The Portland daily press., 1876-04-01
Recent Publications,

'no nature OF tniS repaSt herein provided. line
title OF the first discourse would serve accnr-
ateiy to designate the entire contents of the
volume; in all the discourses Mr. rockingham
apparently aims to exhibit the doctrines and
prlnclples-or some of them-in which. he, an
"unbeIever' still believes. These eleven SER
mons have been apparently selected from
among large number published serially. for
the purpose OF presenting to the public Beliefs
of the Unbslievers on fundamental religions
topics.
Probably most people will not care to know
what unbelievers believe, and there are not
few who will regard the title of this volume as
merely presImptuous paradox. Those who
think that unbelievers have no belief that can
bear exposition on the printed page may re-
ceive great light from a perusal of these dis
courses; they will here find that Just as the
eatly Christians, stigmatized as "Atheists' for
their rejection of the popular belief, had be-
lief nevertheless, that they were ready TO die for
so precisely, history repeating itself, even now
persons stigmatized popularity as ''unbeliev
Ars" have, in fact, only exchanged the common
aud popular beliefs for other beliefs that are at
present uncommon and unpopular. If the dis
coyery of this should be surprise to any read
er, it will, at any rate not be an uuprofi taole
surprise
The reading of this book viii nlso help to
correct the notion that unbsllef has its root in
moral petversity; that the common belief is
uoantonly thrown aside as an obstruction to in
tellectual license; that unbelef is at bottom
wilful and reckless and riotous. The reader
cannot fail to perceive the deep stress of sim
cerity which may, at least, work in the heart
of ''unbeief,' constraining one to take an op-
probrious position, not because he would but
because he mast.
There is considerable class of earnest per.
sons who are breaking from the old beliefs
without substituting for them any other. For
lack of opportunity or for want of persever
auce, they do not fairly lay hold on beliefs
which, being we'll considered by them, would
afford relief to their perpexities and give them
good standing ground for religious faith
70 these also this little volume may be com
mended
Mr.. Frothingham's utterances rest scarcely
at all on factitious support, they go only for
what they are worth in themselves, supported
from the outside only by such adventitious
sanction as may be derived from the fact that
he is minister of an independendent society in
the city of New York. He is backed by no
UNCONVENTIONAL authority; he is, as he once
described himself, Stree lance" OF his own
motion he had his name omitted from It's &C.
customed place on the Year Book list of Uni
tartan ministers. His present position as
President of the Free Religious Association,
can afford no confirmation to his doctrine; as
fit were the doctrine of the ASSOCIATION; for
the Free Religious Association, as such teaches
nothing but Observation-Disclosures. He
stands alone; but the intrinsic truth and
beauty and authority of his utterance are none
the less on that account; nor is he the less
worthy of an audience because he addresses
himself TO reason, insight aud consciousness,
rather than to sense of UNCONVENTIONAL alle-
glance.
Mr.. Frothingham's style is rich and varied,
aud, nevertheless, strong aud direct He has
something to say and says il, with copous
ribute to the graces as he goes along, but
yielding DO sacrifice of strength and clrarness
of statement He does not bewilder you with
oyrotechnic display or put you to game OF
hide and seek in labyrinths Of fine writing; he
means to be understood.
The subjects considered in this volume are:
Beliefs of the Unbelievers; The Theist's Faith !;
thoughts about God; The Living God; Allie
glance to Faith; The Despotism of Faith;
Interests Material and Spiritual; Pnarsees; !;
rhe Cardinal; Beretta; The Great Hope; and
Clogs and Opportunities. c.wB.
PASSAGES F ROM THE FRENCH AND ITALIAN NoTE
Books OF NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE. Boston:
Osgood 8 Co. Portland: For sale by Bailey
& Moves.
These Passages appear in the Little Classic
Series and occupy two volumes. Ths nutes
AIKEN while the author was in France occupy
nut about 80 pages of the first volume, the re-
manning pages of the first and al! but the last
80 of the second volume being taken up with
sotes on Italy. These latter pages OF the Sec
ond vol ume chronicle the authors return to
America from Rome, through France. Switzer-
and, and England. Upon the very last page
$ paragraph dated by Hawthorne, at West
donldsborough, Maine, August 10Th, 1862, from
which we will quote few sentences that pic
iure the condition of the country at that time.
Sat Hallowell and subsequently, all aIoug the
route the country was astir with volunteers,
snd the war is all that seems to be alive, aud
even that doubtfully so. We met train of
ears with regiment or two just starting for
he South, and apparently in high spirits. Ev-
-rywhere some insignia of soldership were to
be seen-bright buttons, red stripe down the
trousers, military cap aud sometimes round
>houldered pumpkin in the entire uniform
But of course the Italian notes are of chief in-
terest in theset volumes, because from these
seeds the Marble Faun was conceived The ac-
counts of Hawthorne's visits to the studios of
American and foreign artists are especially in
structive. Wherever he went he carried with
HIM kindly, appreciative spirit that woa for
i'm the utmost confidence, which he knew so
well how to use without abuse.
OUTLINE OF THE RELIGION AND Philosophy OF
SwEDENBoRG, by Theophilus Parsons. Boston:
Roberts Brothers. For sale by Loring, Short &
Harmon.
The Developments of science have done so
much to shake the old belief in the literal truth
of the Hebraic account of the creation that
public attention has been largely attracted to
The writings of Swedenborg upon the subject
His high position as philosopher and scientist,
and his excellent moral character has given
such weight to his writings, that after lapse
of little over one hundred years quite
church has been organized among his readers,
composed largely of people of philosophical
aud speculative turn of mind. His theory that
the first eleven chapters of Genesis are an ale
gorical history of successive churches in Meso-
potamia is widely accepted by inquiring minds
in all denominations; and his teaching that all
moral, soeia, and scientific development is the
effect Of the Divine love and wisdom continu-
ally flowing down to the world from the Lord, as
light and heat from the sun, commends itself
to many who oppose the natural views of evo-
luton. Prof. Parsons treats of these subjects
clearly and logically in a little duodecimo vol
ume of 31S pages, which will be received with
pleasure by the New Church people, and read
with interest by those who turn aside dssatis-
fed from old theology and yet have not the
time and inclination to wade through the pom
derous volume of Swedenborg.
ANIMAL PARASITES AND MEssMArEs. ByP.Y.
Van Benden. New York: d. Appleton & Co.
For sale by Bailey s. Noyes.
This work is one of the International Scien-
tifc Series, aud one of the most entertaining