The Bases of the Mystic Knowledge. By E. Recejac. (Began
Paul, Trench, and Co. 6s.)—This careful translation of a recent French metaphysical treatise affords yet another illustration of the widespread European reaction against scientific materialism. As with many books of the class, there is a want of clear and definite thought,—a vagueness, and at times a looseness, of ex- pression which detracts from its value, though it may make it the more attractive to certain of our youthful literary symbolists. In fact the section of the book on "Symbolism" should be care- fully studied by a certain school of young poets, although we fear the result of such study will be only to make their verses - more "precious," and less intelligible to the common herd. While M. Recejac's book will be scoffed at by hard-headed men of science, it may be doubted if the sincere religionist, whatever his creed, will feel any strong sympathy with such vague argument and indefinite conclusions. "How," he asks, "could Science which lives upon clearness and evidence, be hostile to the spiritual autonomy which is the essential fact of Mysticism?" But it is the very existence of this "spiritual autonomy" which the disciples of Darwin and the followers of Mr. Spencer utterly deny. To them it has absolutely no meaning ; while in this vague form the profoundly believing Christian will have some difficulty in recog- nising the basis of creeds on which his life in this world, and his hopes hereafter are founded. Still, we have experienced a certain amount of intellectual pleasure in the perusal of these pages, and we should advise those who are by nature so confident in their religious negations to read this strange product of the modern French mind.
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