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LITERATURE.
Boachcr’s Political Economy
—The Hiatorio Method.
Xho 14fo of Anna Jameson,
• by Her Niece.
Tho Life of Francis Baoon, Lord
St. Albans, by James
Speeding.
Joseph Cook’s Lectures on “ Conscience
“ 1 Century of American Lit
erature "--Ilitelieock’a
“ Socialism.”
ROSCTIKR** POLITICAL ECONOMY.
We me glad to see this worker Prof. Iloichcr,
Germany's chief economist, and certainly one
of the greatest political economists of any ago
or country, In its English dress. Neither our
literature nor that of England possesses any
thing else on tho science of political economy
which, in many respects, can compare with Prof.
Koscher’a book. It Is the most learned book on
the science in our language, or, wo might say,
In any language. It teems with evidences of
erudition and of profound and acute thinking.
In Us pages the reader will find not only the
author’s generalizations on political economy
from the broadest observation, but tho cream
nf all that has been written on the subject by
economists and clover men not economists,
of every ngo and country. Many cultured
Germans claim this book to bo tho greatest over
written on tho science of political economy, and
many of tho principal universities of Germany,
Including thosu of Berlin, Vienna, and Munich,
have endeavored to secure Us author as a Pro*
fd‘-i'r.
Prof. Koschcr's chief title to distinction is
that ho founded what Is called the historical
s.hool of political economy, and still stands at
Its head. There were political economists be
fore Koscher, who were also historians. In fad.
It Is impossible to originate anything in political
economy without being an historian of the
present nr the past, or of both. Hut, before
llosclicr, no one had Illustrated political econo
my as Savlguy had Homan law, or as Sir floury
Maine did later our own and all other Indo
(itrmanlc law. Koscher, however, has done
omre for nolittcnl economy than either of these
writers for law. They only illustrated the
present by the past. Koscher docs this, and at
the same time has been able all through the
study of hlHtorv to place political economy—
tbe practical political economy ol the present—
on a broader foundation than It possessed be
fore him by means ol material taken from the
monuments of tins past. Jloscbcr's method
will be new to most English readers of political
economy who arc not at the same time readers
ofttcrman. Hut that his method it the safest
thi-y will fed Inclined to believe when they sec
that, by a somewhat different road, ho has
readied results which prove Adam Smith, Mol
thus, and Klcardo to have been the discoverers
and teachers of great economic truths.
Iloschur’s chief merit U, as wo have said, that
be is the founder of the historical school. Wo
cm do no better tbau turn to bis own great
work to learn whnt the method of the histor
ical school Is. tJtndenls of political economy
are familiar with other methods. Wo need not,
therefore, discuss thorn here. Koscher,
after saving that be - cannot follow
them, adds (Vol. 1., p. Ill): “Our aim is
simply to describe man’s economic nature
and economic wants, to investigate the taws and
the character of the Institutions which are
adapted to the satisfaction of these wants, and
to the greater or less amount of success which
they have been attended.”
in other words, Koscher, in accordance with
tin- historical method, considers.man as a being
who has wu),in which call lor satisfaction,—who
needs to bo fed, clothed, supplied wlta fuel,
wlifi tools, houses, with decencies,comforts, and
even with luxuries. His method teaches him to
look back through all history and see how, at
different times, and in different places, these
wauls and the economic wonts of whole nations
liavn been toUslled, and best satisfied; what
means of satisfying them should be retained
mul which nut. In doing this ho takes no nation
Ik his Ideal. Hu takes the lew which history
presents, because, ns ho savs, u. Hli, Vol. i.s
Their very fewness makes It all the more lm
poraiiTo lo compare them nil. Doubtless, com
parison cannot simply (ho place of observation;
out observation may bo thus rendered more
thorough, many-sided, and rlcbsr In tnu number
of III* points of view. Interested alike in tbe dif
ferences and resemblances, wo must first form ear
rules from tbe latter, consider tho former as tbe
exceptions, and then endeavor to explain them.
He continues:
1 ho thorough application of this method wilt do
sway with n great number of controversies on Im
portant questions. Mon arc as far removed from
uvlim devils us from being amrols. We meet with
lew only who are guided by ideal motives, but with
few. also, who hearken onlv to the voice of
egotism, end care for nothing bat themselves. It
may, therefore, be assumed that any view cur
rent on certain tangible interest# which concern
man very nearly, and which has been shared by
treat parties and even by whole peoples for gen
erutionfl, is nut bused on Ignorance or a perverse
ovc of wrong. Tits error consists most frequently
lu applying measures wholesome nnd even absolute
ly necessary, under certain circumstances, to cir
cumstance* entirely different. And here a
thorough Insight into the comlltlonsof the measure
seiiicea to compose the differences between the two
parlies.
Another characteristic feature of the historical
Bu-tLoil is. that It docs away with the reeling of
•Hf-sufllclency and the Braggadocio which canso
tuuxt mun to ridicule what they do nut understand,
anti tho higher to look down with contempt on
nwor civilizations. Whoever Is acquainted with
the laws of tho development of tho plant, cannot
Jail to see In tho seed the germ or lla growth, nnd
Ju its (lower tho herald of decay. If thero wore
Inuahitanls of tho muon, undone of thorn should
visit unr earth, and tlml children and grown people
■ldu by side, while Ignorant of tho laws of human
development, would ho not look upon the most
beautiful child ns a mere monster, with an enor
mous head, wltharmaaud legs of stunted growth,
unlessi genitals, and destitute of reusouT Thu folly
uf such a Judgment would bo obvious to every one:
•nd vet we meetwlththousands like it on the state
■ud the public economy of nations when la lower
■luges of civilisation.
Of thu practical character ol the historical
method, Prof. Koschersays:
Our endeavor has been, nut to wilts s practical
book, but to train our readers to be practical. To
•his cud, wo havo sought to describe too laws of
haturs, which mau cannot control, but, st most,
only utilize. We call the attention of tho reader
to the different poluls of view from which every
economic fact must be observed, to do Justice to
every claim. We would like to accustom the
reader, when be Is oxamlulnit (bo most insignificant
politico-economical fact, never to luse sight ol too
whole, not only of public economy bat of national
mo. We are very atrongly of the .opinion that
only bo can form a correct Judgment aud defend
bis views against all objection* ua such questions
ts to where, how, sad when certain hens and
cusrges, monopolies, privileges, services, etc.,
should be abulisuuo, who fully understands why
they were puce Imposed or Introduced. Especially
'do wu not desire to impress a curtain number of rules
of action on those w ho have confided themselves to
our guidance, after having first demonstrated their
ticelicne*. Our highest ambition is to nut our
reocers In a war to discover such rules of direction
ter themselves, after they have conscientiously
weighed all the facta, uulrummeled by any earthly
authority whatever. '
Ihus It Is that the value,and at tbeaaiae
nine the charm, of the historical method con*
kl »t In the extent of Us horizon,—the immense
sweep of Its vision. It refuses to ate In mao
(he Insect of *a day, or lu the Institutions of a
People the folly of an hour. It Is ueltbur short*
sighted nor narrow minded, because It cm*
braces In Us view many ages and many lands.—
|u their search alter the satisfaction of tber tut
orial and intellectual wants.
it answers, as U alone can answer, many ques*
Jjous of importance which may become ques
tions of practical interest very suddenly to any
nation, some of which have been, or are likely to
),<*; lu future, of such Interest to our own.
thus it answers questions relating to paper
tuoney, the resumption of specie-payments,
to sumptuary lavs, strikes, legal rates
of Interest, Communism, protection, frco-lrado,
J*lc., etc. It answers them, a }MtUriun t by show
ing. historically or experimentally,—for man
through all history has been experimenting
upon man,—what good and what evil paper*
money uas done to nations and individuals; why
>nd when It should be done away with, the in
tended good and practical mischief of sumptuary
jaws and usury laws; the evil effects, ou the
whole, of strikes to tho working classes, to their
morality and lauulicsj the causes of Cotumu-
) klu > the advantages and disadvantages under
uniereut circumstances ©('protection and free
trade. \S e should not be much out df the way,
therefore. If wc were to Ucllao the historical
•chool in political'economy to be: History
teaching poUiku-eeouomkal principles, and the
priuciiles of business of every kind, by
example. Ami what better way tin there be to
teach themf What can to well inform us'of
the laws which govern tlie actions of men In
tire satisfaction of their material and intellect
ual wuhta os the octual experience of mankind;
and whq£ so faithfully records that experience
as history and observation! The historical
method, while it takes In all that Is known of
tho past, docs not Ignore contemporary ccohotnie
history. Hosehcr, while his pages prove that
he has digested all that has been written by
contemporary economists, demonstrates like
wise that be has carefully weighed alt that a
Xenophon or a Thncvdldes, a Cicero ora Ltvv
wrote on matters economic. It Urns happens
that bis httok is in a sense, and a not unimpor
tant one, a history of civilization, and one that
interests tho student of history fully as much
as It does tho student of political economy.
To cite from Prol. Roscher’s bool; what Is
good In It would lie to carry it almost bodily
into our columns.
The signs ot national wealth as given by
Roscher are moat excellently chosen, ilosays,
Vol. 1,, p, 71):
Wo should have a very Imperfect Idea of the
wealth of a people 1( we should estimate It at the
value In exchange of tho snm-lolal of the eomyo
nonl parts of the national rejoOff.es. By the fal
lowing signs, however, an approximative notion
of tho valno in nso of the resources of anstlon
mar bo obtained:
A. When even the lower classes, who compose
everywhere the greatest portion of the people, are
comfortable, la a condition worthy of human be
ings. Thus. C. Dnoln is surprised st the great
quantities of meat, butter, cheese. and tea entered
on the accounts of the poor-house* In England,
and tho great care taken to hare these of the best
quality. A good symptom of such a state of
things is a high average duration of human life,
especially when there is a relatively largo number
of births.
B. When a considerable outlay, devoted to the
satisfaction of the more refined wants. Is volunta
rily made/and by those only possessed of a proper
economic sense. Thus. In England, tho various
mission. Bible, and tract rurloUcs had. In 1811, an
aggregate Income of £OBO,OOO. The expedition in
search of Franklin cost over n million pounds ster
ling. The Htalo nntlay also holm,gs to this cate
gory, provided, that taxes ore collected and loans,
obtained without auy noticeable oppression. The
sum of 20.000,000 pounds sterling voted, Id 18.1:1,
by tho British Parliament for the abolition of slav
ery, la one of tho happiest signs of the nations!
wealth of England.
C. A' large nnmber of valuable buildings, and
permanent Improvements: for instance, roads of
every description, works for purposes of irrigation
and drainage. Thus, In London, from September,
1840, to September, 1845, there were constructed
squares and streets with an aggregate length of
11.1 geographical miles. The number of newly
built houses In London, between 181:1 and 1817,
was nearly 27,000. And so, In England and Wales
there are 403 geographical miles of navigable ca
nals, while their navigable rivers are estimated to
have a length of only 440 miles. Tho nnmber of
miles of railroad In the British Empire In 1805 was
2,807 geographical miles, and they cost 450 million
of pounds; In 1870, it was 0,270 geographical
miles, at an aggregate cost of 050 millions ster
ling.
D. The freeuont occnrrcnco of heavy commercial
payments, which finds expression especially In the
magnitude and costliness of tho most usual medi
um of exchange. Thus, all payments are made in
England In paper (for sums of at least five pounds
sterling) or In gold coin. Silver is used only as
small change, like copper In most oilier countries,
K. Frequent loans to foreign nations. Hence,
Storch divides all countries into borrowing or poor
countries, loaning or rich countries, and Independ
ent countries which bold a middle place between
the two former.
The manner in which ho accounts for tho pov
erty of Spain is doop'and philosophic:
Mnch always depends on tho dho proportion of
the different branches of productiveness to one
another. Tims Spain, for instance, has remained
riour under the most advantageous circumstances
n the world, because It allowed a disproportionate
Firoponderancs of persona) services. The chanc
er of tho Spanish people has always emu them h
leaning towards aristocratic pride ami economical
Idleness. . Tradesmen in that country sought, as a
rule, to amass merely enom'h to enable them to
live on tho interest of their capital, after which
they, by way of preference, removed it Into some
other province, where they might be considered as
among the nobility, or they withdrew Into a mon
astery. Even In 1781 the Madrid Academy thought
it incumbent ou It to propose a prize for tho best
essay In support of the thesis: “Tho useful
trades in no way detract from personal
honor.” Daring tho century in which the
country was In Its greatest glory, tbe wholu people
were bout on being to all Europe what nobles, offi
cers, and official# are to a single nation. “Who
ever wishes to make his fortune,” said Cervantes,
“let olm seek the church, the sea (I. e., go as an
adventurer to America)* or tho King's palace.”
Under Philip 111., there were in Spain DKH nunne
ries and .'ld, 000 mendicant friars. Tne number of
monasteries trebled between 1574 and liRM, and
the number of monks toctcased In a yet greater
ratio. A great many of its manufactories, much
of its commerce, and not a few of its moat Im
portant farms wore controlled uy foreigners,
especially by Italians. There were, It seems, in'
1(110, IbO,ooo foreign tradesmen living In Castile,
In 17117. there were still 188,(1*13 priests, nionfcj,
nuns, etc.; 280.01 W servants; 480,580 nobles;
U01.57X day-laborers; 1W7.187 peasant*; 1110,7110
mecbsnlcs and manufacturers; i!4,:iUb merchants.
As a counterpart to this, the United Htstcs hud,
in 1840, about 77.5 per cent of Us population en
gaged in agriculture, 10.8 lu manufactures and
mining, 4.U In shipping and commerce, 1.0 In the
learned professions.
Political economists since the days of Adam
Smith have dwelt with pleasure on the advan
tages to a whole pcoplo of tho division of labor.
So does Koschur; but, with the keenness of
vision for tho mural sido of economic questions,
bo secs tho disadvantages also of tho division ol
labor which tend to increase as civilization ad
vances. lie savs (Vol. 1., p. lift):
Whore, ludccd. the onc-»ldedness produced hr
tho division of labor goes so far as to cause the de
generation of tbo workman's personality, tho hu
man loss of tho nation la greater than the material
gam purchased by it. Thus the occupation of nol
fsbed metals orglldlng, when cominucil for a long
time without interruption. Invariably ruins tho
health. What must b« the aspect of the soul of a
workman who for forty years has done nothing
but watch tho moment when silver bus reached tne
degree of fusion which precedes vaporization I who
Is blind to all else, but rocoiros a good fat salary
for his services. . . .
lint the who|u man Is of more importance than
the sum of hie achievements and enjoyments.
(Luke, lx., 25. J Wo to the nation where only
jurists have a developed sense of the right, wheru
political Judgmentsnd cultivated patriotism are
the portion of only oiUcisis ami placemen, where
only the standing army has warlike courage, and
the clergy onlv conscious religiousness; where
parent* leave all care for education to the teachers
by profession, and where physical vigor Is to be
found only among tho proletarians.
This passage shows that, whllo a great political
economist may be several)' ■dcotillc as Uuschtr
Is, he Deed not. In Mating what tho laws
watch govern men considered os seeking u liveli
hood are, forget that ho Is a moral being, since
euch loiter lows cannot be eliminated even In
economic formula).
Writing of Socialism and Communism, ho
assigns ua ono of tho four causes of them tho
following, Vol. 1.. p. 231):
Pretensions of the lower classes Inconsequence
of a democratic constitution. Communism U tbo
logically not Incunshtent exaggeration of the
principle of equality, Mun who always beuribem
selves designatedaa "the sovereign people," and
tbetr welfare ns tbo supreme law of tuu btatc, are
more apt than others to feel more keenly the dis
tance which separates their own misery from the
superabundance of others. 1
Thero may be a warning here for our grand
children. Thu facte illustrative of this part
(pp. 240—241) contain a terrible lesson.
How admirable his definition of money. Vol.
1..p.812: ’*
A commodity, universally In favor, and which,
on fhat account, is employed as un Intermediary m
the effecting uf exchuugus of the must varied
nature, in tho measuring of all exchange-values,
and us a value-carrier (iTVffAfrojrrj m time and
spabe.
Tbo practical character of tho historical
method should recommend it to Americans
more than to any other people. It Is based on
facts, and no peoploln the world attachso much
Importance to facts as thu American, ami no
people arc better irblo to turn them to account.
Wo cloao with u few references to thu appen
dices on paper money and thu protective sys
tem. Tocy uro built very full of facts nnd prin
ciples clearly staled. Tbu tone of discussion lu
both, as indeed throughout the whulu work, U
more that of a Judge thau uf an advocate.
Hoschor always sees all tbu aides there are to a
Jucatiou, and hcoco be ta Infinitely lor removed
rom partisanship.
Of paper money be says, Vol. 1., p. 455:
The darkest side to a paper currency severed of
Its due connection with precious mctsl money
Consuls in the frequent and violent fluctuations
of valuo to wnich tl U subject. The consequence
of these llucluatiuus le that every cpuiuuretal
transaction, every credit transaction, and every
act of saving lu which money plays any part u
made to bear the impress of a game of chance. —a
consequence of far and deep reaching influence,
especially in the higbur stages of civilization where
the Importance of commerce, of ini credit sys
tem, and of pioney economy as contradistinguish
ed from barter economy is so great, producing
there a state of uncertainly which is otherwise
jwculiar only to bar wire as mudUevsl times.
All this discourages the best business men
sad the best bushkindmen more than It dues
any oiucr class of people, and demoralises the
whole economy of s uauun. . . . The com
pulsory circulation of paper money Is a much more
powerful and v«l u much wore Simula screw, oy
mesus of which to practice extortion, than is the
most burdensome taxation or forced loan, and at
the same tune the most comprehensive power
which liewruiasat can possess to carry out beta
these measures.
AU the horrors of the later Homan Uepubllc, tho
draining of the provinces by ruhLer-tiuvsruors with
their publicans and sinners, the building up of
monstrous fortunes without say production proper,
but through usury and rapine alone,—all this is
made to ro»lvo again throngs the instrumentality
of the nauonol-ccouomlc crisis of paper money, -r
s leas violent form, indeed, but ta one which u
more Insidious sad scarcely less pernicious.
Only tho founder of the Historical School
could havu written this lost scutcdec.
Hoschcr says that la vase of doubt tbs pro
sumption Is in favor of liberty always, aud.
■nw. CHICAGO TRIBUNE! SATTTnr)AY. DECEMBER 14, 1878—TWELVE PAGES.’
therefore. In favor of free trade. Vet lie I hlnk*
that a system like the protective system, whl'h
“ the greatest thcorix irr. and practitioners favor
ed for centuries, and whlch'govcrncd nil highly
developed countries In certain periods of their
national life, proceeded entirely from error and
deception.” Yet he would have no Industry
protected, except where there Is question onlv
of transitory protection, and where there Is the
frill Intention to surrender the grown tree to all
the wind, rain, and sunshlncof free competition,
and where It Is foreseen that It shall be so sur
rendered.”
Mr. Lalor’s translation has received the ap
proval of tho author, and has been revised by
him. The publishers deserve credit lor their
enterprise In bringing out the book, and for its
excellent mechanical Appearance. (“ Principles
of Political Economy.” By William Rnsener,
Professor of Political Economy at the Univer
sity of Leipzig: With additional chapter* fur
nished for this edition by the author on Paper
Money, Iternatlonal Trade, and the Protective
System. Translated from the German by John
•1.1.a10r, A. M. livols. Chicago: Callaghan Ac
Co. 1D78.)
MRS. ANNA JAMESON.
Carlyle says that the history of the world la
hut the biography of great men. Whether thfa
bo true, or whether great man bo tho product
of events, rather than the creators of them,
we shall notliere stop to Investigate. Itsnfilces
for our purpose to recognize tho fact that his
torical events may be best remembered when
grouped about some central figure, which
shall be, so to speak, tho band that holds to
gether those world-sheaves that we call epochs.
Not less Is this tho case when wo come to liter
ary history, which is so largely a thing of
groups and tendencies. Matthew Arnold’s
recent publication of Johnson’s Stx Chief Lives
of tho Poets will illustrate our meaning, lie
regards these lives as a valuable point dt rtptrt.
Within certain limits, all literary memoirs have
this character, of surveyor’s marks, defining
boundaries in a field where there can be no
fences. Tho smallest of-litterateurs has neces
sarily come In contact with some of tho
greatest, and can give us a fragment of conver
sation, u lino of personal description, or some
thing rotating to these great ones, that wo would
not willingly lose.
Mr*. Jameson wo* neither great nor email.
For, while she did nub possess the creative
faculty, she rose even ns compiler and literary
drudge into regions far higher than tboso
haunted hr encyclopedist* and Ancordanoe
makers. The task she set herscit was to make
the knowledge of art familiar to the many; to
break down the walls, surmountable only by
means o£ European tours and costly libraries,
which forbade approach; and. through the
media of graceful essay and apt pictorial cm*
belhshmem, to open up to the refined untray*
eled, Tinas of hitherto Inaccessible beauty.
That her work was well done, almost any
library will show. Her 11 Sacred and Legendary
Art," “Legends of the Monastic Orders,” and
“Legends of the Madonna,” make available to
the general reader a vast body of literature,
Illustrating the progress and explaining the
symbolism of Sacred Art, for which bo would
otherwise hare to seek ia a thousand hooks, In
a thousand (duces.* And the»o are not by many
volumes her (only contribution* ou esthetic
subjects. Ah one of the earliest of Art
evangelists, Mrs. Jameson, herself a skillful
etcher, and largely the Illustrator of her own
works, is entitled to more of our respect and
admiration than any of Urn Egyptian swarm
under whose endless twaddle the printing*
presses of the land now groan. For it Is easy
enough to follow the fashion; though to set It
be no light performance.
ft Is not, however, our Intention to dwell
upon Mrs. Jameson’s many contributions to
literature, but rather to dual with her Memoirs,
to the writing of which her niece, Mr*. CJcr*
online Macphurson, was provoked by Miss Mur*
llneau, of some of whose posthumous digs her
aunt was the victim. Mrs. Maephcrson, whotn
many will remember as the wife of a photog
rapher at Homo who could boast his relation
ship to the discoverer ol Osslan,and his own dis
covery of Mlchol Angelo’s “Entombment.” did
dot live to sec her book through the press.
Widowed in IbTJJ, she died of disease superin
duced by toll undergone in support of her chil
dren. These facts wu get from a postscript writ
ten by Mrs. Oliphant, and it seems but Just that
they should be mentioned here.
Airs. Jameson was born iu 1704 In Dublin. She
was the daughter of Brownell Murphy, an Irish
patriot, who, by timely withdrawal from the
United Irishmen, escaped the fate of Emmet
and Lord Edward PKxgcrald. He was a minia
ture-painter of great merit, and from bis copies
of the originals by Sir I’cter Lely were made
the engravings which adorn Mrs. Jameson’s
Ueautles of tuo Court of Charles IL' After his
abandonment of the Irish cause Mr. Murphy
proceeded to England, whither ho was accom
panied by his wife and ills daughter Anna. His
wanderings were many, and various were the
abodes of Anna, until, in her sixteenth year,
she necarao a governess in the household of the
Marquis of Winchester, where she remained
four years.
lu 1820 Miss Murphy made the acquaintance
oi Hubert Jameson, a handsome young oarrlstcr,
and a protege of Wordsworth. To him she became
emmacd, but tho engagement was soon broken.
Again accepting a situation an governess, Alias
Murphy left Rnclamlto make the grtimi tour;
and It was whllo strolling forsakuuly abo '.t tho
museums and galleries of Europe that snu de
cided to 111! tho void lu her heart with tho study
of nrL Klioaftcrwardsfound room for Jameson
also, whom she married In 182.*). Mr. Jameson
was a man of ability) us the itosltlon of Chan
cellor ol the Province, which he occupied at the
time of his death In Canada la 18W, bears wit
ness; but ho seems to have been wholly unfitted
by nature fur domestic endearments. On tho
first Sunday after his marriage he loft his young
wife In their lodgings, and went to dlno and
spend tho evening with friends at whoso hoitso
he had been accustomed to puss that day. They
had been married but three days. Even a rake
might havo longer endured the society of a
woman whose appearance three years later la
thus described by Fanny Kemble:
Hho wss an attractive-looking young woman,
with a skin of that dazzlimrwhiteoefes winch gen
erally accompanies reddish hair, suen as hors was.
Her tace, which was haoltuully refined and spirit
iiellt In lla expression, was capable of n marvelous
power of concentrated feeling, sticbas Is seldom
sec-nun any woman's face, and ts peculiarly rare
on tho cuuuteuuucu of a fair, email, delicately
featured woman, all of whose characteristics were
essentially feminine. Her figure was extremely
pretty; bar hands and arms migut have been those
of Mine, do Wareni,
Ami yet Jameson left nil this luvclincsMml
Innocence fur colonial preferment. Ho
Island of Uuinliiicii, but It was too warm, dud
ho sixtcdly sought the congenial clime of
Canada.
Mrs. Jameson had no children, and after her
husband's departure was free to ramble where
ehu chose, in ISO wi» find her In Dresden in
irhmdiy communion with Ludwig Tleok, uf unu
of whoso readings she gives tho following ac
count:
Thu company asseroolß atU, and It is advisable
to be punctual to tuo moment; soon afterwards lea
isservud, aud ho begins to read ut 7 precisely,
whoa thu do,*rs are closed against all intrusion
whatever, and ho roods through a whole pi ty with
out pause, rest, omission, or interruption Thus
1 heard him read “Julius C.essr" and tho “MiJ
'summer .Skin's Dream" on the Dorman transla
tion by himself and kcblegel), and, except Mrs.
Hicldons, I never heard anything comparable as
dramatic reading.
Mrs. Jameson iravuTlaek a copy of her “Char
acteristics of Women," which, enriched wl'.U
Ills marginalia, has found Its way iuio tho Hril-
Ish Museum. Homo of bis notes are coiniueuda*
lory, hue ui the passage where the author speaks
of Hamlet's Intellect a* "reposing on the lender
virulu innoeen.-o of Ophelia," Tloek has out two
luterroeutlon marks and underlined “virgin In
nocence." Her analysis of Hamlet's madness
ho pronounces "lachcrlleh." In Dresden Mrs.
Jameson also met Ketzsch, of whoso outline
Illustrations of liouthe, Hurler, and others, she
secured Hie publication lit London. At Weimar
she formed a friendship, which wsa to last as
long os her H»c, with tiocthe's daughtcr-ln-law,
Ottilia, in whoso arms (ho poet died, tine meets
Seulcgol at Uoun and llnds him captivating:
'• Conversation may bo compared to a lyre with
seven chords—philosophy, art. itociry, politics,
love, scandal, and the weather," sue says.
"There are sumo protestors like I'agaulnl, play*
lug on oue string: bchlegcl sweeps the whole
compass of the Instrument. lie can bo a whole
concert In himself."
iu HUM Mre. Jameson met Lady Byrou, with
whoso "Implacability" sbo was at flrst struck,
but their acquaintance soou ripened into
urdeut friendship. At this tlino ucr chief
friend* were Harriot sUrlluoau, Mrs. Ople, Mrs.
Austlu, Hayward, aud Kastfake, the artist,
although tliuy ore but a fraction of tho list of
her dutiugulsliod associates.
In IflW, to obedience to orders from her hus
band, Mrs. Jameson arrived lu New Turk, wberu
sue remained iu great perplexity for sever
al weeks, bearing uolulug from Mr.
Jameson. Sho was, however, Uoiilml to
her heart’s content, receiving courtesies
from Washington Irving and others.
Her reunion witu her husband, which took place
at Toronto, was productive of uo renewal of
uffectlou, aud she seems to have passed most
of h«r time while with him in traveling about
Canada without him. lulSJi sue dually sep
arated from Ur. Jameson aud accepted a set*
tluiueubof £JOU a vear. Tending the negotia
tions sbo visited Massachusetts, formed an in
timacy with 1 Catharine Sedgwick, and met Dr.
dunning, Father Taylor, aud other Boston
celebrities.
During the twenty-two years of her life fol-
hminir her r.-fiim in F.nulimii Mrs. -Ininrsun
devoted herself nnremltiinulv to Ilfcrarv work,
Kioihed mnl cncoutaged nr the friendship of
sm-h spirits as Mr. l *. Browning. Thackeray, nn<l
Harry Cornwall, tflicnaver made money, and,
in her obi age, Thackeray Interested himself In
getting her a pension. It. was like him. Both
are at rest In Kensal Green—tho great man and
the good woman, it Is nt One® pleasant and
sail to turn over the leaves of these .Memoirs;
plea vtnt to read of (his good life, with Its active
intelligence, Its self denial,—for she alwava
worked for the poor of her own household and
to support an aged mother,—lts robust virtue
that wrongs could not warp: and to think that
none of them could bring her what, has often
been granted to the dullest, not seldom to the
basest, of women—a husband's love.
Ho good a lady that no lomroe could ever
I’roDonnco dishonor of her; by my Ufa
She never knew harm-doing.
(Memoirs of the Life of Anna Jameson, au
thor of/*‘Bacrcd ami Legendary Art.” By her
niece, Ocranilne Mmpherson, with a portrait.
Boston: Roberts Bros.) H. A. 11.
SPEDDINn’S LIFE OP BACON.
Mr. Spcddlng has been for more than a quar
ter of a century engaged In editing the works
and writing the life of Bacon. In company
with Messrs. Kills and Heath ho prepared an
edition of Bacon's '* Philosophical, Literary, and
Professional Works" lit 1857-’f»y. Mr. Hoed
ding’s shore in this undertaking was larger
than was at first intended. Mr. Kills, to whom
the preparation of the Philosophical works had
been intrusted, tell ill before ho had quite done
with them; and Mr. Bpcdding was compelled to
give them a float revision and .supply such dell
cleudos fu the notes as ho found. Mr. Heath
arranged the Professional works according to
the original agreement, and Mr. Spcddlng the
Literary works. There still remained a large
part of the first plan untouched. This content
plalcdan edition of the "Occasional" writings of
Bacon, with a narrative of bis life connecting
them together. The carrying but of this part of
the scheme Involved mure labor than nil the rest
of it together; and it could not, from the na
ture of the'ease, employ more tbon one editor.
Under these circumstances, Mr. Spcddlng cour
ageously began It in 1850. The flrst volume of
the Letters and Life was printed in 1801, and
the lost in 1874. There were seven volumes
large octavo In ail. If printed In a style corre
sponding with the American edition of the
works, the Letters and Life would have made
liUccn volumes. The American publish
ers felt that they would not be Justi
fied Id reprinting the Life and Letters
nt such length. While the Interest in
Bacon’s works Is deservedly great in tills coun
try, particularly among lawyers, the interest in
hU Hie is not sulllcicnt to Induce many persons
to read fifteen volumes, chiefly concerned with
personal details. The publishers, therefore, have
made an abridgment of the English "Letters
mid Life," with the consent of Mr. Spcddlng.
This abridgment is itself a largo work, filling
two thick volumes of TOO pages each. It is in
tended to include all the Important p«Hs of Mr.
Hpeading’s narrative, omitting the letters and
occasional writings of ilacon which are nut
ucccsarv to an understanding of It. The work
has thus become In u true and proper sense a
Lite of Bacon, ami is brought within the reach
of most American readers. It
the best authority on some parts of the subject
extant. Nobody else has studied Bacon's life
with such diligence and affection as Mr. Socd
ding; and nobody else has written it with such
ability.
It is unreasonable, perhaps, to suppose that
anybody can now write the life of Bacon to
the common satisfaction. Basil Montagu’s
"Life ind Writings of Bacon," which was
printed In London between 1823 and 1834, was
the llrst serious effort to "Whitewash "—if we
mav be permitted the word—the character of
the'llluitrlous Lord Chancellor. 1U success in
this respect was disputed, in 1837 lu the AWn
burg Jiev tie by Lord Macaulay in an essay
which has probably done more than any other
authority to form tne opinion of the present
generation with reference to Bacon. Since then
It has seemed almost impossible for any
hiogropher to describe the career ot Bacon
without taking sides. Those who ore not for
Macaulay’s view are against it. They-malutnln
either that Bacon was, as i'ope wrote of him In
"Thu Kssay on Man"—
The wisest, brightest, meanest of mankind,
or adopt Urn contrary opinion, that ho was of a
generous and noble- disposition, and the victim
of circumstances. Mr. Bpcdding belongs to the
latter party. Hu Justifies Bacon’s treatment of
Csiox, mid excuses, if Jhj does nut. Justify, the
"receiving of gratuities," which caused, the
Impeachment and disgrace of the Lord Chancel
lor.' Bpcdding Is in all essential respects
Montague over again, with the additional ad
vantage that Macaulay no longer writes
few persons read the JCdmburg Jlev'xv. Il ls as
if 'Montagu should rise from the dead mid
review Macaulay. We feel sure, it ho could do
this, he would say, lu substance, as Spcddlng
has said in words, that Bacon’s estimate of him
self is mure impartial than Macaulay’s estimate
of him, for the reason that " Self-love
In' a mind widch finds its highest
pleasure In knowing and believing the truth is
tar less fatal to fairness of Judgment than the
love of rhetorical effect in a mind rhetorically
disposed." After tills, Macaulay, tf he were
alive, would only bo able to demand tnat we
alioiiid examine the record and fairly say wbat
it bus to tell us.
1( Bacon was not the meanest of mankind, ho
was Iho most unfortunate. Ills Ingratitude to
Essex was so commonly believed In ut llio time
that ho was compelled to publish his •* Apologia
In Icrtalnc Imputations Concerning the Late
Korle of Essex.’’ Thu fact that such an cxplana*
tlon of his conduct was deemed necessary shows
that lu the estimation of his contemporaries he
had been ungrateful. The burden of proof, If
ids Innocence was to bo proved, rusted with bun*
The publication of an “ Apology " did not, and
docs not, show that he hud a good and sullluleut
explanation to make. Nor Is the fact
that no writings controverting the
“Apologia” have survived till the pres*
cn& day prove that It was con*
sldurcd unanswerable at the time. A personal
plea In his own behalf, made by such a master
of stylo as llacon, had much bettor chance of
living than the attacks upon it of contemporary
writers who pad neither the motive nor the
ability toeuter upon the subject as Bacon did.
As It was, tills and the other minor writings of
llacon were onlv saved uy a kind of accident*
Ills books were dispersed and lost, and only
those manuscripts which were Intrusted to Dr.
Hawley were saved. Others which had been
left to Btr William Boswell, and were hy him
cummlltod to Isaac Cirutcr, appear to have been
lost altogether, or tu have survived only lu tnc
rough drafts. If this was the fate of partof the
writings of such a man, wnat reason was there
to suppose that the productions of pamphleteers
would be saved! Beside, If there had been no
answers tu the “Apologi?,” it Would not on
that account have been established as unauswer*
nine. The weakness of a cause often saves It
from attack, througn very pity: and, wbllu the
cause was weak, the defender of It was strong,
llacon occupied a position of great power and
trust when his •*Apologlo” appeared, and it
would have been a rash thing fur any writer to
attack his reputation simple to preserve the
truth of history, particularly when history
seemed well able tu take care of Itself. Look*
lug back candidly at the ‘•Apologia,” wo can
only regard It us an evparte statement. There
are facts which even at this distance of time,
mid luamltu of the want of an advocate to plead
them, are damning testimony against Uacuu. It
Is incontrovertible tuat Essex made Bacon's
suit ior olheo nb own, and endangered his posi*
tlon with Queeu Elizabeth tu obiam it. Essex’s
speech to Cecil on behalf of Bacon is on exam*
pic of Importunity for a friend such as there
are few lu history. These were tile words of a
friend Indeed: “The attorneyship Is that 1
must have for Francis llacon; and in
that 1 will spend my uttermost credit,
irleiidshlp, and authority against whomsoever."
When the Attorneyship was filled Essex applied
for the tjollcltoramp lor his iricud, and, when
that was gone, made him a gift of au estate
worth *3,01*). no Inconsiderable sum as money
was measured in those days, lu soften his din*
appointment. Now, what return did Uaeou
make for these favors! tie advised Essex nut
to enter upon the disastrous expedition to Ire*
laud,— good advice us tne issue turned out. But
advice Is cheap, as (he saying goes. What per
sonal sacrifice of time,'money, or interest did
Bacon make on behalf of this munificent patron I
We are unable tu hud that ho made any. He
had constant access to the Queeu during the
period of Essex's disgrace, but It docs not
appear that ho made lulercessiuu for him.
When be was arraigned fur high trea
son, Bacon appeared us his prosecutor,
and vVi the most relentless of them
ail. HU eloquence stirred up a feeling m the
court which made mercy tor Essex Impossible,
lie tried uot only tu secure conviction, which
the evidence made sure, but a dread and Inured
of nhu amo&g the people and in Furllamcut
whicu should prevent any cummuUtlou of his
sentence. He was extra-ulUclai, super-zealous.
AU this time, moreover, he was uot a regular
member of the Queen’s Council Learned, but
an extraordinary member. It does not appear
that bo could nut have refused to be employed
iu this cose without danger to himself. At any
rate, the plea that be was acting simply iu hU
capacity of lawyer U rtiuuy ana of uo account.
Macaulay says admirably ou this bead: “We
will Uot at present inquire whether the doctrine
which U held on this Bublcet by
English lawyers be or be uot agreeable to
reasoa and morality; wuecher It be rigid that a
man should. \rftli a wig on his bend ami a band
round his tmtk. do for a guinea what, without
those appendages. he would think It wicked
and Infamous to do for an empire.’' These arc
the facta: Ttmt deserted hla teat frletid
when he mlchl hare stood by him; that he
helped to convict him, when ho mlzhl, at IcnsU
liave left that work to other hands, lledlu
this, moreover, to rtirrv favor with a sovereign
who had studiously hi-clc ted and affronted
him; who had denied Essex’s suit In his behalf,
and had put such Indlznltlc* upon him as she
could to show her displeasure off the one Inde
pendent and manly act of his life.
If the evldenreof Bacon's meanness were only
found In his conduct dnrlmr the trial of K'sex
wc might think there was room for mistake :
but It Is scattered through his whole life with
such profusion that wc wonder bow Mr. Sped
dlnz, who shows no want of discernment In
other respects, could bare missed It. In the
beginning of his Parliamentary career ilacon op
posed tho granting of tnreo subsidies in four
years, the usual rule being to allow two rears
lor the collection of each subsidy. The Queen
sltrnlMed her displeasure ol till* legal and reason
able opposition, and cut off Bacon from prefer
ment. 'lhereupon he abandoned hlsopposltlon,
and never look it up again. He was the most
subservient servant the Crown ever had. 110
lietrecd ap|K>lmraents constantly, writing let
ter* so obsequious that even his owu Hint s pan
scarcely furnish a parallel to them In
a man of birth and ability: and he
continued In his career of clltcc-sccklng
Until ho was disgraced. lie saerl-
Iked everything to It, even his love of philoso
phy and science, his natural affections, and hla
reoutatlon.
The spirit which be exhibited (n his search
after preferment was more fully shown after his
disgrace. Then.-If anv lime, wo might expect,
particularly on Mr. Speddlng’s theory of his In
nocence, to see the mem t bi eomcid rerti sutv
porting the declining years of the philosopher.
Buthe stopped at no depth of self-abasement
to procuio Indemnity. Ho put himself, natho
phrase Is, "in the hands of his friends." Ho
swore to the thoroughness and completeness of
Infamy which the Lords required, lie made a
bill of particulars, and, when required to ac
knowledge it personally, responded, •• It is my
• act, my hand, my heart. 1 beseech your Lord
ships to be merciful to a broken reed." It (a
amazing, In view of this acknowledgment, that
biographers like Montagu and Hpcddlug should
endeavor to extenuate Bacon's guilt. It is
mere trilling with words to ssv that he was
guilty of receiving gratuities, but nut of receiv
ing bribes. Whatever he was gulltv of, we
know It was something the publication of which
made his degradation a matter of course. If
the receiving of gratuities was so common a
Bractlce as Mr. Spcddlng asserts, why did not
aton make thlMdeu on his own behalf I it
seems rcmarkiblc that the wheat man of his
limes should need to wait two centuries to flml
an advocate capable of putting bis defense In
the proper way. Nor Is (t at all clear that the
•• gratuities " taken by Bacon did nut inliuence
hla decisions. In two cases they did not, and
this fact led to the exposure of his corruption;
if the same rule had been followed in the otiicr
cases, it holds to reason that corruption would
have been charged much sooner than it was.
Those who do not get their money’s worth have
the strongest motive to charge corruption upou
a Judge whom they hive tried to bribe.
Bacon was more likely, from what wc
Know of his character, to take bribes
from both sides, and tail to satisfy one, than to
be bribed by one and risk exposure br disap
pointing It. Mr. Bpcdding gives away* a large
part of his case when tic shows that the Justices
were required to swear that thev would notlako
gratuities before or liter deciding coses from
tiie parlies to it. Aud Coke cites ait act of
Henry 11. extending the sumo prohibition to
Cnsncoliors. Mr. Bpcdding cannot fimlthlssct,
aud therefore assumes that it did not exist. Hut
without ft the implication Is strung enough from
the act relating to Justice that the same con
duct ou the part of the Lord Chancellor would
be esteemed immoral, and hy the common law
an Impeachable offense. This question of the
culpability of Bacon is thus disposed of by
Macaulay: "The mode of defending Bacon
seems to us by no means Baconian. ’1 u take a
man’s character for granted, and then from his
character to Infer the moral quality of his ac
tions, is surely a process the reverse of that
which Is recommended lu theA’ocutn Or/}nnum. u
Bacon’s fame bus grown and Is growing con
stantly since his death. We observe that Dr.
Draper, In bis " Conflict Between itcllglou and
Science," claims the merit of tint applying the
Inductive method In science for Leonardo Ua
Vital. Bacon’s “ faucllut philosophical sugges
tions." soys Ur. Draper, “have outer been of
tbo slightest practical use. No 000 bos ever
thought of mutinying them. Envoi among
English reader*, his tiadfc Is almost unknown."
Wo do not urctend to say' whether this is an
awuralu statement of fact; whether It be so or
not, the truth in regard to Bacon Is not altered,
lie did advise thu use of the Inductive method,
and Old propagate It in England more than any
other man.. Moreover, be has a fame resting
upon his literary and professional works
which uo sclcutillc tribunal can give or
take away. This fame Is growing and spreading
because the value of Bacon’s contributions to
Eugltsh literature are just beginning to be com
monly appreciated. The compactness and rich
ness of bis written style have shut his books
upon all but thinkers; as the number of these
latter have Increased, thu mines of wealth that
ho left have been more explored, and aiwava
with fruitful results. Mr. bpoddlug has there
fore done a great service to the literary world as
well as to Bacon In undertaking this new edition
of his Lite and Works. Wu vau only regret that
ho has wasted so much space In endeavoring to
establish a reputation for Bacon, which, from
the nature of the case, never can bo established.
But wo are still grateful for u Life which, even
in Us abridged form, Is far the most complete
and learned that has ever been printed. ("An
Account of the l.tlu and Times of Francis Ba
con. Extracted from the edition of tits occa
sional writings by James Spudding. In two vol
umes. Bp. 7U9-tO7. Price for both, $5.)
BOSTON MONDAY LHCTUHRR.
Coiuelence, with Preludes on Current Events.
By Joseph Cook. Boston: Houghton, Osgood
& Company. JbTO. This is the fourth volume
of Mr. Cook's Monday Lectures that has issued
from the press. The four already published are
entitled Biology, Transcendentalism, Ortho*
doxy. Conscience. Twoothersorc In press, —one
ou Heredity, and the other on Marriage. Mr.
Cook commenced Ids lectures in a small room
In the fall of 1875. Ho has now for two seasons
been addressing Immense audiences lu Trcmont
Temple, and among his hearers have been a
largo numhvrof the mostcultlrated and learned
meu and women of Boston and Its vicinity, in*
eluding hundreds of clergymen, lawyers, states*
men, and educators of the ablest class. It Is Idle
to say that a speaker who can for so long a time
command the attention and Interest of so many
intelligent and thougntfui people is weak or su
perficial. Mr. Cook is a phenomenon not to l*o
accounted for but on the admission that he is a
man ol extraordinary mental power, and that
bis public work meets a lelt want of many in*
ipilring minds. Faults ho certainly has, as ev
ery great man has; hut ho U no charlatan, no
egotistical mxiemlcr. He is in the broader
sense scientific, though not a scientist: Uu is
philosophical and sharply analytical, clear -ami
incisive in thought and statement, and often
cx.cedingly brilliant itnd eloquent.
Thu Frcludcs In the volume beloro u* pertain
toavarletr ofsiibiccu having no ipecl.il eon*
ncetfou with the tupnw of tho Lectures. It
seems to be Him design of these Preludes to
nmekcfi the thought and interest of the hearers
before eifteiiug upon tho more abstruse discus*
siuns of the Lectures. They are devoted to
such themes as “ Insurrections of Hunger,''
'• liacholor ami Family Wages," "Indigent lull
dcllty," etc. 11 the preludes were all collected
from tho several volumes, they would of thorn
selves make an exceedingly Instructive volume
of short discussions uu the questions to which
they relate.
Mr. Cook's lectures on Conscience are among
tho best lie has delivered. There aru ten o(
them. Thu tltlo of the first Is Unexplored Uc
maluders of Conscience. In this he
and dellnes Conscioiicu mure closely than any
other writer with whom we are acquainted.
Wo notice, however, one defect In this part of
his general Inquiry, lie doss not tell us ,what
HUrhl mid Wrong an; while he detlnos Con*
science us "that Which {-erceives ana feels
rightness and obllgltorlues* in choices." With,
this dclimtlou of couadeuce In sight, ho urn
coeds to cousidcr the views of John tituart Mill,
Jlerbcrt dwnccr, and Matthew Arnold, as well
o» those of Hunt, Uotlic. tind Uutlor. Mr. Conk
considers It the olllcj of Cuosciti'eu lo cause a
person to see and led that Uaouyht lochyosu that'
which U right, and avoid that which Is wrong.
From tula he txc'mln tlus discovery of the
particular acts which lie in the due of duty,
about which different minds judge variously
according to education and circumstances.
All minus agree In perceiving and feeling that
they vmjht to chouse the right and shun th.i
wrong. The ihllcrcnce occur* a» to the pur
ticular acts that aru deemed good or evil. If
just hero the lecturer laid added that tho
conscience always pronounces It thu dutv of
every person to choose the highest good of ail
beings, although It docs nut teach every one
how to secure this hf/h end, Uu would have
supplied what seems to us the missing link fu
his argument.
Tim second upd third lectures, ou "Solar Self-
Culture" and " Tue I’nyslcul Tanglblcuess of
tho Moral Law," seemto.ua less satisfactory
than most other portions of the discussion; af
though wo believe there Is an Indication of
spiritual character in the expression of a per
son's countenance, which Mr. Cook calls tb«
* nilar look,” and also that crmnclnun mental
rei-tltude and conscious gnlltcxnrcssthenuclvM
In the outward attitudes nf persons, which he
ca ”* the tanglbloncss of tho moral law. We
only fed doubtful whether he haa not unduly
cmpnaairrd these points.
The criticism on "Matthew Arnold's View of
Conscience” is searching; and the argument for
«#o<i a existence and government from the •• Or-
,n Conscience ”Is ercecdinglv
forcible, as also the argument for “The First
7®°*® 81 "ersbnt'.'' which Is drawn from the
evidences of thought and purpose in the human
< Hrili , th ? out ! r p . ar, l world- Thought proves
a Thinker—lnu a Thinker is a Person; aud the
world proves the agency of Thought—one
Thought, and therefore one Personal Thinker—
Ood.
Ihe remaining lectures pertain to "The In
fallibility of Conscience” as aiwavs afllrmlng
the duty of right choice, "Conscumcc ns the
Foundation of the Kellgion of Bclcncc,” “The
daughter of the Soul at Itself,” and“Bhaks
peare on Conscience.” "The Laughter ot the
J*oul at Itself ” scarcely Indicates the theme of
Ino mrun lecture, which unfolds in an Impres
r .vc manner the horrors of conscious guilt. The
title oftne lecture seems to bare been borrowed
from Victor Hugo.
'Vo cannot commend everything In the volume
heforc its ; hut it scums to tis to Inculcate many
.4*l tfhilta with extraordinary power. Boston,
at the present hour, Is the place fur the delivery
on Just such lectures as these of Joseph Cook.
K.W.P.
A CENTURY OF LITERATURE.
Messrs. Henry Holt A Co. fitly celebrated the
reaching of the hundredth number In their
Leisure Hour Scries by printing specimens of
American literature between 1775 ami IS 7O. se
lected aud arranged by Prof. Beers, of Yale,
under the title of "A Century of American Lit
erature.” The elm of the volume is said by the
author to bo to give a series of selections from
some fortv or fifty authors, no longer living.
Illustrative of the growth of American literature
from 1770 to 1370.” It is designed to represent
only fiotttc literature in the* narrow sense;
poetry, satire, fiction, humor, sketches of llfeand
character. The editor prtflxes to his selections
a fair introduction to the study of modern
American literature, though ho seems hardly
aware ut the learning aud character of some of
the early Now England divines, whose writings
are more fullv described by Prof. Tyler. The
Introduction concludes with tho text of a ballad
written about the year 1773 to the air of
14 Yankee Doodle,” and quite a literary curloslt*
In itself, If not the original ballad. Tho first
selections are from Freneau. Jefferson's protege;
next, comes Joel Barlow's famous "Hasty
Pudding.” There are also lines taken from
John Quincy Adams' volume printed tn 1018,
which, though they contain much truth, hove
less poetry, and are not worthy of " the Old
Man Eloquent.” Other familiar selections
are the *• Star-Spangled Banner,” Clement
C. Moore's 44 Visit of 81. Nicholas,” Washing
too Irving's 44 Hip Van Winkle,” Samuel
Woodworth's 44 Old Oaken Huekel,” John
Plerpont's 44 My Child ” (which still is pe
riodically revived and circulated through the
newspapers), a passage from Cooper's " Dccr
slarcr,” Howard Payne's " Sweet Home,”
William Cullen Bryant's 44 Thanalopsls,” Haw
thorne's 44 Qov. Pvncueon," from 44 Tho House
of the Seven Gabies.” etc., etc. (New York:
Henry Holt A Co. Price, sl.)
SOCIALISM.
Socialism, By Boswell 1). Hitchcock, D. D.
New York: A. D. F. Randolph & Co. This
little volume Is handsomely bound, sod con
sists of 111 pages. The discussion is an expan
sion of a lecture delivered by Dr. Hitchcock at
the opening of Union Theological Seminary
in September, the author being a Professor in
tnat Institution. '
Socialism Is a subject of the highest practical
Interest at the present time. It Is attracting
public attention In almost every country of
Europe, os well as In tbe United Slates. Dr.
Hitchcock has brought to the discussion of
question bis well-known resources of general
learning, vigorous thought, and forcible rhet
oric. He considers Socialism under the four
heads of Socialism iu general. Communistic,
Anil-Communlstfc, and Christian Socialism. In
the first division be discusses the permanent
and the variable causes of the inequalities In
thu conditions of Individuals and families, which
it Is the professed aim of Socialism to remove
or mitigate. Under the second head ho traces
thu history of Communism from the earliest so
cial stages to the present time, and points out
some at tbe causes that give it peculiar vigor ut
tbi* day, especially in our own country. Ho ex
poses' the atheism of thu more prevalent
tvue of Communism, and shows bow it
seeks to destroy the family and merge ail
Individual rights and privileges In the
Civil State. This part of the discussion he
closes with n powerful presentation of the
working and fruits of »“Tbe Gospel of ;Commu
nlsm,” which must bedcvelopedln proportion to
the extent of its prevalence. At the some time
he states reasons for the conviction that this
form of Socialism can never triumph among an
Anglo-Saxon people, who are ever jealous of
their individual liberties.
Undvr the head of "Antl-Communlstlc So*
clallsin." Dr. Hitchcock shows the relations of
this form of Socialism to trades-unions, strikes,
and labor parties, and presents many excellent
oractlinl thoughts that deserve to be seriously
pondered.
Thu lost part of the discussion Is devoted to
what thu author calls “ Christian Hoclalisni," by
which hu means the Christian remedy for the
evils of modern civilization in Its relations to
the Inequalities of social conditions. We ques
tion the fitness of the term "Christian Sod/.1-lt
ltm u to describe the tiling Intended: but the
meaning Is clear, and the putting of the points
Is singularly torethlu and impressive. In this
connection the author well describes it os “s
monstrous heresy to supitose and sav that, ehar
ueter being debt, condition will take care of It
self." This has been a great mistake of manv
Christian people and ministers, Christianity
must be earnestly ajyjftaf to the evils ol society,
if It is to curt* them.
The discussion of Dr. Hitchcock evinces
throughout a deep svmpathv with the suffering
classes m society, and affords a timely exposi
tion of iburcmedlea to be employed for thu re
moval or mitigation of the wants and sorrows
that are so widely mwoven with our modern
clvlllxetion.
THIS SILVER QUESTION.
Early hi ls7d, when the demonetization of the
sliver dollar (in ISTd-’D had begun to attract
attention, the general subject of silver coinage
was discussed In a series of articles primed In
the Boston and other newspapers. These arti
cles were written by ilr. George it. Weston.
As public attention was aroused hy the disclos
ure of the legislative fraud, and the silver sub
ject grew Into a leading political question, the
demand for information Increased, and in all
fiartsol thu country everything calculated to
nform men on the subject was eagerly sought.
There had never been a popular or gem-rut dis
cussion in this country of the om<otlng policies
of hl-metalltsm anil mono-metallism, and such a
discussion attracted general interest. Current
publication* were barren id Information upon a
subject which was practically new to the Amer
ican people, Boon after the Presidential elec
tion of 147tl and the settlement of the Electoral
count, the silver question came to the trout,
and during the year 1877 engrossed
the public mind, the daily Journals giving the
matter the most earnest aud conspicuous
publication. Beginning in IbTd. and continuing
down to the passage of the Silver bill lit Febru
ary, 187 d, Mr. Weston devoted hU laborious j..m
to the discussion of the whole suoj.-cl In all Its
details. His articles were printed In Mich East
ern papers us were not too prejudiced to Id the
other side be heard, and in the bankers' ami
other magazines, and in thu press all over the
country, deveial appeared In Tub Cntcxuo
Tuiulnb. These articles sro replete with in
formation: they contain a fund of practical
fads, embellished with the opinions and Judg
ments of the ablest writers in various cuumrle*.
They have all been collected ami puultshcd In a
neat volume of ‘AM pages, aud to the general
reader, who has uo time to digest a library, con
tain just whut he wants,—a plain, practical
statement «>l tacts, upon which to form an In-a
telligcot judgment. All branches of the sub
ject are treated in this volume, which we com
mend to any persou desiring to learn the his
tory of metallic money, and of the opposing pol
icies of gold aud sliver colu, together or sep
arately. B.
AMEUKAN EAINTEUB.
“American Painter*: wttb Eighty-three Ex*
ample* of tlicir Work Engraved uu Wood,” by
G. \V. Sheldon, U the title ol one of tbu most
attractive gift-book* of tbe rear. The aulbor
explain* lu UU preface tbat thn engraving*,
which are tbu principal feature of tbe book, aru
intended to apeak for tbutn&elvc*, and not for
the painter* whom thev represent. Thu chief
Intercat of tho text lie* in tbu autobiographic*,
which aru a* many and a* eomorcbuimve a*
the circumstance* permuted. Anion* the uu*
graving! are lUrue epoeiuicu* of F. E. Chuicb
(“The Parthenon,' 1 “A Iropieul iluoulUrbl,”
and *• Chimborazo"); (wo of 6. H. Ullford
("Venice" and "Buu*cl in tbu Adirondack*");
two of George Iddc** (“Light Triumphant "
and "Pine Grovetwolof Do llaa* (“Tbe
Coast of France " and “Lung Islaod bound by
Uooullgbt"); two of UcEnice: two of W. U.
Beard; one of Cropsey (“The Old Mill”);
two of William Hart; two. of Hubert
flwain Gilford; two of Waller Shfrlaw; one
«f B. F. Hclnbart; two of Albert Biorsfadt
(“Near the Black Hills,”and“MountCorroran,
Sierra Nevada”); ono pf Wyatt Ks'on; our of
Kastman Johnson, etc., etc. Wo will pot enter
Into a particular description of the engravings,
or say of them anything further than that they
allow an artistic skill worthy of the subjects.
The whole undertaking la o noble one, il
lustrative of the best period of American art,
and as such deserves the attention and support
of the public. (New Tork: D. Appleton A
Co. Price, IT.)
BRIEF NOTICES.
Moses Warren .(103 State Chicago,)
Issues the "Home Ballads. Devotional,'Senti
mental, and Humorous,” of (ieorgo White, a
home poet whose merit Is not yet deOnttely
ascertained by the public.
A. 8. Barnes A Co. have printed In a para-.
nhlcl (price 10cents) Wilkie Collins' “Shocking
Htorv," which first saw the light In the Inter
national JltPit w. The same publishers Issue
"Francis Murphy's Gospel Temperance Hym
nal "(once, 33 cents).
I). Lothrop A Co. add to their series of gift
hooka “Jesus, Lover of My.'Soul,” wtlh Illustra
tions by Mr. Iloliert Lewis. A preface has bceu
prepared for the work by the Iter. VV. U.
Wright, of the Berkeley Street -Cuurch. Toe
volume is a companion to "The Ninety and
Nine.”
Messrs. T. B. Peterson A Bro. have printed In
cheap form Prosper Mcrimee'scelcbratea novel,
44 Carmen,” from which Bizet's opera of tho
same name Is taken. The novel ts u story of
Spanish Gypsy life, which gives a far different
Idea of the romance of that life from George
Eliot's poem. (Price, 50 cents.)
New numbers of tho lialf-llonr Series (pub
lished by Harper A Bros.) arc Oscar Browning's
study of English History from 1&0 to 1&74.
entitled '‘Modern England,” including the
reigns of George IV., William IV’., and Victoria
(pricecents), and "A Dark Inheritance,” a
novel bv Mary Cecil llav(pricu 15 cents).
A now volume of poems hy John James Piatt,
one of the few* and true American poets, is
printed by Houghton, Osgood A Co. It In
cludes a number uMita poems chat hare been
printed from time to time in theroagozines, and
some others which, If wc mistake not, have not
before seen the light. The volume la wortnv of
and will receive fuller treatment at another
time. (Price, $1.00.)
Houghton, Osgood A Co. have printed a red
line memorial edition of 44 Cndc Tom’s Cabin,”
with illustrations, and " a bibliography ofiihe
work of George Builcii, Esq., F. 8. A., Keeper
of tho Department ot Printed Books, British
Museum, together with an Introductory oecount
of the work.” The book is sumptuously bound,
printed, and illustrated, and is worthy to find a
place in any library. (Price, 13.50.)
The Messrs. Appleton havoaddeJ to thclrncw
HandtWoiumu Series a Lite ot Beaconstleld by
George Makepeace Towle, who, it will not bo
disputed, is a competent writer to treat even so
great and thrilling a subject. It Is not a satire
or a tirade Ilka the late 44 Adventures of Lord
Beaconsfleld ” noticed In these columns, but a
calm yet discriminating biographical sketch.
The volume la paper covers is sold for 23 cents.
A worthy gift-book for Christmas is “The
Master ami His Friends in Art ami ifong,” con
sisting of famous poems and brums tn the
Savior and the Apostles, bv Luther, Kcble.
Wither, Hcber, Wesley, Herbert, accompanied
by line engravings after Correggio, Itanbaei,
Ortell, bleinlc, and Leonardo da Vinci. Of
course tbe most fruitful source of the engrav
ings bos been “The Last bupocr,” all' (be
figures of which are in this volume separately
produced. (New York: Dodd, Mead k Co.
*3.)
Tbe series of ortlst-blographlcs published uy
Houghton, Osgood k Co. has been Increased by
n Life of Washington Aliston. The moicrlals
for this life have been derived. -Mr. bnreclscr
informs us,not oniyfrom all the known authori
ties on the subject, but from tbe friends of
Aliston, particularly from It 11. Dana, dr, and
other members of the Dana family, Jonathan
Mason, George S. Hillard, H. \V. Longfellow,
It. C. f Wintbrop, it. C. Wutcrston, the Rev.
Benjamin Aliston, Capt. Joseph Blvth Aliston
and other members of the Aliston lamily.
(Price, 73 cents.) .
Wc received a bound copy of Vlek't Monthly
Mitqashf for 187 S, accompanied by tbe follow
ing characteristic note: “Mr Eultor: Please
accept a bound volume of my magazine for 1&73-
Of course 1 think it pretty good and quite
handsome, but, not being an impartial Judge of
my own work, 1 would like to have your
opinion.” It is not oeeesssrv for us to sar aov
more than wo concur heartily with Mr. Vii k’s
opinion. Thu chromo lithographs o! flowers lit
this volume are marvelous of themselves, and
will commend It os well to those who love
licnuty in art os to those who love it In nature.
(Huchestcr, N. Y.: James Vick Co.).
The story of Ucd-Eagle am) the wars with the
Creek Indians of Alabama is told by Ueurga
Cary Eggleston in a volume printed in the n.*w
series of “Famous American Indians.” The
account of Ucd-Kagle's exploits includes a
memorable chapter m Gen. Jackson's early ca
reer. Wc ooserve that in this Mr. Eggleston
has followed I’urton tlo»ely, though not with
too much fidelity. Thu story is well told, and
worth reading. We would like especially to see
this and other books ut the scries placed in thu
hands of boys and young men, who tn no other
way can so effectually mix the fascination uf ro
mance with the sober tacts of American htitory
as by reading the lives of tamous Indians. New
York: Dodd, Mead k Co. *l“3.
Additions to the Franklin Square I.ibrart are
“ Msclcod of Dure " (IU cents); “Love's (.'rots
cs,” u novel by F. E. M. NolleydS cents;;
“ The Mistletoe dough," by Miss Bfaddun(tr>
cents); “ Hose Palo Margaret,” a novel (IU
cents). Thu publication of “ Mseleud of Dare *'
in tbts cheap form is a notable exjttTlmciu. tne
same book being issued by thu miimi publish
ere in two other editions, one selling for (K?
cents and the other for sl.£>. On tliu whole, wi
ihlnk the publication of Hie Franklin Square
Library by thu Messrs. Honier* is thu best van
turu tbuv'bave ever made. It promises nvcniu
ally to firing too best literature within thu reach
of the poorest people.
Messrs. Harper & Bros, have added to (hell
Half-Hour buries Church's •• Stories from Vir
gil,” which are said to preserve even more com
pletely than thu same writer's “ Stories from
Homer " the spirit and etiarm of the original. :•
The London A/*vhifur, we observe, says mat.
“ nothing can he moru classical ami ut tun same
time moru noble than the account ul me visit n(
A£m-tu Pi the shades," and that "having >m.c
mastered this style, Mr. Church never again
loses u.” “In the stories from liw* conclusion
uf ihc ittueUl,” suvs (bu same critic, “ vie huvu
not only a delightful reminiscence of Virgil,, but
not unlrcquciitl* a real miuii-u of his grotus,—
the vibration of'a‘true Vlrgiliau note.” (Price,
123 cents.)
1L W. P.
Kales A loiuriat, of ikmou, have reprint
ed iho (cries of Bcacnnsllrid cartoons (rout
London J'nneh, illustrating the career of En
gland’s Prime Minister from the earliest I line
"to the very moment that he bade mo toll u."
It Is prottmlilu to observe m these pages how the
treachery of Disraeli to Feel was regarded ut
thu time, ami by it to measure the character of
some of lnslsicr political acts. If these car
toons fehowuuythmg, they show that, iu the opin
ion of one part ol the English people at least,
Bcaeonsticld's career lias been only one of jk.-i
--soual aggrandizement. This Volume contains
some cartoons In addition to those printed In
the London edition, already noticed. (I’rLv, Ul
cents.)
Mr. Uolfe has added to hU series of fiiiak
speurc’s plays In sc|»arate volumes ‘-Much Ado
About Nothing." Prefixed to tuu volume is a
plate taken .'rum Ward's statue of Muaksitcure.
Wo have already said so much In praise, both of
.Mr. Hollo's plau aud the inanum* lu which be
liu.s executed It, that anything more lu the same
connection could hanlly (all to be u repetition.
Tuuebivf merit of this edition Is that it gives
each play, as nearly as possible, complete—ln
history, ulblugrauhy, uud notes—ln a sepaiuto
volume. By pursuing the eclectic method, U
has thu advantage of choosing from all editions
ami entlcUnis those parts which are bestadsated
to Illustrate or cxolam the subject. (Now York:
Harper A Bros., 7d cents.)
W. &. 1L Chambers, of Edinburg and Lou
don, reprint, under toe title of “{Sketches of
Animal Life and Habits," a number of Dr.
Wilson's papers on Natural History, contrib
uted originally to CVunuk/V Journal. They
have been complied " with the view of affording
general readers, and especially the young, some
popular aud yet truuwurihv Ideas regarding
some of the
kingdom." There is nothing in the pitdace to
Indicate that the sketches were written many
years ago. Thu fact tiiat they were so written
dues not ndlliuic against their accuracy or use
fulness: and, :o avoid misunderstanding, It
might as well have bccu stated. There are few
writers on natural history since Dr. Wilson who
have been aide lu (music successful I v his iiabiu
of observation uud his simplicity aud vividness
of style iu description. The book U one ttiun no
young person should fall to read. iLuuJou and
Edinburg: W. &IL CUamhcrs. Price, sl.)
Tbe Alo*leu tteric* of Juvenile* Include*
"Altuice and III* Pricou*," "Orundtu’a
iloufrC," “ Ilarrv** Winter with the Indian*,"
sml " Four and What They Did." Tpo author,
Helen Campbell. otbcrwUc kuo.iu a* “Camp*
bull Wheaton," ho* won a good deal of favor
9