New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-05-26
scepce IL merged In that dcductive science OF tho
movable which more widely divorced ana yeti more
Intimately united the laws Of matter and mind"
THE BRITISH QUARTERLY REVIEW.

THE BRITISH QUARTERLY REVIEW.
One of the able discussions in this always
able organ orthodox theology Is devoted to the ques
ton of the Antiquity of Man" in Europe. giving
prehensive summary OF the progress OF discovery on
the subject with special reference to the recent work OF
Sir Charles Lyel The writer doubts the accuracy OF
the Swiss calculations as to the dates OF the ages OF
stone and Of bronze and also those by which the delta
of the Mississippi is supposed to have occupied 5000
and that of the Me more than $4,000 years. These
changes were not probably produced In snort Tine,
bu, is impossible. he contends. to ascertain their ago
by an appeal to physical causes. The attempt to form
chronology I'm terms Of years hopeless task and The
result can be satisfactory than that OF Arch
bishop Usher. The researches carried ON during
the last fifteen years have only established
the fact that man hVed III Europe NJ
time the remotcness of which ia to be
measured nv the changes ia mammalian life and physi
cal conditions that have been brought to light by the
labors OF and biologists. The question of
mans first appearance upon earth Is an ehtfey dier'
ent one ana upon which we have absolutely no iacs
whatever. The review Of contemporary Literature
in the british Quarterly" Is always instructive and
valuable, marked alike by freedom from prejudice and
breadth of view or Canon Kingsley the reviewer says:
He has drawn IN too much of inspiration from Carlyle
to be good practical reiormer lie is APT 10 run III one
groove and 10 harp one string. He mas, however.
mis- advantage over his master, that his mode OF life
has from first to last compelled him to see good deal
q
though hobbies he is not tyrannieal He knows
the law Of give and take. and though he sometimes
speaks strongly, there is III him SO much real irankhass
that he seldom Ofends. BESIDES his SCIENTIFIC stu1es
have helpei him to certain exactude OF statement,
so that whatever fault we may ma with MS INFER
ences we are in bis pages always to meet
| with many facts most admirably presented"
The merits of the late Lord Lyon ersciy summed
up as follows: AS ina conclusion. we are bound TO
say that In his last two novels Lord Lytton was too
much Of manufacturer OF fiction to satisfy poseily
If his name lives, il will be because OF earlier work.
But his strength squandercd by too much variety
and the verdict upon HIM Will he nat, in essayIng tue
highest ia too many directions. he has barely escaped
an inferior reputation in ALL The want OF an apoent
sincerity would nave retarded lis growth, had not the
lack of the highest genius prevented his taking his
place with the few chosen modern noyeiists OF the
first class. As il Is, he remains an eXtraordi-
narily brilliant and prolific workman Of the second"
FIFTY Sermons" by Dr.. De Witt Talmasc are compI-
ened for their sincerity, aud censured for ncIr Juf
foonery.
Perhaps the besetting sin Of preachers is dull pro-
prcty aud in thaukuness Tor ANY revolt from n,
ism, especially when il bears marks OF G"nuinene-S
But DR.. Tamage almost too much for us. H. rX'
profanity bJOnerY, that even his manifest earnest
ness does redeem IT, He seems 10 be always casting
abOut for something that may shock by IL No'enet-
extravacauces Of men like Lqmcr are his ordinary
mood He gives MS hearers no rcst-eycry sentence Is
u sermon THE White Hair of Jesus" in which hs
appearance, described in Row Il Is made to suggest
the s0rTOr the beduty and the dBtQUy OF Jesus. II
Is neither eXcgesi, nor reverence nor common sense
Nothing excuse such fraycstics OF the most sublime
and representations OF Scripture,
degree of clevcrncs or earnestuess prevent such preach
ing from turning religion into contempt IL our Amer
brethren like IT, all the worse Tor them. We cannot
think 1t Of the OwtOwnsmen or Henry Ward Becchcr
and Richard SOrrs. There are, however, III the book
better things than this II Is earnest even passionate
in its appeals against sh and fJC Christ, but even the
utmost earncstnts and fidelity need not lave rccy,, =,
70 such haSraut violations OF both taste ami rcyerent
feeling.
Other articles which will repay the attention Of the
reader are "Authors and Publishers" giving an in
teresting of the relations OF Sir Walter Scott
with Archibald Constable and the BallaDtynes, The
Prospects OF Persia" "The Electric Tele graph" and
d" David Livingstone"