New-York tribune., 1909-09-25

longing for that warmth OF sentiment which
richly pervades mysticism. The contrast drawn
by DR.. Carus between these two conceptions
seems unnecessarily absolute and We are glad
70 find that he virtually abandons il when deal
ing with the poetry Of Johannes Schaefier Can
gelus SlesiusD, mystic who. if he placed love
higher than knowledge. was himself physician
and a scientist. and speculative philosopher
whose views Leibnitz deemed worthy of COM
parison with the system Of Spinoza- The epi-
grams selected and translated in the original
metre by Dr. Carus reflect a pety in which self
snnihiation is the chief note and they reveal
also that neo-platonic view Of the GoGhead
common 10 mystics Of the school of Eckhart and
Tsuler:
The tender Deity
Is naught and less than asught.
He hnds God whom he sought
The Importance for human progress Of the
more inward and personal types OF religion is
the controlling motive in Professor Jones's
studies. and his book is intended as an introduc-
.ton TO a series OF historical volumes devoted 10
the development and spiritual environment OF
a particular branch OF modern Christianity. the
Society OF Friends, The opening chapters con-
trast the spontaneity Of the life Of the primitive
Church with the mechanical sacerdotalisrn OF a
later time. and the author has more than
good word 20 say FOR the Montanist ''heresy" in
its first stage being a protest against the sub
stitutiOn by clerical authority Of incompre-
hensible magic for the work Of the Divine Spirit.
Among the groups whose testimony for spiritual
liberty is made prominent are the waldenses
with their revolt against the secularity Of the
visible Church: the Spiritual Franciscans' OF
whom Machiaveln said that they saved religion,
but they destroyed the Church: helped that is
70 make Christianity as it was in the begin
ming. lay religion. The circles in Germany in
the fourteenth century known as the Friends OF
God counted among their lead Rulman Mers-
win, Of strasbourg; John Tauler. Jan Ruys-
brock, Henry Suso and the unknown author OF
the ''Theologica Germanica." Commenting on
the influence Of this association OF rare minds
the author says:
Il was distinctly q layTnen's movement and there
= p evident purpose in the literature OF the
ministry puriaed y unordained persons but these es
men 60 moi snow anv snirff ~ revolr from tbe
ancient system, they have not gained the Protest
ant temper ana they never dreamed OF dispensing
VII he mediation OF the Church though they
without such mediation.
Turning 20 some OF the outstanding religious
demonstrations in the wake OF the Protestant
Reformation down 20 the end Of the English
Commonwealth. DR.. Jones reviews the story Of
the German and English AnabaptIsts, the
FHmilists. the Seekers and the Ranters In
sisting, their name suggests. on being hap
tized again when infant baptism was regarded
as invalid. the Anabaptists travelled far in their
individualism. The movement must. our author
thinks, be pronounced one OF the most momen-
tous and significant undertakings in mans
ssentful struggle after the truth. providing. as
!, did. the soil out of which all nonconforrnist
sects have sprung and offering a programme
which the modern world has been slowly re-
alizing-an absolutely free and independent
nglous society and a state in which every man
counts as 4 man and has lis share in shaping
both Church and state
The volumes in which Catholic layman. Baron
Friedrich Won Hdge expounds the greatness.
helps. problems and dangers OF the mystical
srir, embody wellnigh all that the author has
been able 10 learn and 10 test in the matter OF
religion during thirty years OF adult
lfo. and even the actual composition has he
says occupied 2 large part OF his time for seven
years and more. With subject calling for
concrete illustration the author has chosen his
examples from the period of Dante % the Flor
entine Platonists. among the large sOuled pre-
Protestant, pOst-medisegal Catholics finding in
that ampler world with its already character
lstlcaly modern outlook and its hopeful and
Spontaneous application Of religion 20 the press
.ng problems OF life and thought things more
fntriDsically lOgable than he has been able 20
discern In Professionalism or ia the specifically
post-rridentine type OF Catholicism. with its
'reE.sneniai seminarism. its predOminantly con-
trosessial spirit. its suspiciousness and tirnid-
n.y. Chief among the personalities found
worthy of portraiture is ST. Catherine Of Genoa.
i'na we have in Baron Won HGgeIs book The
i-rst serious attempt at critical account OF her
ne and teaching since the records By her dis
c'piss cattaneo MarabOtto and Ettore Ver-
nAzzn were constituted into the ''Vsta Dot
trina" In la5l The present bsographer informs
s ''Al S1tAerine has suffered many things
from recaeiors, who. being determined TO nnd
tnelr heroine ever an perfect. and perfect after
'-er own Fixed pattern. have obscured the ont
Hnes ~ Hff true life. OF the legendary acc-,
nopS some like that dealing with The sa,n,,x
sN',. we're a"ifly harmless. Others through
the well perverslty Of eplogss,x ,.,sss