Current Literature [pp. 483-485]

CURRENT LITER4 TURE.
advantages of social education over domestic; crime and criminals; higher and lower
educational institutes; woman and her emancipation; marriage; the only right principle
of morality; religion and its sources; replacement of faith by knowledge; religion inimical rather than favorable to civilization; materialism and idealism not at antipodes; progressive tendency and programme of materialism.
These are but a few of the more important
subjects which he treats after his own peculiar method and habit of thought. He would
have governments republican, on the principle, that, for the maturation of freedom, the
best agent is freedom. He contends for social freedom as the necessary complement to
political liberation; the family, he asserts, in
its present form, exists only for the rich and
prosperous, while the poor man or the proldtaire know the family only in form, which,
in general, is the direct opposite of what
it should be -the tomb, rather than the cradle of good. Buchner is evidently advancing
backward to the adoption of the scheme of
Lycurgus, leaving the matter of the rearing
of children to the State. In regard to woman, he enters an emphatic plea: "Shall genius and intelligence become of no consequence
merely because they happen to have taken up
their abode in a female brain?" He proceeds upon the supposition, that, in the present status of things, this is inevitable. But
the acme of imbecility is reached only when
he discusses the marriage relation. Marriage
he pronounces essentially a product of human
culture, and hence it must change and ad vance with the increase of culture. And for
the progress of true humanity, nothing can
be more efficacious than the liberation of mar riage from the narrowing bars that now in close it; the proper relation between the two
sexes being a free and unconstrained choice
on both sides, and "dependent for its con tinuance upon the continuance of mutual af fection." Instead of the Union of the best
with the best, as contemplated in Plato's
ideal state, this progressive scientist would
recommend the union of the most suitable
with the most suitable, as the proper method
of producing the best possible race in the fut ure. As for religion, he would advocate its
utter suppression, on the ground that the
more religious a man is the less does he feel
within himself the necessity for culture and
knowledge; its chief ingredients being mystery, superstition, and bigotry, he would substitute in its stead a sensible, philosophical
morality.
But we must pause in our dissection of this
book of advanced scientific thought-of science run mad. We had hoped that Figuier
had climbed the highest round of the ladder
of philosophical absurdity; but it has been
left to Buchner to crown the loftiest pinnacle
with the present work. Darwin, Tyndall,
Huxley, Spencer, Liebig, and Maudsley, are
all eclipsed by the materialistic philosophy
embodied in this remarkable book. Many
of the above named exhibit a candor and
conscientiousness, a dignified fairness, a respectful reverence, as they trench upon the
ground of Christian faith and experience,
which command a reciprocity on the part of
the reader; but the author before us will
plead guilty to none of these. It may, perhaps, be reassuring for Dr. Buchner to know
that many of the most eminent theologians
of the day, while they may dissent from any
given development theory as at present promulgated, yet, at the same time, believe and
assert that any theory of Christianity or Nat ure which is not essentially a development
theory is false from end to end. The Duke
of Argyll may talk of the "Reign of Law;"
but that is only another method of talking of
the reign of the Supreme Ruler. When Pro fessor Tyndall says, "The passage from facts
to principles is called induction, which in its
highest form is inspiration," he makes a
broader concession than the explorers in the
field of speculative thought are wont to do.
This problem of materialism, subjected to
the most rigid analysis, resolves itself, at last,
into the alternative of a Great First Cause,
or nothing; and the inner consciousness,
faith, intuition, inspiration - by whatever
name called-must take the last step on
the ladder whose resting - place is earth, but
whose summit reaches into the very hidden
heart of things, both seen and unseen; and
that summit, when reached, commands a
prospect, the clear brilliancy of which forbids
any obscure, distorted, or erroneous views,
either in regard to creation, creaturehood, or
the Creator.
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