Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-04-23
RECENT LITERATURE.
MAGAZINES OF THE DAY = WILLIAM
BLACKS NEW NOVEL
Fair Barbarian-The Head OF Medusa-
Ego-The Chaldean Account of
Genesis-New Music.

we have volume entitled 1.-THE Chaldean
Account of Genesis" containing the descrip-
ton of the creation, the deluge, the Tower of
Babel. the destruction eff Sodom, the times of
the Patriarchs and Nimrod Babylonian
fables and legends of the gods. From the
cuneiform Inscriptions. By George Smith.
A new edition, thoroughly revised and cor
rected. with additions, BY A. H. Sayce It
Is an Svo.of 3S7 pages and sell at So. Archie.
oleeists will be sure to possess themselves of
this work in the form of new edition. The
original was published some five years ago
Professor Sage has included in this volume
the result of over five years of active
research by Assyiian scholars, since the first
publication OF the book, in which time great
progress has been made by the scholars of
Europe in the study of the Assyrian Ian
guage. ] ne old solutions Of Chaldean tab
lets have been cleared of error and obscurity,
and are given now in the light of the most
advanced knowledge on the subject, and
proofs are given by new Blbylonian texts OF
the correctness of the Assy1isn copies. 1t is
| not claimed in this work that the end has
been reached On the contrary, it shows
clearly that the field of research is still open.
| fad this work one of profound interest. Pro-
fessor Sayce speaks Of his work very freely,
! and from his preface We quote paragraphs ex-
pressive Of his views. he says:
| comparison OF the TRANSACTIONS contained in the
present edition with those contsined in the preced
| ing ones will show to what extent the details of
translation have had to be modified and changed,
sometimes with important conseq uences. Thus the
corrected translation OF the fragments relating to
the Tower Of Babel will remove the doubts raised by
Mr. Smiths translation as to his correctness asso
eating them with thus, too, the corrected
rendering of passage in the lZdubar ep will show
| that the practice of erecting Bethel, sacred
| stone, familiar to t early Babylonians In
/ M h los, -rg.k
character of whole text. What he believed to be az
record of the fall for instance is really as NJ Oppert
| first pointed out, hymn to the Creator.
| The impulse given 10 Assyrian resea CHI by Mr..
Smith has survived his death; numberless new tab
lets and fragments OF tablets have been brought to
Europe from Assyria and Babylonia; fresh students
| OF the inscriptions have risen up in this county
| aud on the continent, more especially IN Germany
| and the scientific spirit which has been introduced
| into the study of the Assyrian language has i'm.
| measurably increased our knowledge Of it. Thanks
| to the labors of men Ike Oppert, Lenormant and
GuYard in France or Of Schrader. DeltlZsch, Haupt
| and Homme in Germany texts which were obscure
and doubtful at the time OF Mr. Smiths death have
now become almost clear page of the diff
cult portions OF the Old Testament The Assyrian stu
de It, moreover, has an advantage which the Hebrew
student has not he possesses dictionaries and
obituaries compi ed by the Assyro BabylOnians them
| selves and these frequently throw light on a word
which otherwise would be LapaX legomenon"
'The Head of Medusa " is the title Of q
new novel by George Fleming, the author OF
"Kismet and Mirage" 1t is from the press
of Roberts Bros, Boston, and is fer sale by
a l.. Bancroft & Co., San Francisco, ard
w. a. & c. S. Houghton, Sacramento.
George Fleming, it is generally accepted is
the nom de plume of female W1iter. The
story from the outset indicates that over the
whole theme some chilling and inevitable
power impends and realizes the appropriate
ness of the title of the book It is well
tod tale, graceful novel, SIN artistic compo-
sition. Il is story that tries the sympathies
deeply A young Southern girl, CROWN. c;:s
Of comparative obscurity ;nto c society Of
gayety, is thrown into a companionship in
italy with group of intelligent English and
American people An Italian of natural
! baseness obtains by working upon her sym
pathetic nature, a dire Influence over the
heroine of the tale, aud leads her to yield to
hin submissively and become the wife of
most despicable creature. 1t is difficult TO
define what the relation between them is,
| whether she has married for love, sympathy,
or because OF an influence exercised through
some unknown power in the hands of this
most villainous charmer of woman H.
capable of wrong. A life of gloom
follows, when the girl discovers her
fatal error, and at the same
time the revelation is made tn It another man
should have claimed her, and simply neg
lected to press a suit to which her heart
would have gladly responded. Then comes
| the struggle between repugnance fof her nus
band and the living of a life of duty under
her chatting and heavy bonds, and the hero
ism of woman in this respect is clearly de-
picted. In short, the story is one of disap
pointed life, and cold sense Of duty to en-
| dure the misfortune Of mistake and avail of
no remedy which may assuage in the slightest
degree the anguish Of a crushed heart.
"Appleton's Journal for May %. Apple
ton Il Co, \. Y give the secoLd aud con-
cluiing part of Professor George Ebe1s
Greek noyelette, " a Greek Idyl" This
story Is said to have been ug2ested by
painting by Alma-Tadema. Helena Faucit
Shskespeare's Female Characters, are con
tinued. There is a searching and effective
paper ON Byron" by Matthew Arnold, and
two capital sketches, embodied in one article,
on Keble and DIR. Newman, by James An
thony Froude. ." Madame de Stael, " = The
MetteInich Memoirs" and an article on
Thomson, the new English poet, form the
distinctive literary papers. Art Needle
work " is discussed by Lady Afford. Vice
President of the ROYAL School Of Art Needle
work, and the wellknown painter q. F.
Watts. \ readable paper on King Lear "
and a short story called Robert Wyeth
complete the body articles. Henry Georges
" Progress and Poverty" and his argument
against the private ownership of land, which
has recently attracted so much attention, is
subjected to a close analysis by the editor.
. Notes for Readers makes very agreea-
bic department"
The g Californian for May 1.-THE Califor-
MIA Publishing Company, San Francisco pre-
sents in addition to the regular departments
these leading papers: :" The Monroe Doc
+ri,a apd tho isthp,iap Carel h, Job, ~
Hall; The Poetry of Theophile Gautier,"
bv Edgar Fawcett; "'49 and 80" Chapters
TX, X, XII by John Vance Cheney:
" Ruby-Throat," by l.. FL. Bartram - Is
the Jury System Faiiure?' by Z. w. Nc
Graw; Good for. Naught" Chapters Ill,
w, by Helen Wilmans " Coronation" by
Henrietta r Eliot; California under the
at Farwell," by MIicent w. Shinn twelve
Days OF a Mexican Highway Il, by D. S.
Richardson; Southern California, by Chas.
Il. Shinn " The Parish Primaries, by Sam
Davis Parted" by Katharine L. Bates !;
what is University" by L. r. Sill /;
" The State VS.. the Christian University"
by G. Q. Stratton q" a Ciouded Summer"
by Lydia f. Houghton "a Barbary Coast
City," by A. NJ. Morce; " Science and ln-
dustry."
la addition to the regular departments,
81 Harper's Magazine for May prese nts, be-
sides many handsome illustrations, these lead
ing contents Il held Loves Head, while
it did axe. J." by Robert Herrick " Music and
Musicians in New York." by Frederick
Nast; "Aprille," by T, H. Robertson
"Athers," by Merrill L. Gates Deco
rative Pottery of Cincinnati" by Mrs. Aaron
+. Perry; " The Indian Girl" EIizabet S.
Phelps; Anne, by Constance f. Woods
"The Return Message" by Edward L Hale
I" The Market Bell, by Margeret f. Sang
ster -" Camp Lou" by Marc Cook 1.-The
Unexpected Parting Of the Beazley Twins
! by Il. NJ. Johrston Thomas Carlyle" by
NJ. d. Conway; George Eliot" by G.
Kegan Paul; "The Speakers Ruling" by
by George I. Curtis George Eliot" by
Elizabeth S. Phelps; g Contrast, by Nora
Perry; Two" by Rose L. Cooke; "A
! Iandicsan.n by Thomas Hardy