New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-12-19
CREAM OF THE MAGAZINES.
THE NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW.

of the Review uuitcs a snguarly apt perception Of
those robust subjects best worth taking from the
swift current of the time. The opening article Is
a thoughtful ore by Professor John Fiske, OH The
Philosophy of Persecution" After accounting for
the d.re., of he prosecuting spirit and predict
ina It's final extinction the l'r"t"s r snvs:
We shall find thai thc change deeply in
wrought with the progress Of mankind. Doth
morally and intellectually. The per; ecnting spirit
has lis origin morally in the disposition OF man to
donlipeer over his fellow creatures intellectually
in the assumption that ones own Opinions are IN
talibly correct. We know very well how children
are apt 10 behave when argnlng some QUESTION oil
no great consequence. Their little passions Narin-
ing with the discussion, they pass from argument
TO abuse they call each other hard names. and, at
last they begin to pound each other. Most people.
imagine must have mad experiences of this sort IN
their childhood. | recollcct when ute little
boy, coming 10 blows with school-mate over the
question whether Napoleon really won the battle OF
Evlau As | came oil best in the serinnnage, ana
as the affair is "a quarter OF r century old, am
ready 10 confess that | fought on the wrong side,-
the battle of Eylau was not much OF victory,
after all Now the split which prompts child To
pound his companion VINO Ieslsts hlm IN argument
is identical with the spirit which picmpts man to
caluinniatc, torture. burn. or otherwise put down
and nure his urghbor who refuses To reverence
the things which he himself, deems sacred. Tho
vinced that AT aottom the feeling Is he same in the
two cases, though in the latter IL ls accompanied
and disguised by other feelings. Now, what Is
this feeling but the disposition TO domneer, to as
sert ones personality AT tn expense oi neigh
horin9 personalities a disposition cnnently chdr-
actcrstic OF the brute ana OF the savage but less
and less Characteristic OF man AZ he becomes mere
and more civilized Bearing tins IN mind, ana re-
mcmbering tine fable OF the vol ANA the lamb
remembering that strong passion - never 1T loss
for reasons. and thal no one Il more HOTouguIN lnc
dnpr of the false reasons than the man himsrif
who is under the control of tie strong passOn-re-
r,.lnbcri1g this one has the key TO laryc part of
the history OF persecution. Inc parlIo>, as Ie-
CARDS the 'neyOtut prosecutors" y paradox
no longer. II becomes expicabIo how II man may
sincerely believe himself 10 he doing Gods service,
wnle ie is in reality onfNnt IN impulse which. III
an ultimate ,niS SIS - neither more nor i"ss than
the nnpuiSe 20 dCminetr over ones tciiow-crra-
lures. rhGS though the plea OF mistaken bencN0-
l.ure may now ANA then bc properly urged IN eX-
tcnua,ion of certain special acts oi persecution. 1t
cannOt cNtuo Drrs cuil"n, or obscure the iact That
its diiinuti0n il LARGELY due 10 . slow moral pro-
cress-to a decrease in sell-asscrticn. ana u con-
comiant increase IN respec- tor Inc rights oil other
people.
the pt rsecEtng spirit IN mere arrogant scli-asHcr
ton is its intellectual rOOf. III the assumption mat
ones own opinions are lnialliblc. The disposition
to domueeT over your tcll0w-tdan-t0 make nm
obey you OF assent to your opinions, whether no
will or nO-is oniy an eNancsc'nt phase OF INC
dspOs ton to Kill him II nc ntcrIcrcS IN any way
with the accomplishment OF your purposes IN me-
The very same dinluutlOn IL Tie sphere OF military
activity. attendant upon the aggregation 0i men
into great and complex political SncIciies. Which
We found 40 XpaIE tiic decreasing atrDcty OF per
seen ion explains also he decreasing italty oi ITS
moral foundation IN the dIerOsltion 10 dominccr
The weakening OF the assumption OF IniaiIbiiity
in ones own opinions - manlieNtN consequence
OF the same set OF cooperating causes " hen ones
lie IS extremely simple and moEot0n"us, consisting
OF very fcW experiences mat are p.rPctuaiiN re-
ptatcd when J. not often compelled TO test the
validity OF one own conclusions ~ conDalinE mem
with the different conclusions which Vthcr people
draw from Tie sane data; when one htcs amid
CERTAIN ,,roup oi uelicfS customs. and OhstrVanceS
that are never brought INTO comparison l-aye per-
haps. in eAterm!Datng wariarel with other diiieI-
ing groups under such conditions IS these II is
noticeable that Ons's opinions are formed win
great promptncs,. and when once formed are IN
chaugeable. These are the conditions unTcr " llch
the opinions OF savageS are formed, ana the chei
characteristic III the opinions ol stfa2S Is tieir
rightly: you can no more change them
Than you could teach inN, when clIascd Dy ino
hunter. to climb u iIre Ike cat.
Nina Morals" discusses somewhat sharply the
{. Limitations Of Sex She has little patience
with Miss lIardaker's declaration that the highest
nj ght OF the fcnalc mind cannot equal the supreme
effort o4 the male. Excluding George Eliot as an
abnormal specimen Of vomanhood, Miss Hardaker
contends that no woman can be comrared to
Shakespeare, nor do Mrs. Browning, Madame de
stael, or Charlotte Brouto equal Schiller. Goethe,
DR. Auer5ach in common branches of iterature
while in moro abstruse departments no near APP
preach 10 male excel leuce has been attempted by
inc female.
Now the same la that excludes Eilot from the
pale OF legitimate wOmanhO0d must baI Shakespeare
nom the circle vi natural manhood. 10 say that
mere he difference OF opinion in regard 10 the
merits of the otiirr winters named cannot he
deemed an evasion of the Issue. But the tru,h that
women have become distinguished IN ilrtlOn rather
Than i'm exact science admits OF strict anal I'M
aginatI0n the st0reh0nse OF the poet ana novelist.
is stimulated less by wide accession OF FACTS than
4 deep insight into ordinary emotions. 1hc HAD
was not the lesser epic because Homer was unac-
luaintod with true ge"eraghy, nor are Shake
,l,eaIrs dramas less valuable Dccailse Colloianus
wears the verbal Garb OF an inglo saxon warrior.
\ nlfpn ~
he art and liz manifestations, were ittcJ by Their
20 portray the emotions. = inodlcum
IF culture. necessary to a.: ord FACILITY ~ rprs'lon
was required, ana mat modicuin INFINITELY en-
AIRED has enabled the greatest oil literary women
20 present IN hcr prominently imaginative novels.
ia exact philosophy OF human emotions. he same
,hs .ryatI0us. apparently applicable to ant and
ncsurably 10 Orltory. cannot really be 80 c1n-
,jJered because these accomplishments unlike lit
,raturc require a wider study aud more powerful
impetus than can bo Obtained III The confinement
d home.
Let Us inquire in what intellectual particulars
man Is al al iuCe Ol woman. The apparent gains
iIr tw0-tbe accumulativc possession OF more uu-
me rous ideas acquired by the male III couse OF pro-
rcs and the habits 81 reflect on generated ~ such
ic uinuiatiOU. These facilities look more torId-
able than they actually are Woman ny TIE mN"i- !
nntary process OF nature, IS pFryrnted rom re-
female child is truly Tie hear Of the hor a The
male Though repression IN the dlugbtcr and !
education in Che son may occasion ioiced mental !
distinctions. yet il Is undoubtediy true that tne
more enlightened the father the more capable the
laughter. Place the male and female side by side
On the road TO learning. Nhat indigenous ad an |
ACE has the former! IDEAS We affirm. Not So It.
dies closer thought. Ideas themselves are neither
nnaie nor structuraliy transmitted. They must Ice
lie peculiar acquisition Of each individual. The !
.uoyy Ice previously paTneI,d by the thought and
.xucrence of men Is the historical inheritance OF
Inc Girl as well as of the boy she need not be |
taught hcTOglyphic5 wnllc ne lh' ihOliIcs the |
modern alphabet Size will not seek the heights of
in tie vagaries OF the Ionian school |
Willie Ge engages his attention with Darwin and |
IIaekel Male and female alike the boarded |
,uowledQe oil ages as the scaling bladder Oi common
ascent. -. 80, !
Ii actual ideas not transmitted, sun habits
# mind may be so perpetuated. The masculine
laturc from It's iOng-cOntnucd contact with wider
interests and more numerous ideas, has acquired
more accurate habits OF thought. Herein lies the
real advantage and only time, whose every dtvis-
ION shall record greater mental oiort oi accuracy
an the part of WOMAN can remedy the discrepancy
The results OF freedom are already ielt me pres
.ure of unmoved prejudice hearing upon each won-
Am VINO SCI Is IA now channel OF activity, anu the |