With the appearance of this fourth volume of its series the “History of the German struggle for liberty” stands complete from the battle of Jena in 1806, to the rebirth of national spirit in 1848. This latest volume contains a spirited account of the stirring events in Germany during 1844-1848, culminating in the declaration of Frederick William IV. and the meeting of the German national assembly at Frankfort. It brings out the similarity in the character of the Vienna, Berlin, and Munich revolutions, and discusses the growth of the influence of the laboring classes, and of socialistic doctrines.
[*] “Is refreshingly unconventional, spasmodically clever, and interesting throughout. Taken as a whole, this latest piece of work of Poultney Bigelow’s is most stimulating, breezy, entertaining, and yet instructive as well.” Wolf Von Schierbrand.
| + + — | N. Y. Times. 10: 846. D. 2, ‘05. 1600w. (Review of v. 4.) |
[*] “Comprises a succession of vivid pictures of persons and events rather than a sober, detailed, and connected history.”
| + | Outlook. 81: 889. D. 9, ‘05. 120w. (Review of v. 4.) |
[*] “A return to the orderly arrangement of the earlier volumes of the history would afford a deserved relief to those who have been forced to flounder about in the disorder, back tracks, and false leads of Mr. Bigelow’s fourth volume.”
| + — | Pub. Opin. 39: 796. D. 16, ‘05. 470w. (Review of v. 4.) |
Bigg, Charles. Church’s task under the Roman empire. [*]$1.75. Oxford.
The four lectures brought together here are “Education under the empire,” two on “Religion under the empire,” and “Moral and social conditions of the empire.” The object is the directing of attention “to the extreme importance of studying the relation between the Empire and the Church even in those days which preceded the recognition of Christianity by Constantine, and further, of ascertaining as clearly as possible the conditions, intellectual, moral and material of the people who filled the rank of the church.”
“Written with an ease of style which at times almost disguises the author’s profound knowledge and with a charm that rarely falls to the lot of scholarly writers.”