New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-27
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE POSITTvIST CALENDAR.

I'm
Edited by Frederic Harrison. l2mo, PIP o4a'
(Macmllan q Coz .
Com,e's philosophy u evolution rests primarily
mon what he called the law Of the three states 1t
was his theory that mankind has passed or must pass
through these three states the first OF which he de
dominates theological. the second metaphysical ana
the third positive science The first state begins Win
fetchsm proceeds 10 poythei-n. and ends with
monothei.m. In the next stage. inc meulphNho"'
theology loses It's influence. supernaturalsm Is DIS
caried and phenomena are explained latIohalN'
Metaphy Seal speculation however falls in the search
for inherent causes and forces. and the human NINA
presently abandons the futile indues ana taNe' ieiuI
IN positive science All illusions are now gwen up anu
civilized mnn rests content with such hno"Iedce {" 'he
universe and the conditions Of life a. can lie derived
from actual experience. In order 10 luusUd'c "S
doctrine and also apparently with the purpose Vi
demonstrating that Po>itiv>m could have calendar
AS well as the old Religion, when he Iiu o"Sr"""'
Comic drew up list Of sos worthless ana arranged
them In such manner ~ 10 illustrate ms theory Vi
the conditions and progress Of evolution his hs''
so arranged was then systemnzed In the iofh VI d
Calendar on the Comust method. and now Mr. Fred
eric Harrison and group OF Po>uVlS'' "Ne pr
pared brief biographies for Comics ''9 ""r,"'''
and the results OF their work appear III 'h> N"'''''
II was hardly necessary for Mr. Harrison TO in'9'
ss he does In his preface that IT Is not biographies
S,o,or.-r I, &c Sn,plv filing out OF Com'es
framework and this fing-out has the effect II thrV"
ing into high relief the oddities OF the dcslGn anu 's
inoongruueS. Avowcdly the Intention 81 'oih'e ""s
20 include only such persons ~ have dono so" "
humanity IN some wav. and h. pcrenplorllv eAouu'S
all revoluuonares all de-tructi,es, all "ho'e id.
rests solely or mainly upon aggressive or NI"n""'
aoeds M douht there j. much 90 be said Tor su'h
a plan. Regarded from 'hc highest ethical phh' !"
view IL Is only the constructive the hehehceht 49,
who deserve 10 be honored ana iemchlueIcu' ~
90 however desires 10 comprehend the eNontoh vi III"
race must study with equal the lives OF the go'u
and ~
,,or,s that the best results will sometime, be iouu ~
have followed acts which were certainly h"' ''''"1
IA pr1duce them while on IN" o'' ~
The most tpnenccnt intentions nave H'q"o"'P
produced dire consequence. Eat Comic Wv "o'"''"
~ not arbitrary and II his calendar iao 10 pcso''
rarfec,Iv harmonious and consistent ~"rr' 'l i"su"
lions il 1, nothing 10 him. though one cannot u"' '"
feat his followers who wrote these biographies '""''
have been staggered now and then by '' S"''t
., so,ne If IN, masters sclecto1,. The general plan
OF the book is indicated by the tlte ta'h mont" "
section treats different subject there beng thirteen
great divisions namely. Th~,crarc CIVILIZATION Ah'ion'
Poetry Ancient Philosophy. Ancient science Ml"t"'S
Civilization. Catholicism, Fcudnl OlNhI"""n' 'i''"
Eplc Poetry Modern Industry. Modern Drama N"u'''
pbilosophy Modern Statcsmau-.p. and Modern SCI
cDoe. . ., - -.
n, Harrison soys; "The Calendar Itself was re
rariea by the author as work Of art carefully pai
snced and contrastcd In IT. parts ana designed 10 '
yey a vivid impression If tie symp"heu' or "'s'i"'
character of Mans general progress FOR tIh' rc'""
4, takes note only OF work of constructive OF ere
ativc kind and the most eminent desruotVes reNo'u
vonists and Prolcstants are not. ~ such mcIuneu'
bovever useful for the time their solvent acton may
have been.7 But the dhculty with tie N''der Is
that Comte does not stick 10 rs own Wlhc'PeS'
lie admits the very people he has declared lh'unsNl
bIe Washington and Cromwell. for example arc Oo'h
-. and they were rcvolutonsts. Napoleon Is ex-
.,rsos but Caesar Is present. and Hannibal Ihcre
are also not few biographies of men VII" cannot se'i
onsly be said to have done anything Tor inc pros'oS
~ humanity. What for instance Is 'ne chs"o Po''
TihuIlus doing In THIS gallery Ana II llOulus j.
.amitted To the Comtean Nalhalla. why should '"ni
,us he excluded! We find few ancient female WORTH
%. lint among them is sappho. of all women IN
the world Hypatia Is not thought worthy place.
Int Anacreon figures as a helper OF the worlos prog
ross One of the oldest features Of the list is the
admission of mythical personaees Cadmus' lheseus'
uorcules Mann. EOmulus. Ulysses, MancoC apac.
os,ian prometheus ard various other phantasmai
deures fit through these pages. "ilat ulu 'oiho
mean by putting them among his worthless ITO"
can their legends Illustrate his doctrine ihesc NC
s,a,c,,It questions. But why should he have stopped
when he did Having inserted Radicals WHY shou'u
na M, have opened the door TO Gargantua whosc
legendary field far exceeds the uses made OF nun by
the good doctor AlcoiI1tis -,
Buddha is here and Mahomet, ana lghauus h"So'''
and St. Theresa. and Saint Naver. ana many o"ic,
saints: indeed Comte seems TO have had Speclih
us,ancthon though a niche has been found iOr Eius'
INNS Among the modern women the frehch MAUI
rally predominant. Joan OF Arc Is OF course J." '
aence and Madame de Sevigne does not Appear O"'
NJ Mace But Madame de- siael Launay seems i".ici
6nb,ous selection, If Madame de siael be nghlS
o,,od Madame Roland has LOST good deal OF
nor nresce but the new light has been thrown on Her
since Comte drew up his Calendar ana tms must ..
remembered. 1t is perhaps as well that hc sNo"N
have drawn the line at the close OF the eeh'eei'h o
tnry or nearly So though III dong 50 lie he''ss'ii4'
,ef ont the most distinguished men OF science ana req
reseDatives OF modern civilization. one may poSso'
.hi,k that a few OF these would have been more III
point than the mythical personages inc pn'o9'p"''
has so freely admitted. or than many oi Ino ""N'i
n, .n,orous verse whose influence upon human poHc's
&c so problematical. But such as IL Is u'e 'O"'''
calendar remains what the author made IT, ana none
~ 49, to,owors have ventured to add omit single
.me from the original 5j8. The function Oh such
work is not easy 10 define. 1t must depend icr 'Nu
latlon upon readers who DO not a. RUE "o'1p .e
Positive Philosophy. Even It's ARRANGEMENT HiiN'.
against It, seeing that Comics law oil the threc sa
upon which that arrangement Is based. IS more "i'
more clearly seen TO erroneous and if it Is errohe
ous what becomes of his method OF illustrating 'io
progress Of evOluu0nF >, ,
The Calendar may however have It's uses ~ h"'
serve the purpose il not of guide to the stuoeh III
least of a suggestive help In the study OF h'ei''io'
W. rust warn students nevertheless not 10 put 100
,nuoh dependence upon these biographicaI she''"o'
which are often singularly careless ana Inaccurate
roth I'm the statement Of facts and in differences.
Comt.ans may take them all for simple truth bnt
there was glamour about Comte which mas lhhuoh0c
49, a,sc,nles in a curious manner and Mr.. Frederic
Ior,,son frequently gives examples 'of It's power
within certain strict limitations the New Calendar
may he employed without danger Of being mSien
nv e. Int the authors scheme of historical pmoSoph!
q, NOT 70 he taken as established and those VINO wait
the truth and the whole truth about the lives Oh ,c
he'd
and fuller sources.