Of the Associates, none has come out so strongly as Mr. Fildes, but he is too strong. To paint Van Haanen subjects life-size is surely a mistake—unless, indeed, it be done by a great master of colour; and this Mr. Fildes is not. Gay, and daring, and ingenious his colour may be, but it is not fine. Gaudy even as a decoration, it clashes and flashes with crude contrasts unblended and inharmonious. But it is strong, and so is the force with which the artist presents his Venetian beauties; and, in design, both his large group, "Venetian Life" (390), and his single figure, "A Venetian Flowergirl" (747), are picturesque and clever. Unfortunately, Mr. Van Haanen's contribution, "Afternoon Coffee" (721), is unusually scattered and confused in composition, and the figures at the end of the room are ill-relieved; but it is full of painting of high skill. Better as pictures, but not so masterly in execution or refined in feeling, are "After Church" (423) and "Secrets" (839), by M. de Blaas, the latter of which is humorous and life-like; but, on the whole, the palm for pictures of this kind rests this year with Mr. Woods, who, without any ambitious effort or popular appeal, shows in several bright little pictures of Venetian life and Venetian sunlight a growing skill, a sure and untroubled aim, and a sense of colour that are the best augury for his future. "Venetian Cloisters" (446) is, perhaps, the best of these charming little pictures. As usual, scenes of "foreign parts are very numerous. Mr. Boughton sends a vigorously drawn "Fieldhandmaiden, Brabant" (80), with her head against a warm pearly sky, one of his best studies of the kind; an unsentimentalised, but withal a graceful, figure, painted (as her green and red cabbages are) with breadth and refinement, and surrounded with that moist Northern air he knows so well how to render. His " Village below the Sand-dunes, Walcheren" (458), is a sincere study of clouds and sea and sand; but the houses in the village seem too small. Though it were a pity, perhaps, that Mr. Woods should desert Venice or Mr. Boughton desert Holland altogether, there is too much, not only of foreign countries, but of foreign influence, in the pictures of the year, especially those by younger artists. Mr. Blandford Fletcher's scenes from France are certainly very clever; his "Leader of Public Opinion" (405) is well drawn and well studied in character, and his other works are full of promise; but we are getting tired of French grays and greens. French blue, as seen in Mr. Stanhope Forbes' "Preparations for the Market, Quimperlé," is still more tiresome. Miss Clara Montalba's shadeless "Middelburg" is, indeed, luminous enough and to spare; and Mr. Clausen's picture of very solid labourers (124) seated on very unsubstantial ground is no doubt very cleverly painted-almost as good and as ugly as a Bastien Lepage. Nor can it be denied that Mr. John Reid, in his "Ugly Customer" (669), has gone almost as far as possible towards the abolition of shade, though scarcely equally successful in preserving a sense of distance. All these things are more or less due to foreign influence, and not the best foreign influence. Our young artists seem to be doing their best to denationalise themselves, especially in the rendering of light and air, in which their best models are to be found in England and in English painters. Even in this poor "Academy the best work by English artists is the most English work. The best picture of "beauty" is Mr. Albert Moore's exquisite "Reading Aloud" (416), and it is best because he does not pretend to be a Greek, but gives us English girls and Spanish lace and all the most beautiful things that he, in England, in the nineteenth century finds to admire; the best dramatic pictures are Mr. Orchardson's Mariage de Convenance" and Mr. Lucas's 66 "After Culloden" (noticed last week), both as English as they can be; and the best landscapes are Mr. Hook's and Mr. Peter Graham's. Moreover, the attempt to denationalise is never successful. Even when painting nature, an artist is seldom authentic except at home, and Mr. Mesdag's gray seas and skies of Holland are more to be trusted (if the hanging committee would only have the courtesy to hang them where they can be seen) than those of a foreigner. Not that our artists have not learnt much, and may not learn much more, from foreign artists, but it should be in things in which our school is weak, not in which it is strong. They may learn style from M. Bougereau, tone from M. Fantin, execution from M. Van de Beers, gain vividness from Impressionists, and improve their technical skill from a hundred foreign sources; but the attempt to rival such masters, or, indeed, any real masters, on their own ground is fruitless, and the tendency to adopt their manners can only end in the destruction of native impulse and the product of a hybrid art. COSMO MONKHOUSE. THE GROSVENOR GALLERY. II. the successes of Mr. Orchardson, whose influence is strongly felt in the style and execution of both works. A Rose in June" (189) repre sents a young lady in a morning gown of white, dreamily gazing at a full-blown rose which she holds. This is by far the more successful of the two pictures, and has much charm both in the simplicity of the conception and the breadth and directness of much of the execution. Less agreeable is 66 Far from the Madding Crowd" (214), another young lady, whose garments are somewhat complicated and inharmoniously arranged, standing alone in the glade of a park, in painting the background of which Mr. Macbeth seems to have been fired with a sudden desire to rival the achievements of the "Impressionniste" school-without success, however, except in respect of incompleteness, for he does not apparently possess their peculiar quality of realising an effect or "impression" at a certain distance. The gallery contains three works by Mr. John Collier, of which the most important is the portrait of "Mrs. George Peck" (95), who is represented standing upright against a curtain of white on very light gray, wearing a dress of white brocade, relieved with a few touches of a brilliant dark red. The technical difficulties of this combination have been happily overcome, and the figure stands out well; the rich material of the white dress, AMONG the most remarkable portraits of the with its changing reflections, being especially year are those of Mr. Hubert Herkomer, who well rendered. On the other hand, the painting has acquired an increased power of characterisa- of the head is open to the charge of lack of char tion with a certain sympathetic quality which and a certain paintiness in the carnations. A is often wanting in the otherwise powerful and study by Mrs. John Collier (223), painted highly successful works in portraiture of Mr. almost in monochrome, of a youthful female Ouless and Mr. Frank Holl. There may be figure, entirely nude, lying on a low sandy specially cited the portrait of "R. C. Beavan, shore, is very carefully drawn and modelled. Esq.," an admirable half-length, largely and and is altogether a work of promise. Mr. brilliantly painted, but which suffers, on closer Whistler has this year, in his own peculiar inspection, from the looseness and insufficiency style, produced an admirable work, the portrait of the modelling. Most of this painter's works of "Lady Archibald Campbell (150). Many are open to the same reproach, though, per- portions of the picture are worthy of the haps, in a less degree than in former years. highest praise, and once more prove, on the Another fine and sympathetic portrait is the painter's part, a close study of the art of full-length of "C. S. Parker, Esq." (42), where, Velasquez. Particularly noticeable are the however, the head is the only portion of the arrested onward motion of the little, graceful canvas in which the painter has taken any figure, and the natural action of the gloved special interest, even the hands being rendered hands, which are rendered with extraordinary in somewhat summary fashion. Mr. Philip skill. The curious tones and reflections of the Calderon has made a new departure with his otter-skin cape worn by the lady are also "Aphrodite" (38)—a picture which has many felicitously given. Mr. Whistler has so often merits, among which cannot certainly be classed shown himself a subtle and harmonious its title. His divinity may be "fresh as the colourist, and is so fully equipped for success as foam," but she is not "Idalian Aphrodite regards technical power and accomplishment, beautiful;" the goddess, in her lightest mood, that he might now surely abandon his someshould not be so entirely human-nay, modern what eccentric position in contemporary art. and Parisian-in aspect. As a study from the and aim at taking as a painter the position nude the picture has much to recommend it, which he might undoubtedly grasp if he and deserves the more notice as being a success would only think the effort worth the making. in a branch of art upon which English painters The younger French school is represented by too rarely venture. The foreshortening of the the American painter Mr. J. S. Sargent, torso is remarkably skilful, and the entire whose portrait of" Mrs. T. W. Legh" (203) will abandon of the pose well rendered. The deep scarcely satisfy those who bear in mind his rebrilliant azure of the sea is not sufficiently re-markable performances of the last few years. lieved by the vibrations of colour which the strong movement of the waves would naturally produce, neither is the idea of palpitating, ever-varying movement sufficiently indicated. Mr. Orchardson exhibits a picture painted in 1881, "The Farmers' Daughter" (85)-a young girl clothed in light-coloured rustic garments, feeding, with evident delight, a flock of pigeons, of which one special favourite perches on her left arm, while others at her feet cover the foreground of the picture. The girl's figure is charming in its freshness and unstudied grace, and her face especially should be noticed as a rare example of real mobility and animation of expression, unmarred by consciousness or affectation. The drawing and painting of the right arm do not appear quite in harmony with the youthful elasticity of the figure. The two pictures of Mr. R. W. Macbeth again demonstrate his desire to emulate It has passages of surprising dexterity, such as the painting of the diaphanous black fan which the lady holds; but the whole is distressingly flimsy, and bears evidence of haste and want of interest on the part of the painter in his subject. Better things may be exacted from the painter of "The Gitana" and the portrait group of children exhibited at the Salon last year. Another American painter, Mr. Julian Story, exhibits three works, of which the Aesop" (212)-a group of semi-nude, somewhat academic-looking figures who sit at ease listening to the humorous teaching of Aesop shows abundant evidence of sound training in a French studio, and some mastery over facial expression. On the other hand, his portrait of "Card. Howard" (207) is unfortunate in colour, and entirely lacks the distinction which the subject requires. Very successful in its way is "The Rival Grandfathers" (35) by Mr. J. R. Reid, who, without losing his English individuality, has, in some respects, profited by the example of the modern French school as regards technique. Two old fishermen compete for the notice of a little girl, their grandchild, to whom they are exhibiting the wonders of a telescope, while her mother stands looking on. The background is one of calm sea and coast upon which the figures have hardly sufficient relief. The quaint simplicity of the subject and the skill and truth of the rendering are alike to be commended; but exception must be taken to the general scheme of colour-almost entirely a combination of blue and green, which on so large a scale is anything but agreeable. Among other figure subjects too numerous to allude to separately may be mentioned the two contributions of Mr. Matthew Hale (125 and 200), both of them classical subjects showing to a certain extent the influence of Mr. Alma Tadema. These possess considerable merit, but suggest the idea that the artist is not as yet completely acclimatised as an oil painter. 66 Many of the landscapes exhibited bear unmistakable traces of the influence of Sig. G. Costa, which seems already in some cases to have borne good fruit. His own subtle and poetical art is represented this year by one canvas only, "St. John Lateran from Villa Mattei " (10)—a subject which gives less scope than usual for the display of his best qualities, and the rendering of which cannot compete with many more successful pictures by the same hand. Yet the representation of the early Italian spring, with its wealth of blossom and delicately harmonious tints, has much of genuine charm and shows loving care. Of the same school is a fine landscape, Evening" (159), by Mr. M. R. Corbett, representing a sunset seen from wooded mountain heights overhanging a Southern sea. Very beautiful is the suggestion of perfect happy calm which the picture conveys, and to which the calm sparkling sea, the sky with its sunset tints, and the foreground occupied by a few sheep and a solitary female figure in repose, all contribute. The picture of Mr. Alfred Parsons, "Meadows by the Avon" (60), is very patiently and skilfully drawn and studied, and the subject is a well-chosen one; but it suffers from paintiness and a lack of atmospheric effectdefects which often mar the otherwise faithful transcripts from nature of this artist. There is no want of the latter quality in Mr. J. W. Hennessy's refined ""Twixt Day and Night' (87), which bears evidence of much study of the art of Corot; it would perhaps gain by a little added decision and compression in some parts of the picture. Mr. Mark Fisher has three pastoral landscapes kindred in subject and style, of which the most important is "Homewards" (213). All are artistically composed and well painted, and are unmistakably the work of an accomplished artist; but the painter unfortunately repeats the same scheme of colour and the same effects ad nauseam, and labours apparently under an inability to see nature in any but one particular and very limited phase. Among many other landscapes which deserve notice may further be mentioned Mr. Keeley Halswelle's "A Bed of Water-lilies," a careful performance in his usual manner; Mr. Henry Moore's "The Sea-weed Harvest," in which he breaks fresh ground, but cannot this time be said to have achieved complete success; and, finally, Miss Clara Montalba's 66 The Port of Middleborgh," a picture remarkable for atmospheric effect, and the rich and delicate harmonies of colour in which she delights, but which we cannot consider an advance in completeness and thoroughness of drawing and execution, qualities which she has never completely attained. Most of the sculpture exhibited is on a small scale, and does not call for extended remark. The most noticeable and unfortunate exception is Mr. R. Barrett Browning's "Dryope fasci- many creditable efforts is yet one of the 66 CLAUDE PHILLIPS. NOTES ON ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY. THE illustrated Catalogue of the exhibition MR. AYSCOUGH WILKINSON has just hung at IN our report last week of the meeting of the THE STAGE. 66 THE RIVALS" AT THE HAYMARKET. ware MR. BANCROFT has presented at the Haymarket For Mr. Pinero to play Sir Anthony Absolute required an effort, and a valiant effort has been made; the result is highly commendable, if it is incomplete. Mr. Pinero fails somewhat in the expression of rage; and we cannot help suspecting throughout the greater part of his performance that Sir Anthony was a man who laboriously played at being absolute, but who was glad when the slightest pretext was afforded him to drop Perhaps this is really Mr. Pinero's view of the the mask of obstinate dogmatism and self-will. character, and, if so, he may have good reasons for entertaining it. But at the same time we cannot avoid surmising that Sir Anthony was played is due rather the minor key, so to speak, in which to the general aim that has governed this revival than to the personal taste of Mr. Pinero in playing it. For Sir Lucius O'Trigger-generally a very fiery person-is played by Mr. Alfred Bishop with but a very limited display of ardent character; and the Captain Absolute of Mr. Forbes-Robertson, accounted rather tame. Mr. Bancroft plays though quiet and gentlemanly, must be nearly all that he plays with an air of conviction, and his Faulkland is no exception to the rule. Mr. Lionel Brough is, we cannot but consider, the best Bob Acres now on the stage; his art in his low comedy is as complete in its way as is that of Mrs. Stirling in her high comedy. We cordially acknowledge Mr. Brookfield's successful effort to give a little local character to David, who, as heard at the Haymarket, speaks with the accent of Somerset. carries the hearer along with him in his tale of While attracted by the charm and cleverness of this new work, it is difficult to say how it What are we to say of the ladies? In "The will be received and judged by musicians. It Rivals" only one of them has the opportunity does not seem to us a revelation, it opens of being really distinguished, and that is the up no new paths, and it occasionally reminds representative of Mrs. Malaprop, who has us, though without direct plagiarism, of BeethThese been distinguished for nearly half a century. oven, Schumann, and Mendelssohn. Mrs. Stirling is in the Indian summer of her reminiscences are not by any means displeasing, yet they show where the composer's heart lies. art; her performance has about it the com- He appeals to us in sweet and, at times, noble pleteness of experience and of gentle self- strains, but, nevertheless, in language of the confidence. The utterance of every word and past. To speak boldly, it is a great and ineach ceremonious gesture help to the attain-teresting third attempt on the part of Brahms ment of the effect required. The generally to measure himself against his great prestately presence of Mrs. Bernard-Beere is decessors; and, though we cannot regard somehow subdued to the modest requirements the work as a landmark in the history of musical art, it is nevertheless one which will of Julia Melville; and Miss Calhoun plays add much to its author's reputation, and which, Lydia Languish with graceful command of whenever played as it was last Monday, her resources, and, where that may be, with cannot fail to give real pleasure and satisfreedom and charm. Miss Gwynne, too, is a faction. The Symphony, completed only last sufficient Lucy; simple, we can hardly wish year, was produced on December 2, 1883, at her to be, but unabashed. Vienna, under the direction of Herr Richter, and the talented conductor may be congratulated on the first performance here under his bâton. To accept the encore for the third movement was, however, an artistic mistake. Why does not Herr Richter set his face against encores? They are bad at all times, but especially so in a work where the sequence of movements with regard to character and tonality is a matter of serious moment. The programme of Monday's concert included the overtures of "Egmont" and "Obéron," the "Sieg FREDERICK WEDMORE. MUSIC. The BRAHMS NEW SYMPHONY IN F. JOHANNES BRAHMS' third Symphony was heard for the first time in England last Monday evening at the fourth Richter concert. production of this noble and earnest work is an event of no small importance. The musical world listens with respect and with the deepest interest to each fresh utterance of one of the greatest of living composers. Brahms, and next to him Dvorák, seem to be the two who OFFICIAL fried Idyll," and two songs from "Die Meister- MUSIC NOTES. THE Bach Choir gave a very good performance of Mozart's " Requiem" Mass at their second concert, last Wednesday evening. The soloists were Miss Carlotta Elliot, Miss Helen D'Alton, Mr. W. Shakespeare, and Mr. Frederick King. Miss Elliot deserves a special word of praise. While commending the performance as a whole, we must say that once or twice there was not a complete understanding between conductor and choir, and also that the "Benedictus" and "Agnus Dei” were taken too fast, especially the former. Brahms' "Gesang der Parzen was sung. Further acquaintance does not make us like it any the better; the words were sung in German, but the rendering of the new work was not very satisfactory. The programme included portions of a Bach Cantata and the "Credo" from Cherubini's Mass in D minor. AT the College for Working Women, 7 Fitzroy Street, a lecture and entertainment hall has just been built. The committee and friends of the college have lent their aid towards defraying the cost, but there still remains a debt of some £80. To meet this a concert will be held in the Steinway Hall on Saturday next, May 24. Miss Mary Davies, Miss Kate Flinn, Mdme. Antoinette Sterling, Miss Agnes Zimmermann, Mr. Herbert Reeves, Mr. Barrington Foote, and Herr Emil Mahr have all generously given their services; and Mr. Alexander Macmillan has undertaken to defray the incidental expenses. Hence the entire receipts of the concert will go to the fund. PUBLICATIONS ISSUED BY THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF THE have specially undertaken the task of persuading INTERNATIONAL HEALTH EXHIBITION. us that classical forms are still valid, and that instrumental music can still maintain its ground in spite of Wagner's assertions and his new art theories. Thus a new Symphony by Brahms brings fresh and weighty matter for argument. With regard to the work itself, we consider it one of the composer's most successful attempts. The subject-matter is dignified and attractive; and not once does Brahms allow himself to be mastered by his mystic moods or by his at times prolix method of development. The characteristic featurs of his style, the mixede rhythms, the polyphonic combinations, and the peculiar harmonies, are all present; but the form is throughout so clear, and the leading theme of each movement asserts its supremacy in so masterful a manner, that the listener easily understands what is set before him, and his interest never flags. WM. CLOWES & SONS, LIMITED, are instructed by the Executive Committee to announce that the WHOLE of the IMPORTANT LITERARY OUTCOME of this Exhibition will be issued in a collected form, complete, with copious Indices, in Fourteen Volumes, demy 8vo, cloth : The first movement, in F (allegro con brio), after two chords, commences at once with the bold principal theme in six-four time; the second subject, in the key of the mediant, and in nine-four time, is extremely graceful; and after a clever development section and usual recapitulation the quiet coda attracts special notice. The andante, in C major, is, perhaps, one of the most pleasing slow movements ever written by Brahms; it flows on so sweetly, so smoothly, that one scarcely likes to find fault with it for a certain lack of originality or depth of thought. So, again, with the following alle-Emin gretto; the plaintive melody in C minor, first given out by the violoncellos, has a peculiar fascination, and the delicately scored middle section is most welcome, although the movement has no very marked individuality. The finale aims at higher things; the composer is in a heroic mood, and from first note-to-last he 0 10 6 IN THE PRESS. Vol. 13 forming Vol. 14 " ANALYTICAL INDEX Any of these Divisions may be had separately at the above prices, or a Complete Set will be supplied for £6 68. LONDON WM. CLOWES & SONS, LIMITED, Outlines of Psychology, with Special Reference to the Theory of Education. By James Sully. (Longmans.) As the title of this book seems intended to indicate, it aims at serving a double purpose, or rather the purposes of a double set of readers. So far as it deals with the outlines of psychology, it is a book for students; and something of the continuity of treatment desired by other readers has been sacrificed to the advantages which a text-book is supposed to gain from the accentuation and punctuation of the thought by the machinery of paragraphs, headings, and varieties of type. On the other hand, as is almost a matter of course, the theory of education is treated from the teacher's point of view; and it is not at first obvious why young students of psychology should be expected to take a more lively interest in the applications of psychology to tuition than in its applications to experimental or political science or to any other practical calling. The explanation is probably simple and innocent-namely, that a large proportion of the students examined by the author, and found to be in want of a book on psychology revised and corrected up to date, are actually preparing for or engaged in the teaching profession; and, if so, there can be no objection to apposite references, by the way, to their special requirements, though it is to be hoped that they will not run away with the idea that there is any specially close and intimate connexion between their chosen art and the science to which Mr. Sully introduces them, as such an impression would interfere with the duly disinterested mastery of the science. Criticism upon single points in a volume of the size (over seven hundred pages) is almost necessarily misleading as well as captious in appearance, because it is impossible to enumerate at proportionate length the instances in which accepted doctrines are clearly put or newly illustrated. In general the value of the work may be said to consist mainly in a convenient restatement of the doctrine and analyses of the English school of psychology, so re-arranged as to leave space for all that is known and part of what is foreboded as to the physiology of sensation and thought. This is a work which has not been done for the present generation of students; and Mr. Sully is not to blame if his summary leaves a lurking sense of disappointment in our minds at finding ourselves, after all, so little the forwarder for all Mr. Spencer's imaginative grasp of the metaphysics of psychology, Mr. Lewes's imaginative forecasts of its physiology, and Dr. Bain's continued work upon the lines of psychology proper and unmixed. But even this disappointment might disappear if we were condemned to turn from these Outlines to the text-books in general use a 66 are human enough to differ very widely among themselves, and their aims, motives, and mental processes are at times wholly inIn the sternness of his resolve not to be scrutable. A careful record of the ages at seduced into the flowery fields of metaphysics, which such primitive mental processes as Mr. Sully does perhaps rather less than might observing, desiring, and grasping are successhave been wished to show the philosophical fully accomplished, would be valuable if the starting-point of the analysis of mental pro- cases given were sufficiently numerous and cesses; and at times the extremely simple all above suspicion of mistake; but its mode of statement which he has chosen, as if interest would be mainly biological, and it to avoid controversy and make things easy to would be difficult to exclude the risk of the student, rather defeats its purposes, and misinterpretation, unless all observations invites, after all, the kind of criticism which is on the first-born were tabooed. We know reserved for first principles. For instance, how often the parental interest in the first we are told at the outset of the second chapter sweet smile of the babe is crushed by the that the aim of mental science "is to establish scornful dictum of the experienced matron, as many general statements or propositions "Only wind on the stomach!" And, at the about mind as possible," to which one might later age, when it would be exceedingly valuobject with the Quaker, "Thereafter as the able to trace the order and pace of the propositions may be." The phrase is meant average child's progress in the power, e.g., seriously, for the statement is repeated a few of naming and generalising, it would be pages farther on that "the psychologist desirable, if possible, to check the data colanalyses and classifies mental phenomena in lected by philosophical observers not specially order to go on to make comprehensive asser- learned in child nature-by a committee of tions about them," which assertions are monthly nurses and infant-school mistresses, truths of mind;" and, apart from the form of empowered to eliminate all cases in which the proposition, there seems a deliberate in- the interesting action or remark can be excompleteness in it, answering to the definitions plained by a bit of wanton wilfulness of in the paragraph before of sensation as "the thought (like the one quoted on p. 425) or discrimination of a sense impression from by pure animal or childish silliness, as when others" (as if it were not necessary to have words apparently significant are spoken at sensation A before judging it to be not only the prompting of some unknown physical identical with itself, but different from sensa- stimulus, not as part of a coherent mental tion B), of perception as the marking off of process. Mr. Sully says of the "Why" of a group of impressions, and of thinking as the a three-year-older: "He now looks at things separation of whole classes of objects. And, as occurring for a purpose, and can only later on again, thinking is described as con- understand them in so far as they present sisting, "like the simpler forms of cognition, some analogy to his own purposive actions." in discrimination and assimilation, in detecting It would, no doubt, be of the utmost psydifferences and agreements," as if apprehension chological importance if it could be shown or perception necessarily involved the more that the average child at that age, sponcomplicated processes of comparison and judg-taneously, and apart from the inspiration of ment, which are, nevertheless, treated as separ- idle and unphilosophical nursery maids, ate. The philosophical doctrine of the rela- arrived at the idea of "reason" (or zureichtivity of knowledge throws no light on the more endes Grund) before it arrived at the idea of elementary problems of scientific psychology."cause" (or Ursache); but a casual opinion Nor is it quite satisfactory to be told that mental phenomena "are commonly called states of mind or states of consciousness," without some further definition of the phenomenal existence of mind which it is the business of psychology to investigate, as distinguished from the mental "thing in itself" which is abandoned to the philosopher. A similar illustration of the difficulties of elementary teaching may be found on p. 427, where the author humanely substitutes new and original specimens of the syllogism for the time-worn " All men are mortal;" but, unfortunately, from the educational point of view, the propositions substituted are such as any moderately argumentative child would have much pleasure in confuting by the legitimate logical process of "denying the major." about one child is scarcely the beginning of such a demonstration. If my own experience were wide enough to be worth counting, I should say that a child's "Why" should I do so and so? means, "What am I to gain by it?" and his "Why do you do so and so?" means, "What are you and I to gain by it?" while his enquiry into the why and wherefore of external phenomena represents a disinterested search for antecedents. If the nursery is to throw any light upon these questions, the babies must be taken as seriously as if they were earthworms. Another passage seems to show that the supposed experience of children is only referred to to illustrate a full-fledged theory, not as furnishing experimental science with primary facts to work on. We read (p. 562): At first the child's repugnance to wrongPending the revelations still looked for from doing is little more than the egoistic feeling physiology, the most valuable addition recently of dislike to or fear of punishment," though made to the resources of the psychologist is it may also "manifest a feeling of deferperhaps that to which Mr. Darwin first ence towards a command impressively laid seriously called the attention of philosophic down." Now, for a utilitarian psychologist fathers-namely, the interrogation of the to take Bentham and Austin for granted is, domestic baby. But, like all new and fas- perhaps, allowable; but it is scarcely so to cinating studies, this branch of psychological invoke the authority of children, and omit all investigation requires to be pursued with the evidence they have to give in favour of caution, and a holy dread of basing general the derivation of moral ideas from customary statements upon single observations. Babies use and wont, rather than positive law. With children, as with dogs, the memory of having been naughty is quite distinct from the fear of being found out or punished; and there is, further, the large class of cases in which children and school-boys form special independent moral codes, to which they conform spontaneously, without penalties, and often in defiance of the direct moral teaching of their elders-instance the feeling of shame, generically like that felt on doing wrong, when a child finds itself markedly different from its fellows, more shabbily or very much more smartly dressed, with short hair in the midst of long or the reverse, or in any way at variance with the customary code. After all, the psychologist who expects to find a utilitarian motive for every process that goes on in the human mind is as much at a disadvantage as the student of any natural science wedded to a fetichistic interpretation of the universe. The doctrine of evolution recognises the beginning of conscious, selfinterested processes and tendencies in the animal, almost in the vegetable, world; and it must evidently recognise also in man the continuance rather than the absolute end of blind, deaf, unconscious properties, which have their share in determining the action of the human animal, and indirectly, through his action, his conscious, purely human appetites, desires, and emotions. In treating, early in the volume, of the "interdependence of intellectual, emotional, and volitional development," Mr. Sully truly observes, "The growth of feeling in its higher forms involves considerable intellectual development, but no corresponding degree of volitional development;" but, subsequently, after describing actions consciously voluntary actions as directed towards some end, and the end as Outlines may be welcomed as a substantially EDITH SIMCOX. Earth's Voices, Transcripts from Nature, Sos- MR. SHARP's maiden volume disclosed to us a He committed little sins of style which "Beneath the awful full-orb'd moon." claims as a poet. Something, we must admit, of his old disregard of tiny details-his disdain of polishing a pebble, let us call it still cleaves to him. In a song on p. 97 of his new volume we are amazed to read "Would'st thou wert mine to my last hour to hold!" and can only indulge a faint hope that per- "-thee necessarily the gratification of some feeling, It is good to turn from the ungrateful duty of inspecting the spots upon his muse's robe, and to contemplate her form and features. These, be it frankly said, are large and noble. Perhaps the most remarkable poem in his new volume is "Sospitra." This legendary maiden dwelt in a ruined temple, amid oldworld deserts; and there two spirits, visiting her, endowed her with miraculous wisdom, with subtle power over living creatures, and with insight into the secret heart of existence. "All things before her were laid bare; All knowledge and all power she had; Had perfect vision, and was glad; The evolution of one law. Felt the old stillness 'midst the skies." The two visitant spirits (to cite Mr. Sharp's prefatory note) had given her "lordship over herself, and over all things save Love and Death." "But one day a strange restlessness Of life herself-to feel the fire So would she be; for ever done At length, however, comes Love-no airy One of Mr. Sharp's conspicuous merits lies in his affectionate intimacy with Nature; but this, though his most obvious excellence, is not The above are instances of carelessness; his chief claim to regard. Indeed, although sometimes we come upon minute blemishes, his detached pieces of verbal landscapedue to another cause, and are reminded that, painting-the numerous Transcripts"-are although the wanderer in one of Spenser's always welcome for their truth as records and fantastic palaces found inscribed upon its their beauty as pictures, it seems to us that walls Be Bold, Be Bold, and everywhere Be in the cycle of lyrics from which his new Bold, he was at last confronted by the volume takes its name ("Earth's Voices") corrective postscript, Be not too Bold. For he approaches nature with too deliberate and example, such a word as "memorious" is, manifest designs upon her; it is ever in a perhaps, a not unhappy innovation, and may more circuitous and insinuating way that her even, for aught one can tell, establish a coy secret is to be won. If we are to look precedent; but "enchantic" can never make about for his primary virtue as a poet, we think Of French writers, it is curious that Mr. Sully quotes M. Ribot for the pathological fact that "the loss of self-control may arise either through the increase of the force to be mastered, or the impairment of the volitional power of resisting and overcoming." What is this but a clumsy version of La Rochefoucauld: "Si nous resistons à nos passions, c'est plutôt par leur faiblesse que par notre force"? These cavils notwithstanding, the its way in the world. it will be found in the sincere human sym |