s long-promised evangel "burst upon the town" a month
ago. The "Religio Scriptoris"--which a puzzler at Latin might render as
"The Religion of a Scribbler"--made a dainty appearance. The title-page
was in two colors, with a pretty arabesque border. The type throughout
was neatly leaded, with a column for summaries in the old fashion, and a
wide margin of imitation hand-made paper. The book was pretty, like the
writing, and opposite the title-page was a pretty verse:--

'The old gods pass'--the cry goes round,
'Lo! how their temples strew the ground';
Nor mark we where, on new-fledged wings,
Faith, like the phoenix, soars and sings.

Yes, it is _all_ pretty. There is an air of dilettanteism about the
whole production. It will probably be grateful to the sentimentalists
who, despite their scepticism, still cling to the name of Christian; but
we imagine it will rather irritate than satisfy other readers of more
strenuous and scrupulous intelligence.

The book is dedicated to "A. E. Fletcher, Esq.," editor of the _Daily
Chronicle_, who may well be proud (not of this dedication, but) of the
high position to which he has raised that organ of Radical principles.
Mr. Le Gallienne refers to the old controversy in the _Chronicle_
as "raising an important question--to me the most important of
questions--as to whether Christianity was really so obsolete to-day as
its opponents glibly assume." "I could not stand by," he continues, "and
see the sublime figure of Christ vulgarised to make an Adelphi holiday."
For this reason, he modestly says, he "ventured to play David to Mr.
Buchanan's Philistine." Mr. Fletcher allowed him a battlefield and
"thence sprung [he means _sprang_] the following pages." Thus much for
the origin of the work, and now for its character. "I have condensed in
its pages," the writer says, "much religious experience, and long
and ardent thought on spiritual matters." No doubt he believes this
statement, but is it true? Is not the writer too young to have had "much
experience"? and where are the traces of the "long and ardent thought"?
Mr. Le Gallienne might reply that his thought _has_ been long and
ardent, whatever the value of the result; but, in that case, he is not
cut out for a thinker; and, indeed, he seems aware of the fact, for he
often prints "thinker" in inverted commas to show his disdain of the
article. His "one cure" for "modern doubt" is to "think less and feel
more," and some