CHURCH REFORM IN ENGLAND. The subject of Church Reform, may, perhaps, be considered as the object of paramount interest in England, at the present time. Every periodical which comes across the water, whether literary, political, or religious, has its one or two articles on the all engrossing theme, and the press teems with pamphlets on the subject, of every form and character. It is the universal opinion in this country, that religion ought to be left, in this world, to the voluntary efforts of its friends. Wealth, rank, political influence, and station, are powerful auxiliaries in any cause, but the plan of employing them to promote the cause of Christ, is spoiled, by the influence of an element, which is not always sufficiently taken into account, in human schemes, we mean, human depravity. These worldly influences always operate asja lure to ambition, which, to gain them, must assume the garb of piety. Giving Christianity any secular advantages, besides mere protection, is, therefore, the certain way to corrupt her. These views are so generally entertained in this country, that we are sometimes at a loss to understand on what grounds the present connexion between the Church and the State, in England, is defended by its friends. We have prepared the following abstract of their arguments from their recent writings, that those of our readers who may feel interested in the subject, may know what views of it are taken by that side. It is, fortunately, not necessary to exhibit the other side, to readers in this country. It ought, however, to be borne in mind, that the question at issue in this controversy, does not relate at all to the internal government, or the doctrines or modes of worship in the Episcopal church, but only to its connexion with the body politic. The question simply is, whether that church shall remain connected with the government, in fact, almost identified with it, in many respects, as it is now, or whether it shall be separated, and stand on the same ground and in the same relation to the state, with the other Christian denominations of the country,-as is, at present, the case with the Episcopal Church of the United States. I. On the general question of the propriety of a religious establishment, the friends of the English establishment maintain, 1. That to sustain religion by the power of civil law is sanctioned by the Scriptures, especially in the Old Testament, which, in respect to all great moral principles, is still our guide. 2. That the necessity of it is evident, from the general apathy among mankind, in respect to religious instruction. 3. They quote the opinions of many eminent men, who, in all ages, have advocated this plan. 4. They infer the necessity of an established religion, from the example of this country, and they quote, for this purpose, the highly wrought pictures of the moral desolations of the West, which have so often been drawn by American writers and preachers, for a few years past. These representations are exaggerated, from the fact, that each writer has brought into the account only the preachers of his own denomination, in estimating the supply of relig. ious instruction.* II. On the question whether the present Church of England should be the established church, if any is established, they maintain that it should, 1. On account of the purity and excellence of its system of faith and practice. 2. Its antiquity. 3. Its being now the majority. One writer, makes the following estimate, for England alone, of the number of attendants at public worship, in the various denominations. The whole population is 13,000,000; leaving a little more than half, who cannot, or will not, attend public worship at all. The Church of England, has thus the majority of numbers, and she has also, a far greater majority, in respect to rank, learning, wealth and influence. III. The question of Church Property. This is of three kinds. 1. Endowments. These were originally given to the Church, by the lawful owners of the property given or bequeathed, and public faith is pledged to hold them sacred, as much so, as any other property, in the hands of any other possessors. 2. Tithes. These are not to be considered as a "State allowance," for the support of the gospel, which the state have a right to control, but as "a rent charge of many centuries standing, understood and calculated upon, in every estate which is bought and sold, and in every farm which is let or taken." In other words, the idea is, that when a man purchases or inherits an estate, the right to appropriate nine tenths of the products is all which he purchases or inherits. The other tenth he has nothing to do with, and never had. The two parts of the property may have been together once, but they were separated many centuries ago, and have descended by different lines, to Rev. Calvin Colton, now in London, has corrected these views, in a pamphlet addressed to the Bishop of London. He maintains, that so far as the case of this country bears on the question at all, its influence is on the other side. His pamphlet is attracting considerable attention. It is to these three denominations that the term "Dissenters" is generally applied. different present possessors, neither of which can take the other's share, without violating the plainest principles, which regulate, in all cases, the descent of property. 3. Church rates,- a comparatively small tax, levied upon all, whether attached to the establishment or not. These are defended on the ground that, the maintenance of the establishment, being a public benefit, should be sustained by the public equally. Some writers, friendly to the establishment generally, are in favor of giving these up. The foregoing considerations relate to the general question of an establishment, which, however, is not precisely the question which is now up. The object at which the Dissenters are now directly aiming, is to free themselves from certain disabilities which arise from some exclusive privileges, hitherto possessed by the members of the establishment. They relate to the solemnization of marriages, and the registration of baptisms, burials, and education at the National Universities. The present claim of the Dissenters, is to be put on a footing, in respect to these subjects, with the members of the Established Church, and, to the securing of these objects, they are at present concentrating all their energies. The main question must, however, before long, come up. EDS. THE SUMMARY. The following notices, of recent publications, we have received from correspondents in whose judgment and impartiality we confide. EDS. AIDS TO MENTAL DEVELOPMENT, OR HINTS TO PARENTS; being a System of Mental and Moral Instruction, Exemplified in Conversations between a Mother and her Children. With an Address to Mothers. BY A LADY To write a spirited dialogue, is a far more difficult task, than is gener: ally supposed by those, who have had but little experience in the difficulties of composition. We speak not now, of the higher kinds of dramatic works, by means of which, an author aims to be known, and read, and quoted, in all succeeding ages; but of that comparatively unimpassioned kind, The causes of success, on the one hand, and of failure on the other,would richly repay the labor of a successful investigation; but we have not room, in the brief space allotted to such a notice, to do more, than to state the fact, with a passing allusion to the more prominent causes. denied, that, among the numerous The fact, we suppose, will not be candidates for fame, in the department of didactic dialogue, comparatively few, have met with distinguished success. That this has not, in all cases, been owing to a want of talent in the authors, seems to us obvious; for many of them have been successful in other departments of literature. The truth seems to be, that, in d'alogue, we look for more vivacity, and a more striking exhibition of individual character, than is easily reconcilable with didactic composition. When the author aims to be lively and spirited, the instruction becomes too much diluted; and, on the contrary, if he is principally desirous to instruct, his dialogue is too often deficient in in terest. There is, perhaps, nothing more dull, than a dialogue consisting of a formal treatise upon some abstruse subject, broken only by the question or remark of some resigned and submissive learner, whose part in the debate obviously serves, and was intended to serve, no other purpose, than to prevent the monotonous effect of an uninterrupted dissertation. This remark seems to us to apply to a great part of the modern dialogues intended for the instruction of children. We believe that it would generally be better, either to adopt the plain didactic form, or to give to the dialogue a more dramatic effect, by drawing out more boldly and distinctly, the characters of the principal speakers. In the latter case, the author would have to content himself, with exhibiting a few principles in a strong light, and with permanent effect. These remarks we consider as applying, in some degree, to the work before us. It is an attempt to exhibit, in the form of a dialogue, the best manner of developing the youthful mind, and of imparting a knowledge of the most important objects and methods of education. In the importance of many of the results proposed by the author, all will agree; and those who are content to read a volume of dialogues, for the single purpose of gaining instruction, will find in this much to reward their labormuch, which, if not absolutely new, is still of great importance. Among several passages which we had marked for quotation, we have room only for the following very favorable specimen, from a prefatory address to mothers. "To a a child, too, all the world is new, and curiosity and wonder hold an almost perpetual dominion over its mind. What is this?' 'Let me see that!' is continually bursting from its lips; and how unlimited are the claims upon a parent's care, which such interrogatories and such requests present. They are constant demands for education; and, upon the manner in which that education is conducted, the excellence and usefulness of the future character, in a great measure depend. Could the youthful mother but form a conception of the sum of disappointment, pain, and mortification, she might save her child, by seizing, and making a judicious use of these early calls for information, how eagerly would she employ herself in discovering the best modes of employing the opportunities thus presented to her by nature, and how anxiously would she watch that no such chance of benefiting a being so dear to her, should pass by unim proved. But, wholly unconscious of the consequence of what appears to her so mere a trifle, or laboring under the erroneous notion that the mind of her child is like a piece of fallow ground, which will lie totally vacant and unemployed, till the proper period of tillage shall arrive, she pushes the child aside, at the moment its little mind is thirsting for information, with,-Go away, and don't plague me ! How troublesome you are! What curiosity you have! Yes! the curiosity of a child is indeed unbounded-and would we wish it otherwise? Let us suppose ourselves placed, for the first time in our lives, in a large and magnificent palace, adorned with furniture, not only of the most beautiful description, but all of a kind perfectly new to us; would we not be anxious to examine all, and make ourselves acquainted with their nature and uses? And is not a child placed in such a palace? Is it not surrounded with innumerable objects at once new, beautiful, and interesting? Nay, more, is it not possessed of impulses, dispositions and passions, all equally new, and calling for the directing hand of expe rience and affection, to assist it to govern and control them- and, so circumstanced, will any one pretend to say, that the watchful care of the mother is not required, to satisfy its curiosity, solve its doubts, and regulate its feelings?- and with these first cares of the parent, the business of education commences. Who would wish to see his child pass on, blindfolded, and uninterested in the objects which surround it? Who does not desire, that sprightliness, and animation, should be leading characteristics of its young mind? And if lively and active, must it not have something on which to feed? And if not supplied with good, wholesome, and nutritive food, will not folly, and even vice, step in to fill up the vacancies?" In conclusion, we have a few words to say, respecting the manner in which this work comes before the American public. Should our readers, after perusing the title page, be at a loss to know who is the author of the book, or for what part of it, they are indebted to "a Lady of Philadelphia," we regret, that even after having read the volume with some attention, it is not in our power to answer such inquiries, as may naturally be made upon the subject. We are no where informed, when, where, or by whom it was written, nor even whether it has, or has not previously been published. From allusions in the body of the work, we infer, that it was composed in England, but of its author, or of the changes which the American editor may have introduced into it, we have no means of information. This seems to us, an objectionable mode of republication. It seems due both to the author, and the reader, that the literary history of republished works should be given, and that when alterations are made in a book, their nature and amount should be specified. PARLEY'S MAGAZINE. We are glad to learn, that the publishers of this very popular juvenile miscellany, which numbers, as we are told, nearly twenty thousand subscribers, have engaged, as its future Editor, the recent conductor of the Juvenile Rambler. The public will receive this, as a pledge, that the work will not only continue to be an entertaining and instructive publication, but that it will contribute, wherever its pages are read, to the diffusion of sound principles, in education and morals. THE BENEFICIAL INFLUENCE OF STATE OF MANKIND. A Sermon, by CHRISTIANITY UPON THE PRESENT REV. JOHN S. STONE; Rector of St. Paul's Church, Boston. Delivered December 25th, 1833. The subject of this sermon is peculiarly appropriate to the occasion on which it was delivered. To a Christian assembly, convened for the express purpose of celebrating the advent of their Saviour, and upon the day set apart for that purpose by the usages of their church, a consideration of the advantages which have resulted to the world, from that great event, which they unite to commemorate, must ever be a topic of commanding interest. It is thus, that the anniversaries of the various institutions, by which man has labored to promote the interests of his fellow man, are wont to be celebrated, and it is thus, also, that gratitude is excited towards those benefactors of our race, by whom such institutions have been founded. The text upon which this sermon is founded, is in Luke, 2: 32. "A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." The preacher considers the advantages to the world, which have resulted from the advent of the Saviour, under three divisions. 1. The influence of Christianity upon the intellectual character; 2. Upon society; — and 3. Upon the religious state of man. Under the first head, he considers the tendency of Christianity to promote free discussion, and to emancipate the mind from the stupifying effect of false and pernicious schemes of philosophy and religion. Under the second division, he considers the effect of Christianity upon the state of human society, of its influence in rendering wars less frequent, and less sanguinary; in causing the establishment of institutions, for the reformation of offenders, for |