LITERATURE AND ART.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8670, 12 September 1891, Page 4 (Supplement)

LITERATURE AND ART.

Messrs. J. M. Bakiuk, C. H. Haddon Chambers, IT. B. Marriott .Watson,.. J. Stanley Little, .Mrs. Campbell l'raed, " Tasma," and Sir Charles and Lady Dilke, with other well-known men and women of letters, hare promised to contribute signed articles to Literary Opinion. The first number ot the new series appeared on July 1. We learn that it is proposed to suspend the issue of Free Life. During its suspension Mr. Auberon Herbert intends to form a company for carrying it on in an enlarged form. It will remain the organ of, a thoroughgoing Individualism, but will contain a summary of weekly news, probably a story, and other features of interest to the general reader. At the same time, a sixpenny quarterly, explaining Individualistic opinions, and edited by Mr. Aboron Herbert, will be brought out. The first number is to appear in October. On the occasion of the fourth centenary of the birth of St. Ignatius Loyola, Messrs. Burns and Oates are bringing out., under thesupervision of the Rev. W. H. Eyre, S.J., an entirely new edition of the " Life of St. Ignatius Loyola and the Early Jesuits," by Stewart Rose. It will contain more than a

hundred illustrations by Messrs. 11. W. and H. C. Brewer and Louis Wain. Another book of some interest which Messrs. Burns and Oates are about to issue is Mr. William Lockhart's " Reminiscences of Cardinal Newman." Mr. Lockhart was one of the Cardinal's oldest friends.

The publishers arc now beginning to make their "announcements" for the autumn season. The following are among those of Messrs. Longmans : —" Dr. Liddon's Tour in Egypt and Palestine," a series of descriptive letters written by Liddon's sister, Mrs. King, who accompanied him on the tour in 1889 ; a new volume of " Fragments of Science," being detached essays, addresses, and reviews, by Professor Tyndall; the third and concluding volume of Professor S. R. Gardiner's " History of the Great Civil War, 1G42-IG49a volume of " Angling Sketches," by Mr. Andrew Lang, illustrated by W. S. Burn-Murdoch ; Sir Edwin Arnold's recent articles of travel, reprinted from the Daily Telegraph ; " Annals of My Early Life," by the Bishop of St. Andrew's ; and a new book by Archdeacon Farrar, "Darkness and Dawn: a

story of the Early Christians." Mr. Murray's announcements for the autumn include "Jasmin : Barber, Poet, and Philanthropist," by Dr. Smiles; Lady Dufferin's "Canadian Journals, 1872-1878 Mrs. Bishop's book of travels; the Rev. Chas. Gore's recent Bampton lectures, "The Incarnation of the Son of God and Mr. Edward Whymper's great work on the Andes.

• There has been published lately new books by two veterans in the field of philosophical literature—Mr. Herbert Spencer and l>r. James Martineau. Mr. Spencer's book i 3 entitled "Justice" (Williams and Norgate). It is satisfactory to learn from the preface that Mr. Spencer's health has considerably improved during the last year or two, and that the completion of his " Principles of Ethics"—the last and crowning part of his system, the affiliation of ethics on the doctrine of Evolution—ls now within measurable distance. Part I. of the "Principles of Ethics"—the "Data"—was published some years ago. The present volume is Part IV. Before the close of next year he hopes to issue Parts 11. and lII.— "The Inductions of Ethics," and "The Ethics of Individual Life." He will then take in hand the two remaining Parts, V. and Vl.—" The Ethics of Social Life

Negative Beneficence," and "Positive Beneficence." Dr. Martineau's book is a third and concluding volume of "Essays, Reviews, and Addresses" (Longmans). In preparing them for the press he was reminded of a piece of advice given him, when he was editor of a quarterly journal, by the late W. R. Greg. Remember," said Greg, "that an editor is ex officio a censor too; and he cannot do his duty on the mass of nonsense that is published unless he selects a victim for his pillory in every number." But Dr. Martineau did not take the advice. " For, in truth," he says, "I could never be moved to give account of a book by pure antipathy, any more than by monotonous assent." From which principle it would seem to follow that a book of "nonsense" should be allotted to nonsensical critics—a condition, I dare say, which is often fulfilled in the editorial economy.