The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-03-12

which were daily being added to the Thora and
| tho ancient prophets. Instead of unbindng the
old volume 10 insert In II after the Proverbs the
new treatise ost"nsibly from the hand ~ Solo
! mon. they put the lat" conner NJ the end of the
sacred compilation, where apparently 1t long
! occupied the last place. Thus We see that the
author IL no more forgor than Plato was In
| his Parmenides. or his TimWus. Wishing to
| give W. an example of Elcatic philosophy
! Plato sclocts Parmcnidrs; wishing TO ofler US
! an illustration Uf the pythaEorcan philosophy,
| he chooses rimpua and puts in their mouths
! discourses adapted to the doctrines of their
respective schools This is just what the au-
thor Of Ecccsiastes has done; for him the
name Of Solomon il but an endorsement for
ideas that he deems appropriate to the legend
| airy type OF the old King of Jerusalem.
More than this, he makes but small account
of his predctcrmination to clothe his possi-
| mist and skeptical ideas with Solomons author
ity. He bctrays himself every moment. The
parsonage whom he makes talk explains him
| self atfirst. indeed in q way not unbeilttinG the
| son of David. Soon however. tho author re-
| linQushes q fiction which would have drawn
| him on to tedious and annoying repctitions.
| Beginning with the fourth chapter. or nearly so.
| he forgcts TO bring Solomon on the stage; he
| ceases to treat his fable seriously. 1t is the au
| thor himself who Is now speaking on his own
| account when he relates the i'll luck he has had
with women the sorrows OF his solitary life,
| the trouble he has taken to make money. the
| nrooccupatiops which bosierc him In regard TO
| ,h,se who will h,hcrit his estate Unfaithful to
| his first intontion he exnress,s himself hence
| forward like what he IL. that s to say. like
| jewish man OF business kecnly sohcitous about
his Investments and about the post-mortem
| disposition Of his fortune. We read. for in
stance. in our English version. chapter IL,
| yerses 11-ls ct seq.
:, rho, ,ool, NJ, oil ,,. ,,orls ,,s, NV banda had
wrought and on the labor that had ahored to do and
behold all was vanity and y,xaton Of spirit and there
| was profit under the sun.
is Yea hated all my labor which had taken under
the sun because should leave 1t unto the man that
shnh DC a'''r me
~ % Wv" ,, " VIZ Nv - ~ , ,,
| ,a, 7 n, ,a,,r.I and ,,h.,.ir bs,s showed nv.
self wise under IA, sun This IL also vanity
| 20 Therefore went about to my heart to
a. For there IL man whose labor Is in wisdom and
Nhowe's' ana III equity E'' 20 ',a UNA. ''u'" ~"
"'O'eu '',,'.' '"" a.. "' .,,,, - ''' '''
C,n = Th.rs 10 ono alone and thor. is no, n soc
oud We, h, hath neither child nor brother vet a there
ne end Of all his labor neither are eyes satisfied with
riches for saith he For whom do labor and hereare
my soul Of good THIS IL also VANITY yea it is sore
/
| 1t is clear too that certain reflections would
! be out Of place or even devoid ol any sense at ALL
/ in the mouth Of a sovereign, like, for instance
| the remark Ia the thirteenth and fourteenth
| verses of the fourth chapter: Better is poor
| and wise child than an old and foolish king
/ who will no moro be- admonished For out of Il
| prison one may come 10 reign, whereas. also
one that is born in the kingdom may become
poor" such liberties with prcconcertcd plan
! of composition are also frequent in the book Of
job. These great and fine works Of antiquity
says Renan, hold themselves far above our
| petty classical anNtctes about N"tlsiniIitud'
| The personagcs are but moderately consistent
with themselves. So profound is the interest
| in mans destiny on the part Of these strong
souls that the uihng cares OF literary unity
and composition soon escape their attention.
! For them the fiction they hay" chosen IA the
vehicle for their ideas Is tut prctcAt. play
thing.
~
Fcclcsiastcs used to pass for the most OBJ
scure book in the Bible This was the verdict
, Of the theoloGian-, which, in point OF fact, was
:, quite unfoundcd. The book. viewed a. Il
! whole, is perfectly clear; but thc"ogans were
| specially Interested in finding il obscure
multitude of passages perplcN us, because the
text is corrupt and because tie dction forms
|
| literature. But these diIicultles touch only
the accessories and digressions' whose cohhee-
| ton with the man theme If "it'h hhP'r''Ph-
bc. There are also doubtless alusl"hs |"
political events ami religious SCOTS win Whl'il
we ar" una'iualhteo' but rs l" 'he srheIai
philosophy OF the WORK II If eN'ielic'S sithP'''
Inc author recurs 10 MS cehihi th"usH' VII"
pcrsistchcy Whi'h may lh"ecu seem 'cu'ouS'
but to which no exception can pe taken on 'he
score oil precision
An Ii vanity Such is the sum- twenty
times reiterated, Of the work. The book Is
made UP Of a series Of little paragraphs, each
Of which contains an observation. way OF
looking at human life from which the concn-
sion reached is its universal frlNolity THIS
deduction the author draws from inc most va
rious experiences. he Delights IN IL. makes OF
, 1t the rhythm and refrain Of his ideas To his
eve the world offers a sequence OF phenomena
| Invariably the same and rolling one after the
ntbor In n cor. ~ cirolo No nropress Tho