New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-04
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
A NOTEWORTHY BOOK,
THE MAKING OF A MAN. BY the Rev. J


DID,, evo., PIP. s7e. Casscll Publishing Company.
This book at once gives its author place, and
no mean place, i'll the world OF contemporary
thought. II is of the truest, keencst and
most brilliant studies of man in relation to the
universe that have appeared in this country for
years. In its insight and wealth of thought II
is net unworthy TO be ranked with the best work
OF Huxley or Spencer and in the beauty of its
literary form and breadth of treatment it need
fear comparison with Emerson at his best
While the author docs not shrink from any Of the
difficult problems in regard to man and his re-
lation to Nature, he does not find it necessary
to throw his religious faith overheard in attempt
ing to solve them. There is freshness,
viriity, and Joyous note Of faith running
through every of the seven
chapters of the book that of them
selves would arrest attention. In touch
ing on the deep questions of human life ana
destiny. he exhibits quiet confidence that
comes, not Of ignorance but of wide knowledge
and deep thought. The gravamen of his whole
argument is that the laws Of nature are but terms
we use to define the operations of mind 10
believe the forces of nature selfdetermined rs to
believe them rational and intelligent, which is
not possible The universe and the phenomena
by which it manifcsts itself to our conscious
ness are not ultimate facts. Both the universe
and man, its highest and nobest creation, are
but manifestations of a mind incOncelvably BE-
yond our understanding Thus only can we &C
count for what is.
matter is fundamental. then 1t were bc,ter IT,, 10
pc STosod n b or an % Of e universe in
their bodies and their brains generate none OF ani'C
subtle something called mind, which perpeually asks
questions that have no answer and chelshes oeIelS
that have no foundation II mater Is w.
thew are animal and deny them in proportion
they mental. Then the Neros ana me Calg nar
ana the Wesleys in their virtues. :, 1t Were
better to be true to the facts on me pam OF 'ne
the plain OF the conscience and the affections bu.
it Is Impossible that men have been true as ,sy nave
been degraded, and false as they have been pure
In another fine passage DIR. Lee brings out the
fact that man is the elimination of nature be-
cause he is the only being who can read and trans
cribe her wondrous volumes.
They lie UNOPENED and unknown I'LL his inteT ,,ii
provoked dhe ianguage Tsits The herds that
low amid the Alpine echoes, see, as we'll as tae as
ngu;ned gnG the 6 great ANA gc ,hs mountain Side
but their meaning and the law by which they m0'e H
they speak in awful and majestic terms To the snecp
In the meadow the grass means nothing but looa 10
beautiful Considered as place Of discipline, the
earth Is for for he is the only creature nelpee
and builds his dam today Just as the SssVg had dd h e
Improved him, nor elevated him. In order that The The
bee may live he must gather MS money ana nu1iu us
cell. This Is discipline. But he never improve YES
He never grows In culture Or shn and ALTERED oe his
Soney from the flowers that grew in the Garden OF
Eden knew ms well how to construct cell according
c ~ The anu nn ,T century who
stores his honey in painted gum prepared by man.
Civilization, then, is simply the expression that
man has made of himself in his attempts through
thought and will to effect the conquest OF nature
It is not nature that has nodded man, but man
that has nodded nature His history ana pro-
cress are written in the dim giories Of vast en-
pires in the rush Of splendid cities, IN the age
long conflict between good and evil, In the indy
Inc creed Of martyred faith, in the hope, fidelity,
trial agony triumph and self-sacrifice OF the hu-
man race And the universe is not n junk shop OF
unrelated things, great though they may be IN
themselves but an evolution of mind, in which
man stands as the supreme and GROWING glory OF
all things created. Another thought is that men
find themselves by coming together
Their organs sleep ill walked by relation
Blrthright alone is not worth mess OF p0ttase
Human language itsdf is IN embodiment OF social soenl
force The Of different angnagss actually
peoples who used them. Nothing seems to De more
ms mind does its thinking Out sight and out Of
touch within the dark depths OF lis own mysterious
s hSms T iIerC at cas We Would expect to ind
dvidual Independent work. But not So. No In
Of OILERS in the proces HomeTs Had poetic
formulation OF what all Greece felt. Inc elements OF
myth, thought. passion. which 1t contains. were an
In the c0ntenporary Greek mind. In committing thls
poem to memory the Greeks were but storing up their
own thoughts
As for religion, it is something constitutional,
inaenablc, divine. But man would never Do
thrilled by its hopes, sOothed by its peace, dld
he not stand in vital relation TO his fellows
The elements and raw material Of religion are
eternally present hut relation calls into exercise
the susceptibities and faculties which appropriate
these elements and material, turning them
into hymns theologes, prayers, sacrifices, hturges
and ceremonies.
DR. Lee loves TO dwell the thought OF man
=. the highest outcome of the universe.
What then, is the ultimate end and OBJECT OF
human reCn II %sn;ess n%n Of G0G ms is
human lfe enriched, perfected compietco ~ Is man;
strong free holy. II Is man, not lost IN the so ga
texture nor swamped E the social organism Dut IiH0-
ing his individuality and his peculiar, natural SIMPLE
self through them. The marvellous fabric the socia,
loom set TO weaving Is man do.n s c man VI
social relations self conscious sell deternlnlns man.
Thinking the true willing the right loving the g9on
Ii is not meet that men should be sacrlnc co 70
the beauty and PERFECTION Of machinery: or 10 thhgs
machinery turns out The most beuutnui pattern Oh
six loses its power TO pies the eye %ne
n IS remembered that the soui OF woman mas Dreh
drawn into Its threads and cOlprs.
The passages we have quoted, taken almost at
random. give fairly good IDEA Of DR.. Lees
.tvle and treatment. But no detached passages
can do full justice to the sweep OF the authors
vision. The book must he read as a whole to
understand fully its beauty and value. we 90
No, ,ecau DIR. Lee, who is we believe, resident
OF Atlanta, Ga, as having maze any previous
ess.v in the world of authorship. But whether
this is his maiden effort or not, 1t is one tilat
iustifes MS in hoping for even greater thihgS