The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-24
SOME NEW BOOKS.
Mr.. Auerbseh's Essays.

cHuHteS Dy JOSEPH ., AUERBACH (Her-
pers) are introduced with q foreword
by Joseph III. Choate, In which he OBJ
serves that at is but seldom that
"a prominent and busy lawyer, con-
stantly engaged In responsible affairs,
can find time. strength or inclination
FOR constant literary work which calls
~ ~ r,uch study and labor as these
volumes Indicate" True enough. the
tendency Of busy lawyers r. n the
Emersonian phrase, to "let learning and
romantic expectations go till q more
convenient season." which OF course
never comes unless II Is made to come.
Our busy lawyers are less literary than
busy lawyers of other countries, GER
talnly than those OF England, and less
80 than their own predecessors. 1t Is
complained also that they are less legal,
which is to say less learned In their
own profession: that in fact that pro-
fession Is becoming In this country
progressively commercialized.
To this rule Mr.. Auerbach at any
rate furnishes a shining exception. He
IL well known as a writer on extrapro-
fessional topics. II would not be ex-
travagant TO call him one of the pillars
OF the North American Repietc, to the
readers OF which his writings on literary
and political topics are familiar. They
leave no question OF his being literary"
How we take to n man in a stage coach,
remarks Emerson, who quotes Horace
to us. But this was two generations
ago. One might now travel up and down
and across the continent in railway
trains without apprehending a single
instance OF what, except to one travel
Ter In more than hundred thousand.
would be boresome and meaningless
inhiction. To be sure the hundred
thousandth would chirp up and be-
grateful, as Is the literary reader when
ne discovers that our present literary
lawyer knows MS Horace from I'D TO
lid ana mas him at his tongues END,
In so much that tag or the old Roman
occurs TO MIN as an Illustration upon
all manner or occasions, ana tag or
the satirist rather than or the "odist.
This familiarity ana appositeness would
alone make a brother Horauan take to
NM
BUT there IS book even moro I'M
portant than Horace which, according
10 MI. Auerpach, IL IN danger or railing
into as complete neglect. That Is the
BOOK or BOOKS II no longer In the
OLD sense or an infallible guide TO lie
yet as much as ever IN the sense or
literary standard ana literary
storehouse. There are many signs OF
CONSCIOUSNESS OF the DANGER there
ID that the Blpie may come TO Dc left
unread oy the next generation In the
proportion IN which Horace mas falien
from the currency winch ne enjoyed
among all educated men In the eigh-
teehth century TO the uninteiiigioility
whlch mas overtaken MIN at the begin
ming OF the twentieth. Matthew Ar
nolds Literature ana Dogma" and
GOD ana the Bible are two such signs,
though. Indeed. the authors aim In these
Is not so mucn 10 promote literary read
ing OF the biple as IN some sort TO
restore IL 10 It's old position among Eng
llsh reading people as the guide OF
Ire. Another sign Ia that admirable
volume by Prof Gardner or Harvard,
The Bible az English Literature.
which deals with Its subject exclusively
from the literary point OF view, and TO
wnich one is glad 10 note that MT. Auer-
pach renders tull Justice For still an
other danger signal ABOUT the neglect
OF the Biple is the longest and most
important OF the crltical essays IN the
present coiectioh' Inc bipie ana MOO
ern Lie wen reasoned ana well rort-
iieu uenohstration that the desuetude
INTO "nich the bipie IL IN DANGER or
raining Is oy no means ihhocuous' TO
permit the bioie 10 pass away from the
admiration ana regard OF men would be
10 eN'ihsu!sh great hght ana ieaVe
IN lts stead great darkness IN which
men rhisnt easily lose their way IN prog
ress anu humanity ana sure rehglon'
me bioie Is not tne oeao oook OF an
aioieh' people ou, 'he nNihs pook OF
me thooerh world lhese sentences
sti'he the NeSho'e OF the essay. IL WIN
oe Seen ma. ~ Is cohSerheu' IKE Ar
o'u WIN, WIN TUG et'ii.a' as wen as'
iAe iroi, ""ruiher - Win the iterary
NaIu VI lts suuJeet' ~ recosh'%es' win
arno'u, tna' tne ethicai vaiue OF the
"a" w ,e.aiheu ol'iy oy eN'hs up
OIL III ~ ma "a' oe.n SHOWN NY 'he
vi e'en's W We uh'enao'e'
i"e ooons anu uau''1ois of seet'
az haeaiay' may eoh'a'u' n'ihs'eu
WIN p'opositions sl'lcuy 'heo'osiai'
ot"oi piopos''io.7' urpoitihs 10 rss'
on .he same au'ho''ty' "hich reia'e 10
"'" u'Svo'eiNs shouiu
nv" u'9' su'' on 'te p"ys'eai pioPosi-
,io"' 'no '"eo'oe'a' p''posi'Iohs' I'M
less tney can pe separates from the
pnyelcai propos't'ohs' WIN snare IN that
uiScIeu''' ina, IS VIVA, nus happened
70 VIC n'o'e, "as mo' 'ne ehuIeh