Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-12-10
OUR BOOK TABLE.
YOUNG IgELAND-THE BOYS MAgINo
GI0E-RALsIGH.
Magazines Franklin Square Library :
Suicide-Cyclopedia OF United
States History.

| during the intervals of time in his busy life,
aad he claims that it contains " memoir OF
the public affairs of Ireland during period
| Of abnormal activity period to which may
| be traced, as to their fountain-head, many of
| the opinions Eow generally current among
| the Irish people" The primary aim OF the
work, he states. ia to make the people OF the
present day familiar with the motives of the
men who were prominent in what was known
SIS the Young Ireland party, . as their en-.
emies in the first instance named them, and
as they came in the end to name themselves"
| Mr.. Duffy's chief effort has been to make
clear, according to his views and those
of the party, what their ultimate aim
was, what they accomplished, their
motives and their means OF action.
To this end he has ayailed of the disclosure
their private correspondence makes. as inter-
preted by one who shared their counsels.
These things are given in book form, for the
first tina, in the work before US, and what
ever view of "The Irish Question one may
entertain, he will find this book of value.
The author has lived a quarter of a century
among Englishmen, as their associate, col
league, or competitor; has been an sctive
participation in Irish politics, is one of Ire
lands most prominent men, and appreciates
the dislike Englishmen will feel in unearth-
ing the skeletons of the past; but genera
tion has passed since the events occurred
which he records, and he now appeals to the
condolences of the best class of English
men, and begs them to come to a study
of the period embraced in his sketches,
and to learn thereby "why Irishmen, not
deficient in public spirit or probity, were
eager to break away from the Union
and from all connection with England" He
claims that only by searching history well
and thoroughly can any one arrive at ths
true causes of Irish discomfort. What the
author has written he declares is what he
profoundly believes to be true, and he insists
that in his collation. of facts he has appealed
to the best sources, and that he has sought to
be not only accurate, but just. His narrative
he presents not as the history of the men who
move as the chief figures in it. but as the his
tory of certain principles. To enter upon
discussion of the line of thought and recita-
ton of fact in this volume would be to In.
volve the whole Irish question" in the con-
sideration of which there is no disposition to
do that here. The reader has been given
a fair indication of the purpose and
scope of the book, apd that must
suffice. 1t may, however, be added that the
work is divided into three books, one vol
ume, and these embrace twenty-seven chap.
tiers. the texts of which are The repeal
movement and how it began; how the move
ment Jared and what 0'Connell taught; its
first notable recruits bird's-eye view OF
Irish history teaching of the Nation; the
corporation debate; the menace of the Gov.
eminent and the answer of the people; the
FIRST stroke of the Government and the coun-
ter stroke; young ireland at work; the
council of three hundred; a foreign
policy for Ireland; muster OF the ma.
ton at Tara and Mullaghmast; the Cloisdorf
meeting; arrest of the Leaders how O'Con-
NJ ed hot parlia-
ment and English reformers thought of the
trial the prisoners before the House OF
Lords Irish parties after O'Connelfs deliv.
erarce; the recreations of the young Ireland
ers the federal controversy; religious in.
trigues Peel's concessions the workshop OF
young Ireland the provincial colleges; the
opposition to the bill the vice-tribunate of
John O'Connel: the death of Davis.
THE BOYS MABINoeIoS. Being the earliest Welsh
tales OF King Arthur in the famous g Red Book
of Hergest." Edited for boys, with an introdnc-
ton by Sidney Lauier. New York Chas Serb
ners Sons. San Francisco: A. l.. Bancroft Il
Co. So.
In the library of Jesus College. Oxford, is
an ancient Welsh MS. called "Llyfr Coch
. Hergest; !" that is, THE Red Book of
Hergest." This manuscript was written il
the fourteenth century, though some Of the
compositions which it has collected are OF
much earlier date. 1t contains a number OF
poems, together with body of prose romances
called Mabinogion." In 1888 Lady Char
lotte Guest published translation of these
Mabinogion, accompanied by the text of
their Welsh originals and mass of useful
and scholarly notes. Mr.. Lauier, who had
most marked success in two previous under
takings for youths of the land, strongly de.
sired to re-edit, upon the same plan with his
Boys Froissart" and his Boys King Ar
thur" the curious old products of Welsh fancy
thus rendered available 20 scholars The lntrln-
sic charm of the stories in the first place
easily secure them position in the series.
Though not so rich as the Arabian Nights,
they are more vigorous, and their fascina-
ton is of more manful quality. Moreover.
they are in comparison open-air tales, and do
not move in that close, and, as be oddly puts
it, "gas- poisoned temperature" which too
often renders the atmosphere of the Eastern
tales extremely uuwholesome. The Mabi-
nogion all center, in one way or another,
about the court of King Arthur, and present
us with views of the domestic life going on
in King Arthur's palace, as well as of the
wild adventures of his warriors, which were
conceived at very much earlier and ruder
period than that of Sir Thomas Malory's
book. So we think Mr.. Lanier has done well
to make the 'Mabinogion" a companion book
to the Boys King Arthur" 1t is probable
that in these Mabiuogion" We have the
original poems Of that great growth of
Arthurian romances which overspread Eu-
rope after Godfrey of Monmouth published
his " History of the Britons." 1t is very
evident that some of the Mabinogion
have received romantic additions aud that
they are all from foreign sources. Travellers
carried the Welsh tales to Europe, and there
they took on, in their repetition, the fancies
and romance of the region where they were
repeated But some of the originals are pre-
served in their purity. The volume is very
handsomely printed and finely illustrated.
SUICIDE BY Henry Morselli, II. D. New York: D.
Appleton & Co.
This is one of the International Scientific
series. 1t has had the kindest reception in
Italy, the home of the author. 1t has been
especially favored by open recognition by one
of the most critical of scientific bodies, the
"Royal Institution of Lombardy." This is
probably as full and faithful treatment as
has been published on that section OF moral
statistics which treats OF the tendency to sui
eide. The doctor offers it as an essay on the
synthetic and positive direction which now
rules the psychological and social sciences.
He does not claim that the fundamental con-
ception OF il is new, taking and treating, IS it
does, one side of that moral and intellectual
evolution of mankind whose theory is due to
Darwin, Buckle, Herbert, Spencer, Wallace
and Bagehot ''hut the having applied it to
an inquiry into the psychological phenomenon
of voluntary death, and the chronological, bio
logical and social characteristics. this ap-
pears to me to be the new and original part
of the work. says the author. The readers
will not be critical on that point probably, for
very few have, Of the general public, read
Prof. Wagner's work, issued in 1864, and
which the present book more closely resern-
bles than any other, for both Wagner and
Morselh hsye drawn from the same sources
Our author says as to that: +" / read and hear
it said that Wagner has now modified his
opinions with regard to freewill in social acts,
nor am surprised at it when l consider that
the economical studies in which he Is most
versed may have driven him from that posi-
tive method by which human actions are con-
sidered under physiological aspect
THE DouBbE. Runner CLUB; OR THE LIVELY BOYS OF
RvERsTowS. By B. P. Shillaber ike PaFtington)
Boston Lee s Shepard Sacramento W. a. q
C. S. Houghton
Who has not heard of Ike Darlington
Who has not read of his mischief and his
intolerable teasing of Mrs. Partington -
This book-and 'jolly" enc it isis by
Ben, P. Shillaber, the creator of the Part
inotons." The text, however, is not in the
dialect Of " the old dame, nor in the slangy
language of ike" It is the story of a
group OF village boys who formed a club to
cultivate the "art" of coasting down hill.
The scenes are all natural and life like, the
action lively, the dialogue boyish to the letter,
and the whole story the revelation of hearty
ho,,,s Efe-or a mart of it-one who epioyed a