LITERARY NOTICES. 



129 



posed to find much fault with the pres- 

 ent tendency of things. H they could 

 be persuaded that the instability of 

 business was due in no small degree 

 to government interference with com- 

 merce and industry, and that it would 

 be greatly to their advantage to rely on 

 a world-equilibrium in business matters 

 rather than upon one made and unmade 

 by national tariff legislation, their in- 

 fluence would probably be thrown in 

 favor of commercial freedom, instead of, 

 as is now the case, mainly in support 

 of commercial restriction. Could they 

 also be made to realize that, if their 

 present increased wages, coupled with 

 comparative lowncss of prices, leaves 

 them in many cases still in the grip of 

 what seems like poverty, it is because 

 they allow their desires for the enjoy- 

 ments of life to outrun even their en- 

 larged means. Any one may land himself 

 in misery who does that. Finally, it can 

 never be superfluous to preach the ever 

 true doctrine that the key to happiness 

 is conduct. Of those who really feel im- 

 bittered against the existing condition 

 of things how many can truly say that 

 they have been true to themselves; that 

 they have made the most of their op- 

 portunities ; that they have not, by 

 some want of self-control, marred their 

 own careers ? No social state could by 

 any possibility be invented in which a 

 certain number of malcontents would 

 not be counted. With malcontents, who 

 are so by defect of nature or faults of 

 conduct, the hand of power must deal. 

 There is much good to be effected, we 

 firmly believe, by dealing with men as 

 men, individually intelligent and indi- 

 vidually responsible, and doing away as 

 far as we possibly can with the prepos- 

 terous notion that they are pawns to 

 be moved hither and thither by manip- 

 ulators of the tariff and other gentle- 

 men of protective proclivities. Self- 

 help founded on knowledge is the mas- 

 ter-principle of individual and national 

 salvation. 



We invite special attention to three 

 articles on '"Darwinism and the Chris- 

 tian Faith," the first appearing in this 

 number of the "Monthly," which were 

 recently pubHshed in " The Guardian," 

 the leading Church journal in England. 

 These articles are spoken of as " remark- 

 able" by the editor of "Nature," who 

 further characterizes them as follows: 

 " The author is anonymous, but is un- 

 derstood to be an Oxford College tutor, 

 and Honorary Canon of Christ Church. 

 The orthodoxy of 'The Guardian' is, 

 we believe, unimpeachable. We notice, 

 therefore, with gratification that not 

 only is Darwinism thoroughly accepted 

 and lucidly expounded by the writer in 

 'The Guardian,' but that he is an ex- 

 ceptionally well-informed and capable 

 critic, whose scientific knowledge is 

 varied and sound. The publication of 

 these articles in 'The Guardian' is a 

 proof that the clergy as a body are not 

 so unwilling to accept new scientific 

 views as might be supposed were we to 

 regard Dean Burgon as a fair sample 

 of his class." The other two articles 

 of the series will appear in early num- 

 bers of the " Monthly." 



LITERARY NOTICES. 



Evolution and its Relation to Religious 

 Thought. By Joseph Le Coxte. New 

 York: D. Appleton & Co. Tp. 344. 

 Price, $1.50. 



This volume, by the Professor of Geol- 

 ogy and Natural History in the University 

 of California, is a notable contribution to 

 a discussion perennial in its interest. No 

 question to-day more profoundly stirs the 

 minds of thoughtful Christians than how 

 the philosophy of evolution shall modify 

 their convictions. With every passing year 

 it is becoming better understood that it is 

 not with religion, but with theology, that 

 science has had conflict. By a necessity, 

 purely and simply historical, theology has 

 united elements very diverse in value. Its 

 core and essence, religion, has been pre- 

 sented in tenet and dogma always plainly 

 limited by the time, place, and knowledge 

 of creed-makers. With religion have been 



VOL. xxxiii. — 9 



