MEN OF THE SPIRIT.* Mu. DUGALB MACFA.DYEM has printed a
set of historical and didactic lectures which lie delivered to students. Certainly they were well worth preserving in book form. The writer deals with Early Church history—notably the early martyr- doms—with monasticism, the crusades, chivalry, and the Puritans. " Martyrs," " Monks," " Knights," " Puritans," "Citizens," are the headings of the several sketches. The writing is spirited, the matter excellent, the moral neither absent nor too conspicuous. Mr. Macfadyen shows his political opinions, but they are not such as to offend any but the most bigoted. In his final chapter headed "Citizens" he quotes a sentence from Todt—to agree with it : " Whoever would understand the social question and contribute to its solution must have upon his right hand the works of political economy, on his left the works of scientific socialism, and must keep the New Testament open before him." To say this is to say that a philanthropist if he is to do any good will keep in mind that truth finds expression both in poetry and in arithmetic, and that it is aspiration Which leads men to seek Utopia as well as Heaven. Again, he must sympathize with the passion for reform in all its phases, must realize that it has its roots in religion, can make no healthy growth without science, and can never be altogether divided from the impulse of revolt. We recommend the book to any one who desires to give a serious book to a big boy. The recipient will find no more dangerous views in it than the one we have quoted, and is quite certain to be interested.
Previous page
