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LITERATURE, AMERICAN, IN 1884. (THEOLOGY.) 



suggestive discussion of the question of intem- 

 perance in Gustafson's "The Foundation of 

 Death," which is a cyclopaedia of facts on this 

 topic as well as a strong argument. 



Among American reprints may be selected a 

 trio of important works on one of the pressing 

 problems of the day. Fraser Rae's " Contem- 

 porary Socialism " is an able historical sketch 

 of the forms of socialism now prevailing in the 

 theories and aspirations of the world, and H. M. 

 Hyndman is the author of u The Historical Basis 

 of Socialism in England." Greenland's " Co- 

 operative Commonwealth " is another contribu- 

 tion to the same subject. W. H. Mallock re- 

 views the theories of Henry George with his 

 usual brightness in "Property and Progress," 

 and uses the weapons of satire as well as those 

 of logic. A translation of Prof. Laveleye's 

 ''Elements of Political Economy" was made 

 by A. W. Pollard, of Oxford, and Walter Pol- 

 lock is responsible for an essay on the "Land 

 Laws." A new edition was issued of Thorold 

 Rogers's "Six Centuries of Work and Wages." 



Philosophy and Metaphysics. This department 

 of thought has had very few important addi- 

 tions during the last year, and none of these 

 was by American writers. Mrs. Corson trans- 

 lated Janet's "Elements of Morals," a work 

 ranking high in the philosophy of ethics. The 

 school of philosophic pessimism was illustrated 

 in the translations of the leading works of its 

 two great lights. Schopenhauer's " World as 

 Will and Idea" and Hartman's "Philosophy 

 of the Unconscious " rank as two of the great- 

 est recent statements of philosophical opinion, 

 though they find but little following among 

 American thinkers. To the above short list 

 may be added a biographical sketch of Leib- 

 nitz, by Morz, and one of Vico, by Prof. Flint. 



Theology and Religion. This department was 

 richer in American contributions than any 

 other branch of intellectual thought. The con- 

 cluding volume, "Persia," of the late Dr. Sam- 

 uel Johnson's " Oriental Religions," a work 

 projected and executed on a most elaborate 

 plan, was issued. The survey given by Dr. 

 Johnson of religious thought in the East, of its 

 influence on Christianity, and of its connection 

 with philosophical speculation in modern times, 

 is comprehensive and masterly. In the Bohlen 

 lectures of the year we have a work of a simi- 

 lar character, under the name of " The Con- 

 tinuity of Christian Thought," by Rev. A. V. 

 Allen, tracing the evolution of religious history 

 from the beginning of the Christian era. This 

 may be regarded by the student as comple- 

 mentary to the former work. Dr. R. S. Storrs, 

 one of the most scholarly among American 

 clergy, in the " Divine Origin of Christianity," 

 summed up with great ability the argument of 

 Christian evidences. One of the sensations of 

 the year in religious literature was Rev. Heber 

 C. Newton's " Book of Beginnings," contain- 

 ing the author's interrupted course of lectures 

 on the book of Genesis. Prof. Joy brought 

 the fruits of a rare linguistic scholarship to 



bear in " Quotations in the New Testament," 

 a book of much value as an aid to the Biblical 

 student. Dr. Pentecost furnished an exege- 

 sis of Exodus in "Out of Bondage." Other 

 works on the Bible were " The Great Argu- 

 ment," by Dr. Thompson, which included 

 studies on all the books of the Old Testament, 

 and Dr. Lowrie's " Explanation of the Epistle 

 to the Hebrews," said to be the fruit of many 

 years of thought. In "The Apostles' Creed," 

 Rev. Charles R. Baker gives an excellent ex- 

 position. A number of notable books in hom- 

 iletics belong to the religious literature of 

 the year. Among these may be mentioned 

 " Teachings and Counsels," by Dr. Mark Hop- 

 kins, one of the veteran religious writers of 

 the country; "Pastoral Theology," by Rev. 

 J. M. Hoppin ; " A Manual of Preaching," by 

 Rev. Franklin W. Fisk ; Hunt's " Principles 

 of Written Discourse," an admirable manual of 

 rhetoric for theological students and preach- 

 ers ; and Cheesebrough's " Children trained 

 for Discipleship." " A System of Christian 

 Theology" is the title of a volume gathered 



from literary fragments, manuscript notes, and 



unpublished sermons, left by the late Rev. 

 Henry B. Smith. This, in connection with two 

 preceding volumes, completes the exposition 

 of his views on theological questions. A " Life 

 of Paul," well adapted for popular reading, was 

 written by Rev. Dr. Taylor, and under the head 

 of " Some Heretics of Yesterday," a collection 

 of lectures, Dr. Herrick furnishes a very read- 

 able account of religious opinions during four 

 centuries. Rev. James Freeman Clarke treats 

 the Pauline theology from a Unitarian point of 

 view in " The Ideas of the Apostle Paul trans- 

 lated into their Modern Equivalents." Rev. 

 Joseph Cook is responsible for another volume 

 of " Boston Monday Lectures," published under 

 the name of " Occident," and discusses modern 

 religious and philosophical thought with orac- 

 ular certainty. We have also volumes of ser- 

 mons and lectures perpetuated in book-form in 

 u The Reality of Faith," by Rev. Newman 

 Smyth, and "The Reality of Religion," by Rev. 

 H. J. Van Dyke, Jr. The sermons of the Rev. 

 Dr. Ewer, recently dead, are given under the 

 name of " Sanctity and other Sermons," and a 

 volume of Mr. Talmage's pulpit-talks may be 

 recognized by the title of the " Brooklyn Taber- 

 nacle." Some of Henry Ward Beecher's best 

 bits are served under the name of " Comfort- 

 ing Thoughts." A Unitarian view may be 

 read in " Beliefs about the Bible," by Rev. 

 Dr. Savage. Another contribution to what is 

 known as liberal Christianity is Eddy's "Uni- 

 versalism in America," the first volume of 

 which only has been issued. Minger's "Lamps 

 and Paths" is designed for juvenile readers. 

 A very interesting contribution to hymnology 

 and religious biography is found in Nutter's 

 "Hymn Studies," a critical view of the stand- 

 ard old hymns, with sketches of their authors. 

 The Vedder Lectures for 1883, delivered by 

 Rev. J. B. Drury, were issued in book-form, 



