452 



LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1872. 



LITERATURE, CONTINENTAL, IN 1872. The 

 movements in Continental Literature, in 1872, 

 will be seen by the following extracts from 

 the correspondence of the London Athenceum : 



BELGIUM. The Franco-German War, 1870- 

 '71, has turned public attention in Belgium 

 to two great problems popular education and 

 national defence. They fill the columns in the 

 newspapers, they are discussed in public meet- 

 ings, and give' rise to innumerable essays, 

 pamphlets, and writings of every kind. The 

 publications of the past year are naturally 

 colored by these absorbing interests. We 

 have a series of books on military subjects, 

 which Muquardt (Henry Merzbach) has made 

 his specialite. Among the most remarkable 

 may be mentioned " Commentaires sur la 

 Guerre, 1870-'71," with maps and plans, by 

 Major Van de Velde ; "La Fortification & 

 Fosses Sees " (with an atlas), by Colonel Alexis 

 Brialmont ; " Des Chemins de Fer en Temps 

 de Guerre " (second edition), by Captain A. de 

 Formanoir ; the " Bombardment et la Fortifi- 

 cation Moderne," by Captain Piron; and the 

 " Souvenir de la Guerre Franco-Allemande au 

 Point de Vue Chirurgical," by Dr. Henry van 

 Holsbeek. 



Among the publications relating to educa- 

 tion, the small but interesting work by Charles 

 Buls may be mentioned, " Une Excursion Sco- 

 laire Londres." The author explains the 

 method of popular instruction adopted in Eng- 

 land, and gives the history of opinion on the 

 subject of education. The Educational League, 

 a powerful association, started for the purpose 

 of enforcing obligatory secular education, has 

 published the prospectus of an organization of 

 education on this principle. This prospectus, 

 the work of several persons distinguished by 

 their special knowledge of the subject, is en- 

 riched by an appendix and notes. M. Emile 

 de Laveleye has written a work upon this 

 same question, entitled " L'Instruction du Peu- 

 ple," which contains official information on 

 the present state of education in various civ- 

 ilized countries. 



As regards belles-lettres not much has been 

 done. The "Fables" of the late Marechal, 

 with a " Study " upon this form of instruction, 

 by A. Pichard, and a biography of the author, 

 by Prof. Le Roy, introduce us to an agreeable 

 and original author. The poem " L'Annee 

 Sanglante" (1870-'71) contains some vivid 

 and energetic verses. Emile Leclerq has pub- 

 lished an interesting novel, called "Maison 

 Tranquille " (" Quiet House "). Another clever 

 novelist, Charles de Coster, has written " Le 

 Voyage de Noces," a little tale, which has 

 caused great discussion, and had no less suc- 

 cess than the delightful " Contes Flamands," 

 which first made his reputation. M. Stecher, 

 Professor at the University of Liege, has pro- 

 nounced an oration upon the Flemish language, 

 and the utility and advantage of the study of 

 it to Belgium. It is a remarkable discourse, 

 and has excited great attention, because it 



touches upon a question which is always warmly 

 discussed. "L'Etat et 1'Eglise," by Ernest 

 Allard, gives a curious history of the relations 

 between these two p'owers in Europe, but es- 

 pecially in Belgium, down to the present day. 

 The author pronounces in favor of the absolute 

 separation of the two, and insists upon the 

 necessity of abrogating those of the decrees of 

 Napoleon I. which are contrary to the Bel- 

 gian Constitution of 1831. 



A curious and original work has been writ- 

 ten by J. 0. Houzeau, entitled "Etudes sur 

 les Facultes Mentales des Animaux comparees 

 a celles de FHomme." The author deals hi 

 turn with the automaton, the intelligent being, 

 and the sociable being. These two volumes 

 constitute a study of comparative psychology. 

 The subject treated upon is exactly that of Mr. 

 Darwin's recent work, " The Expression of the 

 Emotions in Man and Animals." " Le Systeme 

 Penitentiaire," by August Visschers,' is an 

 account of the construction of the Maison de 

 Force, at Ghent, erected by order of the Flem- 

 ish States in 1771. It notices all the different 

 kinds of prison discipline attempted in this 

 excellent prison down to the year 1872. A 

 most noticeable work must be especially men- 

 tioned, " M6moire sur les Causes des Effets 

 Bienfaisants, et sur les Causes des EfFets 

 Nuisibles, des Boissons Alcooliques," by F. 

 Haeck. The author treats this question broadly, 

 and believes he has found a chemical method 

 of eliminating all the noxious elements from 

 alcoholic drinks without depriving them of any 

 of their virtues. 



Coming to the domain of philosophy, we 

 have to make mention of " Les Coinmande- 

 ments de 1'Humanite," by G. Biberghein, Pro- 

 fessor in the University of Brussels. It is a 

 little catechism of general morals, after the 

 manner of Krause. The author places himself 

 on the outside of all revealed religion, and 

 traces a succinct code of morality, which is 

 binding upon all men, whether they are free- 

 thinkers or orthodox believers. We must also 

 mention a discourse by M. Looman, Rector of 

 the University at Liege, upon " La Libert6 

 dans la Vie Morale." He passes in rapid re- 

 view the theories of the anti-spiritualists, and 

 refutes them. 



In the field of literary history we have to 

 mention the last four volumes, fourteenth to 

 seventeenth, of " Les Chroniques de Froissart," 

 edited with so much judgment and learning by 

 Kervyn de Lettenhove. We may remark by 

 the way that the seventeenth volume contains 

 a hitherto unpublished fragment, in which 

 Froissart himself gives us the abstract of his 

 chronicles. 



In the history of art, a curious monograph 

 has been written by Alph. Wauters, " Sur la 

 Vie et les (Euvres de Hugo van der Goes," one 

 of the most original, and .the least knov.n 

 painters of the Flemish school in the fifteenth 

 century. 



Judicial literature has been enriched by sev- 



