Theological and Literary Itelligence [pp. 569-580]

1875.] THEOLOGICAL AND LITERARY INTELLIGENCE. 57~
and C. Dudley Warner, is the subject of a sketch of American Life and Manners not
very flattering and often exaggerated, by M. Th. Bentzon; Chicago and St. Louis,
the Two Rivals, by Simonin. The most interesting article, theologically, is by Renan
(in the number for March 1), on "The Apocalypse of A. D. 97-the Last Prophet
of the Jews," i. e., on the Fourth Book of Esdras, which Renan assigns to this da!e
(as do Holtzmann, Tischendorf, and others)-putting John's Apocalypse, which he
grants surpassed all others, about A. D. 68. Renan says, "The peculiar glory of
the people of Israel is its prophetism." The 4th of Esdras is, next to John's Revelation, the most remarkable product of this hopeful and courageous prophetic
spirit. In fact, on the lowest ground of putting it, in Hebrew prophecy we have
the very beginning of any large and general views of the course and aim of history.
The Comte de Paris communicates an article (from his forthcoming volume) on theCapture of New Orleans, extolling the exploits of Farragut. M. de Laveleye
reviews Maine's Lectures on the Early History of Institutions (the Breton Laws
and the old Celtic Jurisprudence of Ireland). M. Alfred Fouille'e has an admirable
criticism on the "English Doctrine of Right and Law, as founded on Self-Interest or
Utility," in which he discusses vigorously the theories of Bentham, Mill, Bain,
Austin, and others, and acutely exposes the fallacy of this theory. He says: "Descartes declared,`Give me matter and motion, and I will remake the world.' In like
manner, Bentham and his school say,`Give us pleasure and pain, and we will
create a moral world and human society.'" "The English school may refine the
doctrine of utility as much as they please, but they can never make from it a disin
terested rule, a principle of law and right. This can only be achieved by elevating
the idea of moral right above all men (all self-interest), or, to use the English phrase,
by`a loyalty' superior to utility and to force."
Wevue Chrjtienne, 1875. January to April. Lichtenberger, a Discourse pronounced
at the re-opening of the Free School of Religious Sciences, Strasbourg; L. Massebicau on Alexandre Dumas, the younger, as a moralist-a severe and just criticism
E. de Pressense on the old Roman Religion and Christianity, commending most
cordially a recent work of Gaston Boissier, on the Roman Religion, from Augustus
to the Antonines; L. Gruner, on some late works upon the Harmony of the Bible
and Science, viz: Pozzy and Rivier on the Bible Doctrine of Creation; E. Bersier, Paul and Onesimus; P. Rouffet, the Jesuits and the Church of Rome, reviewing
Prof. Huber's able work on the Jesuits; Ch. Waddington on Eschenauer's Universal Morals-an able work by a French pastor, which received a prize from the
French Academy; J. Penel, Instruction at the Sorbonne and the College of France;
Ed. Stapfer, Unedited Letters of Maine de Biran and of Stapfer; Ch. Waddington,
the Science of the Good; Th. Roller, the Present Ecclesiastical Crisis; L. Rey, a
series of articles on the Autobiography of John Stuart Mill; Edmund Stapfer, History of NIessi~nic Ideas, from Alexander to the Emperor Hadrian-a review of a
work with this title by Maurice Bernes, discussing chiefly the apocryphal literature;
Julien Penel, Mr. Gladstone and the Roman Question; F. Lichtenberger, on recent
German political and religious movements.
La Critique Philosophique is the title of a weekly review, edited by MM.
Renouvier and Pillon, now in its fourth year, which is devoted to the interests
of a spiritual philosophy, and of moral ideas, against the prevalent materialistic
skepticism. In the numbers for this year are articles on Criticism, Skepticism,~
and Certitude; Proudhon's Anti-Theism; History and Metaphysics of the Aphorism,