in uniform, comes for the mail, and a full supply of hands, all in uniform, are in attendance. On the train is one general conductor, several ticket conductors, and several brakemen, all in uniform, of course. Before the train leaves a station the station-bell rings, the general conductor whistles or blows a few notes on his horn, and the engine whistles. Then every car-door is shut and locked. This being done, the station-bell rings again, the conductor toots again, the engine whistles again, and then, and not till then, the train moves slowly off! This, with slight variations, is the programme on every continental railway we have used. Before we became accustomed to the farcical ceremony, the writer lost twelve hours and missed an important business engagement because he only arrived at the platform as the train was slowly leaving it. He could have got on and off a dozen times before the train was out of reach; but shouting and gesticulating conductors warned him that he was in the charge, not of himself, but of a paternal government and protective arrangements.

They do for you so many things you would much rather do for yourself! In medicine, the world has arrived at an appreciation of the prevalence and injury of over-medication; but in government the heroic treatment still prevails, at least in Europe. A remedy is sought to be applied to every evil, real or apparent; an antidote to every possible disturbance. The fact is, that to adopt the old maxim, "that is the best government which governs least," would throw four-fifths of the present governors out of employment. Our observation in regard to uniforms is this: that a man wearing one is rarely or never truly and fully earning his living. And further, that in Europe every fifth man wears a livery, a uniform, or a distinctive badge of office of some kind, whether it be as gold stick in waiting,

foreign ambassador, soldier, priest, railway employé, footman, gambling-table croupier, or something else. "But," saith a friend at our elbow, "these men's lives are not wasted. They are very well paid, respectable, contented persons, who bring up their families in plenty and decency, and besides, contribute to my safety and comfort." This is a view difficult to combat, where it is part of the system and habit of life. But if a soldier's life is not a waste of time and money, we do not know where waste exists under the sun. And so of an unnecessary railway watchman. On the other hand, if we say that every life is wasted which does not produce or improve any thing, what very respectable classes of society we attack!

Perhaps their uniform identifies these officials with their business, and makes them do it the better. Having so little to attend to, most men (all Americans) would greatly neglect that little. The best work is done by those of us who have the least leisure. But each of these uniformed men, though he have no business except to keep a stout watch on nothing, does it well, and stands at "attention" as our train passes, looking the very embodiment of a post. And if he has to deliver to you a package brought by the wonderfully cheap and perfect governmental express system, he does it promptly and safely at your room, on whatever floor you may lodge, receives the four, eight or twelve (or more) cents expressage respectfully, and departs with a bow. So let us give every one his due. The same service would cost us ten times the money in the United States, and the bow could not be purchased. True, we have the compensating advantage of voting for our rulers; but then we must confess to some envy. Human nature is weak, and we do like a little servility in those who serve us.

One great support of the system

which employs so many superfluous hands may be found in the fact that the governments have so many invalid and veteran soldiers to provide for. The railway places and the situations in the governmental postal and express services are, I hear, all filled by old soldiers. They do the business admirably well, as I have elsewhere said. The railways are forbidden to take any package under a certain weight-such matter must go by the express; and it is not uncommon to find in your railway parcel a stone or other make-weight put in to make the matter heavy enough to send by the cheaper conveyance.

I write in one of Prussia's newly conquered States-Hesse Homburg. The plain, serviceable dress of the Prussian army is conspicuous all about us. The men behave unexceptionably, giving no offense; not liked, of course, by the conquered people, but winning their way to favor and companionship -finally, no doubt, to compatriotism. Just at this place is the eighty-second infantry. Last week the regiment held a kind of good-night celebration in memory of dead comrades, that being the anniversary of the battle of Nachod, wherein it lost more than half its numbers. It is impossible to conceive of any force more formidable than the Prussian army appears. Men of the right age, strong, florid, intelligent, well armed, well drilled and well equipped, flushed with victory, and wearing proudly the many orders and badges they have so stoutly won-how can they possibly be defeated?

A short, quick step, and the habit of swinging the disengaged hand and forearm, gives to a battalion marching to music a slightly ludicrous appearance; the long line of limbs actively and rather violently vibrating in unison, goes against one's old ideas of the stiffness most becoming to a true soldierly bearing. But they are probably right, and this seemingly small matter

may be of considerable importance. Swinging the arm to counterbalance the motion of the leg is one of the first things a boy instinctively learns. Why should the man unlearn it at the time when he most needs all possible facilities towards locomotion?

Another conspicuous feature of the force is the evident esprit de corps which it cherishes. It is bound together by community in victory-the strongest of all similar ties, except, perhaps, community in defeat. There is now no corporal punishment in the army. The salute of men to officers and officers to superiors is not a sullen duty, but a cordial recognition, and it is surprising how far off they detect the approach of their comrades or their leaders, and prepare for the respectful and attentive greeting.

In this open, unfenced and treeless country, with roads magnificent and innumerable, and abundant transportation and supplies of forage and subsistence, the fighting must bear a greater proportion to the other labors of the campaign than can easily be imagined by an American soldier. Where armies are ready and waiting, obstacles few, and the enemy near at hand, what have they to do but fight? We should be as much out of our reckoning here as would be these soldiers in our vast half-settled regions. When I wanted to give a foreigner an idea of our campaigns I told him to try to imagine a whole war carried on in the Black Forest. It looks as if any future European war must be as short and bloody as was the last; the time it lasts being to the duration of the old wars as is the rapidity and destructiveness of the terrible needle-gun to the prowess of the wretched musket of the wars of the first Napoleon.

These foreigners have many holidays, but no holy days. All days of the week are alike as regards public amusements, and the conveyance of persons, mails

and goods. On Sunday, theatres, concerts, gaming-tables, etc., are more thronged than on any other day of the seven. Here in the Protestant part of Germany (principally Prussia) religion has far less to do with the visible daily life of the people than with us. On the contrary, it has far more in the Catholic portion (principally Austria). There is a strange feeling when one first sees, high above his head, thrust into view like a guide-board, exposed to every storm, a crucifix, the figure large as life, and painted to imitate flesh and blood! The art of the carver and the colorist is taxed to depict a dying face with an agonizing degree of physical suffering and distress. One involuntarily sighs and shudders at the cruel sight. No doubt the effect on the religious sentiment of those for whose benefit the crucifix is set up is just what is intended by the power which placed it there. The influence of that power for good or evil is all-pervading in the docile and almost vacant minds of the class of people among whom it chiefly lies. There seems to be here no diminution of the wonderful influence. The weakness of Rome is in Rome. After looking at the pitiable quandaries and terrors of the poor Pope, one sees with amazement the warm vitality of the Roman Catholic system at the outskirts of his spiritual dominions; at the extremities most distant, whether morally or geographically speaking, from his tottering throne, is to be found the strength of Popery. Among the great men in intellect or position we fancy there is no conscientious Romanism. Who believes in the devout faith of the emperors of France and Austria, or the king of Italy, or of that of the educated intellectual men about them? There is more of Judaism maintained by the proud faithfulness of the Rothschilds than there is of Catholicism by any of the great men who are nominally Romanists. Whether the

vigor of the extremities of the Romish church can by any means be re-infused into the heart, or on the other hand, the rottenness of the core must spread until the whole thing drops to pieces, it is beyond our province to inquire.

The thought of the cathedrals is naturally suggested by the subject of Catholicism; for by Catholic zeal they were begun, and by it they are not being completed. These foreigners have finished and perfected every thing except the things they commenced longest ago! In the Cologne cathedral, that beautiful "forest of stone," begun A. D. 1248, the finer beauties of the old part are worn away by eight hundred and twenty years of exposure, while the plan is now slowly being carried to completion! It is further noticeable that more is being done in this century than in all those which have gone before, and that is chiefly by the contributions of Protestants.

One pleasant trait about these foreigners must not be forgotten- they are very glad to see us, who are their foreigners. How much our peculiarities must amuse, interest and instruct them! Americans and English are probably on the continent generic terms for Lucifers of pride, nabobs of wealth, demons of energy, savages in taste and manners, and wandering Jews of restlessness. But the polite spectators of our vagaries keep to themselves any impressions which it would be uncivil to utter, and endeavor, as far as possible, to do the honors of their respective countries politely, and make themselves agreeable to their guests. In their little private boxes of passenger cars, where half a dozen people or more are sitting side by side and face to face, in one small chamber, all dependent on two windows for light and air, and on two doors for ingress, egress and ticket business, it is impossible to avoid some exchange of civilities and conversation, even were one so inclined. But it would

THE SEXES HERE AND HEREAFTER. By William H. Holcombe, M. D. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. 1869. Cobb, Pritchard & Co., Chicago. Pp. 277. Price, $1.50. This volume is a successful attempt to simplify some of the peculiarly beautiful and practical ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg upon the ever interesting subject of sex, love and marriage. We say successful, because the style of the author is pure, simple and concise; his language clear and in plain English, therefore less ponderous than the heavy Latin in which the immortal Swede wrote. He takes a spiritual view of his subject, as distinguished from that of the Rationalist and Materialist; shows conclusively that the New Christian faith has little in common with modern Spiritualism, and disabuses the mind of the reader of many erroneous ideas concerning Swedenborg and his remarkable writings-in some respects the most remarkable since those of the Apostles. A glance at the table of contents gives a general idea of the plan of the author in treating the subject under consideration :

I. Sex, Love and Marriage Universal; II. Sex, Love and Marriage Eternal; III. What our Lord says about it; IV. What Swedenborg says about it; V. Spiritual Differences between Man and Woman; VI. The Spiritual Philosophy of Love and Beauty; VII. The Spiritual Uses of Marriage; and VIII. Practical Tendency of our Views.

Upon this subject, probably no man has ever thought so profoundly or written so wisely as Swedenborg. He has gone to the extent of this grand theme. He has made known the spiritual causes of polygamy, concubinage and prostitu

tion; has revealed the marvelous strivings of the Divine Providence to preserve in man the conjugal principle, and to lead him from a greater to a lesser evil, when it can not lead him from evil to good; and has unfolded the philosophy and spiritual uses of marriage, and the true relation of the sexes to each other. In closing this brief notice, let us quote, from the closing sentences of the book, the following:

"If sex were purely physical, if marriage were only a civil alliance, if our material life were all, then our philosophy and theology would be vain. But if our souls are male and female; if marriage is spiritual and eternal; if this life is the seed-field in which the germ of a better life is planted; if wedlock is a divinely appointed means of bringing the spiritual influences of the sexes on each other into orderly and benificent activity; if the character of the husband and wife determines that of the father and mother, the neighbor and citizen; if a life of obedience to God in the state of matrimony is pe culiarly rich in spiritual blessings; then are the teachings of Swedenborg on these lofty themes of immense practical importance in the regeneration of the individual and the reorganization of human society."

LIFE OF PHILIP DODDRIDGE, D.D., with Notices of some of his Cotemporaries and Specimens of his Style. By D. A. Harsha, M. A. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co. 1869. Cobb, Pritchard & Co., Chicago. Pp. 250; 12mo. Price, $1.50.

Most people who are at all familiar with hymn-books know something of the name of Doddridge; and know,