The Sun. — 1869-07-19 (London, England)

THE QUARTERLIES.  Some of the most interesting topics treated of in Mr. Lecky's able " History of European Morals" form the subject of the first article in Illeliora. In some respects the advance of time has shewn little improvement—as witness infanticide ; but the effect of Christianity and civilisation has been most decisively shewn in the promotion of most virtues, and the repression of most vices— especially suicide, slavery, and cruelty to animals. In the days of Roman and Grecian philosophy, suicide was at least not blamed if it were not deemed positively meritorious. Cato, we all know, made a virtue of it. The Roman Emperor Otho killed himself to avoid being the eftlatic _ soldiers so admired the deed that they slaughtered themselves before his corpse. Others who were not present likewise committed suicide when they heard the news. Sometimes a Roman would announce his intention of taking his own life, and would gather together his friends for the purpose as if to a party. This raising of suicide to a virtue was due chiefly to the teaching of the Stoics, who regarded death as the end of sorrow, and, without affirming there was no future life, looked the notion as little more than a beautiful unceitainty. Death, therefore, was the last hope of the Stoic, the only solace to which he aspired, his refuge in trouble. Plato condemned suicide, first, as a wrong to the State, then as an injury to God ; but it required the Christian revelation to fully expose the enormity of self-destruc• tion. Though suicide is nowhere expressly condemned in the Bible, it was one of the great good works of the early Christian fathers to emphatically condemn this crime. In the Koran suicide is expressly forbidden, and the offence is, therefore, unknown to Mahommedans. The downfall of slavery is another of the triumphs of civilisation. Slaveholding was first an improvement upon the early practice of killing captives, and it was long recognised by law in many parts of the world. It took many centuries to fully overcome this flagrant breach of moral law, and the victory is hardly yet complete. Cruelty to animals is a branch of morality which, in modern times, has made the greatest advances of all. After this interesting review comes a paper on "The Liquor Traffic in Relation to Capital and Labour." The facts are such as cannot be too often put in print. Drunkenness is the cause of both physical and intellectual loss to the commupity. Whilst the drunkard is idle his labour ceases ; when he resumes work it is with greatly diminished power, and the longer he subjects himself to the influence of intellectual loss the weaker he becomes. The loss to the community is not less serious. The brutalisation well as the weakening of humanity is one of the great evil effects of drink. It is likewise to be noted that the labour engaged in the manufacture of drink, as well as the labour lost through intoxication, is equally wasted ; and not only that, but the capital engaged, producing no beneficial result,. is practically lost. The loss to the nation from an economical point of view, apart from the mere expenditure of money in drink, is enormous. " Backward Glances—England in 1869" is an article on a topic which well deserves more extended treatment. Nothing is more difficult than to form a correct idea of the state of our country in past times. The facts we have ; but they are not symmetrically arranged ; we have few complete tableaux of the social condition of our land at any given time. Macaulay gave us a splendid representation—vivid and comprehensive— of England in 1688. 211tliora attempts the same for 1769. The paper is interesting, but the space is not enough for the undertaking. An article on " Somersetshire" is historical and descriptive, and it must be confessed that the history is far more gratifying than the description. Somersetshire has given birth to great men ; its records abound with stirring incidents ; but "it is by no means amongst the foremost counties in manufactures or apiculture, in education or morals." The population is too great ; it has risen from 280,000 to 460,000 in the last half-century—a great increase for an agricultural county. Education is backward, that is, the middle-class schools, The primary instruction is, perhaps, up to the average ; but the higherschools are woefully defective. The rate of crime is high, and the happiness and prosperity of the inhabitants are greatly hampered by unfavourable conditions, of which the truck system is the chief. The custom of receiving part of the weekly wages in cider instead of money is ruinous to the health of the labourer and injurious to the interests of his family.  The Cotirt Journal says, her Majesty will not again visit Claremont, as was intended, but leave the Castle for Osborne to-morrow (Tuesd y) with their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess Christian, the Princesses Louise and Beatrice, and Pii,:ce Leopold. The Queen intends to ren.ain at o,borne until the middle of August, and will then proceed to Scotia: d. A bill 11;18 been Irou;ht in by the Government to amend the low relating to the office of Clerks of Assize, and to cf:f:ftin i-deS fcr ryinent of witnesses in criminal proceed:tig9. The appointment of any person not duly qualified shall he void, and persons appointed after the passing of the Act shall not be entitled to compensation. Fees upon order; titAdet 30 and 31 Victoria, are to be included in the account of the (York of the Peace. Some dissatisfaction has been caused in Liverpool by the recent appointments to the borough magistracy. The Est of new magistrates contains the names of some Conservatives, while several Liberals have been passed over. The Liverpool Mercury explains that the Chancellor of the Duchy determined that when, as in the case of Liverpool, political parties are about equally balanced on the bench, be will not difr.turb thc4ll4atT;ll._ /114*MR to....E:jit.Pl4# Opatclow . • • •