The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-11-04
Recent Publications..


charming as its learning is sound. The mate
rial of the work is we'll classified, a map and
full explanatory text showing the position of
stars and consultations for each month of the
year. Losing nothing of scientific precision,
the subject of astronomy is treated
by Professor Proctor in picturesque
and delightful style, which leaves the
reader with interest and knowledge greatly
increased.
Edward tie Third. By Rev. W. Warburton.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, Portland
Loring, Short & Harmony The Chronicles Of
Froissart, the Canterbury Tales, and the Wis
ion of Piers Ploughman have given a singular
artistic interest to the annals of the fourteenth
century, with the splendid ehivalry. the
strange mediaval manners of the time which
was the daybreak of English lit erature. Mr.
Warburton is exceedingly delicious IN the
handling of his subject, his style is fresh,
straightforward and effective. This addition
to the Epoch of History Series is one OF the
most interesting and important of its volumes
giving faithful picture of period whose art
has never ceased to influence late times, and
to which the present decade has turned with
especial appreciation.
The American Citizens Manual Edited by
Worthington c.. Ford. New York: G.. P.
Putnam's Sons; Portland; Loring, Short s.
Harmony This is a very practical and useful
manual for the average voter, who realizes the
great worth OF his vote and desires clta' under
standing of the organization and working Of
government, of the electorate, and office-hold-
ing. The editor writes plainly and often sug.
gestively. While he is by no means aggressive
and dogmatio it is evident that he belongs te
the group of political thinkers OF which Adr
Dorman B. Eaton is one of the spokesman.
But with 50 good a presentation of the condit-
tons in which the power of the people is
wielded-each citizen has fair opportunity to
make his own conclusions as to the tendency
of American government, its strong and
its weak points.
Social Equality. By VIM. II. Mallock, au-
thor of us Life Worth Living. New York:
G. P. Putnam's Sons; Portland: Loring, Short
& Harmony In this volume which the author
calls Short Study in Missing Science, he for
muIates many of the arguments which have
been UNIV ritten law since the first tribes made
to themselves kings. The ingenuity, brilliance
and seIf-gratulation with which Mr. Mallock
advances his theories, and the loneliness of his
prose in uttering his very telling phrases give
the reader momentary sense OF conviction.
Yet nothing that MIR. Mallock has written con-
firms the readers faith in the clearness of the
authors mental or moral sight or his stability
upon any ground of fact or belief. Mr.. Nal
lock seems to desire to emulate the mystical
tortoise who carried the world on his back, he,
meanwhile, standing upon limitless nowhere
Without kindly humanity, without the polar
isation of conscience that should keep his theo-
ries from wavering this and that way, with ten
denotes to coarseness, to unbelief and TO SUPER
stition which is the reverse of the medal of I'M
faith, medal without image or supersciption,
Mr.. Malock is little likely to raise or illumi-
and agile talk will at best afford matter for
comment by men of sounder and sweeter phil
osophy.
Doctor zay. By Elizabeth Stuart Phelps.
Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co.. Portland:
Loring, Short & Harmony 1t was curious
coincidence in recent novel-writing that Mr.
Howells and Miss Phelps should have chosen
the same subject for treatment the conditions
which attend the work of woman physician.
1t is not at all unnatural, to be sure, that both
writers selected topic which is of late very
prominent in peoples thoughts; and that these
novelsts, one man and one woman, should
have written parallel romances makes the crit
les task somewhat easier in the way of con-
slant comparison of the one novel with the
other; and little lessons the likelihood OF con-
founding traits that belong to the authors in
dividual treatment with those that are inner
ent to the topic itself. There need be no hesi-
tation in declaring Mr.. Howells' book to be
greatly and thoroughly in advance of Miss
Phelps's as regards its general bearing upon the
question, its merit as a novel, and the life and
point of its characterization. Miss Phelpss
splendid and magnetic DR.. Fay is, neverthe-
less, one of Charles Reades neroines plus a
diploma and nsiqaus mendacity; while Mr..
Howells' heroine, Grace Breen, was a genuine
daughter If New England, domineered over
by the conscience that, inherited from SEINE
Puritan ancestor of sturdy fb.e bred in En-
glish air, was too sharp and aggressive for the
delicate body and soul fed with the thin at
mosphere of the new world. Grace Breen is
one of those extraordinarily close studies of
inheritance and circumstance that Mr.. How
ellis makes, without appearing to pride him.
self on his work or advertise it any more than
does Nature, who, by the way, rivals Mr.. How
ellis much more dangerously than does Miss
Phelps The hero of DR.. Gay is a young Bos-
ton lawyer, willing enough t. do his work in
the world, but not turning things over to find
the work. His mother, who appears but little
in the story, is described with emphasis, but
without effect Mrs. Butterwell is simply an
impossibility. She is neither more nor less
than vehicle for the utterance of certain ia
miliarities concerning the Almighty which did
not fit into any of Miss Phelps former Heaven
Made Easy Volumes and which she would
probably have the good taste not to risk over
her own signature. BY the way, let a Maine
newspaper hasten to ask an explanation of the
phrase "a well-drezsed woman, in the Maine
sense of the term" Both hero and heroine OF
Miss Phelps novel are too consciously uncon-
SS'O&o ~ eAO oah SAioiAoJ u WIG oteooeioht "AS
there is something quite unpleasant in their
efforts to rise superior to it. The self-con-
seriousness of the author is superadded to that
of her dransatts personde, and completes the
measure of the readers impotence of SO much
unnecessary diagnosis of mental and moral
conditions. OF course the book is written with
intensity and vigor, with untiring purpose and
much, overmuch, thought, since it is from the
pen of Miss Phelps. 1t will be read with great
interest by large class of people, whom it is
well worth while to please. 1t is q striking
contribution to the literature of woman's
rights, but is a brilliant fantasia upon the
theme rather than convincing argument.
Miss Leighton's Perplexities. By Alice G.
Hall. CNew York: Fords, Howard & Hubert;
Portland Loring, Short & Harmony. A pleas
antly written novel, of average literary merit.
The plot and characters are original and well
carried out. The heroines, of which there are
three, are we'll contrasted, and the recital of
their fortunes will be followed with interest by
novel readers.
A Transplantsd Rose. A Story of New York
Society. New York: Harper & Brothers;
Portland: Loring, Short & Harmop) This