The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-11-19
TWO GOOD BOOKS
THEY ARE WELL DESERVING A
PLACE IN THROUGHPUT
MEMS LIBRARIES.
Or LlPScOMBE'S STUDIES.


Than at "a Time When the Church
Thundered Her ExcOmmunica-
lions?
There are before me two books
whose readers are found largely among
the Methodist ministers of the South.
They are books well deserving a
place on the shelves of any thoughtful
man or woman.
Both bear evidence of a trained mind
of that fine and Understandable some
thing which marks the writer as man
in whom the mental processes have
had time and leisure for steady
growth. for what we mean by culture
in it's best sense. Both are emphati-
caily books as distinguished from the
no-books of to-day, a list of which
greatly outnumbers Charles Lambs
patent Office reports, chess boards,
works of the learned Jew, ETC., etc.
Dr. Lipscomb's Studies in the Forty
DAVIS has been out ten years, long
enough to have worked its way into
the appreciation of class of readers
who love the book for it's rare spirit
uality, the quiet grace of it, but more
especially for that earnestness and
insight which is brought to bear on
the character of our Lord.
To one having doubts as to the
divinity OF Christ Studies in the Forty
Days is to be recommended because OF
its spiritual CONTINGENCIES. In j. W.
Lees Making of a Man the final and
browning argument bears on the souls
xxrhnlIxr I1nlilEn a
the two books are, they have this in
common, that we must come to them
with somewhat the same preparedness
if we would get much out of them. 50
true is it that "the eye sees what 1T
brings with it the power of seeing" IT
we come to either book pre-iudging,
self-evolved materialist, the reading
may leave us as it found US.
'.The great distinction between
teachers, sacred or literary; between
poets like Herbert and poets like
Pope, 9 is, that one class speaks
from within, or from experience, as
parties and possessors OF the fact; and
the other class from without"
The Making of Man appeals prinari-
ly to the reasoning faculties. Adj
mirably planned, strong in its array
OIL IdctS, tItftI III III ocbiNb'AS'
Emersonian in it's simplicity of style,
it in a wonderful book and valuable
contribution to religious thought.
But withal, it is not OF such worth
thus it seems to this present writer
as that class of books in which the
teacher speaks from within and APP
peals to the spiritual perception as
does DR.. Lipscomb. There is some
what in us higher than the mathemat-
zeal faculty. 1t is much for the child
to learn that two and two are four, it
is still greater thing for it TO per-
ceive moral beauty.
In studies in the Forty Days" the
author has no argument with you. 1t
is assumed that you believe in the di-
vinity of Christ. Should there be
doubt in your mind, open and honest
doubt which seeks earnestly and hum
bly, for enlightment, that transcen-
dent Life, it's influence on others as
shown forth by DIR. Lipscomb, is calcu-
lated to clarity things for You.
This belief in the secondary impor-
lance of such books as DR.. Lees is
held tentatively. Tomorrow one may
be forced TO see the need of them as
breakwater against materialistic the
cries. There liz nothing in the making
of a man stronger than the first
three divisions of the introduction
dealing with the relation of mind to
matter. ''The music of Beethoven, the
visions OF Raphael, were but as the va
por in the light of the morning sun,
beautiful, perhaps, as the rainbow,
but going out with the setting day..
Whatever OF emotion or conscience
they embodied, signified no other than
the coiors Of the peach bloom, or the
notes of the falling cascade"
The memory of beautiful service,
the deep tones of an organ, the sweet
ness of the human voice, the sense of
exaitation, all this without divine
meaningi 1t is unbelievable.
The reasoning in the chapter on
Truth" is clear and strong. The SEN
sational theory of knowing is discuss
ed and SpeRcer's teaching stressed.
10 an amateur DIR. Lees argument of
Spencer seems unanswerable. ITO
ask the human mind to believe the en-
cyclopedic, dogmatic system OF philo-
sophy he addressed to it, after insist
ing that all our knowledge is but the
sum of vivid and faint manifestations
of the unknowable is as irrational as
trying to build cathedral on Lon
don fog-bank."
one can but wonder that Spencer
should be so continuously worthy of
attack after the faults of his teaching
have been SO often and SO clearly
shown. To quote Mr.. Lester Ward:
40 book, no philosophic essay, no
form of Discussion Of any question is
complete that does not score him at
some point. -. But in spite of all
this opposition the great philosopher
will not down."
In Power man is considered in two
fold sense. individual and social. So
long as stress is laid on the individual
there is no progress, it is only when
man rises out of self that greatness is
attained.
Greece and Rome touched their mer-
idian at time when the individual
was a Greek and Roman, not mere
Regulus and Pericles. Can America be
greatly American till even her multi
miiIionaires subject themselves will
ingiy TO Whatever legislation may adj
vance the good of the social whole?
We're aR income tax advisable for