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Leader (1850-1860), 2nd December 1854, Edition Town of 2, Page 1142, Untitled Article

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      Cribi . cs are not the Iagi 3 labor 3 , but the judges and police of literature . They do nat make laws—tb . evin . terpret aad try to enforce th . era . —^ Edinburgh Review .

      Untitled Article

      JvTeweceb Blackwood nor Fraser this month is so political as might have been expected . Both lave , of course , articles on " the war "—Blackivood in the shape of a " Story of the Campaign , '' written in a tent in the Crimea , and describing events from the setting out of the expedition to the occupation of Balaklava ; and Fraser in the shape of " A . Retrospect of the War in the East , " compiled at home . But neither has any article containing prospective views as to the policy of the war , and calculated to influence public or parliamentary opinion . This is wrong . The magazines ought , generally speaking , to leave the facts of the war to he chronieled by the newspapers , which are certainly doing that duty well ; and ought to address themselves , as befits their higher station and their less frequent appearance , to the politics

      of the war . A vehement magazine article , sounding a distinct note , to be heard by our politicians , might be most effective . Or if magazines will prefer the historical to the . hortatory function , why do they not take up that kind of historical function which , the newspapers leave them ; and , instead of rewriting the mere news of the month , try to clear up for their readers , by lucid expositions , the deeper historical connexions of the present war with Russia- Panslavism , the Greek Church , the institutions of / Turkey , the past and future of Poland , and such like—these are topics which the newspapers can but glance at , and on which the magazines might do good , service . Anarticle in the National Miscellany , entitled " The Russian

      Charch , arid its Effect upon the present War / ' answers our notions in this respect , and is a more opportune magazine article at this moment than any in BlQckvoood or Fraszr . It is not very deep or elaborate ; but , so far as it goes , it is is interesting and instructive . The writer shows that the Russiaa Chuieh , though a daughter of the Greek , has really a character of its own , the result of purely Russian circumstances . He shows also that its power over the Hussian mind lies , not in its doctrine or ability to educate the ; intellect , but in its gaudy and impressive ritual , forming a kind of coarse artistic symbolism , suited to act on the imagination of a barbarous people . Here is . an . accotint of one ceremony in that ritual :- ^ -

      Let us imagine the scene on Easter-eve , an d remember the description of people who are to ha taught the doctrine of the resurrection : the church is almost dark ; the doors of the Ikonoatas , which separate the phfuicel from the body of the church , are closed ; a priest occupies the readingrdesk , praying in . a lo-w and suppressed voice , and occasionally reading a passage of Scripture relating to the events of the week ; the ^ . whole area is thronged mth pepple , hut tb ; ey are scarcely seen in . the gloom , which is . broken , only by light sufficient to enable the priest to read , and to throw a

      gleam on a sort « f mysterious tomb covered-with a pall in the middle of the chvirch . The cloak . Btrikea . In a moment the doors of the Ikonostas fly open -with a ringing sound , the tomb ia removed , the whole church Mazes with light , not only from ita own illumination , but from the tapers which eaoh individual member of the congregation carries in his hand ; the song bursts forth , " Christ is risen , Christ is risen from the dead } " a procession of priests comes forth from the holy doors , singing and swinging their censers ; every bell strikes out , and every cannon thunders forth its welcome , -while rocket after rocket rushes across the sky .

      If Blackwood and Fraser are defaulters in the political , they do their duty in the literary department . Blackwood begins a new romance called " Zaidee , " and has a bright vigorous paper on the " Prospects of the Mo « dern Drama , " and a few pages of pleasant " Personal Kecollections of Christopher North , " by the author of " Tea Thousand a Year . ? ' Mr . Warhen's recollections of the great " Christopher , " are not particularly valuable ; but all papers of this kind are welcome . In Fraser -wo note with praise , as a paper out of the usual track , the conclusion of a series of " Sketches of Dutch Literature , " giving short accounts of the most celebrated of recent Dutch authors — Feith , Hbjumetos , Biu > x ) hpyk , Tojxens , Spam > aw , Dh CMinoci , Da . Costa , Van Tenner Tbb Haav , Dbr Palm , Beets , Mouc , and others . The number contains also a -well-written Notice

      on " Charles HCemble , " with remarks on actors and the drama ; a well-read paper on " English Letter-writers of the Eighteenth Century ; " and an attack on the Lord Mayor's Show , and on the bad taste of the corporation in holding expensive festivities while our troops in the East are suffering such hardships . Agreeing with the writer so far , wo cannot say that we aee the logic of his argument against festivities at the present time . Certain coincidences ought to be avoided as in bad taste ; but very different things may and must $ o on simultaneously in this world of ours . Lot us say , for the gratification of many , that there ia in this , number of Fraser , apoom of some length by Fbbtdebioic Tennyson , entitled " A Legend of Despair . " It contains beautiful linos , but , on the whole , its moaning is obscure , and it must be read in much faith .

      The Southern Quarterly Review ia an Amorioan publication—not in very flourishing circumstances , as we learn from a xathor urgent appeal by the publisher to his subsoribora to rally round hiwi- ~ devoted to the discussion of political social , religious , and literary questions , from the point of view of the Southern States . The great object sooma to bo to uphold *• the domestic constitution'"' of alavcry ; and in almost nil the papers the object ia visible . For instance , the opening paper , entitled "On the Unity of the Human Race , " is , in reality , a plea for the diversity of the human race . The writer reviews the controversy , adduces the groat names on both sides , states the Scriptural

      and ethnological arguments for and against , but decidedly leans to the conclusion that the negro is not a " man and brother . " The conclusion of the article , recapitulating its views , is -worth quoting : — The ground now gone aver cannot be better recapitulated than in the words of Notfe and GUddon ( p . 465 ) . The following points they consider established : 1 . That the surface of our globe is naturally divided into several zoological provinces , each of which is a distinct centre of creation , possessing a peculiar fauna and flora ; and that every species of animal and plant was originally assigned to ita appropriate province . 2 . That the human family offers no exception to this general law , but fully conforms to it ; mankind being divided into several groups of Races , each of -which constitute a primitive element in the fauna of Its peculiar province . 3 . That history affords no evidence of the tranaformatiooa of one Type into another , nor of the origination of a new and Permanent Type . 4 . That certain Types have been Permanent through all recorded time , and despite the most opposite moral and physical influences .

      5 . That Permanance of Type is accepted by science as the surest test of specific character . <> . That certain Types have existed ( the same as now ) in and round the valley of the Nile , from ages anterior to 3500 years B . C ., and consequently long jrior to any alphabetical chronicles , sacred op profane . 7 . That the ancient Egyptians , had already classified mankind , as known to them , into Four Houses , previously to any date assignable to Moses . 8 . That high antiquity for distinct races i 3 amply sustained by linguistic researches , by psychological history , and by anatomical characteristics . 9 . That the primeval existence of man , in widely separate portions of the globe , is proven by the discovery of his osseous and industrial remains , ia alluvial deposits and in diluvial drifts ; and more especially , of his fossil bones , imbedded in various rocky strata , along with the vestiges of extinct species of animals . 10 * That Prolificacy of distinct species , inter se . is now proved to be no test of common

      origin . 11 . That those xaceS of men most separated ia physical organisation— -such as the blacks and the wh&es- ^ -dLo not amalgamate perfectly , but obey the laws of Hybridity . Hence , ' " ¦' / .-. ¦ . ' ¦ . ' '¦¦¦ ' ¦ . '' .. 12 . It follows , as a corollary , that tbiere exists a Genus Homo , embracing many primordial types or " species . " That the diversity theory is absolutely proved , no one can maintain , so long as names venerable in the roll of science hold out against it . But thus much , at least , must , in pur judgment , be conceded in a review of the -whole subject :- ^ -Either there were separate creations of different types of mankind ! or man must have existed on earth for chiliads of years . Both of these propositions may be true—one of them must be true .

      The reader may like to know who are the chief recent advocates of the : " Diversity" theory . The writer of the article enumerates the following : — Morton , Agassiz , Tan Amringe , Hamilton , Smitb , Bxirke , Knox , Cald-well * Jacquinofc , Honibron , Giebel , " Vivey , Bory de St . Yincent , Desmoulins , Broc , Klemm , and Jeune . On the other side he names Pritchard , Latham , Wiseman , Bademan , Smyth , Johnes , Uunsen , Serres , De Salles , Klee , and Buchez .

      Untitled Article

      The Dublin University this month , like Blackwood and Fraser , treats us , ia the political department , only to a historical retrospect of tie war ; but is abundant in literary matter of interest and of various kinds . Bentley ' s Miscellany has a well-timed paper on the " Attitude of Austria , and is particularly rich in light "brilliant odds and ends . Gne article , entitled " Paris Yiveur , Bohemian , and Industrial" ( a sketch of the eccentricities of Parisian life ) , is unusually amusing .

      Untitled Article

      Messrs . Geix-fin of Glasgow announce as forthcoming a collected edition of the works of Lord Brougham , to be issued in parts . By-the-by , it turns out , on the evidence of a manuscript note of the late Lord Cocxbukn of Edinburgh—the biographer of Jefpbey , and the careful collector during his life of everything relating to the JEdinhurgh Review and Scottish literature generally—that the famous article in the Edinburgh on Byron ' s " Hours of Idleness , " which drew forth the " JEnglish bards and Scotch reviewers" stuns ; Byron into the splendid revenge of his subsequent career , was written

      not by Jeffbby , but by Brougham . Lord Cooicburn ' s library , containing many curious and valuable memorials , hast just been sold ; and a collection of tracts , relating to the Edinburgh Review , and Edinburgh politics and literature during the last fifty years , and profusely annotated by Lord Cockwubn , has been purchased by the British Museum for & 51 . 8 s . Gd . The collection consists of 350 volumes of pamphlets , of whioh about 60 . refer to the Edinburgh H , evieio alone . These supply , in some cases , tho only evidence of tho authorship of the essays in that famous periodical .

      Untitled Article

      The death of John Gibson Locichart , if it loaves no distinct social blank to bo filled up , is still an event interesting in all literary circles . Born in Glasgow , tho son of a Presbyterian clergyman , Lockuaut was educated first in Scotland and afterwards at Oxford . He was destined for tho Scottish bar , and had actually begun to practice in Edinburgh , when literature attracted him into another career . It wia about 1816 , after his return from a tour in Germany , in tho course of which he saw Goethe , that ho commenced authorship . It was about tho same time that he became acquainted with

      Scott ; and from that time , till about 1820 , Looichaiit was ono of tho young Tory writers who gathered , round Scott , and , in Blackwood und clsewhqro , kept up tho literary reputation of Scottish Toryism . In 1820 ho married Scott ' s oldest daughter , Sophia ; and tho four or five years following thi 3 marriage wore among tho lnvppiest and busiest years of his life . The > young couple lived nqur Abbotsford , and it was Sooudt ' s delig ht to go over early in the morning , urn ! waken them by throwing gravel up at their bedroom window ; nnd then again in tho afternoon , to coino , wlieu they

      Untitled Article

      1142 THE LEAPED [ £ aotspay ,

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 2, 1854, page 1142, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2067/page/14/