Christ during the present generation. Le Camus thinks, against many, that this and similar expressions do not admit of a protracted interval between the fall of the Holy City and the "Coming." Another phase in the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom lies in its coming at the end of each individual life (m, 135). The expressions, "take heed," "watch," "be ye always ready," when combined with the sudden appearance of the Son of Man are referred to this second phase (III, 137 ff.). In a final stage, Christ will confirm the individual judgments pronounced in the course of ages; then, the kingdom shall be consummated, and God shall reign forever. By combining these various data, we have a harmonious and well-balanced system. The fact that the author has not discussed other views concerning this important point of New Testament teaching, should not be construed as an indication of his having overlooked them: a 'Life of Christ' is not an introduction to the Gospels nor even a commentary on their various parts; it supposes both. Of course, Le Camus' arrangement is open to serious exegetical and historical difficulties, but what solution of the problem is not? It does seem, however, that more attention might have been paid to the Jewish eschatological literature, v. g. Henoch, Sybilline Oracles, Psalms of Solomon, Assumption of Moses, Apocalypse of Baruch, Fourth Esdras, etc. The reader will not forget that Le Camus' work on the Apostles merited for him a very laudatory letter from the Holy Father. As the method followed in the present work is the same as the one commended by ecclesiastical authorities, we feel doubly secure in recommending this life of Christ to our readers; written by a learned Catholic bishop, it should be welcome both to the Christian whose piety it will promote and edify and to the scholar whose studies it will stimulate and direct. R. BUTIN, S. M. Leçons d'Ecriture Sainte. Jésus-Christ, sa vie, son temps. Par Hippolyte Leroy, S. J. Année 1907. Paris, Beauchesne, 1907. Pp. 360. Price, Fr. 3.00. The present volume is the thirteenth of the collection of Scriptural sermons which Father Leroy has preached in the Gesù of Paris and Brussels. As in the preceding volumes, the author intends to write the life of Christ from an historical point of view, and to give a literal interpretation of His discourses. To this effect, he has utilized all recent works and discoveries calculated to throw additional light on his subject. The volume deals with the following topics: The Nuptial Feast; God and Cæsar; The Resurrection of the dead; Son of David and Son of Man; Authority in Doctrinal Matters; The Priest and error; The Widow's mite; The Law of History; The last days of Israel; The last days of the world. The conferences are written in an easy style, abound with keen observations and practical lessons. They will be of great service both to the clergy and to the cultured laity. R. BUTIN, S. M. Maryland, My Maryland," and other Poems. By James Ryder Randall. John Murphy Co., (Baltimore, 1908). Pp. 180. "Maryland, My Maryland" unquestionably ranks high among the world's great martial lyrics. Oliver Wendell Holmes considered it the greatest war song of any nation. A rare compliment coming as it does from a man of the North in whose defiance the poem was written, and from a citizen of that very State of Massachusetts, the assault upon whose troop in Baltimore, April, 1861, gave the occasion for its writing. The fact of this song now being the common patriotic refrain of some eighty million people, friends and foes alike, is perhaps the best proof of the accuracy of that criticism. As pure poetry, however, it must take a lower rank. In fact, all war-songs must lose a certain poetic value by reason of the ruggedness and very loudness required of them. Moreover, they are not the creations of really great poets. And, with all due honor to him, Randall was not a great poet. Though greater than that other Southern lyrist, Father Ryan, yet he has not the exquisite delicacy of John B. Tabb, still less the sustained, serene thoughtfulness of Sydney Lanier, and is immeasurably below the immortal Edgar Allan Poe. Notwithstanding, Randall is a poet of no mean degree, and "Maryland, My Maryland" is, in our opinion, by no means his best flight of poetic genius. Even as martial poems his "Pelham” and "At Arlington" are finer inspirations, whilst his sentimental efforts reveal a delicacy and rhythm and depth of feeling which will surprise those who know him only by his "Maryland.' Maryland." Take, as instance, his "Far out at Sea." The last verse has all the swinging music and mysticism of Poe: "Far out at sea! far out at sea! And in thy ocean jubilee Dost think of him who loveth thee? Far out at sea! far out at sea!" Yes, Randall belongs strictly to that peculiar school of Southern poetry which claims Poe, Lanier, Tabb, Ryan and Timrod. He has much of their delicacy, restrained passion, purity of emotion, gentle thoughtfulness, and all of the infinite pathos which lowers the key of singers of a lost cause. LUCIAN JOHNSTON, 1905. Grammaire Hébraïque abrégée, précédée de Premiers Eléments accompagnés d'exercices à l'usage des commençants. Par J. Touzard, Professeur au Grand-Séminaire de S. Sulpice (depuis, à l'Institut Catholique de Paris), Paris, Lecoffre. 8°., pp. xxiv +395 40. $1.00. Grammaire Copte avec bibliographie, chrestomathie et vocabulaire, deuxième édition revue et augmentée par Alexis Mallon, S. J. Beyrouth, Imprimerie Catholique. 1907. 8°., pp. xv+301 +193. $1.80. Grammaire Ethiopienne par Marius Chaine, S. J. Beyrouth, Imprimerie Catholique. 1907. Pp. ix +308. $2.00. 1). Barring the sons of Germany, the would-be students of oriental languages are seriously handicapped by the dearth of grammars written in their native idioms. This is especially true of Hebrew, Ethiopic and Coptic, and also, though not to the same extent, of the other Semitic languages. Hence, the paradoxical witticism attributed to a famous professor of a sister institution, that German is the first and foremost of Semitic languages. This certainly is a deplorable state of affairs. It seems unfair that a beginner who makes an attempt at the study of an oriental language without knowing whether he shall ever be able to make a success of it, should have to learn first another language as difficult as German. The upshot is that many are deterred from making the attempt, some of whom might have developed into good students of oriental languages. But apart from this consideration, the author of a grammar cannot help writing from the point of view of the language in which he is writing, and under the influence of grammatical preoccupations and methods entirely peculiar to his own language and country; much to the detriment of students whose mother tongue is different and were born in countries where other preoccupations and methods prevail. The three books with which we are concerned mark the dawn of a new era for France, and it is to be hoped that their authors may find imitators in other countries. In the mean time, thanks to the quasiinternational character which French still retains in the Catholic Church at large, those books will prove a godsend to the lovers of oriental studies even outside of France for which they were primarily intended. The Hebrew Grammar of Abbe Touzard as indicated by its title, does not claim to be complete. The aim of the author, as he modestly puts it, was first to help beginners overcome initial difficulties; and, second, to initiate the students in comparative grammar and modern grammatical methods, a difficult task which few so far have dared undertake in an abridged grammar. The book is divided into two parts; the first elements (pp. 1-68) for beginners, with useful exercises from Hebrew into French, and vice versa; and the grammar proper (pp. 69-385). This is followed by an index of the biblical passages (pp. 387-395) and a most elaborate set of paradigms, including reconstructions of pre-biblical Hebrew verb and noun (pp. 1-40). As to the substance this grammar offers nothing new. The fact, however, that the author largely utilizes the grammars of Gesenius-Kautzsch and König "trying to bring out their principles with the clearness and accuracy demanded by a French public" is a sufficient guarantee as to the soundness in doctrine and clearness in presentation. The latter point the author has tried to emphasize by the use of quite a variety of types. The system is good in itself, but in this case has been carried too far. In some instances it is rather bewildering; a word not underlined or someway or other marked as important is almost as difficult to find as a gentleman without an army title in Kentucky. -One of the most conspicuous features of the book is the absence of references to other grammars and special treatises. The student will have in every case to swear in verba magistri.” For that reason, we should scarcely recommend Father Touzard's grammar to students who wish to learn Hebrew with a view to research work or even to follow, except in quite a general way, an occasional argument on some debated point of philological interpretation of the Bible. Such students have to know German, and will find it more profitable to start with Gesenius-Kautzsch's Kleine Grammatik, which will lead them up to the complete treatise of the same authors, so far the standard Hebrew Grammar, from which every piece of philological investigation must begin, and to which most of the German commentators refer their readers on difficult points of grammar. However, that class of students is comparatively small. Rightly or wrongly, most ecclesiastical students despair of reaching that point of efficiency. They study Hebrew as a complement of their theological curriculum, or at best, in view of their own private biblical studies. To those we are glad to say that they will find in Abbé Touzard's Grammaire Abrégée all they want and a great deal more that they need. More than that, their philological curiosity, if they have any, is sure to be aroused, and, feeling that they have succeeded in overcoming the first difficulties, they will soon crave not only for a deeper knowledge of Hebrew, but also for a certain acquaintance, at least, with Arabic. We trust that the favor which this Grammaire Abrégée has already found in France and other lands will encourage the learned professor of the Institut Catholique de Paris to undertake the composition of a Grammaire Complète, so that the French clergy may have nothing to envy the sons of Germany. 2). The Coptic Grammar of Father Al. Mallon was first published in 1904. The fact alone that three years later a second edition had to be issued clearly bespeaks the need and usefulness of such a book, in spite of the excellent German grammars of Stern and Steindorff; and we entertain no doubt that this second edition corrected and increased will meet with still much greater favor. The book in its present shape, comprises (1) an introduction, with a very interesting section on the ancient Coptic grammarians, not to be found elsewhere (pp. 1-6); (2) the grammar proper including a list of the abbreviations and a plate exhibiting the cursive forms of the Coptic figures (pp. 7–236). The author considers principally the Bohairic dialect (pp. 7-224) very likely on account of the prominence it has acquired since the |