THE WESTMINSTER REVIEW.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9166, 22 September 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE WESTMINSTER REVIEW.

I ] The Westminster Review frequently shows a tendency to allow its fads to run away with it, and to carry it out of the course which a staid and thoughtful quarterly ought to occupy. The August number shows that tendency conspicuously. The first artitle is, as usual, on Ireland, and is of the extreme Home Rule type. It concludes : " There is but one remedy for this state of affairs, a radical reconstitution of Irish Government." The next article is

mtitled " Both Sides o Jewish character, ind is a fair estimate of the virtues and rices of this ancient and remarkable people. The summary is as follows : — All the same we shall, perhaps, be nearer ;o a judicial sum of the matter if we conclude with the reflection that the Jewish character seems to resist all pressure of circumstances, and to be substantially what it has been from the days of the Pharaohs—the character, that is to «ay, of a singularly stubborn or "still-necked" people; very earthly in their desires, though lull of capacity; never spiritual, yet able to produce from time to timeat least so long as the national life remained unshattered—men of lofty spiritual gifts ; not artistic in temperament, yet possessing, in the most marked anil special degree, the organization which enables those to whom it is given to surpass mankind in music, whether as composers, singers, or instrumentalists ; not numbering among then great scientific discoverers, nor indeed loving science for its own sake, yef here, a3 elsewhere, effectually following the lead of the mind of alien races with a single eye for the goal of their owi material aggrandisement; commercial to tin highest degree, yet with 110 bent for inanu facture; not pusillanimous, yet neither war like nor military; the only nation of thi East that has been able to assimilate Westeri civilisation, but has refused to be assimilatei bv it. The central idea of Jewish polity i

that temporal rewards anil punishments ai'< the mark of the Divine approbation or dis pleasure. The hardening, narrowing in Buence of such a creed was sufficiently obvious even while, within the Jewish politj itself, men were to be found wholike thi author of the Book of —had attainec sufficient spiritual elevation to expose the cruel falsehood of the popular faith. Bui to this hour it is an insoluble mystery hov, the Book of Job became incorporated ink the Hebrew Canon, so alien is its teaching from the general prepossessions of the national literature. No wonder then that in the popular Hebrew mind true Judaism has ;oine to mean the art of getting on—ol making the most of this world and completely ignoring any other. At what a cost! "The Indian National Congress" is a short view of a great question. The people jf India have become raised and educated under our rule until now they regard themselves as being capable of the exercise oi nigher political rights than we care to bestow upon them. The aim of the most Advanced party in India is shown in a statement made at the recent Indian National Congress, as follows : —

To enunciate clearly and boldly our highest and ultimate wishes : whether we get them or not immediately, let our rulers know what our highest aspirations are. ... If, then, we lay down clearly that we desire to have the actual government of India transferred from England to India, under the simple controlling power of the Secretary of State and of Parliament, through its Standing Committee, and that we further desire that all taxation and legislation shall be imposed here by Representative Councils, we say what we are aiming at. A larger portion than usual of the review is given up to the Independent Section, for

which the editor disclaims entire responsibility. The first article is on Marriage, which topic is treated from the advanced point of women's rights. This is pretty much the same as saying that the author goes very far in the direction of free love. The writer says : — In the age of chivalry the marriage-tie was not at all strict, and our present ideas oi " virtue" and " honour" were practically nonexistent. Society was in what is called a chaotic state ; there was extreme licence or, all sides, and although the standard ol morality was far severer for the woman than for the man, still she had more or less liberty to give herself as passion dictated, and society tacitly accorded her a right of choice in matters of love. But Luther ignored al! the claims of passion in a woman; in fact she had no recognised claims whatever ; she was not permitted to object to any part ir life that might be assigned her; the notior of resistance to his decision never occurrec to him—her role was one of duty and of ser vice; she figured as the legal property of < man, the safeguard against sin, and the victim of that vampire " Respectability' which thenceforth was to fasten upon, anc suck the life-blood of all womanhood. The writer is indignant because women are expected to be purer than men, and be cause "chastity becomes her chief virtue.' : Here is a specimen of the article :— If wo desire to face the matter honestly, we must not blink the fact that this virtue has originally no connection with the woman's own nature : it does not arise from the feelings which protect individual dignity. The quality, whatever be its intrinsic merits, hag attained its present mysterious authority and rank through man's monopolising jealousy, through the fact that he desired tc " have and hold " one woman as his exclusive property, and that he regarded any other man who would dispute his monopoly as the unforgivable enemy. From this startingpoint the idea of a man's " honour" grew up, creating the remarkable paradox of a moral possession or attribute, which could be injured by the action of some other person than the possessor. Thus also arose woman's " honour," which was lost if she did not keep herself solely for her lord, present or to come. Again, we see that her honour has reference to son-.:- one other than herself, though in course of time the idea was carried further, and has now acquired a relation with the woman's own moral nature, and a still firmer hold upon the conscience. However valuable the quality, it certainly did not take its rise from a sense of self-respect in woman, but from the fact of her subjection to man. This looks very like writing of an immoral tendency, and we are rather surprised to see so thorough-going an article even in the Westminster. ''Common Sense: A Nemesis," is a metaphysical article. The number contains the usual summaries of contemporary literature and of home affairs.