New-York tribune., 1879-04-25
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
ENGLISH MAGAZINES. April.
THE FORTNIGHTLN.

which the writer OutlS In0uJ NdiudpO ouNeNS'NN
young readers and sets forth certain wholesome pIne
pes Of literary conduct in singularly vigorous ana
racy STYLE Mr. Harrison though radical IN specula
ton is conservative in the choice of books ana gives
no quarter TO the shallow split Of innovation "hcn
wages a conceited and fippaut warfare against tue
ancient landmarks Of thought aud study Whle ne az
mts the infinite blessings Of literature and the price
less value OF taste reading he holds mp TO view the
other side OF picture seen in the misuse o pOOAs
the debitating waste OF life III prOmscuous Varld reao
ing or even poisonous inhalation OF literary sd'
bsge The vast proportion OF books, he aihrms, aIc
books that most will never be able TO read Aaieo
percentage Of books worth reading at ALL The
really vital books form a tri1ng portion of the whole
The multiplicity of modern books Is not altogether
favorable TO the knowing Of the best g lsten says
Mr.. Harrison, "with mixed satisfaction TO the ledhS
that they chant the works that issue from 'no
press each day how boOrs poured forth from Fatr
nosterrow might IN few years be built into pyramid
that would I'll tie dome OF st. Pauls How in TINS
mountain Of literature TO find the really useini
booki How, when have found It, ana found IT'S Valuc
am to get Others to read ri How am 10 Keep my
head clear the torrent and din Of works, all OF winch
distract my attention, most OF which promise me some
thing whilst so few fulfil that promises The Me Is
the source Of the Eryptiaas bread and without ne
perscs OF hunger. But the Nile may be rather too I'D
era in his food. and then the Egyptian runs Imminent
risk drowning" In the books Of art OF iancy' OF
ideals such as reflect the delight and Of fe the
human pathos are crowded ont by the trivial novelties
Of the day. vanS the 0f the reader for the e1-
Ousite pieces which are EOuscholi word ana "e'h-
epng the mental relish for the eternal WORKS OF genius
old Homer is the fouutaiuhcad OF pure poetic enjoy
mept OF ali that is spontaneous. simple. native,
dicnifcd I'm life. He takes Us into the ambrosial
world OF heroes, Of human yisor, OF purity,
Of grace. Homer is one OF the few poets
the life Of whom can be fairly preserved in
translation. Most men ard women can say that they
have read Homer, bat how few take lm up time a'er
time with fresh delight. "And yet bow seldom does
one find friend spellbound over the Greek Blb!e OF
antiquity whilst they wade through torrents OF mag
zine quotations from petty Vcrsiner OF to-day anu III
IN idle vacation viii Craze as contcntedy as cattle III
IA fresh meadow, through the chopped straw OF cIcu-
iating library. generation which viii listen TO Pima
fore for three hundred nights, and viii read NJ Zoa
seventeenth romance, can more read Homer than
II could read cunciiom inscription. II viii read about
Homer iusf as 1t will read about Cuneiiorm lnscTp-
ton and will crowd TO see few pots which probably
came from the neghbOrhood Of Troy. But 70 Homer
and the primeva type of heroic man IN his beauty ana
bis simpcuess and joyOusnes the cultured generation
is really dead as completely some spoiled beauty OF
the ballroom is dead TO the bloom OF the heather
or the waving Of the dafoGhs in q glade
1t is wonderful how the literary prUrionce aiternew
print unmans us for the enjoyment Of the old songs
chanted forth in the sunrise Of human imagination To
ask person who spends half lifetime in slpping Al
magazines and poems TO read book OF Homer
would be like asking "a butchers boy TO whistle
Adelaide The wiirl and volatility Of life around us are
TOO strong for us Mr. Harrison no less eloquent
at the neglect of Sir Walter Scott, whom he describes
ms perbaps the latest IL the series OF the worldwide
and immortal poets OF the whole human race" scott,
ne maintains IS of the great creaors-whetEor In
prose or in yeJsof whom one never weares, just as
one can listen 20 Beethoven watch the sunrise or The
tunset day by day with fresh delight Yet SAYS
Mr HARRISON " am told that the last discovery Of
modern culture Is that ScOtt's prose is commonplace
tnat the young at our universities are far too
critical TO for his Grtess sentences and flowing
descriptions. They prefer Mr. Swinburne Mr. Malloek
and the euphum OF young oxford. just as some people
prefer Dresden Shepberdess 10 the Caryatdes OF The
Trlctheum pronounce Fielding 10 be lOw and Mozart 10
be paSs6 boys love loypops so these Juvenile iops
love to roll phrases under the tongue phrases
IN themselves had value apart from thoughts feel
ings, great conceptions or human sympathy"
The last nstalment of John Stuart Mills " Chapters
on SOCIALISM is probably OF general interest than
the previous numbers and contains good deal of in
formation which may be OF value I'm correcting the
crude OF readers or even writers, on the
subject Mr Mill by noticing the important
distinction between the Socialism of the more thought
full and philosophical writer's like the systems of Owen
and Fourier IN which the arrangements of prop
erty are to be applied the scale Of village conmu
nity or township and that of the revolutionary Social
lists OF the Continent whose scheme AIMS at the man
aremeut OF the whole productive resources Of the
country by General Government. The hrst Of these
two forms of Socias SAYS Mr.. Mill, has the great adj
vantage over the other that II be brought into Opcr
alton progressively and can prove Its capabilities by
trial II be attempted first on select population
and extended others their education and cuuSa-
tlon permit IL would not become an engine OF
subyersion until it had shown itself being
also a means Of reconstruction. Not 30 with
the other The aim OF the revolutionary Socialists is to
substitute the new rule for the old at single stroke; TO
plunge without preparation into the WoIk OF carrying
on the whole round OF the operations of social lie with
ont the motive power when has hitherto worked the
social machinery OF this scheme Mr. NH remarks
II must be acknowledged that those who would play
this .me on the strength Of their own private opinion
uuoonlrmed yet by any experimental Verl-
fcaton-who would forciby deprive all who have now
a comfortable PHI ysca existence OF their Ony present
means Of preserving H. and would brave the fghfu
bloodshed and misery that would ensue il the attempt
was ressted-nu,t have serene confidence IN Their
own wisdom on tho one hand and a reckiessness OF
other peoples suorngs the other which Rooespierre
and S. Just hitherto the tylicd instances OF those
united attributes, scarcely came up to- Nevertheless
this scheme has great elements OF popularity wnlch the
more cautious and reasonable fOrai Oi Socialism has not
because processes to do II promises to do quickly
and holds ont hope TO the enthusiastic OF
seeing the whole Of their aspirations realized
I'm their own time and at blow" Mr..
Nil presents brief, hut singularly lucid description
OF the system of Fourier, which, he remarks. If only as
specimen of intellectual ingenuity. Is highly worthy
of the attention Of any student either Of society or Of
The human mind. There is scarcely an objection or
difficulty which Fourier did not foresee, against
which be did not mako provision beforehand by oeiaci
ing eontriyanees grounded, however, upon less nigh
principle disuibutve justice than that Of Communism,
since be admits inequalities OF distribution aud ndi-
ydual ownership OF capital hut not The arbitrary dis
Ioeal oft The great problem which he erappes with is
hos to make labor attractive, since. this could be
done the principal difficulty o Socialism would be over
come"