part of Argan, and gave utterance to the following prophetic words:

"Argan.-Par la mort nom de diable, si j'étais que des médecins je me vengerais de son impertinence, et quand il sera malade je le laisserais mourir sans secours. Il aurait beau dire et beau faire. * *Je lui dirais -Crèce, crèce, cela t'apprendra une autre fois à te jouer à la faculté."

Of the difficulties attending Molière's burial, as well as the chief incidents in his life, we have spoken in a former article. We have, therefore, little to add, on the present occasion, to this sketch, further than to remark, in general terms, that there is no author of equal merit, so little known, either in this country or England. There are but few who are aware that he is recognized by the best critics of all Continental Europe as superior to all other dramatic writers, not excepting Shakespeare, in the department of comedy; still fewer, perhaps, are aware that among all the moderns there is no critic who can pretend to surpass Molière, if indeed there is one in France, England, or Germany, that equals him. This could be easily proved from his writings. For our own part, we are acquainted with no criticisms, since the time of Longinus, that can be compared to his letters to the king and others, in defence of Tartuffe. If there be anything better, it is his own preface to Les Facheux; if this in turn is surpassed, it is by Le Critique de l'Ecole des Femmes, and the Impromptu de Versailles.

No author of any age was better appreciated in his day than Molière. King, queen, noblesse, and people, vied with each other in their admiration of his genius. Le Grand Monarque himself was in the habit of taking a part in the representation of several of his pieces. In the Amants Magnifiques, for example, he condescended to personate Neptune, the ocean-god, in the first entrée de ballet, and in the last entrée he represented the Sun, the favorite emblem of the same deity. The Great Condé did the poet similar honor; so did the great Cardinal Richelieu. The two greatest queens of their time-Marie-Thérése of Spain, "sans reproche devant Dieu et devant les hommes," and Anne of Austria, whom the poet himself describes as “Cette mère heureusement féconde," &c.—were equally delighted with the author of Les Femmes Savantes. Nor was this any mere transitory feeling; it was not caused by any passing whim,

See No. I., Article, The Modern French Drama-p. 67 et seq.

or fashion of the hour. To this day Molière continues to be honored in a similar manner by rich and poor; because his portraitures are peculiar to no age or country; but it may be said of them, as Cicero says of the law of nature, "Non alia Romæ alia Athenis, alia nunc, alia post hac, sed et omnium temporum et locorum." His plays are still acted by kings and princes in the North as well as in the South, at St. Petersburg and Berlin, as well as at Paris and Madrid. Nor is he a whit less remembered by the masses of his countrymen. Any one acquainted with Parisian life is aware that there is to this day a class of servants known as Les Sertantes de Molière-those of whom the prototypes are Nicole, Andrée, Martine, Marotte, &c., &c. Of still greater universality are his Mascarille and Sganarelle, Claudine and Nerine, Monsieur Tillerin and Monsieur Jourdain.

Such, in short, has been the popularity of Molière since the day his Etourdi was first produced at Lyons, to the present, a period of more than two hundred years, that the monument erected to his memory, in 1839, can hardly be ranked among the instances of tardy justice to the illustrious dead. His memory should indeed have been commemorated long before this; but he has no need of any further monument than that which he built himself; for well might he say with Horace, were he not much more modest than the Roman satirist :

Exegi monumentum ære perennius,
Regalique situ pyramidum altius.

It is well, however, that he has been honored in the manner alluded to, though, so far as his native city or the French government was concerned, more by accident than design. The Journal des Débats of February, 1839, contained the simple announcement that the authorities had decided to construct a fountain at the corner of the Rue de Richelieu and the Rue Traversière. Monsieur Régnier, a comedian. of the Théâtre Français, no sooner saw the article than he wrote a letter to the Prefect of the Seine, pointing out to him, that the contemplated edifice was to occupy the space immediately opposite to the house in which Molière died, and that it would be easy to combine the fountain with a monument to the father of French comedy. The Prefect submitted the proposition to a higher authority. Due attention was given it, and the result was, the adoption of M. Régnier's suggestion. Soon after the work was commenced, and on the 15th of

January, 1844, the monument was duly inaugurated. Among the public bodies, learned societies, &c., who assisted at the inauguration, were the municipal corps; the different academies of the Institute; a deputation from the committee of dramatic authors; a deputation from the society of dramatic artists; the associates of the Théâtre Français; and the commissioners for the monument. The whole proceeded in a body from the Théâtre Français, headed by a battalion of the National Guard. The greatest living authors of France. delivered appropriate speeches on the occasion. All the preliminaries having been gone through, the Prefect of the Seine deposited a box in the base of the monument, containing a medal struck in honor of Molière, a copy of his works, and a memoir of his life, in one volume, and an account of the ceremony. This being done, M. de Rambuteau presented a laurel crown, which was placed on the head of the statue, and each of the literary corps hung an olive wreath on the monument. Thus, in one edifice, are combined a statue and a fountain. Could the author himself have got his choice, he could hardly have wished a more appropriate tribute to his genius.

ART. VI.-1. Unité de Poursuite du Ministère Chrétien. Par L'ABBE DE VALIÈRE. Paris: 1851.

2. Letters on Clerical Manners and Habits; addressed to a Student in the Theological Seminary at Princeton, N. J. By SAMUEL MILLER, D. D., Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Church Government in the said Seminary.

3. History of the Jesuits, from the Foundation of their Society to its Suppression by Pope Clement XIV.; their Missions throughout the World, their Educational System and Literature; with their Revival and Present State. By ANDREW STEINMETZ, author of "The Novitiate," "The Jesuit in the Family." London: 1848.

"WHATEVER office is worthy of our ambition," says Plato, "has a right to claim that we fully qualify ourselves for it.” The most thoughtless and indolent would hardly deny this; but how few give it practical illustration! Not one out of a hundred; and the number is diminishing from year to year.

What was admitted, on all hands, in times past, to require years of close study, is now disposed of in as many months. Save the devoted few, the people of the present age are too precious of themselves to tax either mind or body with protracted labor. They yield to none in their desire to be regarded as intelligent, and even learned; but, if they can maintain the semblance of knowledge and wisdom, that is all they care for. The natural consequence is, that smattering is the rule; real intelligence the exception. Were this aversion to persevering effort confined to the pursuit of abstract knowledge, it were less to be deplored; but it extends more or less to all pursuits, except, perhaps, to the pursuit of money. Our present business, however, is with intellectual labor, or, rather, the general aversion to it. Centuries ago, what are still called the learned professions, by courtesy, were really learned. Far be it from us to deny that there are individual clergymen, physicians, and lawyers, at the present day, whose acquirements would have done honor to their respective professions when true learning was most valued; but such are not often met with. Nor can the public at large think it necessary, when they observe the facility with which the lawyer or the physician can become a minister of the Gospel, and vice versa.

The period of human life is too short, even when protracted to its broadest span, to enable the most brilliant, studious, and persevering to acquire an accurate knowledge of several professions or callings. To succeed in anything of the kind is as impossible as to serve God and Mammon. Even if one devotes himself to one calling, he should try to ascertain whether it is such as he is calculated for by his talents and disposition. It is by acting on these principles that the Church of Rome has been enabled to maintain its power so long, and exercise so wonderful an influence over the human mind. And, if we look at her history, we shall see that she has lost this power and influence at different periods, precisely in proportion as she lost sight of those principles, or, in other words, as soon as she neglected to put the right men in the right places. As we do not pretend to be theologians or the organ of any sect, we may be excused for believing that human knowledge was the power that enabled her to crown and uncrown kings and emperors, while armies mutually hostile to each other looked on in silence and awe. It was in view of these wonderful tri

umphs of mind over mere brutal force that Bacon told the world that knowledge is power, and that Goldsmith, putting the same sentiment in a more beautiful form, has said that

"Those who think must govern those who toil.”

To the present day, the Church of Rome makes appointments, not according to the caprices, but according to the capabilities, of the candidates. Thus, one is assigned a curacy, or a parish; another is sent out as a missionary; another is made a teacher or professor, &c.-each according as he is qualified by nature and education; but none are expected to be capable of discharging each of those duties indiscriminately, or in turn. Can the same be said of our Protestant churches? We fear not; and this is what we desire to call particular attention to in the present paper; for it is a question in which all Protestants have an interest. We know, ourselves, several worthy men of fine talents, who studied for the ministry, but who have been rejected by as many congregations because they do not happen to possess the gift of eloquence, or are not "attractive" preachers. The Church of Rome would have found various occupations for these. Why should not our Church do the same? If for no other reason, justice to the rejected members would require it.

But any claim that we make for rejected clergymen presupposes a good education. If they are too indolent to study -if they are of that class who wouid eat of the almond, but hate the trouble of breaking its shell, then we say, let them be expelled by all means; let us have no drones in the ministry-none that would pretend to teach others what they could never take the trouble to learn themselves. At the same time, it is well to bear in mind that the prevailing notionin reference to the present facilities for clerical education is very erroneous. Nothing is more common than the remark, that any one who wishes may be educated for the ministry. The assertion is based on the fact, that books and colleges are numerous; but much more is required than this. Neither books nor colleges are ever so cheap but that many will be excluded from them-perhaps the very persons who would profit most by them. We see that poverty keeps thousands of children from our common schools, in which all is gratis. They have nothing to pay for either books or tuition-still they cannot go. It is the same with many young men who