The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-10-20
NEW BOOKS
SEARCHING FOR TRUTH. /
Anonymous.


| An incursion into the field of religion
and philosophy by mind poorly equipped
| both by nature and by training, and lack
| ing almost if not quite wholly in judicial
| balance, is recorded in this book. It's
| writer, who is said to be a business man
| who, being dissatisfied with accepted reli
| gious and philosophical systems, set out
| in search Of truth, got at once beyond his
| depth. Having t1oundered about for a
considerable time evidently, he decided to
! set down the results of his founderings.
| There are contained in nearly 600 pages of
| rather solid print, the 485th page of
which is announced this conclusion in
| large capitals:
| Man is wrong only when warning with
the aims of aggressive evolution, and
! right only when aiding it's advance
Not a very profound deduction, truly,
| for so long a search, especially when it is
| wholly lacking in novelty. But the writer
may have felt that the evolutionary theory
would be strengthened by such an in
| dorsement of one who had searched long
for light. Perhaps it would, had the
searcher begun his efforts with a some
what better knowledge of grammar. a
more exact understanding of plain Eng
| lish words and Of the use of the rules of
composition and of discourse, some famil-
iality with the rules Of logic, as has been
said. and fair degree of judicial balance;
| all necessary to all intelligent study Of
philosophy and religion, to say nothing of
| other requisites A few examples of the
authors ratiocinations will suffice to show
how little he was prepared to attack great
problems. They would be ludicrous were
it not fair to believe his protesta-
| lions of honesty and sincerity, in his
search, and therefore entitled to sympathy
rather than ridicule. Here is the way he
handles the Golden Rule under the head
of "Christian Morality':
whatsoever We would that should do unto
you even so do ye also unto them
This is hardly applicable as a general rule.
1t would mean if you wish to have wife taken
| off your hands, run of with your neighbours 8;
| If you wish for physic, dose the apothecary.
Here is another:
Judge not that We be not Judged"
Tear off the wig and wool-sack, chop the jury
| box into kndlings. Court is adjourned indef-
| nitely.
Enough Of this! If one went much fur
ther even charity. which it is said never
! faileth, would at least be badly strained
THE LADY OF FALLEN STAR ISLAND. By
Will Lexington Comfort. New York and Lon
don: Street & Smith.
For those who read tales of adventure
and like a dash of love- the story of this
lady, two newspaper men, ships captain
and dog, will be full of interest It is
a story of adventure on the ocean waves
island, inhabited only by Chinese and a
bloodthirsty Spaniard, and concluded on
a United States cruiser. The adventures
are all disposed Of before things settle
down on the cruiser for the 'happy end
ing Of the romance of the story. 1t is a
story the reading of which, once begun,
is not abandoned until THE End is
ID reached.
THE ERRAND BOY OF ANDREW JACKSON.
A WAR STORY OF 1914. By ". o. stod-
dard Author of Jack Morgan etc. Illus
| trated. Boston: Lothrop Publishing Co.,
$50 Atlantic avenue
This is an excellent story, showing the
patriotism of the people of Tennessee in
| the period when their services were need
ed by General Jackson against the Brit
ish. Little Dan Martin, his father hav-
ing been wounded, took the latters rifle,
which the captain had used in the war
for independence and in Indian wars and
joined JaclsOns forces and was intruSted
with important service by "Old Hickory. ~
to LATTE, the pirate, who stopped his
smuggling and piracy to help Jackson
against the British and was pardoned for
his depredations. There is spirited &C
count of the battle Of New Orleans and the
pen pictures Of Jackson are very interest
ing.
THE GoRD1AN KNOT. By Arthur T. Pierson
New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company
Sixty cents net.
DR.. Pierson likens the problem Of the
universe, it's origin; man, his origin, char
acter and destiny to the complications OF
the Knot Gordian tied to connect his OK
yoke to the pole of his cart. which was
, placed in the acropolis Of Gordium and
! dedicated to Zeus Basileus. the oracles
: proclaiming great honors to him who would
, unite the knot, which was ultimately cut
by the sword Of Alexander the Great. The
argument in this book, covers all the ole
and new arguments and emphasizes them
and enarges them to meet the new forms
of, old assaults upon the evidences of q
personal God and benevolent creator ir
nature and revelation. He finds the solu-
; ton in Christian theism which fully &C.
counts for the manifested intelligent fore.
! thought and workmanship the origin Of
life, intelligence and conscience, matter
mind and man with rational SOUL He
points out the poor and unsatisfying sub.
| stitutes for supernatural revelation the
weakness Of making natural law substi
tute for the mode Of the workers working
Y and development as the origin of all tina
! develops, and the stupidity of denyinf
: that the inevitable first cause is un.
: unknowable. DR.. Pierson is most per.
spicuous and agreeable writer. He /.