New-York tribune., 1880-01-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
rNcIJsU MAGAZINES. December.

"A series of letters in The Contemporary on tne
Lords Prayer and the Church. addressed to the clergy
by Mr. John Ruskin will doubtless call forth good
deal of curiosity both illustration of the sturdy
independence bold originality OF the erratc writer
and for the intrinsic character of their contents They bad
their origin proposal from the secretary OF an Engsh
clerical society, to whom they addressed, IN MS
official capacity and who now acts as godfather 10 ther
introduction the public. The first question discussed
by Mr. Ruskn relates to the calling and functions OF
clergyman OF the English Church. Are they as body
merely attached servants of particular state NE
the official guides of Chamoani or Grindelwald or are
they company OF men holding fixed and dednite opm
ions all matters relating to the interests OF the sou
II the to the first question should be- that hey
are teachers not OF the Gospel to England but OF the
Gospel TO all nations, not OF the Gospei Oh
Luther, Of the gospel OF Augustine out
OF the Gospel OF Christ the second question
would be, this Gospel Of Christ be put INTO such
plain words and short terms to be brought wthn inc
scope OF a common Understandings Mr.. Ruskin theh
insists that the OF Gospel teaching is summed
up in the Lords Prayer not that 1t contains all tha
Christian ministers might have to teach but everything
which all Christians are agreed upon as nrst DC
taught and that no good working pastor I'D any part vi
the world but would be glad to take his part III making
1t clear and living to his congregation The writer ooes
not hesitate bring serious charges Of negligence
and incompetence against certain ministers OF the ES
tabshed Church, which, however, he attempts TO sus
tain by rhapsodca defamation rather than by iucid
argument. Thus he remarks They are always ready
enough to call themselves priests Though they know
themselves to be nothing OF the sorO whenever
there is any dignity TO be got out OF the
title; but whenever there Is any good, not
scolding or unpleasant advice given them oy the
prophets in that seassumed character OF theirs they
ready to quit it as ever Donysus his hon-sKn'
when he finds the character of Herakes inconvenent
Perhaps the most subtle and unconscious way I'D
which the religious teachers upon whom the
~
I'm never telling their people the meaning Of the clause
In Lords Prayer which, Of all otheES their most
earnest hearers have ofenest on their lips: 'Ihy VII
be done They allow their people to use 1t as tner
Fathers viii always to kill their babies. or DO
something unpleasant to them instead of explaining to
them that the first nenset article of their Fathers
will was their own sancthcation, and following
comfort aud wealth and that the one only path TO Ma
tonal prosperity and to domestic was TO under
stand what the will OF the Lord was and to do all they
could get ii done. Whereas one would think Dy the
tone eagerest preachers nowadays, that they
held office to be that not OF showing men
how TO do their will EARTH but how TO get TO
heaven without doing OF IL either here or there
striking paper tho Utility TO Flowers OF ther
Beauty" by the Hon. Justice Fry discusses the question
how beauty OF blossoms can be accounted for In
the utility of this beauty the plant, question sub
ordinate to tho broader inquiry whether the beauty
which Nature exhibits be accounted for by its
utility The writer brings forward several suggestions
from the natural history OF plants, in reply to Mr.
Darwin asserting that accurate research reveals the
presence OF beauty where there are no signs OF uty
whereas IL the contrOverted theory were true that
nothing has become beautiful but through the utility
Of beauty, we should find beauty only where 1t is
useful and nowhere else. The paper closes with an
Impressive passage: And here I conclude. see IN
Nature both utility and beauty but am not convinced
that the one is solely dependent on the other hnd
grace and glory (even in the flowers Of pants) which,
on the unitarian theory, is not accounted for, is "a
residual phenomenon; and that In sucn enormous pro-
portions that the phenomenon explained bears no per
ceptble proportion to the phenomenon left unexplained
whether this 1t appears TO me- for the rea-
sons have already Given that we may still entertain
the same notions about the beauty OF The world as
before Our may SUI rejoice in beauty as of old
To some OF us this glorious frame has not appeared
dead mechanic mass, but living whole, instinct with
spual life and In the beauty which we see around us
in Natures face felt the smile OF spiritual
Being as we feel the smile OF our friend
adding light and lustre to his countenance."
An article on the question, "Wbere are We in Art by
Lady Yerney is remarkable chiefly for the hppant In
soence with which 1t refers to the United States as
q country bounded on the North by the Aurora Bo-
realis and on the West by the setting suD," but at
season which among other nations is that of their
greatest artistic vgor" has never produced poet,
painter sculptor with the exception perhaps of Story,
who is Roinan or architect above mediocriy," and
leaving out Boston, and other great centres OF cyzA-
ton, reads little but newspapers and story-books
In The Nineteenth Century, Miss L. s. Beavingon con-
cludes her discussion OF the theory Of ethics, with
reference to Modern Atheism and Mr. Maock," mniu-
tanning that the claims OF human virtue to human
crecence by the test of purely secular theory
and that IN the tendency Of right doing to the
completeness of hfe basis Is found for theory OF
morals independent OF tho changing phases of
religious creeds The main ground Of the writer
Is that this theory Of morals justify its
demands in cases tho loftier religious mOraltes
have held their that 1t can still help the moral
helpers of men, without adding the weakness OF the
morally helpless; since so far us human life Is worth
living it is worth proecpg far it is not worth
living is needfu aneorae it, hence, duty, on sec
ular principles. consists in conduct which tends
10 the permanent protection and progressive
amelioraton OF human lot. curious slip .of
the peu, or typographical error not usual in London
printing page 1.00i, by changing the word nSgm 10
useless in the sentence as stands " II would be
fanaca false deny that convinced religious be-
lief is always and everywhere morally useless"
makes nonsense Of the argument In the course
Of the paper the author deals several hard hits to
Mr. Mallock asserting that life, so far from not being
worth living except under supernatural conditions,
would under the influence sound ethical law become
force of incompatible value The Is very clearly
put in few words, ollows The practical view OF
the Inatt is this Were every ones progenitors tenn
perate cliaste and sel;-conroled; every mans
neighbOs sincere honest, and JUST were every mans
children al grateful. and kind then every man would
he rid OF the external aud cireumstantal causes
Of the chief miseries OF his hfe The world
would cease at any rate to be vale of tears Posi-
tive woe would vanish and every for his fourscore
years would be negatively happy Further, were every
mans own SELF his disposition and tastes, such as to
make him take spontaneous delight in the exer
else of benefceDce, temperance, purity, and sim
cerity, the positive element would be added to
his happness life wouid be swept clean OF its negative
sorrows the word would become world OF smiles and
OF songs and nothing would remain but to exercise
those pleasant liberties which the internal conformity
of will with external requirements would in the