New-York tribune., 1902-05-07

hibited in board of trade tables year by year
increasing their totals is to large extent not
a prosperity but an adversely. Increase in the
sWarms OF people whose existence is subordina-
ted TO material development is rather to be
lamented than to be rejoiced over. We assume
that our form of social life, under which, speak
ing generally, men toll to-day that they may
gain the means OF toing tomorrow, is salts
Factory form, and profess ourselves anxious to
spread II all over the world; while we speak
with reprobation OF the relatively easy and con-
tented lives passed by many OF the peoples we
call uncivilized But the ideal we cherish is a
uansitory one-approprtate, perhaps. 10
phase OF human development during which
the passing generation sacrificed in
the process Of making easier the lives of future
generations. Intrinsicaly, a state in which
our advance is measured by spread of manu-
factures and concOmitant production of such
regions the BLACK Country" looking
though II had lately been invaded by army
OF chimney sweeps, is a state to be emerged
from as quickly as may be. 1t is a state which
in sundry respects compares Ill with the oast
and is far from that which may hope will
he attained in the future.
one OF its evil results is the threatened sub
mergence Of those still remaining traces of a life
which, though ruder and simpler, left men
some leisure in which to live
There are some suggestive studies in ns-
thetics here. among them a paper on Meyer
beer, in which oddly eulogistic remarks
on that composer are advanced. Speaking of
literary style, Mr.. Spencer alludes to his
having been, from the beginning unpre-
meditated. The thought of style considered
as an end in itself" he says, has rarely II
been present, the sole purpose being to express
ideas as clearly as possible. and when the
casion called for 1t, with as much force as
might be" In literary art. he observes. las in
the art Of the architect, the painter. the
sician. signs that the artist is thinking of his
own achievement more than of his subject al
ways offend me-" The book is full of thought
sound and helpful this. 1t is. indeed.
Sti u1lbIi led in he
last degree as regards subject but from first TO
last illustrative of the common sense which is
perhaps the greatest gift of a philosopher
THE New Testament in Braid Scots"
dered by William Wye Smith, of St GATHERINGS
Canada, and published by Alexander Gardner
Of Paisley is a literary curiosity There seems
to be, from the first paragraph Of the preface
an excuse in the authors mind for toiling la
boriously over this translaton-for the fact
that an immense amount of labor is involved is
evident on every page. He says: Thar are
mony folk wha hae spoken English a their
grown-up days wha like TO gang back till the
tongue O. their bairnhood, the mirk and
shadows o auld age. Thar air ithers wha seem
tae TAX better till the Word whan it carries till
them wi a wee O the Scottish brr And thar
are a hantle o. folk wha dinna speak Scots
theirsels but keen to hear it. and like to
read it,
But why Scotch? Most of the educated people
of that country read English Those who do
not would hardly be bile to read the dialect as
written II we are to humor educated people
who like the Scottish birr. why not translate
the Bible into all dialects? If it comes to a
mere question of dialect, whether Modern
English" Braid Scots or up to date Ameri-
can.' why not Authentic Bowery"?
The translation by Farrar Fenton Of the Five
Books of Moses into Modern English published
bv s w Partridge & Co. in London, comes into
the same category. Mr. Fenton has previously
translated the New Testament and the Book Of
lob. The present volume is the story of Gene
sis Exodus Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteron-
ornv told in words which admit of no miscon-
struction Some parts of the law where given
in plair English are rather astonishing to those
familiar only with the veiled meanings of the
old version Yet read with the old version at
hand II so verifes the older that ii defeats Its
own end by making the familiar version so
luminous as to satisfy the reader with it. and
! TO condemn the multiplicity of transations- Mr.
Fenton has made these transations from the
Hebrew, ChaIdee and Greek direct, with the
old version not even in sight, and not influenced
by IT, The accord of the two Is remarkable
In this the names of places are retained in the
original, and many proper names are left in the
old form. The Lord is spoken of THE Ever
Living" The typographical construction of the
book is attractive and will invite perusal for
itself