Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-02-19
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
DR.. sCELIEMANE's LIos"-WALLAcL,s
TALE OF THE CHRIST"
Late Magazines and Recent Publications
Literary Notices and
Paragraphs

iLI0s; THE CITY AND COUNTRY or THE TROlASs. BY
DR.. Henry Scbliemann, F. 5. A. F. X. l. British
Architects. Imperial Svo cloth, Slz New
York: Harper Il Bros. San Francisco A. L.
Bancroft & Co.
This work has been looked for with greatly
| stimulated eXpe citation It will be found to
answer it fully. DIR. Schliemann has, more
than any other man of this or any preceding
day, laid bare the mysteries of the buried
cities of the ancients. He is q natural arch
aologist. The spirit of it was born into him.
When mere boy he resolved to delve amid
| the ruins of past ages. 1t was the one dream
| of his childhood, and his whole effort to ac-
quire wealth was inspired by the desire to re-
alizs his dream. He has solved many a prob
lem in the Homeric controversies, and has
placed the fact beside the poetry Of the Had.
Seven years OF excavating at Hissariik has I'M
folded to the world the secrets Of the ages,
and TO Schlemann and his devoted Greek
wife the world is indebted for the suit. He
has in this admirable work made clear the
reality concerning the Hellenic miustrelsy,
and has given US the plain prose concerning
times of Prian, Achilles, Helen and Hector,
and the characters of HOmer's song lie has
invested this account of his researches with
an interest very difficult to describe; but it
may be indicated By pronouncirg it human.
He has, in short, brought US into suc- close and
human relation with the Hom=r!c heroes,
chat we feel as if we knew them in
person and had moved about the streets
of Troy, concerning the size andimp 5rtsnce, of
which city the Doctor disabuses the popular
idea, and makes it clear that The ancient
standard was far less lofty than we have been
accustomed to consider it, and that, com
pared to modern cities, many Of the ancient
Municipalities were villages. Ods OF the
chief values of this work is found il the fact
that the author has concisely stated al the
facts and conclusions of his researches in
simple form for the unscientiGc reader and
having done so, proceeds TO elsb rate them
for the scientist. This branch OF the work is
pFefaced by four papers on the country of the
Trojans or the Troad, on the e.hnology of
the Irojans and the topography Of Troy, on
the history of Troy, and on the true site of
Troy. In these papers he quotes freely from
the best authorities and gives reference TO the
works Of the leading archeolgsists, hlsto-
rians and discoveries. The work proper de-
scIibes seven unearthed cities five of them
prehistoric. Each of these has ia turn Oc-
cupied the site of Troy. The third OF these
was the Troy of Homer's song. The work is
illuminated by 1S00 illustrations besides
maps and plans, and has a preface and APP
psndices and notes by Professors Rudolf
Virchow, Max Muller. A. H. Saycs. J. Z.
Mahaffy H. Brugsch- Bey, P. Asch-rs5n, NJ.
A Postolaccas, NJ. Z. Burnouf, L Calvert
and A j, Duffield. 1t is in short pastsrly
work; a witness to the patience genius, his
toric knowledge and indOmi.a able usI vsraucs
of its authOr-a book which must md = place
in every well-ordered library.
Ben Sur; A TALE or TIP CHRIST BY General Lew
Wallace Syo muslin. New York Harper Sc
Bros. San francisco A. L Bancroft Co.
This is the work which it Is said General
Wallace was moved to write, 81 err having
had a conversation with Colons X bert In
gers IL, and hearing an exposition Of his
views of the Bible. 1t Is q sia-Uiariy at
tractive historical novel, and Jss style Is
throughout graced by the rounded and poetic
symmetry of thesOrient. /. IS O. novel in
which the career of Christ from his birth is
given in narrative form, and iugeiW Ven with
the acts loves, hates and varied motions OF
men and women of His time. The s5prv be-
gins with the meeting Of the Wise ID n ON the
desert-one from Persia, one from iudla, one
from Africa-eaCh moved by d 70 Es-.c intiu-
ence to travel to q common pai4 and each
guided by a strange and belU-itLl celestial
light that moved before them. They met
and spoke in a common tongue heretofore
unknown to either. Each to t0e other con-
fessed the unsa tisfactoriness OF his own re-
ligion. and the longing desire for b tier and
more soul-satisfying one They jrErneyed,
guided by the light, TO the u-ueel Of the
child Christ. simultaneously yso-
the shepherds experienced the revelation
from above, and were made % seugers
Of the glad song, peace On asrh, good
will to men" From the rsc.tl of these
events the author turns to th jeu-nsy of
Joseph and Mary, the Judgment n tie cave
stable and the birth Of Jesus; aua with the
arrival of the worshipers Of the " New Born
King" he takes up the story Of Cuist's life.
Il is told with all the charm vsi which the
experienced novelist robes his lsrf=. i've, and
brings the reader as closely 60 Che daily life
of ChTist-as the author conceiv5 :. TO have
been-as 1t Is possible may be Lgg1. IL IS an
Eastern story of the time coeeed by the
records OF the New Testament -a-t by one
who writes from the stand t of the
Christian believer-one too well grounded
in the faith to be shaken, If we TO Judge
by the pages of this romance 4u- l---plcture