Review.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 360, 4 January 1879, Page 5

Review.

The "Atlantic Monthly" ha* gradually won its way to the foremost place amongst the magazines of America. Indeed, so signal and undisputed is its excellence that its circulation is not confined to one side of the Atlantic Ocean. It is as welcome and as widely read! in Europe and the colonies as the English reviews—the " Contemporary" and the " Nineteenth Century." It represents the highwater mark of American thought, taste, and criticism. From the announced arrangements we see that Mrs. H. Beecher Scowe, Longfellow, and Dr. Wendell Holmes are to be among the contributors during the comiag year. The new number (November) opens with an able article on the new National Party, their origin, and their aims. The information conveyed in it has been carefully collected from conversations with thirty-four workiug men, who are earnest adherents of the new party, and who, judging from their actual words, are no mean exponents of the new ideas, principles, and purposes, which unite and inspire them. The men interviewed were drawn from three different States—New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. They were of ages varying from thirty-two to fifty, and were men of good repute for honesty and general morality. They were well educated men, according to the American standard, and quite as intelligent as the better class of voters in either of the other i two parties. The main points of their creed are: the abolition of the Senate, a protective policy, the purchase of all railroads by the State, education to be chiefly industrial, Government to go into the pawn-broking business, advancing half the value at a low rate of interest ; the Government to be its own banker, and money to be made of material which has no intrinsic value. Paper money would naturally expel coin from circulation. The bonds having been bought at greenback values, we should repeal all laws requiring them to be paid in gold." The writer of the paper feels the gravity of the situation, and gives it as his firm and deliberate opinion that should the new party succeed there might indeed be wealth without labor, and morals without selfrestraint ; but instead of the orderly empire of law there would be mob-voiced lawlessness, anarchy, _pure and simple, ordained by the people. Briefly noting the other contributions, we are sure that the lover of poetry will linger over W. W. Story's page and a half of blank verse on the old classic fable which has given us our proverb—the apple of discord. It was a trying situation for the swain Paris, and it is difficult to see how he could have decided otherwise than he did. " There came three queens from Heaven," is a very modern Betting of a very ancient story. The "Atlantic" is alwaysstrong in fiction. Mr. James' tale, " The Europeans," was completed in the last number, and it has been favorably received by the leading English journals. Mr. W. D. Howels opens with a new novel, " The Lady of Aroostook." During the next year a Norwegian tale is to be begun by Mr. Bjornstjerne Bjornsen. Mr. Grant White continues his papers on Americanisms, and shows, as Lowell did before him, that many so-called Americanisms are simply revivals, or survivals, of genuine English words. " An Impressionist " —surely that is a genuine Americanism?—gives a very condensed, yet a readable, account of the Paris Exhibit on. The ." Street of all nations," especially, is cleverly described. In the " Contributors' Club," ! which is always pleasantly written, an American gives an account of his studies at Cambridge (England). With all his preparation in the classics, his "coach" soon told him that he could not stand among his equals for at least two years. " The men come up from che publie schools with an immense amount of training 1 in classics, mathematics, or whatever their special subject may be." At his first year's examination there were fourteen three-hour papers, which makes the student wish the ' course longer, three years instead, of two. In criticising the American stage, one writer complains of the growing custom of pronouncing such words as half, laugh, and draft, with the short "a" in cat and fat. And he justly asks why should the " h " be dropped in such words as " where," " which," and " what "? Among the reviews and books is a careful discrimination of Mr. Julian Schmilt'a essays on the great authors of the world. Essays of this kind are always popular reading. In knowledge, taste, and judgment, Schmidt is worthy of being placed by the side of Scherer, Lowell, and Mntthew Arnold. The first article in the " Nineteenth Century" for November is one on "Personal Kule." Lord Beaconsfield is both text and example. , The central thought is the silent, almost unperceived, yet in the opinion of the writer, the dangerous growth of the Royal prerogative. The traditions of the Constitution are being violated and broken. We are fast coming back to the " free Monarchy" of the first and second Stuarts, when the Sovereign held him- . self free to do as he liked, and the people were only free to place unlimited confidence in his good intentions. The tone and drift of the . article may be gathered from the above rei marks. Disraeli, likje the late Baron Stock--1 mar, is blamed for aidiDg and abetting this vast \ increase of direct personal power. '** Prerogative has been the leading idea iu Lord Beaconsfield's administration. He has sought out all possible occasions for prostrating himself before the ancient idol of hia imagination, has burned heaps of incense at its shrine, and summoned us to join in his devotions. The gravest outlines of personal rule can already be discerned through the thin veil of constitutional forms, and the reality of power is slipping from, our hands." On many grounds Professor Tyudall's paper on "Virchow and Evolution" is interesting. First, we have an account of his early educa-

lion ; his love for the Bible ; his indebtedness to Carlyle; the fascination of science, to whose ■tudy and extension he finally devoted himself. Then we have his agreement with much of what Professor Bright wrote in a paper to which we lately called attention. And lastly we have the professor's criticism of the celebrated address of Professor Virchow. On «ome of the points Tyndall shows that fee quite agrees with Virchow, and quotations •re made from previous addresses and lectures ghat it has already yielded most fruitful and ■nportant results. Ten years ago Dr. Hooker «aid that almost every philosophical naturalist accepted it. " Another ten years has now passed, and he is simply blind who cannot see fche enormous progress made by the theory daring that time. The hostility of Cambridge faas vanished, and amid universal acclamation elie has conferred on her son her doctors degree. After long resistance the Academy <j£ Paris has opened its doors, while sermons, lectures, and articles show that even _ the clergy have to a great extent been acclimatised to the Darwinion air." As a defence this paper has the merits of being careful in statement, moderate and courteous in tone, manly, frank, and straightforward in spirit. The writer says again what he said before, in ether words that "religious feeling is as ranch a verity as any other part of consciousness, and against it, on it 3 subjective side, the waves of science beat in vain." It is only against "mytholojric scenery"—inaccurate fiistoric data, moulded by misapplied logic—not agaiust the life and substance of religion, that science protests. " University work in great towns" is an admirable plea for being contented with Oxford and Cambridge as real and national institutions, instead of creating a northern univeisity, or giving Owen's college a new charter. Mr. Fitch thinks a still greater extension of the local arts examination?, and the farther adoption of the unattached system, is all that is needed to be done. By a new arrangement some eighty students h ive lately entered their names on the Cambridge University books. Under this new system they are bound to refiftte in Cambridge, two-thirds of each of nine tbrms, but they may live with their parents or friends. They pay the usual foes, are admitted to matriculation, and degrees, and are admissible to the library, museum, and professors' lectures. But no attendance at any of these is enforced. They bave perfect liberty as to their choice of taaohers and methods of study. In this way, ar clerk, or an usher, residing at Cambridge, can pursue and complete his studies privately, and in due time obtain his degree. Mr. Fitch hopes that ere long what is allowed in CamBridge may be allowed in other great towns —that compulsory residence may be dispensed with altogether, and that students at any time and from any place may present themselves for examination, and if they reach the requisite standard obtain their degree.

Professor Ruskin's short criticism carries with it the ring and the insight of his first Oxford lectures. Mr. Blackley's scheme of national insurance i 3 a little Utopian, though not without some good practical points in its favor. The Hon. Hobert Lowe puts in a plea for a sound political economy, to which \ve owe " the repeal of the corn and navigation laws, the cessation of smuggling, the placing of the currency on a sound and satisfactory basis, the establishment of limited liability companies, the principle of payment by results, open competition for public appointments, and the abolition of the absurd system of bounties and drawbacks." Mr. Gladstone dhows from statistics that the Liberal party has gained both in numbers and in quality since the last general election, though on four great occasions some fifty Liberals have gone against their party, and voted with the Conservatives. To bim these are symptoms of a revulsion in the electeral mind of the country.