The Portland daily press., 1899-10-28
RECENT PUBLICATIONS.


Letter. OF Emerson to Friend. and
Under tbs Cactus Flag. represent much
Of Interest. each, perhaps, to different
class of readers.
or the book on Hcr,cs Bushnell, It's
author, Dr. Theodore C.Munger. states in
the preface, that it does not purport to be
life of the man, but more an analysis
of his thought and work. as reprefs nted
in his tooks, sermons and essays. The
careful mlnuteness which Dr. Munger
gives in discussing the books which rep
resent the IesuIiar ideas OF mir. Bushnell,
may perhaps limit the reading Of those
chapters to the special student Of theol.
ogy, but as tie whole 10 delishtfuiiy
written, the other chapters bearing npon
the PERSONAL life. character and tempsra-
ment of the man would have charm
for the more general reSder.
Tie reaction against tie Orthodoxy OF
Jonathan Ed wards, and as representing
a transition between the Calvinistic
methods of Edwards and those Of the
modern thought, sseni to be epltom'z d
In the vigorous preaching of Horaos
Bushnell. He had passed through all the
strlsgles. of doubt and skepticis'n-!heo-
logical y--tll 1t fnelly came to him.
that, rs DIR. Munger puts 1t, "He WAS to
be guided by his heart, and not by the
lcgic that filled the air about him."
This standard Of opinion seems easy Of
attainment to us now, but between fifty
AMI sixty years ago. whsn Mr.. Bushnell
was writing rnoss, bis natural and COM
mon sense way Of regarding even SO sim
pie q mstter as the training Of children,
brought upon him much oriticism-al-
most persecution. His parishioners in
Hartford were so loyal, and rs well the
association of ministers In his district,
that be was never tried for heresy, but
criticism OF him was In the air. and In
tine leading journals he was assailed by
the orthodox, and claimed By the hetero-
dox.
DIR. Munger cevotes a chapter each to
the analysis of Mr.. BushReIls books on
Christian Nurture, God In Christ, Nature
and Supernatural. and The Ficsriors
Sacrifice. giving special attention to GER
tain sermons, in which DR.. Munger
thinks he Is to be found at his best. He
was more preacher than thsologian.
and in the sermons are,-to quote the
writer Of this took, ,-"the unfailing MARI 5
OF his test qualities. insight, comprehen-
son, power Of statement"
In the chapter devoted to the sermons
the author expresses the greatest admira-
tion fer Mr.. Bushnell, and quotes the
testimony OF o, rs who fell unuer the
spell OF his preaching. and felt for him
respect and veneration. love and admira-
tion.
A careful analysis is also given of the
collected essays and addresses. and Of the
latter, DIR. Munger says: "(H.Ice,) all
the Il eatnass and force CT his professional
thought, along With his Puritan instincts
and immeasurab,e earnsstnesSand mas
sive common stnse, went into discourses
and addrrs rsses which, more than any other
utterances of the day, Interpreted and
outlined the providential history Of the
nation for thirty years"
The collection of thess e3says under the
title Work and Play, is regarded as best,
The A sc of Homespun, the one which
will be longer remembered and quoted
becRuso IL Is so true piotur, Of rural
New England If, In the early pars Of the
century; while those on Pulpit Talent
and Training for the Pulpit ManwaId,
are Judged by III, author to be the most
useful.
The glimpse OF Mr. Bushnell as shown
in his ome life, is given in q quotation
from his biography by his daughter,
which shows him In his most charming
light, as a homs companion, and as Miss
Bushnell says: "But IL was in ia mily life
that he shone the brightest. Let 1t be no
detraction from his magnit lde tsat my
father was largest and most ideal to those
who knew him in the nsarness of family
life and love. 1t Is they who knew most
of his zsst, his enthusiasm. his inspirable
faculty; of the wit and riquant flavor of
his language; OF the lofty and rihnsi
purity of his feelings and his habits, and
his delicate consldsrateness of those who
were dear to him; OF his great unex-
pressed and insxpressible tenderness; of
the reasoning faith which beheld the
unseen."
character by various prominent men like
Prof Phelps, DR.. Bartol and Rev. Wash
ingon GLADDEN., the closing chapter Is a
careful analysis Of The Work OF Bushnell,
by the author. DIR. Munger brings vivid
ly tefore his readers the theological dis
cussions which wers rife In the early part
cf the century, between tine Calvinists
and the protesting" Unltarlans and to
DR.. Busauell, hs gives the credit of not
alone protesting" but of constructing,
as we'll: of denying the false in the old,
but OF giving 1t new spirit and COM
prehersion which saved 1t from destruc-
tion and chaos-work for which DR..
Munger thinks he will receive greater
reoog itlon by future historians of the
New England theological movement.
For those who delight In anything that
pertains to Emerson, the little volume Of
his Letters to Friend, edited by Charles
Eliot Norton. will be gladly welcomed