Many, to whom a regular scientific treatise would be dreadful, will gain their first introduction to serious reading in books such as these. Mr. Proctor does an excellent work in thus popularizing science.

The Vaccination Inquirer established to state the case on behalf of the opponents of compulsory vaccination. It is ably edited and well written.- -Mr. Young sends us several tracts on the same subject. -From a half-crown quarterly, the Psychological Review, (E. W. Allen,) has been transformed into a sixpenny monthly, a change which will, we trust, give it the publicity it deserves. Although unable to assent to all its spiritualistic theories, we cannot but appreciate the high tone of its discussions and the ability of its writers.

is a new monthly journal

Mr. Frothingham's admirable essay on "The Real God," which was printed in No. IX. of Papers for the Times, is now issued as a pamphlet for generel readers. This essay ought to be widely circulated by those who wish to substitute a higher conception of the Reality of God, for those anthropomorphic fancies, unhappily so common, which almost necessarily lead to Atheism. The pamphlet is published at fourpence-four copies for one shillingand may be had by post from Mr. W. Lewin, 135, Bridge Street, Birkenhead.

July 1st, 1879.

HELPS TO CIVILIZATION.

THE Romans were the first and only people who ever attempted to promote civilization by making roads. The more modern fashion is different. The missionary and not the pickaxe is the forerunner of what is termed enlightenment. The Roman method was, on the whole, the better of the two, for it succeeded in great part in achieving the desired results, while, for some reason or another, the religious efforts of modern days generally, before long, call for the services of the soldier, and result, in couse of time, in the suppression and probably the extermination of the race operated upon. Whether, even with a pure, religious interest, the direct missionary method is calculated to be as efficacious as the indirect road making one is a question which may be seriously considered. It is to be feared that, too often, savages are taught, not to admire civilization and Christianity, but to practice quite other than Christian virtues of any sort.

The point of the mistake lies in attempting to plant seeds before the ground is prepared. It is hopeless to try to root Christian or any other truths until the mental condition is fitted for their reception. Not by studying catechisms or by learning texts of scripture can this desired object be achieved. The force of example and the power of contact are essential. If we want to mend the manners of a so-called savage-though, possibly, for all that, a well-disposed nation, we must begin by showing it what civilization is, by carrying our ways and customs into its borders, by opening up trade with it; in short, by going back to the Roman plan and making roads. Then, when these people have learned civilized usages, they will, of their own accord, improve their habits, and take the first step towards advancing their race.

But our anxiety for the salvation of our fellows, even if it take this more direct method, must not be supposed to justify all sorts of interferences. Savages, however degraded, have their rights, and zeal for the spread of our opinions does not justify a disregard of them. It is a trace of the old savagery of our ancestors still lingering in us, that, from time to time, induces us to try to force our trade and our doctrine upon unwilling receivers. It is one thing to make trade and intercourse possible, and quite another thing to make it compulsory. There is justice in requesting a man to buy our wares or to allow us to buy his, but there is none in shaking our fist in his face and saying he must.

Yet this rough and offensive plan is the one which is mostly resorted to. It was the way the opium traffic in China was opened up, much to the satisfaction of a few British merchants, and much to the detriment of the unhappy Chinese themselves. It is the way we have been dealing with the Zulus in Africa. We had preconceived notions of our own about laws and government, very satisfactory, perhaps, for ourselves, but quite inapplicable to tribes so differently conditioned as the one named. To make these notions of ours acceptable, we are now waging a disastrous and wicked war. The Zulus were fairly on the way towards civilization-an intelligent, industrious and progressive people. But, because their ways were not as ours, they are now in no little danger of extermination instead. Indeed, their chances would be particularly small, for British honour, as it is called, has in this case become more or less identified with a policy of revenge, but, fortunately, as it happens, the carrying on of the war has proved unexpectedly costly and difficult. This, combined with a late sense of shame which has come over the British nation, may, it is hoped, have the effect of bringing the war to a more speedy termination than could otherwise have been hoped for. But, even then, it is to be feared, the English will never forgive these "savages" for being so successful against them, and will effect hereafter what for

the present they postpone. Even this late sense of shame has no depth in it, and this people of ours, who boast of their Christian civilization, have not the moral courage to confess their crime and to close the war forthwith by giving terms instead of exacting them. It is a melancholy fact that this just and righteous course has not been advocated by even one leading statesman-Liberal or Conservative-in this country, and that, as far as I know, but one Christian minister-Mr. Spurgeon-has spoken for its adoption. At the most, a suggestion to let the Zulus off as easily as possible is all that has been suggested.

On the whole, then, it is worth considering whether the thousands of pounds spent on bibles and missionaries, and the millions of pounds spent on wars with savages, would not be much more useful to all parties and would not much sooner achieve the objects in view, if they were spent in opening up remote districts by means of roads. It would be well if, in our haste to mend the ways of other people, we would remember how many centuries it has taken us to reach our present state of enlightenment, and how far, even yet, we are from any sort of perfection. It would do no harm, too, for us to not confine our missionary efforts to dusky races, but to send a few good books and a few good men among those British traders who, for the sake of profit, carry drunkenness to new countries, and to those who set so fine an example of honesty and integrity as to sell rotten and worthless cottons to Asia, and to Africa in times of peace, guns which will not fire, taking care, at the same time, to pocket profits as though the articles were sound and useful. Seeing such products of British enlightenment, it is not strange that the Zulus have not yet become so enamoured of civilization as to submit to every interference we think proper to make with their laws and government.

A. B. Lownds.

AN UNIQUE CORRESPONDENCE.

AN UNIQUE CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN A BISHOP AND A COMMERCIAL TRAVELLER. London: C. Watts.

THE authors of these letters are, on the one side, a Commercial Traveller who professes Secularism and who considers Mr. H G. Atkinson "one of the most profound and advanced thinkers of the day," and, on the other, a Bishop of the Christian Church who was unlucky enough to be reported in the Times as having used the expression "Christian morality and nateralistic immorality." The names of both writers are withheld, but anyone curious on the subject will not have much difficulty in discovering, at any rate, who the Bishop is.

It is the Secularist who has had the letters printed and he is the writer of by far the greater portion of them. About ninety five pages are from his pen while the Bishop is content with a modest fifteen. To speak quite fairly, I am not particularly impressed with the Traveller's style of correspondence. It is not calm and logical at all, and, in some instances, it is not polite. The Bishop has ample reason for complaining that "your letters in reply to mine have consisted in trying to pick small holes in my sentences." Such phrases as "Your Lordship's reckless caricature,”—“ You find time to repeatedly burlesque,”—“ Glaring misrepresentation,"-" Self-evident distortions," would have been much better unwritten. In one place, something very like Touchstone's "lie direct" is given :-" Your Lordship here distinctly suggests that I have expected from you an exposition of Christianity, whereas you are perfectly well aware that such an insinuation is not correct" (page 52). After this it is not unnatural that the Bishop should remark, "I am so satisfied, from your last letter, that either the difference of our education or some other cause, makes us quite unable to reason