New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-03-18
BOSTON LITERARY NOTES.
THE APRIL ATLANTIC.

RosroN. March 15-In The atlantic Monthly
for April the prose article which hnd most interesting
:. n paper by DIR. oliver Wendell Holmes, en'i''ou
~Crme and Automatism, with notice OF NJ [rosp0'
,ino,s p.,cAoloois Nafureile" or course Dr. Holmes
,oots upon crime and criminals very differently ron
an orthodox theologian or Judge OF the romeo 'o'
ia fellow creature does deeds ut when "noio 0o
,.,ptv shudders while he himself regards them Win
.n,,re indifference it is sne TO conclude tha' hc I'd"
moral nature very unlike theirs; and the question Is
hetber Il should not make him the object OF an eA'
eeedng great compassion, instead OF scorn ana roPi
fion But that would not signify that ne must 20 uu
.unished Instinct urges the common miho W s"""
certain and extreme measures; ana iynch la" 10 "s
-, -, o,,crorth OF instinct as II Is natural for
rnort when he Is trodden strike. or man when
n, i,ten 10 hit out from the shoulder In return one
might as well reason with she bear as Win poruer
mob. ,, - o,oo, In
&.rences It's coarse but necessary TOOL ior oea'nS
18th tho surface OF things; with Mr.. Gradgrinds very
h.rd facts Formerly it arraigned men because ING
devil had tempted them to commit murders Not oeiN
able TO Get at tho devil and hang him II swung us Wv
tim of as a substitute. Law knows something oi le'"
tive Justice, good deal of exPedlency; puV WIN avs"
lu,e iustice it does concern ITSELF lheolo.y has
become moro than traditional anthropoogy, ana
has clbed ont Of sight OF the facts OF human hauio
The anthropologist OF this new day must Request " "
stand aside as the geologist OF yesterday n"' Wv Wv
cosmogonies The subject Of crime, aud the characero
the criminal must be studied, II s'uueu az an ii''
calmly and upuHuenced by inherited prejudices Says
the witty doctor:
Every novel growth of ideas has to encounter me
weight of vested opinions and mortgsged pref ~
has to society more or less unpren9reI Ir meca9
Chinese with their fixed customs, the NOfth
indians with their feTa natures are not IN Sh
10 listen the last revelations OF that ~ nontad
modern civilization as IL speaks through us 1
races TIE Pi-Utes and the Kckapoos OF toe WuSes
hard TO reason with BuS ne1e inys me- and hav
inc All the look OF civilized people, which quite as III
fraetaSe able 10 te toeW This the tribe Of the
Pooh Poohs so called from the leading expression or
rher Vocabulary which furnishes them SHORT ana easy
method OF dsposing OF all novel doctrines discoveries
and inventions of character TO interfere with their pre-
conceived notions. They may possibly serve a useful
purpose like other OaTbarous and suloarbaous human
beings by helping 10 keep down the too prolnG FANNY
of nOxiOus troublesome sninals-the thlDklhg' ot
rather tai king and writing ones Beyond TINS they arc
of small value and they are always re'r1aus Hac
ward sim opposing The leaders and the iroh rak WI" h
most obstinate of them ali can scarcely fail 10 recognize
that the issues of today really turn on pUn d,x heen
considered open 10 discussion except In proserloeo
ekcles
In place OF predesnation we discuss organic ten
dences aud in place Of original sin we have inherited
instincts sometimes in the direction OF the most 'erloe
.r;,oes and the stronger we find these inherited ten
denotes in man the more We pity and forgive hlm
We do not look on human being SO utterly perverted
from birth that needs to be wholly made over; out
We see the necessity Of paying attention. IN our tSlu
a..
does not give these attractions and repusohs 10 hih
self but lies at the mercy Of thousand previous cond
tions our tendency again to limit the range vi Hs
moral responsibility As striking Illustration OF the
direction OF thought the readers attention
called 10 the three large volumes of d. Pros
per Despine, in which the psychooSy Vi
mental mechanism OF crime is studied from ma
ture Judging from Dr. Holiness description OF IT,
this must be work Of most interesting character !"
Despine believes very ferveuty in the Transmission Oh
mental qualities by descent; and Is disposed "hie nc
does not do away with of moral responsibility 10
raeard crime as very largely automatic He believes in
punishments which shall be restraining reiorma'ory
rather than at all Of revenge lie argues against
earita punishment the ground that ut Is unjust as
.nped TO moral idiots immoral considered as revenge
useless as a means OF intimidation and dangerous 10
society by cheapeung the value 0. lie 10 Desplne
the most frighrul acts proofs Of nnocence"-that
TO say Of moral idocy while the lesser Sins vi 'nose
TO whom Nature made it possible to discriminate
between right wrong should be much more severely
condemued He believes strongly in the preventive
,restment OF crme-n shutting up criminalS-in pre-
venting intemperance gambling and kindred vices b,
but his is everywhere the gospel OF compassion
and not Of condemnation.
The magazine opens with "A Midnight Fantasy" b!
FB Aldrich a charming shakespearean extravaganza
In which Hamlet married Juliet aud made her an ADM
rable husband. and Romeo welded the fair Opheia ant
Der Ianguid melancholy tempered his Southern ardor
much to his advantage The description OF the moor
picture.
twas tranoni June night with moon, but cus
tiers OF sensitive that seemed to shiver with cold
the wind swept by them. for perhaps there was sw
leaf stirred the Common; the foliage hung BLACK an
massive. cutin brorze; even The gaslghts appeared
to be injected by the prevailing calm burning stead
behind their glass screens aud turning the neghborin
leaves the tenderest emerald. Hero ana there. !
The somber row OF houses stretching along beacohst
mn illuminated window gilded few square feet OF DARK
ness aud now and then football sounded on distan
pavement The pulse OF the cry tnroboed aheui1 ny -,
elms and naples, the falling dew, the elusive door
new grass aud that peculiar hush which belongs Oni
To midnPht-as II Tune had paused IN bis night an
were holding his breath-gave TO the place. so famla
tn me by air OF indescrbable strangeness. tn
vast deserted park had lost all its wonted outlines;
walked dOubtfuly on the faG-stones which had man
helped TO smooth; L seemed 10 be wander
tng In some lonely unknown garden across tne seas
that old garden in Verona where snakespeares ~
over yonder-the Somerset CIub-might well have UeeI
the house Of Capule there was the clam0erDg vine
reaching up like plant silken ladder; there was th
hung balcony wanting only the slight Grlish figure
Immortal shape OF re and dew to make the illusion
perfect.
George F. Warfng r., in Campaigning with Max,
cells the story noble horse. Rose Terry Cooke has
quaint, old. fashioned tale entitled Tue Thing which
Hath been Shall be-" Henry James goes on with the
nrtist life OF his handsome hero RodeTick Hudson
Allan b. Magruder gives US Piece OF Secret His
tory interesting important as tho title would
authorize us to expect. Marx Twain with the
education Of the Cub" Pilot and proves with every
page what flexible diomatic English he is capable OF
writing. Then there Mr.. sanborn's John Brown
RemiDscences and an Interesting paper by l. B. Perry
ON VIM. Blake, aprop0s OF two books OF which wrote
you before Christmas-Bake's Poems, and his lustra
lions OF the Book OF job There 'has been sort OF
Blake revival during the last year. and likely 10
know the poetpanter better than do most of his co
semporaries Mr. Howells, in his Recent Literature,
accords such praise Henry James, jrs book OF
stories IA would turn a head less firmly upon