Every one knows what great suc ANSWERS TO NON-CATHO- cess Mgr. Ségur had in popular LIC OBJECTIONS. izing the science of apologetics. In all of his various little works in defense of religion, and of the true faith, he certainly does meet the ordinary man-of-thestreet on his own ground. Consequently, these little volumes have done an immense good. The present one, Answers,* is on a par with the others, and is a good book to place in the hands of the many unfortunates who, being half-educated or poorly educated, have proved themselves unable to withstand the ordinary cheap arguments against religion and the Church. It is a pity that the publishers should choose such a lurid cover-page design, and it is questionable whether the rather melodramatic pictures sprinkled through the text, will attract readers with any power of discrimination. But the text is solid and substantial and sensible, and every Catholic might do well by reading it, and then do better by sending it abroad among his non-Catholic friends. LIFE OF ST. TERESA. The latest reprint of St. Teresa's autobiography † will be a benefit to two classes of readers especially; those hitherto dismayed by the more or less repellant character of the only editions accessible to the English public will find their hesitation overcome by the attractions of the new edition; and those until now unacquainted with this truly great work will be able to familiarize themselves with it under the most favorable circumstances. When all is said, it remains true that no small share of one's impressions about a book is due to its external appearance, and to the ease with which the text can be read; and the pleasant looking volume before us-printed in new pica type and bound in octavo-certainly offers every inducement to the reader that the publisher could supply. As for the contents of the book, apart from the statement that the pres *Answers to Objections against the Catholic Religion. By Mgr. de Ségur. Shermerville, Ill. The Society of the Divine Word. The Life of St. Teresa of Jesus of the Order of Our Lady of Carmel. Written by herself. Translated from the Spanish by David Lewis. Third Edition Enlarged. With additional Notes and an Introduction by Rev. Father Benedict Zimmerman, O.C.D. London: Thomas Baker. ent edition has been very carefully and helpfully edited by Father Zimmerman, there seems little excuse for saying anything. It is the story of the inner life of one of the most remarkable women and greatest saints that ever lived-told, as the biography of such a one should be told, in her own words. A great many lessons on prayer, and indeed lessons on all the virtues of the Christian and religious life, are to be learned out of this book. It may safely be recommended as one of the classical pieces of spiritual literature. THE BOOK OF BOOKS. We strongly advise all of our readers who can get through a German book with some degree of ease, to read Dom Hildebrand Höpfl's small volume on the Bible.* It is the best manual of introduction to the study of Holy Writ that we at present possess. It deals with Inspiration, Principles of Interpretation, the Devotional, Ascetic, Homiletic, and Scholastic use of the Scriptures, the Nature and Problems of Criticism, and the History of Biblical Study among Catholics. Each of these topics is treated with competent erudition, a loyal Catholic spirit, and an open-minded readiness to adopt untraditional methods and to accept new conclusions. Dom Höpfl, as readers of his Die Höhere Kritik will remember, holds fast with one hand to conservative theology, and offers the other in no unfriendly greeting to modern criticism. Thus, for example, in the present volume, he maintains robustly the doctrine of the "Providentissimus Deus" that there are no errors in the Bible, and at the same time he concedes that the sacred writers wrote both their science and their history according to the imperfect methods and in the feeble knowledge of their time. He would make no objection to the position that the patriarchal narratives embody a large amount of folk-lore and tribe-saga, and he cites with approval the opinion of C. Pesch, S.J., that Judith and Esther may not be historical books, but only extensive parables. And in the question, now in the true sense of the word a burning question, as to the relation between the religion of Babylon and the religion of Israel, he is not less judicious. For while he considers it extreme to hold that Das Buch der Bücher. Gedanken über Lektüre und Studium der Heiligen Schrift. Von P. Hildebrand Höpfl, O.S.B. St. Louis: B. Herder. the first chapters of Genesis are purely allegorical and symbolic, and founded upon religious ideas which the Hebrews borrowed from Chaldea, he admits that the inter-relation of these two Semitic peoples has been of greater moment than orthodox students of the Bible have yet realized. He concludes his remarks upon this subject with an earnest wish, which will find an echo in many hearts, that Catholics should throw themselves into the strife of biblical study in greater numbers and with better equipment. The very existence of traditional Christianity is at stake in the struggle, and Catholic scholars are not in the place of honor which in the nature of the case they should occupy. We have mentioned only one or two of the features which make Dom Höpfl's little book a valuable addition to our literature. We might have spoken of other excellent qualities; but all who are au courant with the drift of scholarship will understand, from what we have said, that this is a work to be procured and read and studied. INTEMPERANCE. The Anglican Bishop of Croydon has written a little work on Temperance which is eminently creditable to his ability, his piety, and his zeal. In fourteen short chapters he considers some of the chief aspects of the drink problem, gives a large amount of useful information, and offers many valuable suggestions for temperance workers. His tone is earnest but moderate. He does not dogmatize, he launches no denunciations, and excites no animosities. But he displays a spiritual fervor, a love of souls, and a trust in God that charge his pages with persuasiveness and power. We are certain that his book will do great good; our wishes for success attend it. Some of the more striking matters brought out by Dr. Pereira are the splendid reform work accomplished by the Salvation Army, the excellent fruit of inebriates' homes, the fine opportunity for the crusade among military and naval men, and the great importance of systematic temperance teaching among children. On such topics as these this small volume gives hints, directions, and statistics which are of unusual value. Not the least admirable pages of the book are those in * Intemperance. By Henry Horace Pereira, Bishop of Croydon. Handbooks for the Clergy Series. New York: Longmans, Green & Co. which he reminds the clergy of their privilege and their duty to be in the forefront of the battle-line of temperance. THE HIGHER LIFE. President Harper's addresses to university students have many qualities which are admirable, and others which no believer in a fixed Christian creed can approve. Dr. Harper is a strong, earnest, and sincere man, heartily holding to religion as he sees it, and honestly desirous to do good to others. His moral counsels, admonitions, and warnings are simple and straightforward, his tone is natural, his language without pretence. He deals candidly with difficulties, and does not close his eyes to obstacles, drawbacks, and doubts in the Christian life. But when he comes to creed, a Catholic must part company with him. For the learned doctor is of opinion that the day of priesthoods, of final dogmas, and irreformable theologies is over. He says this respectfully, it is true, but decisively for all that. He believes that an unchangeable standard of orthodoxy is logically impossible, and that each man's mind and conscience are the supreme seat of religious authority. This is the modern development of non-Catholic Christianity, of course, and we have ceased to be astonished at hearing it stated. This is not the place for the refutation of such an opinion, and we shall not delay upon it. It is a logical outcome of the denial of Christ's Divinity. If our Lord is God, his word must be irrevocably fixed and forever immutable; but because belief in his deity has so widely disappeared, he is regarded not as the end, but as only the beginning of the religious life of mankind. One thing Dr. Harper says which is encouraging. That is, that religion is not decreasing in our greater universities. Denominationalism, he admits, is on the wane among advanced students, but belief in God is striking deeper root than during the preceding generation, and there is a notable growth in the conviction that the higher life of man must be based upon the character and teachings of Christ. We trust that this is so. For if the intellectual leaders of the country retain so much of the religious sense as these two convictions imply, we need not fear that ultimately the American people will grow out to the full stature of the truth of God. •Religion and the Higher Life. By William Rainey Harper. Chicago: The Chicago University Press. Father Lucas' conferences * to CONFERENCES TO BOYS. the Stonyhurst boys are simple, By Father Lucas. straightforward, earnest talks which must have done good to those who heard them, and will do, we trust, still greater good to the larger circle that will read them. This collection contains thirty-one brief sermons on the chief duties of the Christian life-prayer, penance, the thought of God, vocation, resistance to temptation, etc. Admirable as we found them in substance, there is a deficiency in them which we regret. Not much is said of duty, conscience, interior and personal spiritual power, and the sacred idea of honor as applied to the religious side of life. So far as we can see this omission is very common in our spiritual literature, and it is a fatal omission. In a country like England or America the whole tendency of civil and social life makes for the deepening of individual responsibility. Men are free, and the anchor that holds freedom back from the current of license is the sense of duty. So deep down in the heart of every freeman lies a love of duty, and a conviction that through. duty leads the way of salvation. And when this persuasion is supernaturalized and religion is brought out of the region of mere observance, and into the region of individual honor, it gains a power of appeal that is as efficacious as it is noble. Let us have in our Catholic books and in our Catholic preaching vastly more about conscience, religious fidelity, and spiritual manliness. MORAL EDUCATION. By Griggs. Those who are familiar with the philosophy of the author of Moral Education, will scarcely need to be told that his latest book says very little, either good or bad, on the subject of revealed religion; and, nevertheless, religion is a force of immense significance and value in the process of moral training. Taken as the utterance of a writer concerned exclusively with the non-religious aspect of the question, the volume is one which well deserves to be considered by all who are interested, theoretically or practically, in the educational problems confronting the present generation. It should do something to elevate the standards, to clarify the ideals, and to stimulate In the Morning of Life: Considerations and Meditations for Boys. By Rev. Herbert Lucas, S.J. St. Louis: B. Herder. + Moral Education. By Edward Howard Griggs. New York: B. W. Huebsch. |