with eagerness and hope. I have read the volume before me with somewhat of this feeling, and I regret to confess that it has not added much to my wisdom or contentment, so far as the true science of healing is concerned. The "light and the way" have not yet appeared. Salvation from the confusion and thick darkness of medical philosophies, seems as far off as ever. The book has merits, signal and conspicuous merits, but instruction in the ever-perplexing and difficult art of healing is not of them. It may serve for amusement, for delight, perchance, even, for discipline-by startling the mind into active and sublime reflections but not for guidance.

The work is divided into seven departments, in which are treated severally the following subjects: "Origin of Man," "Philosophy of Health," "Of Disease," "Of Sleep,"" Of Death," "Of Psychology," "Of Healing."

In the first department he endeavors to establish the proposition as literal and incontestable truth, that man is a miniature universe. He throws no new light nor gives us any new thoughts upon this beautiful and grand speculation, though he gives most eloquent expression to it. It is a favorite doctrine with him, and is constantly recurring in subsequent pages.

He takes the singular position at the outset of his physiological disquisitions (or perhaps I should say "revelations"), that to understand thoroughly and well the structure and functions of the various parts of the human organism, we must first know the ultimate purpose of Man's creation- the end for which he was brought into existence! Mr. Davis attempts to put us in possession of this remarkable preliminary knowledge, and as we shall have to depend upon one kind of "revealment" or another for it, we may as well accept him for authority as anybody, at least till we can find better. To make his "revealment" of this matter intelligible and complete, our author takes us quite a piece back in the world's history, viz: to events recorded in the first chapter of Genesis.

His description of creation-according to his "impressions" of the manner in which its stupendous and varied occurrences took place is thrillingly grand. One is amazed at the richness and sublimity of his thoughts, and the splendor and force of his expressions. He describes with a lofty fervor the gradual unfolding and "rolling forth into the sublime depths of Infinity" of "an endless chain of magnificent orbs-suns of immeasurable magnitude, and unutterable grandeur." He then tells us that the prime, sole purpose of Deity in elaborating this stupendous mechanism, in contemplation of which, all hearts "not mad grow reverent "- was the creation of man: and man was created for the purpose of "elaborating the animating elements of Nature into an immortal soul." The theory is not new, nor demonstrable, but it is plausible, and too beautiful for criticism.

Mr. Davis is an unequivocal materialist, though an exceedingly refined one. He considers Deity, and all living spirits, to be matter infinitely sublimated. He attempts to argue this point a little, but displays neither force nor skill. He is evidently no logician, no philosopher, in any ordinary sense. Whenever he

attempts to reason after the inductive fashion, his style droops at once to dullness, and his intellect appears peurile and childish. Remarkable as his powers are in some directions, for sound philosophizing he exhibits but a meager capacity.

This first department of the book, considered as the gushings of a teeming fancy-a sort of rhapsody-is almost matchless; but as a preliminary to a vague and idle "philosophy of healing" and whimsical recipes for the cure of warts and the ear-ache, it forces one to laughter.

The second department, "The Philosophy of Health," contains some curious speculations, some permanent and valuable truths, some confused shadows of ideas, a good deal of weak logic, several ridiculous scientific blunders, and occasional gleams of thought luminous with blended beauty and truth. It contains very little real instruction in the art of "keeping healthy." The sum of the whole theory is, health consists "in the harmonious circulation of the spiritual principle throughout the entire organism, pervading and permeating every particle and atom."

Disease, therefore, is a disturbed, unequal circulation and distribution of the Spiritual Principle. And this, with a good deal of confused talk about "Positive" and "Negative" conditions, that I confess myself unable to comprehend, makes up the "Philosophy of Disease." This chapter, however, contains some beautiful and truthful remarks on the effects sometimes produced by disease, in softening, refining, and elevating harsh natures.

The chapter on "Sleep" is "brief and bright." It contains some sensible remarks upon the advantages of going to bed with a clear conscience and empty stomach. The speculations on the physiology of sleep are attractive and plausible, but unfortunately out of the reach of demonstration.

His "Philosophy of Death" is exceedingly beautiful and comforting, could we only be sure it was true. He considers death a pleasant and glorious change. "Let mankind," says he, "never lament because of the mere departure of an individual from our earth; for the change, though cold and cheerless to the material senses, is to the interior vision, and to the ascending spirit bathed in auroral splendor!" The closing paragraphs of this chapter are inimitably fine. I would read the book half through just for those splendid sentences, could they be reached no other way.

"You may rest upon the strong foundations of truth; may strive to learn how to live peacefully and purely on the earth; may enrich and adorn the inner spirit with gems of scientific and philosophic knowledge; may wreathe every thought with the

sweet flowers of virtue, and robe every impulse with the mantle of contentment, but there is nothing lost by the putting off of mortality, and leaving the evanescent things of this world to pursue life's journey amid immortal beauties in the Spirit-Land. There are voices from the Spirit-Land which sound, to the inhabitants of earth like the revelations of fancy; but the time will come it is dawning upon the world-when many men shall hear these voices and comprehend the mighty truths their tones import. And then, when the hour of death arrives, the chamber of the departed will not resound with sighs and lamentations, but it will echo to the soothing strains of sweet and solemn music; and there will be, not mournful and wordy prayers and tearful discourses, but a quiet and holy passover." Whenever Mr. Davis gets into generalities, and gives scope and license to his fertile fancy and that perpetual impulse toward rhapsody that evidently abides with him, his style rises to eloquence and power. His triumph then, is as signal as his utter failure is in other directions, already hinted at.

In the department of Psychology he attempts to give us the philosophy of clairvoyance and the "Superior Condition" that has made himself an author. As his philosophy on these points is of that intangible character which minds in the "first sphere of human existence" cannot judge of, we shall have to take his word or nothing for the soundness thereof. He consoles us, however, with the confident prediction that the Spirit World will, before a great while, be opened upon mankind generally: "the earth's inhabitants will ere long grow into immediate conjunction with the inhabitants of the second sphere." And then I suppose we can see for ourselves.

The last half of the book is devoted to the "Philosophy of Healing." He commences in a lofty and eloquent manner, with reflections upon the "law of progress," its sublime, constant and universal action, and the unimaginable grandeur of its results. He proceeds with some judicious and well-timed remarks upon the stupid bigotry of the medical profession in being so wilfully blind to the important fact, that the irresistible action of this "law" will cast at least two-thirds of their boasted philosophy into oblivion. But in most of what follows "O what a falling off is there?" He attempts a criticism upon the various systems of medical practice now in vogue, and then comes a list of stale recipes for curing tooth-ache and the like. His criticisms of medical systems are exceedingly superficial and faulty. His recipes are, some of them, tolerably sensible, and some absurd. Such is the culmination of all his startling rhapsodies and "philosophies." One feels, if this is the grand ultimatum, the final outcome of all his rapture, mental exaltation, and far-reaching vision, that he has been lifted into the "second sphere of human existence" to little purpose.

Throughout the writings of this remarkable author he speaks of matters and things as if "he knew." His tone is oracular. He styles his communications "Revealments;" and the impulse that prompts him to write, "inspiration." Yet when he comes down to matters of fact that lie within the scope of ordinary mental perception, he is often far from being accurate in his statements or sound in his opinions. That this may not seem an unwarrantable assertion, I will give an example or two taken at random from amid others" of the same sort." For instance, anatomists will be surprised to learn that "the liver performs its first function by transmitting through the pancreas and gall-duct a slightly-positive fluid termed bile." (P. 33.)

Again: he informs us, that one function of the spleen is "to receive the residuum materials of the duodenum and to introduce them into the general circulation through the medium of the liver and its radiating appendages." (P. 34.) Every intelligent anatomist or physiologist knows that these assertions in reference to the liver and spleen are entirely untrue. The bile does not pass through the pancreas, nor do the "materials of the duodenum" pass through the spleen.

Physiology receives a slight addition in the following, if it be true. After telling us that the mucous lining of the stomach "is full of chambers or cells like a honeycomb," he adds, " these cells receive the substances assigned to them; and by the positive and negative action of the serous and mucous surfaces, these substances are re-masticated, decomposed, and reduced to chyme, &c." This re-mastication and reduction to chyme in the mucous membrane is entirely imaginary. Food is dissolved in the cavity of the stomach, independent of the follicles of the mucous membrane, even when enclosed in a metallic cylinder so as to prevent its contact with the mucous membrane. The mucous follicles contain not food but gastric secretions.

Pathology has somewhat to achieve yet, if the following views are sound. In his chapter on disease he tells us that departures from the "sphere of health"- that is, inequalities in the circulation of the Spiritual Principle-arise from the undue predominance of the positive or negative conditions, a balance between which is essential to the preservation of health. All diseases therefore are either positive or negative. Among the negative diseases enumerated are: "pulmonary affections; colds; catarrhs; bronchitis; consumption; spasmodic complaints; epilepsy; St. Vitus' dance; dropsical diseases, local and general; dyspepsia of the different organs; constipation; piles; hemorrhoids; hypertrophies, atrophy; structural diseases; internal cancer and tuberculation of the organs; internal prostration; contagions; dysenteries, and epidemical influenzas; internal cramps; convulsions, &c." (P. 142.) And on page 127 he imparts the astounding intelligence that Asiatic Cholera is a concentration of them all!

I have no doubt Mr. Davis' readers will acquiesce promptly in his wishes, not to be taken as an infallible guide. But with all his modesty, the conviction is irresistible that he overrates the value of his singular gifts. He is quite willing that the test of reason should be applied to his "revealments," but he evidently thinks they will "stand the test." Some of them will, and some will not. Still must it be a matter of perpetual surprise that he should get at so much truth as he does, when we reflect that all his acquisitions of scientific knowledge are the result of intuition. He declares himself barren of knowledge in the "natural state," yet he occasionally throws off with a graceful ease the most difficult propositions, such as it had puzzled the scientific world for years to establish. He seldom descends to minutiæ, however, and is quite apt to blunder when he does. In the present volume he has given us no new facts of importance and few novel views. But he has given such a fascinating and fresh expression to many familiar and valuable truths, that they are almost "as good as new" revelations. Indeed the style of this work is one of its prominent excellencies. It is uniformly correct and chaste, and there are occasional passages that for finish, force, and fervor of expression are rarely surpassed. These "winged words," we are told, only wait upon his bidding while in the "second sphere." On the whole, the conclusion is irresistible, that with all Mr. Davis' remarkable gifts, his mind, in the rarest moments of its exaltation, but comes in contact with knowledge, thoughts, and speculations already in the world, and consequently his liability to err is just as great as any one's. In truth, that liability is increased by his ignorance, and consequent inability to correct false impressions received in the "superior condition." His lack of culture may enhance the idle wonder with which he is regarded, but not the value of his productions. His works considered in relation to their claims, appear idle and paltry. They are certainly readable, and contain many things that awaken an absorbing interest, but the oracular and confident tone in which everything is spoken- the false and the trivial equally with the true and valuable-is a blight to the charms his writings would otherwise possess. It is painful to see so fine a mind mistaking so signally its powers and importance. It is to be hoped that he will yet, before leaving the stage as an author, apprehend the force and mission of his genius correctly.