Books of the Month

Theology and Philosophy. The Morals of Christ: a comparison with contemporaneous systems, by Austin Bierbower. (Colegrove Book Co., Chicago.) An interesting and forcible little book in which the author undertakes to differentiate Christ’s morality from the Jewish or childish, the Pharisaic or ecclesiastic, and the Græco-Roman or worldly. Much of the discrimination is of value, but the discussion is not final, because it disregards that vital element of personality in Christ which separates him from a mere teacher, and his morality from a system of morality. A teacher of morality who says, “ I am the Life,” cannot be regarded only as a teacher, and a perception of this vital element would correct some of the positions taken by Mr. Bierbower in his attention to the dogmatic view of morality. —The Nature of Mind and Human Automatism, by Morton Prince, M. D. (Lippincott.) “ The primary object of this book,” says the author, “ is to discuss certain problems of mind and matter— particularly the relation between the mind and the brain — simply as questions of psychology and physiology, without regard to the bearing they may have on philosophical doctrines. Still, all such questions lie so deeply at the root of the latter, that it is impossible to discuss the one without regarding the effect they have upon the other.” He finds himself most in accord with the positions taken by Clifford. He is as uncompromising with mind as the Californians are with the Chinese. The old supernatural agents have been weeded out of our philosophies, and only one remains. “ This is mind. This, in its turn, must go. It only remains to decide whether it shall be to-day or to-morrow.” There is a temptation to say that Dr. Prince’s mind has already gone, but that is merely feeble wit. We leave the real discussion to the psychological-physiological philosophers, who must have mind enough and to spare. — The Influence of the Apostle Paul on the Development of Christianity, by Otto Pfleiderer. Translated by J. F. Smith. (Scribners.) A volume of the Hibbert Lectures, and like previous volumes a free, but not irreverent, rather a sympathetic, handling of fundamental theological doctrines. The book compels thought, and justifies it. — The Child’s Life and Regeneration is the title of an essay by John T. Prince (Massachusetts New Church Union Press, Boston), in which certain elementary truths about education are presented in terms congenial to Swedenborgian writers and readers.

Biblical Scholarship. The Revision draws in its train many books, pamphlets, and newspaper notices. Everybody is to be helped to understand it, and one begins to wonder whether all this fury of study will be followed by any patient reading of the book. One of these literary accompaniments is A Companion to the Revised Old Testament, by Talbot W. Chambers, who was one of the American Committee. (Funk & Wagnalls.) It is mainly a running commentary on the changes made by the revisers, with a natural defense and magnifying of the work of the American Committee. There is also a general chapter on the value of the Old Testament, and a list, of the revisers, with brief sketches. It is odd that neither in this nor in other similar lists which we have seen is there any extended account of Professor McGill, one of the Old Testament Revisers. To be sure, he died shortly after the work began, but nobody seems to know even his first name, He was Professor John McGill, LL. D., Professor of Oriental Languages in the University of St. Andrews. — Cuneiform Text on a recently discovered cylinder of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, from the original in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Copied, translated, and published by J. F. X. O’Conor, S. J., Woodstock College, Maryland. This is a pamphlet, to be followed later by a commentary. The author presents his work in a modest manner.

Art. National Academy Notes and Complete Catalogue, to accompany the sixtieth spring exhibition of the National Academy of Design, New York, by Chas. M. Kurtz (Cassell & Co.): a convenient memorandum-book for the visitor, including brief biographic details of artists. The cuts occasionally given are useless for any purpose except to identify pictures.