New-York tribune., 1910-01-29
THE ROMAN CHURCH.
Some Further Chapters in Its
History.

THE CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA. An
International Work of Reference on the
Constitution. Doctrine, Discipline and
History of the Catholic Church. Edited
by Charles G. Herbermann, Edward A.
Pace, Conde B: Pallen, Thomas ]. Sha-
han, John j. Wynne, assisted by numer-
Gus collaborators In fifteen volumes.
Volume VI, Alto. PIP. XIV, 500 The Robert
Appleton Company.
Biographical and historical subjects
are TO the fore in the present volume of
the Catholic Encyclopedia, and the
studies Of early English Catholics are
models of perspicuous brevity. Among
the longer articles ia Professor Antoine
Dugret's account of Fenelon, zone of the
most attractive, brilliant and ,puzzling
figures that the Catholic Church has
ever produced" The life Of st. Francis
of Assist is written by Dr. Pascha1 Rob-
inson. Abiding TO the remarkable UP
growth in recent years Of interest in the
life work of the saint, more especially
among non-Catholics, the article SAYS
that this movement received its greatest
impulse from the publication in 1894 of
Paul Sabatier's Vie de Francois" q
work which was almost simultaneously
placed upon the index Despite the
authors entire lack of sympathy with
the saints religious standpoint, NJ
SabatieSs biography of Francis has
opened up new era in the study of
Franciscan sources. Sixteen pages of
the present volume, with page and q
half of photography, are occupied by
Dom Chapman's article, Fathers of the
Church" Professor iArendzen, OF ST
Edmund's College, Ware, deals with
Gnosticism The conclusion Of his re-
searches is that there is no justification
for the attempt sometimes made to pict-
ure Gnosticism as mighty movement of
the human mind toward the noblest and
highest truths movement in some way
parallel to that of Christianity. Sir D.
o. Hunter-Blair supplies a sketch of the
Free Church of Scotland. He reports
that the higher criticism" in that
Church, of to-day. largely based, as il is
on the rationalizing influence of German
Protestant theology, goes far beyond the
'heresies and errors" for which Robert
son Smith was indicted thirty years ago,
and he proceeds: 1T is hardly too much
TO say that the modern Free Church
man is really not Christian at all, in
the Catholic sense of that word" This
statement marks a lapse from scholarly
insight and catholic urbanity such as
Will make Sir David's judicious coll
leagues grieve
To the topics France and Germany are
allotted some forty pages each. Pro-
lessor Arthur F. J. Remy, Of Columbia
University, writes on German literature
Professor Martin SPAIN, Of Strasburg,
IN survey of the new empire, tells us
concerning the present status of Cath
olclsm that 36 per cent of the German
population are Catholic, compared with
36.2 per cent in 1871, but now, as for
merly, unity infuses vigorous life into
the Church, and Catholics are splendidiy
organized. for politics by the Centre and
in social effort by the Christian guilds
and by volksverein. NJ. Rene Doumic.
VINO supplies the article OH French
literature, without attempting too minute
forecast mentions some influences
bound TO affect the development of LEFT
ters in France. Science will increa sing,v
impose on the writer's of the future its
vigorous discipline and methods Pro-
round consequences may be looked for
also from the waning of interest in the
study OF Greek and Latin. Lastly. we
seem in these days TO be assisting at q
social transformation the shock of
| which will doubtless make itself felt fn
art and letters" NJ. Georges Govap,s
outline OF French history takes the Third
Republic as the dividing line, and gives
chief attention to the later period, treat
Ing particularly OF the Church in ;ts
relation to the State and putting I'm clear
light the course Of events leading to the
Law of Separation of 1905. Reviewing
the subsequent activities of the Church
in France, NJ. Goyan says that one or
the most serious preoccupations al pres
ent is the supply OF priests In 1873
there was deficiency OF 2,467 priests in
France; in 1906 the deficiency was com
puted ar 3,1O9 "The very insecurity .,
the Church before the law" adds NJ
Goyan' furnishes ground for the fear
that vocations will go on decreasing in
frequency"
OF metaphysical and theological themes
the chief are Free Will Filiooue and
Grace. The article God" is concerned
exclusively with the god of monotheistic
philosophy and Of Old and New Testa-
ment theology Professor Cornelius
Aherne, on the Epistle of the Galatians.
favors the South-Galatiarf theory ad-
Vanced by Professor William NJ. Ram
say. in accordance with which the epistle
is regarded AS having been addressed to
the Apostles earliest converts. the
groups gathered at Derbe and Tvs.rs
and Iconium Ecclesiastical art is rem
resented by Mr.. Ralph Adam Grams
Gothic architecture. by NJ. Louis GiIIet's
GhiTlandajo and Giotto, and by Profess
sor Leigh Hunts GaiIlsrd. Giocondo a,d
Giorsione. I Besides numerous ilI,str,.
tiens there are thirty full page engrsv
inss, including five maps and thre.
coored plates. the latter being 9TH. Re
If