The Portland daily press., 1874-05-09
THE PRESS.
SATURDAY MORNING. MAY Q. 1874
Recent Publications.

We sohC up a uuiuDCl VI tHC 4NdtiOhh SuoA
terly containing 400 pages, that we are to
have 400 pages of the editors brainwork for
Dr. Sears is one of those men who take all
knowledge to be their province, and is equal
ly at home in religion, science, history. or the
nne arts. He has an irresistible propensity
to hit every head that shows ITSELF If any
writer undertakes to disprove the belief, dear
TO the heart of childhood, that the moon is
made OF green cheese, DIR, Sears forthwith
hnds the Goose theory very plausible one
and proceeds to defend It. This pugnacious
propensity makes his quarterly lively above
its class.
The current number is an excellent one. 1t
opens with readable and well considered ar
tlcle Oh corals and coral reefs, embodying the
results OF the latest researches. This is fol-
lowed by an interesting and singulaily i'm
partial criticism of Mill and Agassiz. The
men are considered as complementary minds.
Agassiz belonged to the classof discoveries,
founders, prophets. Mill belonged to the
harvest time of vast period cf phiosophic
thought. He was the sage cf the period, the
embodiment of the knowledge and culture DI
the ages. 'The Accidents of Sublunary I'm
mortality" is an interesting essay with logi-
cal moral. Some men achieve Immortality
by some happy accident, but the majority by
merit, most commonly by charity toward an
individual or multitude. The essay is
Shakespeare's familiar quotation beaten out
by illustration into twenty pages. The paper
i. rbs fho -,
the number The eminent theologlan, of
whom everyone talks, but whom few under
stand, is Discriminatory treated. Full JUS
tice is done to his sincerity. Cognizance is
taken of the fact, seldom considered. that
Strausss was but the logical supplement of
Hegel He accepted the dogma that the uni
verse is but the continuous evolution of an in
finite potentially, apprehended mostly by
German professors, and then undertook to
reconcile history and tradition with his theo-
logy. Hegel essayed an orthodox pantheism,
an absurdity which Strauss was apparently
careful resume of the phenomena ofthat geo.
logical epoch. The succeeding paper is
slashiDg criticism of the academies and semi
naries of the Hudson. ''The Salient charac-
teristics of Washington" is valuable paper,
and will tend to revive that reverence for and
worship of the Pater Patri9, now unfortun-
ately dying out. If in accordance with all
past experience we must have a national
mythus, let Washington be its centre. The
book reviews are short and spicy, and the
distribution of them under the heads of
''Sciolism, - ''Science, p Education" &C., is
very suggestive. The appendix contains some
well deserved raps at humbugs in life insur
ance.
The UNITARIAN REVIEW.
The current number of this review opens
with paper by the Rev. DIR. Dewey on the
known and the unknown in the Divine Ma
ture, in which he ably combats the assump-
tion that we cannot know God because the
finite cannot comprehend the infinite. He
holds that infnitude does not debar us from
all knowledge, all reasonable conclusion in
regard to its nature. 1t is in careful ly con-
sidered and impartial papers like these that
the doubter can find his only trustworthy
weapons for the fight against infidelity- "The
Permanent Principles of Christianity' by the
Rev. DR.. Vance Smith, is thoughtful essay
upon the early accepted belief that Jesus of
Nazareth was the expected Christ. A very
entertaining paper on the origin of hymns is
given by the Rev. DR.. Putnam. The Rev.
DR.. Hill furnishes a suggestive paper on
''Numper," which will repay careful peru
sal. The editor, the Rev. Charles Lowe, re-
views DR.. Bartors "The Rising Faith"
"How to Kindle Fire." by the Rev. A. D,
Mayo, is sermon about tie children, the
idea being that you always put the little sticks
at the bottom when you want to kindle
fire, and touch them off first. A continuation
of Morning Hours with the Bble' is given.
The Editors Note Book contains thoughtful
articles on industrial training, the education
of the colored people South, the Russo Greek
Church etc. The reviews of the current lit
erature makes up the number.
WHAT IS DARwNIsM. By Dr. Charles Hodge of
Princeton College. New York: Scribner, Arm
strong s. Co. For sale by Hoyt & Fogs.
In this little book DR.. Hodge seems rather
to be governed by his preiudices, which are
against Darwinism, than by desire to enter
into an impartial discussion of the question.
He states clearly the different theories in re-
gard to the origin of the universe, the Scrip
tural, Pantheistic, Epicurean, etc., and then,
after an examination of DIR. Darwin's theory,
declares it to be atheistic and contrary to
Scriptures, in that Darwin denies the exist
ence of design in nature, which is virtually
the denial of God and in reality atheism.
He laments the antagonism existing between
science and religion, and tries to explain it,
Most of the arguments brought forward in
this book are old, but the statements of both
sides of the controversy are extremely inter-
esting and useful.
BRIEF ESSAYS AND BREvTrIEs. By George H.
| Calvert. Boston: Lee g. Shepard. For sale by
| Hall L. Davis.
This is one of number of similar books
that have been written from time TO time by
| eminent writers, and one which is calculated
to attract large number of readers. 1t con-
| sists of series of ably-written essays upon
| a diversity of subjects, all Of which may be
read with profit, and some one of which will
be certain to accord with the varying moods
/ vi tuC ulHus 4hC ioItCl pOitiOh VI tuC uoOh
consists of number of pithy sayings and
proverbs, spiritual, literary, on conduct and
miscellaneous topics. 1t is just the book to
have upon parlor or study table TO be pick
| ed up in brief moments of leisure.
"THE DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION IN ITS RELATION
| TO THEIsM' by Alexander WincheIl, LID.
New York; Harper Bros For sale by Loring,
Short and Harmon.
After cropping in semi-darkness through the
tedious prolixity of Darwin, and his oppo-
nents, as we'll as supporters, it is gratifying
to find some one who can lay plainly before
US, all the arguments pro and con, concern
ing the doctrine Of Evolution, which we un-
derstand as the gradual transformation of
like, to unlike forms, genera, and species.
After stating thus clearly, the position of the
various evolutionary theories, our author
discusses their relation to Christian Theism,
as he styles religion in opposition to atheism.
He believes, and he compels us to believe, by
the force Of his arguments, that laws of evo-
luton are still prevailing, but that the being
| and nrOyidence of God are by no means inn