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LITERATURE.
REVIEWS.
In the Fortnightly Mr. Frederic Harrison
reviews Professor Huxley's " Essays on Some
Controverted Subjects," and complainB that
Eositivism is identified with comtism, and that
e personally is supposed to endorse every
thing, scientific or otherwise, laid down by
AuguBte Comte fifty years ago. At the same
time the language held by Professor Huxley to
express his agnosticism is so near to what is
the Btandard of positivism that the Professor
may be bailed as a brother. One says,
" Believe only whatyou can positively prove
the other says, "Do not believe what you
cannot so prove;" but both look on the
service of humanity as the religion of life.
Mr. Hiram Maxim, in dismissing "Aerial
Navigation," says there are two kinds; the
first to ascend by means of balloons filled with
gas lighter than the atmosphere, the other to
ascend by means of a dynamio machine with
foroe enough to rise and to overcome
the inertia of that atmosphere. This latter
kind is being thought out, and will in time be
oompleted, and as such flying machines will be
birdlike they can be guided, and they will re
volutionize warlike operations; in faot, be
hopes they will make war too terrible to con
ftntio tn Avtafc. Mr MflBBtncrhnTn. nn "'I'lio
tinue to exist. Mr. Massingham, on "The
Trend of Trades Unionism," prophesies that
it is necessary to transform the Secretary of
the Parliamentary Committee of the Trades
Union Congress from an " item" of a political
party to the most powerful political agent in
Great Britain and Ireland. . . . The votes
are now taken by show of hands at the Con
gress, and this is inadequate, and, besides, the
numbers of representatives sent is not in any
way proportioned to the numbers of members
of the several Unions. The amalgamated
engineers, with 70,000 members, sent five re
presentatives to the recent Glasgow Congress,
while the card room operatives—55,000—
sent sixteen; the dockets, with 30,000,
had only five; and the two great Unions
of railway servants and workers—45,000 in all—
only had three votes. Belfast Trades Council
had four votes and the London Trades Council
with five times the members haul but two.
. . . They need proportional representation,
iifiective Voting, but that idea has not entered
Mr. Masshigham's bead. Mr. Pater's leoture
in connection with the University Extension,
on " Raphael" gives an account of a wonderful
brief career, for the artist died at the age of
thirty-seven. Mr. Swinburne's on " Victor
Hugo's Notes of Travel,"goes baoktothe early
years of a long life, and leaves us at the time
of Victoria's accession and the rise of Dickens
to a place in English literature. If Swinburne
did not deal always in superlatives he would
be more satisfactory. Few Frenchmen and
still fewer Englishmen will place Viotor Hugo
on hiB panegyrist's pinnacle. Mr. Gundry
writes on "Russia and China,'' with special
reference to the British position in India. Mr.
Earl Hodgson in Our Weekly Reviews does not
think the old established ones have really
fallen off. If anything only lasts long enough
people will be found to lament decadence. He
says the even quality of style ani of opinion in
both the Spectator and the Saturday Review
giveB one the idea that one pen might have
written the whole collection printed together
which we know came from many minds. "The
University of Fez" tells us to what a low ebb
education has fallen in what was onoe a great
seat of learning to which people Hocked from
distant lands. The accompanying map of the
world shows bow geography is conceived of in
1892, in Morocco. M. Brunetiere's paper on
the "Characteristicof French Literature," its
addressing itself always and everywhere to
society, accounts for its being weak in epio and
in lyric poetry.
Sportsmen will like the review of " The
Barren Ground of Northern Canada," and Mr.
Warburton Pike's search for caribou and musk
oxen, and people interested in Broken Hill will
find in Mr. Samuel Montague's "Silver and
Indian Finance" a temperate advocacy of
bimetallism on the basis of 20 oz. of silver to 1
oz. of gold. "Are we to wait till bankruptcy
threatens all our Indian Banks and even our
Indian Government 1 Are we to wait till the
rupee falls to a shilling or to ninepence before
taking some action in self-defence ?"
Yearbook of Sooth Australia. —Messrs.
E. S. Wigg & Son have sent us a copy of the
Yearbook of South Australia for 1893. As a
compilation of statistics for reference the
publication has no rival. Its only fault, if it
be a fault, is that much of the contents are too
cosmopolitan in character. Instead of the
lengthy contribution on" Irrigation in Austra
lia," from the able pen of the Hon. A. Deakin,
we would have preferred to see a obatty artiole
setting out the progress of water conservation
and irrigation within the boundaries of South
Australia. An historical sketch of the colony
is compressed into one page, whioh comes
nearly at the end of the book, and there is little
apart from dry official figures to show how our
people are engaged. The Under-Secretary
(Mr. L. H. Sboll) has supplied a
chapter on the divisions, area, and occupa
tion of the lands of the province, and
a useful map is appended to the volume. Agri
culture—with brief references to vitioulture,
wattle-growing, and the bee industry—and
mining get special notice. The Governmental
returns are very complete and well arranged,
and a vast amount of matter is collated whioh
will be of value to the commercial community.
For the price of Is. the publio have in the
yearbook a work whioh can hardly fail to be
helpful to every taxpayer in the colony.
New Books fob Boys.—From Mr. W. O.
Rigby we have reoeived two volumes belong*
ing to Messrs. Blaokie & Sons' popular series
of books for boys. One of these is from the
copious pen of the versatile G. A. Hentv. It
details the story of Godfrey Bullen, an English
youth who, during a residence in St. Peters
burg unjustly comes under suspioion of being
associated with the Nihilists. Be is arrested
and deported to Siberia, where the restraints to
whioh he is subjected, and the cruelties that
oome under hiB observation, nerve him to a
determined resolve to esoape. His first essay
proves unsuccessful, but later on he manages
to elude the vigilanoe of the guards, and by a
succession of devices, as boldly executed as
they are ingeniously planned, he aooomplishes
the perilous journey back to Western Europe.
Hishaubreadth 'ecapesandthrilling adventures
among wild animals and wilder men met
with in the Northern regions afford material
for a narration of great dramatio power
which cannot fail to be of absorbing interest to
all classes of readers, and particularly to the
class for which the tale is principally intended.
The other volume, " The Captured Cruiser," or
"Two Years from Laud,"is by C. J. Hyne.
The name of the author is not so well known
as that of many another contributor to the en
tertainment of youth, but this work proves
that he knows something of the Beoret of how
attract the boyish imagination and capture
the boyish heart. The story deals with the
war between Chili and Peru, many of the
factB connected with whioh are stronger, more
romantic, and more tragic even than real
fiotion. The lovers of marvellous incidents
by flood and field will have no reason to be
dissatisfied with the feast of sensationalism
which the book affords. Both of the volumes
contain several spirited illustrations, and are
well got up as to paper, printing, and binding.
"Peabs' Annual. "—Messrs. E. 8. Wigg
and Son have sent ub a copy of the Christmas
number of " Pears' Annuel," whioh is described
as a whole picture gallery for one shilling.
The letterpress of the publication oonsists of
Dickens's well-known but ever fresh and
delightful Christmas carol in prose relating
the experiences of the immortal Sorooge.
The story is copiously and admirably illus
trated by Charles Green, R.I., who in
bis sketches and more elaborate pic- -
tures has fully entered into the spirit of the
carol. Attached to the number are no less than
four separate presentation plates. One a large
scale copy of the familiar " You Dirty Boy"
picture originally drawn by Fooardi, and the
others beautifully finished reproductions in
colours of paintings by Eugene de Blaas, J.
Haynes "Williams, and Maynard Brown, en
titled respectively "Curiosity," "A Merry
Christmas to You All," and " Pluck, or Where
There's a Will There's a Way." The original
proprietor of Fears' soap has done wonders
in the way of raising advertising to the level of
a fine art, and the Company whioh now hold
his rights evidently intend to follow in his
footsteps and, if possible, to better his example.
The publishers of the annual are Messrs.
Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent, & Co.,
of London.
The Chbistmas "Gbaphic."—'We have
received a copy of the Christmas number of
the Graphic. It consists of thirty-two pages
and two pictorial supplements, and is
undoubtedly the best of the series of attractive
Christmas publications issued by the proprie
tors of the paper. The number contains
several pages of humorous descriptive illustra
tions, produced in colours in the most spirited
and artistio manner. There are also several
beautifully finished coloured pictures, one of
them covering an entire sheet and representing
John Charlton's choice painting, "Visiting
Grandpapa at Christmas, three others being
htdf-sbeet reproductions of Delaposa Downing'e
' On Tour in the Province," Phillip Stratton's
" Leave Me Alone," depicting a watchful dog
curled up on his master's hunting-coat, and
Camil Stucklik's "A Romance of Bygone
Time." Three pages are devoted to giving a
glimpse behind the scenes of the Graphic and
Daily Graphic, all the processes of production
being indicated by well-drawn sketches, num
bering thirty-one in all. The coloured supple
ment, entitled " Lucky Dog," is taken from a
painting by G. Burton Barber, and represents
a puppy in the act of being fondled by a
bewitching young lady in full evening costume.
The grouping ie singularly natural, the tinting
and general execution of the work highly
artistic, and the title could not be improved
upon. " The News of Our Marriage" is a
study in black and white, from a picture
by J. J. Fissot, and depictB a blushing bride
and her youthful husband conning the news
paper containing the account of their wedding.
The "Graphic Advertises."—We have
received the first number of this advertising
medium. Although the publication contains
no literary matter, the workmanship bestowed
upon the advertisements deserves a word of
praise. They are well designed and printed
clearly. A number of lithographed views of
South Australia serve to incite interest, and the
paper is made more attractive still hy portraits
of Mr. Gladstone and Sir William Jervois,
although that of the latter is not quite like
the pictures we are accustomed to see.
The Septcagint.—A "find" of immense
interest to the Biblical world was that shown
by Professor Hechler at the Oriental Congress
during the week (says the Whitehall Review of
September 10), and whicb may probably turn
out to be the most ancient papyrus of the
LXX. version of the Old Testament. The
extreme antiquity of the manuscript is attested
by the unoial characters in which it is written,
whioh would place it well before 300 A.D., but
still more by the absence of divisions between
the words. The manusoript consists of six
teen sheets written on both sides, or thirty
two pages, eaoh about 10 in. by 7 in. The
manuscript reached Vienna a few weeks ago,
and Professor Hechler submitted to the in
spection of his audience one sheet of
the manuscript enclosed in two pieces
of glass. The papyrus contains the
greater part of the prophet Zeohariah,
f om about, the fourth chapter, and parts of
the Prophet Malachi. The manuscript is in a
very fair state of preservation, each line con
taining from fourteen to seventeen letten, and
the sheets are bound together in the form of a
book in a primitive but very careful manner,
and tied together with strips of old parchment.
There is no doubt that the original scribe had
an excellent copy of the LXX. before him, as
iB clearly indicated by tbe various readings.
There are, for example, readings whioh are
wanting in many of the LXX. manuscripts.
Some of tbe new readings surpass some of the
other LXX. texts in clearness of expression
and simplicity of grammar. A second scribe
had also evidently corrected occasional mis
takes of orthography made by the original
copyist. These corrections may still be olearly
distinguished by the different colour of the
ink.
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