work on the system in the vernacular tongue which would lie somewhere between the amplitude of a Cursus Philosophicus and the succinctness of a history of philosophy. In these two latter classes of works we have fortunately been rather well supplied. The Stonyhurst Manuals—especially Father Maher's volume on Psychology, which is in a class by itself-have shown what the old philosophy has to say for itself when set face to face with the modern schools. In the domain of history of philosophy, Dr. William Turner has supplied us with an admirable account of the story of scholasticism in the past. But there was surely room for a work like the Introduction to Philosophy of, say, Paulsen-a work which would give a general idea of the principles, methods, and conclusions of the system in a way to attract the interest of the serious-minded public who lack the special training needed for the enjoyment of formal treatises and rigid demonstrations. That such is the purpose of this book M. DeWulf states in his Introduction: "The object of the present work is to meet and combat false conceptions, to co-ordinate true notions, and so to furnish the reader with some general information on the new scholasticism." In order to effect his purpose M. DeWulf finds it necessary to go back into a study of Medieval Scholasticism which occupies about half the book. One chapter of this section gives a brief but very clear resumé of the teachings of the great scholastics on the various problems in philosophy. Many a student who has spent two years over a text-book would gain a new insight into the system he has been studying if he were to read these 50 pages of wellknit presentation.

The author is on more debatable ground when he takes up a favorite topic of his what precisely is scholastic philosophy? The phrase has been very loosely used, and admits of equivocation. It was to guard against this that the Encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis after commanding that "scholastic philosophy be made the basis of the sacred sciences," goes on to say: "And let it be clearly understood above all things that the scholastic philosophy We prescribe is that which the Angelic Doctor has bequeathed to us." This, however, is evidently offered by the Holy Father not as a definition but as a limitation of the term. Dr. DeWulf discusses the attempts to define scholasticism by its relation to a set of methods, or a period of time, or a dogmatic system, or the philosophy of Aristotle, or a theory about Universals. In none of these does he find the requisites for a complete definition. His own conclusions he has summarized

on p. 46: "There is a philosophical synthesis common to a group of the leading doctors of the West (Anselm of Canterbury, Alexander of Hales, Thomas of Aquin, Bonaventure, Duns Scotus, William of Occam). That synthesis does not sterilize thought in the case of any one of them. It is predominant in the Middle Ages; to it belongs the name of Scholastic Philosophy."

The second part of the work treats of "Modern Scholastic Philosophy." The chapter on "The Doctrines of the New Scholasticism" makes very interesting reading; it is, in fact, the main raison d'etre of the book. The author sketches briefly, at times too briefly, the present-day questions on which the neo-scholastic philosophy has, or should have, a word to say. Under the rubric "Cosmology" he devotes his entire space to the consideration of new problems in Physics in which his brilliant confrère, Professor Nys, has done such good work on the scholastic side. But he omits a problem which overshadows all the rest and which our neo-scholastics handle very gingerly the question of Evolution.

The teacher of philosophy will be interested in the author's views on the methods for teaching and propagandism.

Dr. DeWulf, though an ardent and successful defender of ancient principles, is an equally ardent, and, we hope, an equally successful advocate of modern methods. He would not do away with the methods of stating and solving philosophical questions which are traditional in the schools, but he would supplement them by modern historical methods of approach, study of the natural sciences, laboratory and seminar work, etc. He gives considerable space to the much-debated question about the use of Latin in teaching the system. He insists, strongly, and properly, that at least for lay students the vernacular should be used in the class-room. The work of the Philosophical Institute at Louvain was almost wrecked ten years ago by an order to teach in Latin. M. DeWulf does not urge that the vernacular should be used in purely ecclesiastical institutions, but he does insist that even there the studies should not be confined to Latin, since before getting hold of philosophy in their native idiom few really understand it and fewer still can make any use of it.

The work has been translated into English by Dr. Coffey, who is Professor of Philosophy in the famous Irish center of ecclesiastical learning, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth. It is sufficient praise to say that the translation is worthy of the work. And the reader will be especially grateful to him for an Appendix of more than fifty pages

in which he describes the School of Philosophy at Louvain, its men, methods, trials, successes. This was a task which M. DeWulf in his modesty could not undertake, though the matter forms a very proper and illuminating supplement to many of the suggestions that the Belgian writer had put forth.

One of the motives that led the distinguished young Irish professor to translate this work was "to prepare the way for translations or adaptations of the Louvain Cours de philosophie." We hope that the eager reception of the present work will encourage him to go on along the lines he seems to have planned.

FRANCIS P. DUFFY.

Le Besoin et le Devoir Religieux, par MAURICE SEROL, Beauchesne, Paris.
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