The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-03-03
BOOKS RECEIVED.

FRANKLIN Square.
The publication of this great work was COM
menced IN 1858, the editorial supervision and
general responsibility resting on the Rev. DIR.
MeChntoek untilehis death, at which time three
volumes had been issued. The editorship and
supervision then devolved upon DR.. Strong.
aided by Professor Woman, and also bv DR..
semen. Eight volumes in all have now APP
peared' each containing nearly 1000 pages of
closely printed matter.
The work is just simply indispensable. 1t
nils gap which has long existed in our cyclo-
pedic literature. Kittos Cyclop@dia of Biblical
Literature and Dr. Smiths more recent Die
tonary of the Bible were invaluable so far as
they went, but they confined themselves strictly
to Biblical topics. The present book contains
all that was most valuable in them, and that
brought down to present date, and covers, more
over, the wide field of Theological and Ecclesias
teal Literature. The English edition of Smiths
Dictionary consisted of three volumes. The
work we are noticing will consist when fin
ished, of ten each containing more matter than
volume of the Biblical Dictionary.
The only work known to us that pretended to
cover the range of topics presented in this Cyclic
p@dia is the Encyclopedia of Religious
knowledge" edited by the Rev. ]. Newton
Brown; but this consisted of single volume,
and has now become entirely antiouated. The
subjects embraced by the present work under the
general head of Biblical, Theological and Ec-
clesiastical, extend even beyond what might be
fairly expected under this title, as may be in
ferred from such articles as Aristotle, Phedo
Poetry China, France Cobb, Mary Stuart Ma
netho, Mesmerism, Logic, Knighthood Kant
Leibnitz, Krishna, Grecian Architecture and the
like.
The aim of the work seems to be to give full
and complete information on the subjects treated,
and we have, therefore, embodied in these vol
umes the substance of all the best books that
have hitherto been produced. The materials,
especially of DR.. Smiths Dictionary and Her
zog's Real Encyclopaedia have been freely used.
The same we believe, is true as to Kitto and
the new edition of the Encyclopedias Britannica
is also made use of. But in the main all such
articles have been carefully revised and even re-
written. and become largely modified and greatly
added to. On the other hand, fully one-half of
the matter presented is original and has been
prepared by the best talent that the country
affords.
We have as the result of this plan, incompara-
bly, the most complete thesaurus of all the knowl-
edge essential to the student of the Bible and the
theologan ever published in this country or
Great Britain, or, we deem probable in the
world. Kitto and Smith are superseded, and
McClintock and Strong's Cyclopndia becomes in
the broad fields of 3" Biblical, Theological. and
Ecclesiastical literature what Websters and
Worcesters Dictionaries have become In connec-
ton with the vocabulary of the English Ian
guage. The articles TEEN with information, and
are in the favorite phrase of our day, fully
abreast of the times" So far as we have been
able to examine, the editors have managed to com
bine with this learning great conservatism and
general soundnsss in the tone of the articles which
was not true of Kitto, at least in its original
form, and is not always true of Smith.
One article, however, is an exception to this
last remark, and constitutes marked blemisb
to the work that entitled Pre- Adamite Man.
by Prof Alexander Winchell. Prof WincbeL
in this article teaches the doctrine of Adam
ite races, and makes the Adanic race only one
of Others now existing on the earth. The ne
groes he regards as Pre-Adamic the Mongo-
lians as pre-Noachian. And he reaches the con
clusion that man must have made his first
appearance on the earth in the Tertiary TGeo
logical Age 1t is true that the editor in few
foot-notes ects these conclusions but such crude
opinions ought not to have found their way into
a work of this sort, for if the editor intends to
repudiate the article why was it published?
Another article which ought to be eliminated
from the work in any future edition, is that On
Geology, which is a mass Of confused concep
tons the relation of this science to the Mosaic
record, and was evidently prepared by one who
was unequal to the task he undertook.
On points of controverted theology, as for ex-
ample Predestinaton the subject is discussed
by two writers of opposite views, each present
ing his side Of the question The article giving
the account of religious denomination is pre-
pared by member of that denomination
We can cordially recommend the work as one
of the most serviceable which has appeared from
any publishing house Of England or America in
our day.
THE EMoTToNs. By James McCosh, D. D., LID.
President of PrincetOn COLLAGE utbor of