Foremost if I can. (The "Golden Mottoes " Series.) By HELEN ATTERIDGE. With Original Illustrations by GORDON BROWNE. London: Cassell & Company. 1886.

W

HEN a book for young folks is decidedly attractive to them, and by no means uninteresting to children of greater growth, it attains a high standard; and we think Miss Atteridge's "Foremost if I can" satisfactorily stands this strong test. Its moral is sufficiently enforced without being too didactic. Its characters have marked individuality. Chrissy is charming, and the lads are of the right sort. The scenes from school life are capital. The collie dog, Bounce, who "went under the table to hide his feelings," deserves a word of praise all to himself. "Anything that could be expected of a dog, Bounce could do." The story has both pathos and humour, and is altogether pleasant and readable.

Books of Devotion and Spiritual Reading.

1. The School of Divine Love. By Father VINCENT CARAFFA. Translated from the French of MARCEL BOUIX, S.J. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. 1886.

2. Month of the Souls in Purgatory. By the Abbé BEerlioux. Translated from the French by Miss ELEANOR CHOLMELEY. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. 1886.

3. Consolation to those in Suffering. By the Abbé GUIGOU. Translated from the French. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. 1886.

4. Sister Saint Peter. By the Abbé Janvier.

K. A. C. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. 1886.

Translated by

5. Simple Readings on some of the Parables. By G. G. G. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son.

6. To-day's Gem for the Casket of Mary from her Congregationalists. By a member of the Ursuline Community, Thurles. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son.

7. Maxims and Counsels of St. Ignatius Loyola. Translated from the French by ALICE WILMOT CHETWODE. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son.

8. The Month of the Dead. By the Abbé CLOQUET. Translated by a Sister of Mercy. New York, &c.: Benziger Brothers. 1887. 9. The Glories of Divine Grace. By Dr. M. JOSEPH SCHEEBEN. Translated from the German by a Benedictine Monk. New York, &c.: Benziger Brothers. 1887.

10. Texts for Children. By M. A. WARD. London: Burns & Oates.

11. The Little Rosary of the Sacred Heart. By Mrs. FRANCES BLUNDELL. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. 1886.

1.

FATH

MATHER CARAFFA'S "School of Divine Love," though it hardly perhaps merits the somewhat extravagant eulogy of the writer of the preface to this edition, was assuredly well worth translating. It wants the originality and the decisiveness of a great book, and the chapters are in no ascertainable order, with some amount of repetition. But it is pregnant, effective, and very devotional. A short notice of the author would have been a welcome addition.

2. This translation of one of Abbé Berlioux's devotional manuals advertises itself as appearing "with preface by His Eminence Cardinal Manning." There There is doubtless no regulation length for a preface, but it would have been fair, in the present instance, to have let the intending purchaser know that the preface consists of only fourteen lines. It requires some learning to write correctly about purgatory, and also to translate correctly. The "fire" of purgatory is spoken of on p. 22 as "real," yet on the next page is distinguished against "material" fire. No doubt there is a sense in which it is true to speak of a "never-dying worm" of purgatory (p. 32). It is questionable, in these days, whether it does much good to recall the case of the lady who went to purgatory for having or three times washed her face through vanity" (p. 49). The book is well translated.

two

3. If books are ever of any use in consoling one who is really suffering, this translation of a French manual, approved in 1871 by the Bishop of Fréjus, may be recommended. The devout thoughts which it contains will at least lift up the heart from dwelling on mere pain and sorrow, and assist it to unite itself more firmly with God. The paraphrastic way in which texts of Scripture are given, and given between inverted commas, will not be liked; but the translation seems fairly done.

4. A pious and edifying abridgment of the life of Sister St. Peter, a Carmelite of Tours (died 1848), who promoted with great success the devotion to the Holy Face of our Lord, and the work of reparation in France.

5. Explanations, or homiletic improvements, on the parables, are not so easy as some people think. St. Gregory, even, declines to interpret the parable of the Sower, on the ground that Our Lord has interpreted it Himself. The writer of this book interprets it, but without making this graceful reflection. In the parable of Lazarus, "Abraham's bosom " hardly means "eternal bliss" (p. 130). These readings are what they call themselves-simple-and perhaps a trifle too long. To explain every point of a parable is generally to obscure the main lesson. But the book will be useful for the young.

6. The compiler of this pretty little book is honourably known for her persevering labours in devotional literature. She here gives children of Mary a "thought" for every day in the year; and she

draws her maxims and aphorisms from every kind of spiritual writer, from St. Augustine to the "Rev. Father" of her own acquaintance. Each "thought" is followed by a resolution; and each month is specially dedicated to some particular mystery and virtue. The language is good; but such an expression as "get into a temper" is not English, except in the regions of the girls' school-room. One of the resolutions is," If uncomfortable or inconvenienced, I will silently offer it to God. I will not rest my elbows on the desk." Perhaps the bracketing of a small convent rule with things of greater moment may be apt to give false ideas to children, by confusing their relative estimate of things great and little.

7. A small, but handsomely presented collection of the sayings of St. Ignatius, all of them wonderfully pregnant and helpful. It is remarkable how little they lose by being taken out of their context.

8. Among books on Purgatory this is likely to prove useful. It gives, besides the usual month's considerations and stories, an excellent appendix of Confraternities and Indulgences. It has been approved by many Bishops in France; but it should hardly call itself" approved by the Sacred Congregation." There is more than one Sacred Congregation, and the approval extended to the work by the Congregation of Indulgences only extend to the Indulgences themselves, as appears from the text of the decree.

9. Dr. Scheeben's free rendering of Father Nieremberg's "Glories of Divine Grace" is well translated by a monk of St. Meinrad's Abbey, Indiana. The work itself, to our taste, is neither sufficiently precise and scientific, on the one hand, nor really popular, on the other. Father Nieremberg is a very straggling writer, though his erudition is wonderful. But this translation should be in the hands of every priest and cultivated layman, for we have simply nothing like it. The theology of Grace, apart from one or two abstruse questions, is peculiarly susceptible of being taught to the laity; and this book, which has gone through four editions in German, is an attempt, and by no means an unsuccessful one, to do this.

10. A little book of useful texts for little children; with a page or two of suggestive preface by the Rev. P. Gallwey.

11. The title of this manual rather misrepresents it. It is not exactly the "Rosary of the Sacred Heart," but a useful and pleasing method of practising the Rosary (of our Lady) by meditating on the love of the Sacred Heart as displayed in each mystery. The style seems to be adapted for children; there are perhaps too many "oh's," and too frequent a use of italics for grown-up people. The doctrinal exactness of the book is vouched for by the imprimatur of the Archbishop of Dublin, on the recommendation of Dr. Tynan. We should be inclined to doubt whether it is quite right to say that Our Lord was "teaching" the doctors in the Temple; doubtless he did teach them, but the text says He was "hearing them and asking them questions." It rather jars on one's feelings, moreover, to be told that, in His answer to His Blessed Mother ("How is it that you sought me?") He expresses surprise" (p. 50). This book will be much liked.

66

VOL. XVII.—NO, I. [Third Series.]

R

LIST OF BOOKS RECEIVED

(Many of them too late for notice in the present number).

"The Religious Houses of the United Kingdom." Compiled from official sources. London: Burns & Oates.

"The Chief Periods of European History." By E. A. Freeman. M A., &c. London: Macmillan & Co.

"The Christian Platonists of Alexandria." Bampton Lectures, 1886. By Charles Bigg, D.D. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

66

Mary Stuart: a Narrative of the First Eighteen Years of her Life." Principally from Original Documents. By Rev. Joseph Stevenson, S.J. Edinburgh: William Paterson.

"Ireland and the Celtic Church." By George T. Stokes, D.D. London: Hodder & Stoughton.

Early Letters of Thomas Carlyle." Edited by Charles Eliot Norton. Two vols. London: Macmillan & Co.

"Life of Antonio Rosmini Serbati, Founder of the Institute of Charity." Edited by W. Lockhart. Second Edition. Two vols. London Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.

"A Defence of the Church of England against Disestablishment." By Roundell Earl of Selborne. London: Macmillan & Co.

"The Ignatian Epistles Entirely Spurious: a Reply to Right Rev. Dr. Lightfoot." By W. D. Killan, D.D. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark. "Records relating to the Dioceses of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise." By Very Rev. J. Canon Morahan, D.D. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. "The Venerable Bede, Expurgated, Expounded, and Exposed." By the Prig. London: Kegan Paul, Trench & Co.

"History of England under Henry IV." By J. H. Wylie, M.A. Vol. I. London: Longmans & Co.

"Monotheism the Primitive Religion of Rome." By Rev. Henry Formby. London: Burns & Oates.

"Christian Apologetics." By J. H. A. Ebrard, Ph.D., D.D. Translated by Rev. Wm. Stuart, B.A., and Rev. J. Macpherson, M.A. Vol. I. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark.

"The Great Means of Salvation and of Perfection." By St. Alphonsus Liguori. Edited by E. Grimm, C.SS.R. "The Centenary Edition." Vol. III. "The Mysteries of the Faith." Same Edition, Vol. IV. "The Incarnation." New York, &c.: Benziger Brothers. London : R. Washbourne; Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son.

"Addresses Delivered on Various Occasions." By the Most Rev. Dr. Walsh, Archbishop of Dublin. Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son. "Renaissance in Italy.-The Catholic Reaction." Two vols, By John Addington Symonds. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

"Sir Philip Sidney." By J. A. Symonds. London: Macmillan & Co.

THE

DUBLIN REVIEW.

APRIL 1887.

ART. I.-CHURCH EXTENSION AND ANGLICAN EXPANSION.

HE extension or expansion of Christianity is a phrase which had formerly, in every part of Christendom, and still has wherever the Catholic religion prevails, a perfectly definite meaning. It meant an enlargement of that leavened portion of the human family which had heard and accepted the message from Heaven revealed through Jesus Christ eighteen centuries ago. It meant that the one tree, the Church, sprung from the one grain of mustard-seed, the Christian doctrine, was putting forth fresh leaves and boughs, for which union with the parent stem was life, and separation was death. If meant the progressive execution of the last commission given by the Redeemer to His chosen servants, "Going into all the world, preach the Gospel to every creature." Unitarians tell us that, soon after their Master had left them, his disciples commenced a series of insoluble inquiries about his Person,* and that thence have come all the troubles of Christendom. what else could they do than face each doubt as it arose, probe each question to the bottom as it presented itself, so that they might be sure that they were still holding the same Gospel, and believing it rationally and rightly as at the first. They did so; and thus a Catholic creed and ultimately a Christian philosophy were framed. A "Holy Catholic Church" was the communion of all holding this true creed. The bounds of Christendom were extended when it, and nothing else, was believed in by fresh neophytes. All the nations of Europe were gradually taught this same Gospel, and brought within one and the same pale. The Church prays to this day that as "blessed Stephen "-king

But

* Dr. Martineau's article, Contemporary Review, July, 1886, p. 11. VOL. XVII.—NO. II. [Third Series.]

S