The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-01-06

NJ hawthorne that Saxon souls have no home In
snnc1 The peasant looks upon his house place TO
eat ana sleep in He knows no hearth around which 10
cit and chat instead there stands tall glazed earthen
ware stove which suggests the idea rather OF refrg
orator than Of a FIRE And he adds. how ''can
converse nationally or anectonatey over night with
the woman whom he means 10 harness 20 his cart in
the morning Our author SCOTS Al the musical ear OF
Saxony and says that he has heard worse music
than In that country The following is IN direct oppo
siton TO the ideas that have gained ground among
most American traveers:-" The average saxon or.
chestra learns it's music by rote perception OF
harmony is intuitive but mechanical They re-
gard false note as mistake-never a sin; and Il
s only rigid drilling which enables them do so much
as that Listen to party OF young students singing
together, is the custom Of young students all over
the world; they sing loudly, and In perfect good faith
conscious that they saxons and therefore fancy
ing that they are nallibe. But there viii be
discords to stave than equal number of young
men OF any other country could produce. There may
be something pathetic sbou, this but there certainly
much that s disagreeable Again, tho audiences OF
the garden concerts affected by tunes and slight
airs and are invariably enthusiastic in their applause
OF solo, however mperfectly rendered. because.
having actually beheld man stand up before
them and produce, with more or less physical
exerlion, variety of musical sounds they
are convinced that they have heard what
Is, or ought 10 be, music But they
pass by the great sublime compositions with sig
nncant silence" In another chapter he says Of the
Saxon ;-"who but he can sit through symphony of
Beethoven's appaudng its majestic merriments with
the hand which has just carried to his lips mug OF
beer and returns thher with slice OF sausageS
He mods and rolls his eyes at the submer
strains Does he comprehend them1 He reminds me
OF that class OF people Who indeed, possess tho Bible
who peruse IL daily and repeat much Of II by heart
and who yet, have read much a line Of the
Word OF God" Travelling through Saxony with Mr.
Julian Hawthorne would be like visiting the galleries Of
Italy with that eccentric American who nothing in
the exhibitions Of stauary but lot of ''stone gals
II HIS opinions be honest-and have no reason 70
doubt them-he is more to be pited than blamed One
is surprised that the writer who looked down upon
saxony from such superior height should speak as
he does page 1877, OF mans pants" Accordingly TO
Holmes "pants are for gents"
II we knew nothing OF Saxony, II Mr. Hawthorne
writing Of country at the North Pole Of which
We knew nothing and cared less VIC would very much
enjoy his book for 1t is bright and witty and the
thought is all well expressed
GESrILisM; RELIGION Previous TO CHRISTIANITY. By
Rev. Aug. J. Thebaud, s J. New York; ID. d J.
Sadlier n Co.
An invaluable work is volume entitled "Gentiism,"
from the pen OF Rev. Aug J. Thebaud, s. j., which s
published by d. a J. sadler 4 Co. Itls discussion
OF religion previous TO Christianity and while oppos-
ing with firm hand all the theories OF the Darwlnian
and spenceran schools OF philosophy, treats boldly
and effectively Of the religious ideas and practices OF
the Ancents Father Thebaud maintains that the FIRST
relations of society tribal and patriarchia and
beievng the confusion Of tongues at the Of
Babel which, by the way, identifies the ruins
OF NimrOd he traces thence the early social
religious history Of the His treatment Of the
ject is vigorous and learned He quotes from
every authority and confutes every position teDable
upon any except the highest grounds Of reason and
historical analogy. But the volume Is not q
troversial work. II Is q philosophical history,
rather than contribution TO mere poemics.
Catholics and Protestants will read Il with
equal interest and profit for its high
purpose TO exat Christianity above all the forms
OF worship which preceded IL Beginning with the
history Of the vedas and the lends and ending with
the teachings OF heroic and Pelasgc Greece the
will be found as complete in Information It Is con-
elusive in reasoning. We have neither space nor nc
nation to epnomize Father Thebauds work, for the
work itself only epitome OF the great argument
which the purpose OF the author to maintain
There is installing that purpose any evasion
the part Of the learned divine OF the issues raised by
the modern school Of philosophers This is already
apparent in the opening chapter. In which Father
Thebaud discusses and denies the supposed barbarism
Of primitive and reutes the doctrine Of indefinite
human progress The theory Of evolution rs Knocked
over by single blow, the champions OF the antiquity
Of man beng met by argument oftheir making
namely that no traces have been found, not
single fossil discovered OF the incp,on stages OF the
human organism This 10 true only OF the "ances-
tors' OF man, but Of ancient animals Of every
ind Tha with VIII Faith deala
with this whole question illustrated every step He
denies only the antiquity OF man, but shows how
utterly untenable all the theories based upon the
supposed connection between the savage and the
stone age Not only At this very day, in spite OF all
the efforts OF civilization do the stone age and the iron
age side by side but at period in the worlds
history simplicity OF lie necessarily barbarsm.
Upon such broad foundation all else that follows in
this invaluable works. based. The origin OF Buddhism
is distinctly traced and the reforms OF Zoroaser
clearly established, but the antiquity OF both denied
and disproved The mythology OF Greece In
It's infancy when the glory of the Greeks was It's
height In all things these baser religions became base
as nations stepped themselves degradation dolatry
was born of panthcism and had It's origin mostly IN
the religious epcs times but was not until
people became degraded that they yielded themselves
idolatrous worship. In the nine chapters which
these great problems discussed all and
research and philosophy have revealed touched upon
and the index the work is not the least remarkable
part Of IT, Indeed, few subjects chosen from IL will
give better idea Of the scope OF the work than any
thing we can say about 1t Let select few OF
these, FIRST touching the ancient religions
AMrs-The god Of all Africa; belief in, OF great
tiquty; had no human history part OF the culture
OF Egypt derived from the worship OF; identified with
Brahma the idea OF, degraded by subsequent super
stition grandeur OF the myth OF; the myth Of OBJ
scured by mythology
BRAHxA-fho neuter, really the supreme anterior
TO creation; meaning Of this name Of absorption in
BuDDHsn-Origin Of; really dolatrous for the COM
mon people; connected with Svasm; advocacy OF
atheism and ann Initiation in the Atbenians bad moth
ing to do with H.
svA-First origin OF dolatry in Hindosian; opposed
10 Vishnu.
TRrMouRTL Source OF the subsequent dolatry In
Hndostan; nourshed later than The sixth century be-
fore Christ