The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-02-04

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One Of the latest additions to the Stand
ard Library" published by Funk q wagnslls'
is q life OF Oliver Crom,oeu by PAXTON Hoop.
The writer's object IL TO present In Q COM
pendious form oil the essential facts and main
conclusions relating to the Protectors career
and character which are sot forth at length in
Cnrlyle's comprehensive work. In order to
render his central theme more Ineligible to
the reader unfamiliar with the history Of
England In the seventeenth century. Mr.. Hood
has supplemented the portrait OF Cromwell
with review Of the events which preceded the
struggle between King and Parliament. and
an account Of the foremost leaders OF the re-
publican movement. beginning with Sir John
Eliot. the forerunner. and ending with Sir
Harry Vane the last and luckless champion
OF the Commonwealth. The plan was good
ono. and 1t has been carried ont with credirable
thoroughness 30 far - the collection Of ma
terials and the spirit OF the treatment given
them are concerned. In respect. however. Of
literary workmanship. the book cannot b very
highly commended: the authors diction 10 de-
fectivs on the score Of accuracy and vigor. and
the readers sense Of continuity and concinnity
80 0hpAooDouSAy JoEIOu w tuo 8OrupJ u0t0IlOI8-
ton OF style apparent whom he passes from the
extracts from Carlyle and John Forster TO the
text In which they are embedded. Nevertheless
Mr. Hoods biography must bo regarded a. q
positive boon to the mass Of readers. because
1t presents more correct view OF the great
Puritan soldier and statesman than Ii attaina-
BILE In any Of the shorter lives heretofore pub
lished. whether we compare It with southey's.
Guizot's. or even Forster's essay In the same
neld.
or the three diverse conceptions Of Cromwell
which at one time or another have attained
currency in English literature. that which
found favor among royalists after the Restora-
ton. which was carefully elaborated by Hume.
and which at later epochs was virtually adopted
by Southey and Guizot. has now been virtually
abandoned. Whether fanstical or not Crom-
we'll was no fVpocrite. He never believed him.
self to have anything to repent OF; he never
recognized criminality In any act OF his public
life: and SO far as regards his antagonism to
the Stuart cause. 1t seems to be tho final judy
ment OF history that his record is in
vulnerable. Whether he was equally slnless
toward the Commonwealth. toward the Parlia-
mentary chiefs who had been his teachers and
companions. is q far more difficult question.
1t II not Clarendon and Cowley and South who
are his most formidable accusers. but Ludlow
and Vane. and from the latter's point OF view
Mr. Forster takes strong ground against the
loyalty and uprightness Of Cromwell. But even
on this obscure and complicated branch Of the
inquiry Carlyle may be said to have secured
verdict Of not proven. That the Commonwealth.
representing as 1t did only o small minority
OF Englishmen. was incompetent to govern
the three kingdoms at the time when
Cromwell took into his own hands the
responsibilities OF power. seems demonstrated
not only by contemporary evidence but by the
fact that when after his death and the resigna-
ton Of the Protectorate by his son. the Common
wealth was reestablished. It proved utterly una
BILE to maintain ITSELF and neglected to take even
the most obvious precautions against Monks
treachery. In brief after the reaction which
followed the execution Of Charles l.. the coun-
try had practically to choose between Cromwell
and Charles H. and that 1t cheese wisely was
made clear enough BY the Restoration. Crom-
well. OF course. WAS q usurper. but 1t was
necessary usurpation. and there was apparent
iy a much smaller infusion OF egotism and vain
glory In his motives than in those OF any other
representative Of C@sarism known to history.
Bible Ayths and their PArallsls In Othsr
RelisIsaa.
In a large volume bearing the above title,
and published by J. W. Bouton. an anonymous
author has instituted an extended comparison
OF the Old and New Testament legends and
miracles with analogous traditions OF heather
nations OF antiquity. The author lays no claim
TO Independent research and original discov-
ery but his aim has been to collect digest and
present in compact form adapted to the con-
venience OF the general reader the large and
widely scattered materials supplied by modern
Biblical criticism. 1t is unQuestonably true
a ~ Mat H.
Christian Scriptures are nowhere else 30 &C.
cesslble as they are now made 10 the work
before US; and this exhaustive repertory Of
facts and conjectures may. therefore. be com.
mended to those who desire to soc all that the
rationalists believe themselves to have accom-
plished by subjectlng the Bible to precisely the
same process OF scrutiny as Ia applied to any
other book purporting to be historical. We
should add the caution. however. that the
compiler has carried out his undertaking from
the point Of view OF advanced skepticism being
evidently convinced that there is but very
small and not easily discoverable residuum Of
historical truth in the Scripturol narratives.
Yet. although the authors personal conclusions
are set forth with startling frankness In the
last two chapters We are by NO means
disposed to impute to him any conscious dis
tortion or suppression OF evidence In the bulk
Va ulS UOOA. Wuicu 10 uoNOtous - Wo uoV0 bAtus
To the accumulation and distribution Of testi-
mony furnished by the modern sciences Of
textual criticism and historical exposition.
We recently had occasion to notice The Be-
ginnings Of History" by NJ. Lenormant. who
being . sincere believer in Christianity. has
naturally treated the subject OF parallel myths
from q very different point OF view from that
taken by the author OF the American book
Yet so far a. the two writer's cover the same
ground-M. Lenormsnt confined his attention
to the Book OF Genesis-they do not differ
materially In the recital OF the facts and prob
abilities arrived ut by the study Of comparative
mythology. This substantial conformity In
the statement Of evidence by advocates Of
the most diverse opinions will dispose
the reader to trust the reportorial sccu-
racy OF the present compilation In those
chapters which transcend the limited scope Of