phyEca
results may be regarded though no reply is ever grant
for perfection, desire for tho harmony c1e,tioa
with the abolition Of all that now its
five In op:i,nist universe there no real blot,
or lack Of harmony, within it; and thas what seems
imperfect is simply due to the nature Of lenscs
the limited range of the human eye thai all
round tue perfect sphere 1t Is consistent, how
ever to bee7o that real chaos exists which will be
Its present reality; and that te discords have rush
ed in" only that harmony my result Il,
thc meaning and is attracted towards thc Universal
Order, may yndly desire the extinction Of Its oppo-
se, and may erpress that longing in prayer: This,
indeed, is the very essence Of the cry, Thy kingdom
come Thy will he done earth in heaven" 1t is
prayer for universal harmony. The blight and pes
not part Of the absolute order, the
come Of law We cannot apeak o: the laws Of disease
1uhli1nent Of the conditions cf hcsith is
and fawess Eec1ns reasonable therefore, desire
the extinction Ct dse:se and blight with physical dis
cord OF every kind well to desire the abol.on CT
all moral evils.
OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE.
In an article on - This Three Interests III Old |
English Literature" Prof, David Mason refers
to the great activity shown of late in roprinting
Tare old English books and old English manu-
scripts During tho last nine years, the Early
English Text Society of London hes issued series
Of volumes Of old English literature larger and of
more curious rariety than had ever been put
forth before any similar society, and has thereby
given an impulse to the study OF old English,
the effects Of which arc visible on hl1 hands.
Worthy Of being mentioned along with this i'm
portant Society is Mr. Edward Arber, Of London,
Tho has for sou1o years past, in spirit of ad-
mirablo private enterprise, been rcprinting aad
editing, in wonderfully cheap form, select
and rarites of carly Eng1ieh litera-
aure, and las already in this manner made &C
scssible to al large number of interesting aud
raj 7able old books that had been known for
nerlv to most renders onlyby tantalizing Aearsay.
Such l. id English remains possess three linds
# interest," First is the pathological Significance.
hoHiug, as t.NeJ do, such facts az this: Tint
he original En. uieh was nearly pure Tontonic
pecch, Of the L. waterman variety, imported
nto our islands, ri u good tough vocabulary
nd 3 rather complex grammar and that the
istory Of the speech tuce then las consisted
1ainly IN two processes contlnuoufly and eua-
ltaneous1y at work-thnt.o of the absorption of
words OF al kinds into the vocab-
larry, and that Of the s.Vupl1hcatlon OF the
rgn1nmnr bv the ctadual aba. sd0nnent Of indec-
lon. So, |
Then there is the historical revelations which
re made by these excavatcd remains, INTO which
e ind wrought alugione, ittls SOCIAL encc-
otes, passing sentiments, humors, all favored
sr5aI noaaic, a picture Of the old time. Here
passage from Richard Role de ,.:aie hanipolo1 @
Prick of Conscience" (about 1340) Tsnch pro-
cryes tor us d quaint old English concs1:
Unnethes is child born fully
Tlat it ne begins to goule and cry;
Aud by that cry men knaE than
Whether It be man or woInan;
For when it Is born it cries swa:-
II 1t be 1uan, It BAYS a: {
Thnt the first letter Is Of the nun I
OF cur torrne-fader ADAM
Ind II the child woman be, | {
When it il born 1t sayssc: +
E is the first letter aud the hede I
AANn