New-York tribune., 1907-04-10
Literary yNeevs and Criticism.


Known knight who enters the lists against the
swarms Of philosophical idealists and shouts his
healthiul- though revolutionary battle-cry: THE
"oI!d is just what It seems to be! The
sie"' Illusion is to think things are illusions"
i'"I the poor fellow is 50 encumbered with the
e9'Y aIlhor OF technical language that the cry,
"neh inferred through his dropped visor, sounds
Ike This: In knowledge the object determines
the subject The simple objectivity Of relations
leads 10 the trichomOty of existence as things.
relations and conditions" And so on. with fear
ful' uninterpretable thunder, through two thick
volumes
of course nobody save a few professional
philosophers can use the work at all. for its
hhso must breed the green mould of envy on
the sacred bones OF Hegel But it is 10 be
hoped that Mr. Aboot's philosophy will be seri-
ously studied in academic quarters; 1t is an
historical curiosity, being an ultra-realistic
theory dressed up in the outlandish garb of long
entombed German metaphysical idealism II
adheres rigidly to the demonstratve method Of
Descartes, seeking for a self-evident starting
point of philosophy and reaches objective
spirdtualism remarkably suggestive of revised
HeSelianism. But the modern philosopher will
most gladly scramble through its thckets in
order 10 reach MI. Abbot's theory, the very
opposite of Kants, that only thngs-n-them-
selves are movable" and his other theory in
winch Aristotle is amended by Darwin, that
every empirical object is genus Of its own"
We owe the reader an apology for this riotous
Intrusion Of technicalities Let tender
substantial plea for pardon in the form Of Mr.
Snyder's fascinating book on "'The World
Machine" Here is the song of a materalist.
and who does not know that the most majestic
poetry comes from the inspired lips of the man
who looks into the eye of the sun and the heart
OF the Garth crying to the grain Of sand and
the nebulous fringes of the universe To yield up
the secrets of their structure and destiny? In
stead Of moping around the narrow neighbor-
hood of the humaa heart. the materialist bitches
his wagon 10 a star and, when the star stops.
gets Out and pulls for himself into realms be-
yond the starlight. or. if the soul proves at
tractire. your materiaIi.t refuses to crouch be-
fore its shrine with closed eyes: he scratches
off little piece from tho tempt, door and sticks
il under a magnifying glass. And. in either
case he discovers host of wonderful things. he
has no trouble in finding equally wonderful
words with which 20 describe them
Mr. Snyders book is vivid from cover TO
cover. II woulG be hard TO find a more en-
thusiastic materialist, and even harder TO find
one who could speak his thoughts so effectively
A thoroughly popular description of the physi-
cal structure and history OF the universe, MI
Snyder's book also contains the no less absorb
ing account Of the slow upward march OF man
toward a true knowledge of things Beginning
with the earliest Greek nature students. the
reader is made familiar with all the epoch MAX
ing scientific discoveries and inventions down 10
the present day. There are few things more
inspiring TO read than this wonderful campaign
into the heart of things from the DAYS OF Democ-
rius down 10 scientific gene Gals still living The
most recent views of matter life energy and
the destiny Of the stellar universe are presented
charmingly, in spite of their touch OF gloom.
Through all this Mr.. Snyder does not phllos-
ophze; he simply reports the evidences in favor
Of materiallsm. And, as everybody ought at
least 10 know these evidences. however made
quate they may be deemed, everybody who cares
10 think philosophicaly ought TO read The
World Machine in lieu of scientific education
That materialism has not convinced every
body is evident from the ceaseless stream Of
soulful books. some of which assume OBJ
vious the immateralty of mind and its suprem-
acy in the world. while others wreste with the
problem scientifically. The Swedenborglans arc
not the least active IN supporting spirtualism
for such a philosophy seems TO them the one
possible metaphysics for Christianity. AS a mat
OF fact, this belief is false one; Christianity,
as doctrine Of life, is perfectly Indifferent 70
metaphysical theories. What possible difference,
for instance, can II make to daily problems Of
right and wrong. or 10 a belief IN Immortality,
whether mind is a special function OF matter or
a distinct thing? There is not single Christian
teaching whose truth rests upon the acceptance
or rejection Of scientific materialism. OF course.
though. there are many points in theology which
do. When Dr. Sewall the leading Swedenbor-
gian philosopher in America, wrote his Reason
wit Chris
tianity, and thus brought down upon himself the
impossible necessity Of proving large number
Of theological tenets rational The philosoph-
ical reader win smile at the writer's attempt 70
prove the inmaterlality Of the soul by Kants
famous unity of apperception," and his fur
ther attempt TO deduce from the synthetic
nature of mind and the demands Of reasons
a tablet Of doctrines concerning incarnation, res
direction, heaven and hell and so on. In much
the same way that Mr.. Abbot has done Mr.
SewaH follows venerable but shaky precedent
in inferring universal mind from the fact that
men can know some things with certainty. Tn
less these and other early arguments are ac-
cepted. the reader will only be bored by perus
ing the succeeding theological demonstrations
The unphilosophical reader may find food FOR
reflection and criticism In DR.. Sewalls doctrine
that knowledge guides our breathing ana all
raaev and instructive acts" This beliet gives
an easy cleyv TO the trend Of the BOOK
Tho Hipdoo Christian, Mr.. Ramanathan' ae-
-. marc mercy at the hands % the I'hilo-
.onb,cal critic because his book IN THE Culture
- che soul Among Western Nations" makes
10 claim 70 demonstration, but seeks only to
chou, that "the aim Of ali religion which Is
oct,,a1 knowledge of God, is TO be attained by
the development of love in the soul" IN snow
ing this the author disarms the critics by de-
claring that obstacles to faith exist only ia