WATTS’S LITERARY GUIDE B E I N G A M O N T H L Y R E C O R D O F L I B E R A L A N D A D V A N C E D P U B L I C A T I O N S .

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No. 62.]

JANU ARY 15, 1891.

[Price One Penny.

N E W P U B L I C A T I O N S .

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T he second number o f the M onist (2s. 6d.) fully maintains the high standard o f the new American quarterly. Mr. Charles S. Peirce opens with a paper on “ The Architecture o f T h e o r ie s P r o f e s s o r Cesare Lombroso follows with an ingenious disquisition on “ Illustrative Studies in Criminal A n th r o p o lo g y w h i le among the other contributors are Hermann Schubert (“ On the Squaring o f the Circle ”), Carus Sterne, Professor Friedrich Jodi (“ German Philosophy in the Nineteenth Century”), Lucien Arreat, and the Editor, Dr. Paul Carus (“ The Criterion o f Truth ”).

Mr. John Page Hopps publishes the first number of his new monthly, The Coming Day (3d.). It is a sorry attempt at journalism, and, at least as regards the opening issue, we are forced to subscribe to the verdict o f the Literary World, that “ we cannot imagine that it will interest anybody.” The paper on “ An Agnostic’s Marriage Difficulty” presents no difficulty at all— to an Agnostic. What authority has Mr. Hopps for assuming that Agnostics desire a church celebration after a civil marriage at a Registrar’s Office?

A verbatim report o f the recent debate between Mrs. Annie Besant and Mr. Frederick Millar, on “ Individulism v. Socialism ” (2d.), is published. We can recommend the brochure as containing a very able statement of the views of each disputant.

T he second number o f the In terna tio nal J ou rn a l o f E th ic s (2s. 6d.) will be ready at the end of January. Among the contents the following m aybe c ited :— “ The Rights o f Minorities,” by D. A. R itch ie; “ A New Study of Psychology,” by Professor Josiah Royce; “ Morals in History,” by Professor F. J o d i ; and “ The Ethics o f Doubt," by Professor W. L. Sheldon.

Mr. Francis P. Pascoe, F.L.S., formerly President of the Entomological Society, has published through Messrs Gurney and Jackson a little work on “ The Darwinian Theory o f the Origin o f Species ” (5s.).

Miss Margaret D eland, author o f “ John Ward, Preacher,” and other works o f fiction, has just written an Agnostic novel, entitled “ Sidney” (6s.). Freethought, of San Francisco, in a preliminary notice, speaks most highly o f the book. We hope to, shortly, review the work in these columns.

Mr. B radlaugh promises to publish during the present year a volume on “ Doubts in Dialogue.”

Mr. G. W. Foote has written a searching criticism of Mr. Booth’s social reform scheme. He calls the little work “ Salvation Syrup; or, Light on Darkest England” (2d.).

Julian’s four pamphlets on the Old and New Testaments are in the printers’ hands. They will be published next month.

O U R L I B R A R Y S H E L V E S .

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T here is no modern movement which more deserves close watching and study than the Rationalistic tendency in the Christian Churches. The Anglican Church has its “ broad " wing, and the Nonconformists have their “ down-grade,” as Mr. Spurgeon has called it. That religious reformation which the prince of Baptists has denounced in a fit of orthodox temper is, in reality, one o f the most hopeful of the intellectual and moral signs of the times. No better illustration of its aims and genius could be afforded than by the Rev. R. F. Horton’s

“ inspiration and tiie BIBLE : An Inquiry” (Fisher Unwin; fourth edition, 1889; 356 p p . ; 3s. 6d.). Mr. Horton publicly and courageously abandons the rigid old view of inspiration which credits every verse, every word, every letter of the Scriptures to the pen of the Holy Spirit. He admits— nay, he takes pains to prove— how thoroughly human a book the Bible is, not only in its literary frame-work, but even in its errors and contradictions. It is, he confesses, the fault of Christian orthodoxy that the “ Infidel ” is able, with so much ease and force, to ridicule the doctrine of Inspiration. But, having avowed all this, Mr. Horton quietly turns round upon the Sceptic, invites him to treat the Bible on the same principles and in the same spirit as any other notable piece of literature, and he affirms that, “ when we do treat the Bible as any other book, with an unprejudiced mind, then, and not till then, its astounding intrinsic difference from all other sacred literatures begins to appear.” Assuming at the outset, for convenience of argument, that the Bible is inspired, Mr. Horton proposes to examine, dissect, and analyse the book, and so ascertain, from actual review of the facts brought to light, the true character of the inspiration. The work is chiefly intended for Christian readers; but, as the appeal to unbelievers, which we have just quoted, occurs prominently in the preface, the Agnostic will not feel himself to be an intruder in the discussion, and is not likely to raise objections to Mr. Horton’s method.

The inquiry commences with Paul’s epistles. With much frankness, the author expresses himself against the Pauline authorship of “ Hebrews,” and suggests that “ Ephesians ” and “ Colossians” may have been composed by some disciple who modestly veiled his personality behind the greater figure of Paul. Nor does Mr. Horton endeavour to reconcile the very evident divergence between James’s opinion of works and Paul’s doctrine of faith. Specially applying himself to “ Galatians,” he finds in it a splendid manifesto on behalf of spiritual religion and ethical freedom, as opposed to the stiff ecclesiasticism of the Jews. This gave to the composition a value which is quite unaffected by “ the discrepancies between Paul’s own account of his career and that rendered by the book of Acts. Then Mr. Horton takes “ the biographies of the inspired book,” and more particularly the biography of Christ. The Freethinker who should mistake the author for an ordinary orthodox apologist, and advance to the attack by exposing the contradic-