University of Virginia Library

“Every page of it breathes the inspiration of genius, and shows a highly cultivated
taste in literature and art.”

“I cordially thank the public for the hearty welcome they have given this
unpretending volume. I rejoice in it as a new proof that whatsoever is simple,
sincere, and earnest, will find its way to the hearts of men.”

“For sound moral instruction and practical good sense, we know of no work of
its class worthy to be compared to it.”

“We commend this pleasing collection to all those women who are ambitious,
like its subjects, to become good wives.”

“Information as to the past and present condition of one-half the human race,
put together in that lively and attractive form which is sure to grow up beneath
the hand of Mrs. Child.”

“A collection of gems in which sparkle all the beauties of truth, holiness, and
love, to attract the mind of youth in its first unfoldings.”

“There is a fresh and loveable heartiness in this book—there is music in it—it
is full of humanity, and benevolence, and noble affection. It is the free, unrestrained
outpourings of the enlightened heart of a poet, an artist, and a woman.”

“My motive for writing has been a very simple one; I wished to show that
theology is not religion, with the hope that I might help to break down partition
walls; to ameliorate what the eloquent Bushnell calls `baptized hatreds of
the human race.' * * * Those who wish to obtain candid information, without
caring whether it does or does not sustain any favourite theory of their own
may perhaps thank me for saving them the trouble of searching through large
and learned volumes; and if they complain of want of profoundness, they may
be willing to accept simplicity and clearness in exchange for depth.”

“No true scholar, who has himself faithfully worked over the remains of
antiquity, can fail to follow its pages with perpetually fresh wonder and delight;
wonder at the completeness and compactness of the synthesis, and delight at the
fresh and musical language, always as clear as a bell and as bright as the sky,
through which her rays of lore come streaming in from all sides; wonder that so
little ever said has been left out, and pleasure at the natural and reasonable way
in which everything comes in, without effort or disturbance.

“Its place in all libraries is secured. It is a skillful exposition of the Constants
of the science, those facts which have been sifted and proved and quoted and
catalogued and made the basis of all modern argumentation upon the past. It
possesses a value that will not change, like that of other books written up for a
sect or a side, and therefore incomplete, advancing the doubtful, because it is
needful for a theory, and suppressing the well known, because it is dangerous to
the theory. Mrs. Child's catholic sympathies with every genus and species of
human soul is certainly evident throughout her book. The true and tender way
she writes of every development of the genius of divine and human love shows
how impossible it would be for her to limit it in a fixed and special theory, for
that would necessitate fixed prejudices, for and on the other side, and therefore
gives the best possible guarantee, to the readers of her book, that she was also incapable
of garbling, overstating, suppressing the facts upon which many apparently

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“And we venture to predict that it will share the fine fate of those indispensable
manuals, text books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and synopses, which now make
up the working libraries of students in every department of knowledge; of such
a book, for instance, as the Cosmos of Humboldt, a book which in fact it more
nearly resembles than any other written in modern times.”

“It shows great learning and great patience in the study and comparison of the
ancient historians. Theologians and students may have known the facts brought
forward in this work before but Mrs. Child has arranged and ordered them in a
way to make them plain and interesting to readers who have not had time or opportunity
to go through so elaborate a course of study. The style is clear and
good, and she has made a very interesting and instructive book. Young and old
readers will find it well worth while to omit the reading of some of the alarmingly
numerous novels, which all feel bound to keep the run of, in favour of a book
which contains so much that they will find it good to read and remember.”

“We take up these volumes with feelings of gratitude and respect for the
cherished authoress, which assure us of profit of some kind to be found in their
perusal. The productions of her pen amused and instructed our boyhood, and
we have ever since found food for heart and mind in her numerous, but none too
numerous, works. Devoted, as her writings have always been, to the high service
of truth and love, they have given her a deep place in the affections of her
readers. In her present work, she has set before herself a task chosen with the
utmost nobleness of motive, and pursued, of course, with candour and fidelity of
effort. * * * * * Mrs. Child leads us through a survey of the world's religions,
of those of them, we should say, which have sacred books, and endeavours to present
to us their forms, their fundamental tenets, their development, and their
spirit. India, Egypt, China, Thibet and Tartary, Chaldea, Persia, Greece, Rome,
and the Celtic tribes, are thus challenged to give us a sketch of their faith, as an
introduction to the religions whose records are contained in the Bible, and then
the religion of Mahomet, brings up the close of the survey. We marvel alike at
the industry of the writer and at the graces of simplicity and purity of style in
which she has presented its results. Very valuable extracts from various
`sacred books,' as well as from our ecclesiastical stores, judiciously selected and
admirably arranged, enable the reader to look behind his guide, and to judge of
the fidelity of her course, while he is left to form his own conclusions, as hers
are not obtruded upon him.”

“Every chapter has served to increase our sense of the vast amount of interesting
information which the work contains, and to quicken anew our appreciation
of the industry and research, the fearless truthfulness, the strict conscientiousness
which must have presided over its preparation. `The Progress of
Religious Ideas' supplies a want which every one interested in the subject of
which it treats must have felt. The facts are to be found indeed, but only after
tedious research through many bulky volumes. In the English language, at
least, there is no work which gives anything like so condensed, and yet so full a
view of the ancient religions as this does.”

“These are remarkable volumes. The history of various sects and of the
Christian Church has been given, but we are not aware that any work has been
before published in this country, having so large a scope as this. There are few
writers, certainly few churchmen, who would have been capable of undertaking
the task which Mrs. Child has well accomplished. To approach it required not
merely high qualifications as a writer, a sound intellect, and unwearied research,
but what most of those who might otherwise be competent to the task would
lack, a freedom from scepticism on the one hand, and perfect religious toleration
on the other..... But it is the facts which these volumes contain that will
make them sought after.”