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    We quote those sentences from tth article < bh Neander in the North British Review for February Have we not justified the alarms of Orthodoxy at the spread of German theology among ottr stiidents ?

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    SIR ^ AMES MACINTOSH . the Miscellaneous Works of Sir James Macintosh . Complete in oiie volume . LorigtAsri a"nd Co . Although by no means rivalling the popularity of : Macaulay or Sydney Smithy these miscellaneous writings of Macintosh are worthy of a place beside them on our shelves , and the present edition , places them within very ordinary means . As the pro ' - ductions of a variously accomplished mind they will be esteemed ; but as the productions of one who made a great figure in his time , the next generation will read them with a feeling of

    disappointment . Already Macintosh has grown old' . We were struck with it in turning over the leaves of this edition , " dipping" into it as we cut ; and a more attentive readitig has confirmed the impression . The age has outstripped him in ideas ; and that quality by which alone a great writer livesthe quality of style—Macintosh never could have laid claim to . Not that he was an inferior writer ; very much the reverse . His periods were soriorous and well balanced , his diction elegant and chastened , his phrases clear and syntactical ; and , according to Academic standards , he was an elegant stylist . But here where lay his excellence lay also his defect . The style was artificial not artistic . It

    had the last lingering echoes of that Johnsonianism and sesquipedalian magnificence which for so long sounded throughout English Literature . We do not say that it had the mechanical uniformity of antithesis , and " balanced period" which made style from Johnson to Robertson fatiguing ; Macintosh had caught something of the impetus of Burke , something also of the studied negligence of Dugald Stewart . But the characteristic of Macintosh ' s style is that it is artificial—and has not the artifice of our day , so that it seems as old to us as the costume of 1815 . It is essentially a Latin style : Latin in its diction , Latin in its construction . Judged according to that standard it is elegant , eloquent , clear , and often massive .

    In respect of subject-matter he is in no better condition . We cannot class him among the thinkers . He was a student of philosophy , who never took his master ' s degree . He read many works on the subject , and may be said to have annotated them in a thoughtful spirit ; but real mastery of principles , decisive grasp of the subject , is what we seldom discover in his writings . Take the " Dissertation on Kthical Philosophy" with which this volume opens . It is perfectly charming , and perfectly perplexing . At our first reading of it , in our student days , we classed it among the most agreeable and least instructive of books . The literature of the subject could not easily be better done ; but for philosophy we envy the sagacious mind that can extract solid nutriment therefrom .

    Va < jjue and contradictory in his own conceptions of ethical problems , he is vague and unsatisfactory in exposition of the theories of others . We do not speak of omissions : it would exercise no great erudition to draw up a long list of them ; but accepting the limits assigned by himself , and looking only to his treatment of the subjects chosen , we inuBt call his Dissertation an agreeable failure . The Progress of Kthical Philosophy is not once indicated : the filiation of ideas from one epoch to another is only noticed in the rudest and most unsatisfactory manner . Nor have we such profound analysis of each separate system as might compensate for the absence of historical elucidation . Nevertheless , the Dissertation is , as we said , perfectly charming , and cannot , be read without profit .

    ' 1 ho " Ivssay on the Philosophical Genius of Baron and Locke" is a more substantive performance . ; its few pages show greater power than the whole of the Dissertation . We heartily commend it ; to the ivnder . The " Discourse on the Law of Nature and . Nations" i . s interesting , and contains some really excellent , pages- ; but its philoHoph y is not ; up to the present requirements . " The Life of Sir ThoiiiriH More " - a grave and somewhat heavy biography , would , if written now , be interesting from its opening of tho Communist question . Jt is- no blame to Macintosh that be did not , write for our quarrels !

    Hie most important , works which remain for iih to notice are Vindicuet ( fnllictv-a protest ; against Burke , tst . ill worth reading , though Burke in a wrong cause transcends his antagonist even in a right cause- and the " Review of tho CauttcM of the . Revolution of lf > HK , " which hun received the hit / heat

    praise from Macaulay , and after that one has but to bow . . , . r > It is evident from this slight indication of the contents that this volume is varied and interesting . The learning , the thought , and the graces of style here offered fox one guinea ! / What a store for evenings in the country / How the lonely student would hug such a volume ! How the traveller would delight in placing it in his sea-chest with a three months' voyage before him ! We ' tfho live in libraries have no true appreciation of these on ' evolume editions ; but those to . whom space in packing is of consequence bless the exodus of quartos , and the innovation of duodecimos , and one-volume editions .

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    MOLE ' S SOCIAL SCIKNCE . Lectures rn Social Science and the Otgarii&cttitin of Labour . By James Hole . John Chapman . The growing importance of Sociaftsnif is manifested rri the marked posriitm' it now ofcetipies among dlsctfssiorrs of the day . Still considered by the majority as " Utopian , " it is daily demanding more and more attention from' Serious thinkers ; and unfavourable as the scrutiny may be—mast be —to the various Socialist systems , it becomes more and more favourable to the Socialist dobtrifie . Among the luminous remarks with which the work before us abounds , is this directed against the systematizers : —

    " To improvise a state of society surpassing 1 the visions qf a Fourier or a Cabet , is not a very difficult matter . Man , however , is not made of such plastic material as theorists assume . His individuality must be respected , his free-will held sacred . An organization in which the organized do not cooperate , is not good government—it is slavery . The end of all government , the object of e ^ ery social organization , is , or ought to be , the progressive development and unfolding of each man . To * . iiripbse laws against the general sense of the Community , even with this high object , would be to sacrifice the end in the means . "

    As it is quite clear that Society itself must become Socialist before Socialism can be practicable ( no less than that it must become Republican before a Republic can exist—a truth France illustrates at this moment ) , the obvious duty of all political teachers is to propound the doctrine of Socialism—either to advocate it or to oppose itand so indoctrinate the world . Usurp the convictions of men , and you will soon enthrone your ambition . Agitate , lecture , argue , collect facts , apply principles , and endeavour in all practicable ways to exhibit the excellence of the doctrine in individual examples , so that coincident with the inculcation of Association as a principle men should see the success of Associations as facts .

    James Hole ' s " Lectures" form a not unworthy contribution to this scheme . In eight lectures he examines the Laisser faire theory—the Labour Question—Surplus Labourers and the Poor Law—Organization of Surplus Labourers — the Land Question—Machinery—the Province of Government—and Association : all of tn ' em topics of immense importance , and all treated by him in a serious , thoughtful , well-considered rtianiVe ' r . He is evidently desirous to get at the truth on each topic , and not to display rhetoric . He takes care

    to inform himself of the actual facts , and to give due attention do opposing arguments . Tfh ' ere are no pretensions to novelty—none to any ingenuity in constructing a system ; but the views liere promulgated have the appearance of being fairly his own , inasmuch as lie has thought them out for himself . A calm and moderate spirit ojf justice animates his " Lectures , " which will greatly enforce their teaching . tor example : wherV opposing to the uttermost all landowner . ? , and declaring there should be nothing rVnt kind holders—thuis making , as is equitable , landlordism merely ohe in tin '

    division of employments—lift woiild riot destroy the land monopoly without ofrnip ' eritlation . Nay , be demands complete compensation . Now it is quite clear that compensation is eqUita ^ Ie , but no less clear that society withholds that compensation from those ; who most need , it . Not a' sirieenr ' c can be abolished , but a co ' rripenlsa ' tibn nihbt be giVen to the holder ; not , an' abUtie—however rank can be done away with unless " Vested interests "

    are satisfied . But who thinks of co ' rhpnnhatibn to tho poor workman when a machine in invented which thrown him and tlioitaaridti upon tho streets to starve ? In thiw caw , do not orators and editors inform us that nmchiiiery benefits the public , and will' eventually give fyi mc <> in )> loy ' iftcrU than it now supersedes ? What eomfbt't ib that to those starving ? Tho tnwery of thotiNanrib jn thought cheap ' purcHurte-ttiottti y for tho new benefit

    Bat ; Ifpilblib ViMejtt ; arid no * indiMiiat irltiriSU \ o w w m m , my " cbMmm * ^ 2 ^ why <( eoiripfens&te " landowner ' s ? Tf'he abolitJ 6 n of their claims would benefit the public why &r fi they 6 ' ot £ 6 ttiiBei for £ nd pttblic g ^ qrj—in itttitation of handloota weaver ^ jtnd \ others ? \ # e titit tfhe question cimJely and frofdly , fj ' ecattsfe we wisfi to Jlrusftrate Mr . Hole * s AaTrrteir . * &&& tik see ' s the forte of if is * evident froni tfie ftbrdi we M in italics ; hitt Hh sees al ' stf tnat , tH froth ctiiei , equity dema ' tidtf ctirdbexikaiibii : — J

    " We woufd dri no account sanction tfie cleprfvatinn « r trie present owtfers 6 f their interest in m sotl S all etfents not Withoirt eotfipTete cdrftpe ' ns&Iori . Tfi ' aH Sbcretv has no right to inflict an' evil to ob&in a' good ; ttntil all means have been tried to ' avoid . that evil ; is a principle as vdlidfor landlords as it ought to have been held for hdnd Wdniu ) eaters ' . " Against the modern notion of haissez faire with its attendant principle , Competition , Mr ; Hole ' wages determined war . We do not always concur in his views of Government interference , because we dp not distinctly apiarehend what he regards as

    the true functions of Government . <> ur great complaint is not that Government holds' its true province to be " to do as little as possible . " On the contrary , we think it already does a great deal too much . It will not interfere between master and workmen when the masters , " conibinef j it then says laissez faire ! But it will and does interfere to shield masters from th ' e coWbinatrons of workmen—it then says com petition fe tyramny ! And so of many other things our complaint iar that Government does not carry out its system of noninterference . In the saline way Competition is not free : —

    " It seems stfaWge , itideed , tftat the doctrine Hi ( fee competition between labour and capital , should ever have been tolerated , when we reflefet that the . fundamental condition on which any competition could be justified has never , in th % ( or p ' erti £ p& in any other ) coun ' trj ; , been observed . If # e suppose a cofohy of men Emigrating to a new country , air * dSvfdfng the soil fri e $ uTta' ») leportions among them , however ; unwise the arrangement rnitfht be in other respects , we should at least , perceive no injustice in each man being told to ' do the best he could for himself . ' But if the leader of the barid selected the largest and best portions for himself and foHdWers * , —if he left the majority no share of the soil , i . e ., no share of the fund destined for their support ,-r-we should think it a

    cruel jest to tell them that their livelihood ought to depend upon the proportion between the fund for the employment of labour art& their own numbers and industry , seeing that the source of it was being wasted , or , at all events , monopolized ' , by a few . To rhalie the iniquity more palpable , imagine that each of the members of this colony lived to an antediluvian age , —that one of the more successful followers possessing a large slice of the new territory , had done absolutely nothing during 600 yeats , or , if you" like , had-gone to bed drunk every night during that time , —yet the very fact of his owning the soil and the others not , would ensure him the command of the labour 6 f ten thousand men . Now what possible competition would be here ? But if by the

    original conditions even of such an unjust distribution , the majority had claims ' on' the soil , —and if by accident , fraud , or force , those claims had larVsed , if all legislation had gone oh the one principle of riVaking the rich rich ' er , and the poor poorer , —if commons were added t ' o ' parkc , farms transformed into sheepwalks , arid the rediv ' ision of the soil forcibly preVeritdd by aVbitraVy atid absurd lawa F—to talk of 'free and fttfr competition * would be simple nonsense . Indeed' such the law of England affirms it , in acknowledging the rights of the labourer to a maintenance , though coupled with poor-la \ V conditions . Harsh as the pool 1 -law ia , it iB the last relic of the labourer ' s claim on the soil , and an awkward stumbling-block to the supply and dehland doctrine . "

    J hen , as to the AKBt / Li ' S OP OOMl'K ' flTlOlSr . " Within twenty-four years five seasons of intense commercial distress have visited this county . Experience is lost upon the capitalist , because the intenmty of the evil dons not fall upon him . Under our present system it is nobody ' s atiFitir to inquire respecting any proposed investment ! of capital ' , whether it wjll be u < lvantagcOu ' s to tho public ? Aa far as tho public can , indeed , it preserves itself from tlio ill consequences ot such evils by legal provisions . T | iene l ^ gal eiiactrncntH , monopolies , and charters ' , or whatever form the obstacle to speculation may present , only niltigate , and cart ' '' curt * , tho evils they ure aimed at . Speculation will »' oiitj r , e \ V olije ' cts , new r ' ern ' odicn will be required , » i » ir

    nothing sav < j an entire reversal of the system c » n <" - > ( ' the evils . At one rnorncnt ' oiir poonle are labouring as u detenriincd to clothe tlio world , and , tllreie or aijt i » "V' s nfterwardH , Working half-time , Or no-time . Tho eiU'CtH of thene glutH are familiar to all who live in mtinulueturirtg dititrictR . The wAReis oftlie operative . in » dequ . a' « oven when in full employment to purchase him the com forts of life , prevent any accumulations to ( iheet Ui « pWitida of distrcsa . Heavy rates and os , tra a \ A * arc « i < - miVride ^ l from tho HlioplceeperH aiid tradesmen , preciHr ^ iy When tlleir liteanH of paying them are being withdrawn die custom of t ) ip oporutjvoa on whom , WV dopen" - PaUpOTM truvorse the mroetH in liandH , while hu » K written upbU the faces of tlio larger portion of tho popu - lation . Could' Home wtrahger , unqogrij ^ ant of the «» - cumBtuhccH ' , be placed at onco in the centre of this mu « a

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    130 « 8 * He&ttev . fsiftuiffliY ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 8, 1851, page 130, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1869/page/14/