attered through Mr. Wilkes's book, making us regret the more such
passages as we have noticed, are others which show fine insight and
robust common sense. In this very chapter on the "Merchant of Venice"
there are two or three pages of sound criticism of the dull and pompous
platitudes of the sham-profound German critics, for which we thank the
author. They are well and heartily written, and they do not overstep
the bounds of literary decorum. In many parts, Mr. Wilkes's book,
although it is a very unsafe guide, contains stimulating suggestions to
reflection.

* * * * *

Lord Amberly, the recently deceased son and heir of Earl Russel, left
an elaborate work behind him upon the religions of the world, which has
just been republished here.[9] Apart from its teachings, or rather its
tendencies, which would be stamped as "infidel" by all orthodox
Christians, the book is valuable. For it is the result of very
profound, painstaking research. It contains nothing particularly new,
but it presents, in a tolerably compact form, a critical view of the
whole subject of religious beliefs and ceremonies, in all time and in
all countries. Its author evidently means to be fair; and from his
point of view he is so. The book is full of information upon a subject
which is now attracting unusual attention from a class of minds which,
twenty-five or thirty years ago, would have shrunk in horror from any
such examination; and its value in this respect is enhanced by an
index, which makes it a useful book of reference.

[9] "_An Analysis of Religious Belief._" By Viscount AMBERLY.
8vo, pp. 745. New York: D. M. Bennett.

--Mr. Frothingham, who has rapidly taken the place of leader in a new
school of morals and religion, but whose followers are yet few, has
added another book to those which have been recently noticed in our
pages.[10] It is composed of some of those discourses--for they cannot
be called sermons, in the ordinary sense of the word--which he delivers
to his disciples on Sunday; delivering them on that day because it is
convenient for the purpose. It must be admitted that they teach a very
high and pure morality. But we confess that the title of the book, "The
Spirit of the New Faith," seems to us a misnomer; for we seek in it in
vain for the evidences of any faith. Indeed, its principal object seems
to be the inculcation of morality without faith; the teaching that, to
an up