July 5, 1883] 



NA TURE 



223 



devotes the first part of his book to a general criticism of 

 the Evolution theory, and the second part to a considera- 

 tion of the first chapters of Genesis, which he regards as 

 justifying his view that the world " was made by the 

 development of innumerable specific powers." Our 

 readers .iiust not suppose from this form of expression 

 that Mr. Boase seeks to develop a system of Polytheism ; 

 on the contrary he is a Monotheist of the most orthodox 

 type, and by his " innumerable specific powers "means 

 only the properties with which matter has been endowed 

 by its Creator. This, at least, is the only meaning which 

 we have found ourselves able, after a somewhat hasty 

 perusal of his book, to attach to this term, which consti- 

 tutes the core of his " thesis." But if this is his meaning 

 we fail to appreciate the speculative importance which he 

 somewhat ostentatiously attaches to his opinions. For 

 the great distinction which he draws between these 

 opinions and those which are held by evolutionists con- 

 sists, as he says, in their making " no assumption of an 

 unknown matter endowed with an imaginary all-becoming 

 potency." But so far as physical causation is concerned 

 the two statements amount to exactly the same thing ; 

 the only difference between them is the old and well-worn 

 distinction between theism and non-theism — viz. as to 

 whether the observed "potencies" of matter are or are 

 not God-endowed. We cannot see that Mr. Boase has 

 contributed anything new to this question, and therefore 

 regard his work as lost labour. There is a simplicity 

 about some of his remarks which appeals to us as almost 

 pathetic. For instance : — " From my point of view, the 

 occurrence of some of the same kinds of organisms in the 

 rocks of adjoining formations may arise from the remains 

 of the older rocks being transported into the newer forma- 

 tions, or from the older organisms being created anew as 

 a part of the more recent series. ... It may here be 

 noticed that such an alternate destruction and reproduc- 

 tion of living creatures is set forth in the civ. Psalm — 

 'Thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to 

 their dust. Thou sendest forth Thy spirit, they are 

 created; and Thou renewest the face of the earth.' This 

 verbal coincidence is curious, but, of course, cannot be 

 adduced to prove that the doctrine of Creation and science 

 are in accord with one another." If the " point of view " 

 in question is to be thus calmly attributed to "science," 

 the concluding sentence of this passage is one of the very 

 few in the book with which we are able cordially to agree. 



Again, speaking of the creation of Eve, our author 

 remarks : — " It may also have served as an occasion for 

 the important lesson, that the Lord God was the Creator 

 of these living creatures (animals), for immediately after 

 this, God gave Adam a practical proof of His power to 

 create a living being." Practical proof, no doubt, but we 

 should have thought almost more startling than could 

 have been justified for the purpose suggested. Seriously, 

 however, the absurdity which such passages as these dis- 

 play might be amusing from the mouth of a street- 

 preacher ; from a man of cultivation they are, as we have 

 said, pathetic. 



The other work which we have to notice stands in 

 every way at the opposite pole of thinking from the one 

 which we have just considered. For the object of Mr. 

 Yorkeis to show that the principles of evolution are alone 

 sufficient, without any hypothesis of supernaturalism, to 



explain the origin and development of Christianity. The 

 book is, therefore, mainly of an historical character, and 

 although its views cannot fail to be obnoxious to orthodox 

 opinion, the temperate manner in which they are stated 

 ought everywhere to commend the approval of good taste. 

 Moreover, whatever his readers may severally be inclined 

 to think of his arguments, they can scarcely fail to agree 

 that Mr. Vorke has written a highly interesting book. 

 His object being, as already stated, to trace in the ante- 

 cedents of Christianity the natural causes of its rise and 

 progress, he has given a selection of quotations from the 

 Jewish writings about the time or shortly before the 

 commencement of the Christian era, and also of the 

 Buddhistic writings long before it, in order that a just 

 estimate may be formed of the extent to which the world 

 is indebted to Christ as a moral reformer. In our opinion 

 Mr. Vorke has shown a sound critical judgment in making 

 this estimate. On the one hand, he is careful to sift out 

 all the elements of the moral teaching which were, so to 

 speak, in the air at the time when Christ taught ; and, on 

 the other hand, he is equally careful to distinguish the 

 points wherein the "originality of Christ" was shown. 

 Here we meet with what appears to us a more full appre- 

 ciation of this " originality " than is shown by most of the 

 other and some of the more eminent writers of the same 

 school. 



We shall conclude this notice by quoting two brief 

 passages, one to show the high development of moral 

 feeling which obtained among the Jews immediately 

 anterior to the teaching of Christ, and the other to show 

 the degradation of moral feeling which now obtains in 

 the Roman Catholic ministry of the Christian Church. 



" Wear mourning for the Egyptians, suppress the 

 prayer of glorification on the seventh day of the Passover. 

 It is the anniversary of the day when your enemies 

 perished in the Red Sea, and God desires not to be 

 glorified because his creatures have been drowned beneath 

 the waves." 



In painful contrast to the singular beauty of this pas- 

 saga, our other quotation is selected from several pages 

 in the same strain which are republished by Mr. Yorke 

 from two pamphlets written expressly for children by a 

 Reverend Father, whose name is, with a singular appro- 

 priateness. Mr. J. Furniss. As Mr. Yorke remarks, the 

 Rev. Father Furniss evidently feels that in these de- 

 generate days " Hell is not pictured vividly enough for 

 purposes of practical terrorism, and has accordingly done 

 his imaginative best to supply this great want. And lie 

 deserves every credit for his work, for anything better 

 calculated to drive a sensitive child mad with fright it 

 would be impossible to conceive." 



After describing the "Dress of Fire," and the "Red-hot 

 Floor" in one of which there is represented a girl of 

 eighteen, and in the other a girl of sixteen with the Devil 

 taunting their agonies, "The Sight of Hell" goes on to 

 describe — 



" ' The Red-hot Oven.'— See ! it is a pitiful sight. The 

 little child is in this red-hot oven. Hear how it screams 

 to come out. See how it turns and twists itself about in 

 the fire. It beats its head against the roof of the oven. 

 It stamps its little feet upon the floor of the oven. You 

 can see on the face of this little child what you see on the 

 face of all in Hell— despair, desperate and horrible." 



