New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-01-20
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
LIFE PROBLEMS.


J. b. Lppincott Co.
The writings of John Darby or Dr. GarIetsoh.
as may well call him, seeing that MS nom
de plume" has long since ceased to be disguise
have for many years appealed TO class oil thought
full minds which, there is reason to believe, Is
steadily increasing. To a philosophy characterized
by breadth and penetration. DR.. Garreson Joins
style at once singularly compact and reireshlngN
lucid. geniality and originality of thought
lerd attractiveness to all his literary work. while
the loftiness of his aims and the cleVatlng ten
dency of his reflections, suggestions and specnla-
ton. commend him particularly to earnest seekers
after truth and the higher life In this his
latest work, DR.. Garretson launches upon dis
cussion of the highest questions II is cast in the
form of the Socratic dialogue, the interocutors
being Socrates, Ccbes, Protagoras, Simmias and
others who, 1000 years before, had been accuS
toned to meet in Athens and hold similar dis
course on the great problems of life. The scheme
is ingenious, is sSilfully carried out, and Incl
dentally furnishes opportunity for rapid but
keen review of the history Of philosophy, from
Thales 10 Comte. The idealism of Berkeley comes
nearest TO satisfying Dr. GarTetson apparently,
but his own system of thought embraces con-
illusions never dreamed of by the Bishop OF
Cloyne though had they been proposed in his
time he might have accepted them.
The distractions of ordinary philosophical dis
cussion usually repel the average man, who re-
uuires the stimulus of a direct human interest
and connection to engage his sympathy and hold
his attention DR.. Garrctson avoids the glaciating
influence referred to by impartng TO his dis
closures, quite unobtrusively, plain rapport
with the actual condition Of civilization. The
growth and matcrialisn, threatening to submercc
the spiritual in man. backed by realistic phil
osophy which undertakes the scientific defence
of objective views of everything, is a subject
which is more and more engaging the attention
of sober minds The dominance of aGhostlcISm
in scientific circles and the concldent hardy
growth of the most uncOmpr0mislng materlallstlc
ideas in regard TO mans conscious existence ana
destiny tend to confirm and extend the influences
which. the more they assume the sanction of
authority the more readily are they deferred
to by the majority which always takes its opinion
at second hand History sufficiently demonstrates
the impossbity OF carrying forward or OF estab-
fishing firmly any kind of civilization upon
purely materialistic basis The spiritual element
in humanity demands nOuTishmcnt. cultivation
and eypressiOn and if denied the means of susicn-
ance Will in pcTishlng, leave the animal clements
to the degradation and final sell-deStructIoh Oh
which alone, when isolated. they are capanc.
Every singc-minded and earnest protest against
the dangerous tendencies of the age must De Wei
coined by those who hold that matcrlallsnl hiRdefN
the upward movement the healthy and harmonious
development. of the human mind; and Dr. "aric'-
SONS prcsent volume is in the line Of such
remOnstrance.
H. must be said that he does his spirting
gently" however, aiming to stimulate thought
not to arouse prejudice often, if not always SO
much stronger than reason. The reader is led OH
by degrees from the contemplation of the So
cratic notions of Immortality and the soul 10 the
deem problem of the eternal now. the question
of the relations of the soul TO matter on the one
hand and to God on the other. and the elective
character of mans psychical part. We do not feel
sure that the author in dealing with the terms
matter and spirit. has not been scduced INTO one
of those fallacies which lurk thlcl;ly whcr-
ever terminologies concerned. The view
which draws a line of demarcation between mat
ter and spirit is, perhaps, not wholly deienslble
More and more, at the present time, opinion
seems drawing toward the theory of single
substance in the universe, and If is significant
that science no less than philosophy tends in
this direction Now, if there be but one sub
stance-one primal substance, that is to say
il would seem an almost necessary sequence that
what we call matter forms one pole Of this sub
stance and what we call spirit constitutes the
other pole Dr. Garretson points out. very Justly.
that matter as matter is invisible We know that
the finer forms of such matter as can be rccog-
nized almost escape manipulation. The impon-
derable ether is matter, and science can conceive
of forms Of matter so tenuous that beside them
even ether would be coarse. Yet. while we are
occupied with these imponderable and invisible
FORMS it is still matter with which con-
cerned we have not Yet touched spirit any
where But the possibilities of intimate convic-
ton and reactionary power between spirit
and matter are in no degree ai-
fected by the tenuity of ether-or by its gross
ness. The invisible wind can throw down a solid
stone wall Tie invisible air can rcnd asunder
the strongest fabricatons with force far cX-
ceeding that of dynamite. So, too. spirit
act upon the coarsest matter, and in doing this
demonstrate the character of the agent by the
intelligence exhibited
No doubt there is a sense in which matter and
spirit may be spoken Of as separate. the one from
the other: but when it is especially desirable
that obscurty and confusion should alike be
avoided il is best TO treat these terms care
fully and unambiguOusly as is possible. The
most serious difficulty consists in the fact that
most people entertain erroneous ideas Of matter,
concevng of it that which is visible and
ponderablc alone. Another word which is nearly
always liable TO miSc0nstructOn is soul, and those
who have dipped into the Indian philosophers
will best appreciate the extent Of the errors which
a loose employment OF that word may he
responsible for. DR.. Garretson usually employs
the term genercally 10 designate the spiritual
element in man and thus escapes some complica-
tons, though his definition Of the conditions Of
Immortality strikes hardly compatible with
his view of the separablity Of soul and ego IN the
body. The doctrine OF reincarnatiOn as taught
oy the BrahmnS moreover does not sanction the
hypothesis of uninterrupted consciousness, or con
tinued personality, which seems to be put forward
here nor indeed can any theory Of rcbirths be
made TO accord with such view since II IS
perfectly obvious that Oblivion OF each ended life
must be prerequisite TO the beginning Of a new