The New York herald., 1870-02-03
LITERATURE.
Criticisms or New Books.

Criticisms OF New Books.
ABDALLAH, OR THE Four LEAygD SHAMR0cK BY
Edward Rene Leiebre- Laboulaye. translated by
Mary L. Booth. New York: Scrf0ner, wexford
| Co.
We have read many Eastern tales In every respect
| more interesting than this, and more faithful In
their description OF Eastern life. "AbdaHah Is, In
fact, unworthy OF Laboulaye. It's moral II 1t does
contain one, Is DID, very old or course the book Is
| readable enough, but IL cannot equal the other
volumes OF the charming .Bayard Series" 10 when
It belongs. Mary l.. Booth has translated the story
admirably and has made the pest she could out or
very ordinary production.
| PERSONAL BEAUTY: How to Cultivate and Preserve
it IN Accordance with the Laws OF Health. BY y.
Springfield, Mass: w. ]. Holland.
The two physicians, with terribly long titles
attached to their names who have written this book
have evidently studied physiology from an aesthetic
and sentimental standpoint. They are deeply TN
pressed with tine advantages accruing from personal
beauty. and. believing that men and women have
been careless OF preserving and ignorant Of the
means Of Improving their charms, have published
tnis work with view TO the enlightenment OF the
rest the responsibility Of homely features projecting
collar bones, unartistic busts aud unsymmetrlcal
Napneys have discovered the real elixir Of BEAUTY.
No ungainiy feature, from pugnOse TO sunken
cheeks. is neglected. Exquistely tapered fingers
are guaranteed and archeu tnsteps insured. We
must refer the anxious inquirer to the volume for
the various recipes which make mankind "a thing
that the work contains many important suggestions
and much judici0us ADVICE which cannot jail to aid
in the preservation OF health, even they do not add
to physical comellness.
WOMAN: HER PHYSIOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY IN Con-
NECTIoN WITH MATERNITY. BY Mrs. I. II. Kecke-
ler, NJ. ID. Cincinnati A. 7. n 7. II. keckeler
We should feel more disposed to praise this book II
Mrs. Keckler did not entertain an1 give expression
to some very pernicious ideas on the right OF
woman ito determine when and how often she shall
become motner." In other respects MRS. Kecke.er
writes very sensiDly. Much good advice to women
meuical recipes which will be found valuable TO
families IN the absence oil physicians, where lmIne
date relief is needed, ana In many minor disorders
that do not demand the attention OF medical man.
CREATIoN A RECENT WORK OF GoD. BY the Rector
OF St. Mafy's church, New YORK. New York Pott
& Amery.
The great aim or theological writers or the present
day Is TO reconcile the teachings OF the Bible with
geology TO this end numerous works have been
written, Of which q few have been logicai and con-
vincing, while many have been very ordinary pro-
dncIions The present volume Is hardly equal the
subject although II contains the germ OF origina.
IDEAS whose Development would doubtless aid IN the
tor OF st. Marys church is LOO good q Christian to
develop his half expressed iueas. He encounters
diliculties ana bridges them over with the bole,
which says mucn TOR his ialth II We are mol even
convinced by ms mode Of reasoning Now, Ito
snow the harmony between Gods created and wril-
reyelauOnS the Bible must be ignored partially
II not utterly Argument based upon strictly scien
tihc facts which arrive at The same conclusions
tile Bible does Is he only method by which IL can be
satisfactorily proven that the science OF geology does
not conflict with what we believe TO De divine
revelation. The author OF this little work proposes
new geological tneoren. He endeavors 10 prove
from the Bib and by somewhat Ingenious process
OF reasoning deduced from the scientific facts FUR
nshed by astronomers and geOlogsts, that the earth
is less than 5000 years old anu mat Within those
years there have been but four great geological
epOcns. While we have an ABIDING iatth that the
conflict between the Bible and science Is all appar-
ent, we do not think that this work explains Lhelr
harmony. Something more tnan theories however
lngeniously puI forth. is needed.
LETTER AND SPIRIT. Winchester Lectures. By
Richard Metcalf. Boston: American Unitarian As
SoclatOn.
ANY person curious TO learn what the faith OF the
Unitarans IS can obtain all needed information by
perusal Of this work. There are twelve lectures in
the volume the first discussing the question Of
creeds and explaining precisely what the Unitarans
believe Then follows. from the second to tne
twelfth, exposition of the essential doctrines OF
the Unitarian Church. The lectures are interesting
throughout Tney are written In . clear. animated
style and are simply wOrded.