LITERARY NOTICES. 



119 



the foundation and prerequisite of man's 

 true spiritual unfolding. 



It has been made a criticism of Mr. 

 Hinton's books, that their arguments are 

 not fully sustained ; or that, while their first 

 portions are clear and cogent, the latter 

 parts are indefinite and less conclusive. 

 But this criticism, attributes to defect in 

 discussion that which is due to the nature 

 of the subject-matter, for the ideas succes- 

 sively dealt with are so different as almost 

 to appear contrasted. In the sphere of 

 physical Nature, there are a definiteness, a 

 quantitative sharpness, and a kind of tan- 

 gibleness in the truths established, which 

 disappear as we pass into the domain of 

 moral and religious conceptions. This con- 

 trast of the phenomena in the two spheres, 

 which are precisely conceived in the one 

 case and not in the other, has been made 

 the ground for denying that there can be 

 any true science in the higher realm of 

 man's moral and spiritual activity. But 

 the objection is not valid ; for, wherever 

 there is an orderly and coherent body of 

 truths, though they cannot be formulated 

 with exactness, there is the legitimate basis 

 of science. It may be long before the rec- 

 onciliation and unification of unlike ideas 

 and diverse systems of opinion will be com- 

 pletely accomplished ; but it is no longer 

 regarded as impossible, and every able at- 

 tempt to realize it brings us a step nearer 

 to the final and desirable residt. Much is 

 said, in these times, of the conflict of sci- 

 ence and faith, and many maintain that 

 they are invincibly hostile and must be per- 

 manently alienated. Mr. Hinton holds that 

 this is an error due to the incompleteness 

 and imperfection of present knowledge which 

 the advance of thought is certain to correct, 

 and all who read his works must confess 

 that they are able and original contribu- 

 tions to this end. 



" Life in Nature," aside from the higher 

 purpose for which it was written, is one of 

 the most charming studies in biology that 

 our language affords. It abounds in inter- 

 esting facts illustrating the beautiful laws 

 of vital phenomena, and stated with unri- 

 valled clearness, and is marked by keen 

 and original insight into the old obscurities 

 of the subject. The first chapter treats of 

 "Function, and how we act;" the second 



of " Nutrition, and why we grow." The 

 subsequent chapters take up the " Vital 

 Force and Laws of Form," the " Univer- 

 sality of Life," " The Living World," " The 

 Phenomenal and True," the "Organic and 

 the Inorganic," and " Nature and Man." The 

 volume is neatly illustrated, and we recom- 

 mend it to all who care either for the strict 

 science of the subject, or for the larger ques- 

 tions to which it leads. 



" Man and his Dwelling - Place " was 

 written fifteen years ago, has been recast, 

 condensed, and. made to embody the au- 

 thor's maturer views. Its perusal should 

 follow that of " Life in Nature," as it deals 

 with a higher range of questions, and is of a 

 more speculative and metaphysical quality. 



Mr. Hinton writes in a lucid, attractive, 

 and eloquent style, and his books contain 

 many passages of remarkable impressive- 

 ness and beauty. In the felicity of his de- 

 lineations he often reminds one of Ruskin ; 

 but, unlike the great Rhapsodist of art, he 

 is never run away with by his rhetoric. 

 The intensity of his convictions and the 

 earnestness of his feelings give warmth and 

 force to his language, which is still chast- 

 ened and restrained by the discipline of 

 refined scholarship. 



BOOKS EECEIVED. 

 Intermembral Homologies. The Correspon- 

 dence of the Anterior and Posterior 

 Limbs of Vertebrates. By Burt G. 

 Wilder, S.B., M. D. Boston, 1871. 



Apparatus for Electric Measurement, with 

 Rules and Directions for its Practical ap- 

 plication. By L. Bradley. Jersey City, 

 1872. 



Proceedings at the Fifth Annual Meeting of 

 the Free Religious Association. Held 

 in Boston, May 30 and 31, 1872. 



Papers relating to the Transit of Venus in 

 1874, prepared under the Direction of 

 the Commission authorized by Congress, 

 and published by Authority of the Hon. 

 Secretary of the Navy. Washington, 

 1872. 



A Classified Catalogue of the Birds of Cana- 

 da, including every Species known to 

 visit the Several Provinces which now 

 form the Dominion of Canada. By Alex- 

 ander Milton Ross. Toronto, 1872. 



