Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-15
THE WORLD OF BOOKS.
SOME OF rHB NEW THINGS OF THE
PUBLISHERS PRESS.
Late Interesting PuDlications-From Law
TO Fiction-From Pact TO
Philosophy.

0ne of the most interesting books that has
come to our table of late is the third Of the
series, Questions of the Day" issued by G.
T. Putnam's Sons. New York. It is an &C.
tavo. muslin work sold at 81 by A. l.. Ban
croft & Co. San Francisco. Its title quite
fully describes it "Our Merchant Marine,
how it rose, increased, became great, declined
and decayed with an inquiry into the con-
ditions essential to ITS resuscitation and fu-
ture prosperity" By David a. Wells. Alter
rectiog the narrative Of the decay Of our mer-
chant marine and its causes, Mr.. Wells gives
his idea of the remedies needed. These are
in brief a. radical reform OF the whole tariff
system, for our absurd protective policy has
made it impossible to maintain our status as
a commercial nation upon the ocean; "
recognition Of the principle that all trade ls
Sc ltialiy barter that in order to sell We
must buy, and In order TO bay We must sell
thas Just as buying or sellirg or exchsnge Of
products is restricted, to just the ssint ex-
tent the necessity of having Observation-Disclosures
of exchange is diminished ~ no one meas
ure will restore our shipping trade; the peo-
ple must be first educated up 10 tuli under
standing of the subject; We must repeal
our navigation laws, to the extent Of permit
ting our navigators and merchants TO supply
themselves with ships on conditions as iayor-
able as are enjoyed by their competitors Of
other maritime nations We must build ships
as chesply as built by other nations; so long
as the constructing Of iron steamships has
to bear the burden of high prices consequent
on protective duties avera{ing 10 per cent,
il cannot compete with like industries 10 fee
trade countries a. we must not subject our
shius to local taxation 80 long as competing
nations do not likewise tax their ships; ~, we
must reducs pilotase fees TO the level OF those
of European ports, and abolish compulsory
pilo.sge; (6l repeal the tonnage tax; "a
reduce all expenses connected with the hir-
ing or discharge of seamen-consular charges
and the like-to the level Of those OF other
nations; Isl reform the tariff l9) without
resorting to subsidies and bountie5 assimilate
steamships and railroads in the treatment. to
the extent of paying steamships for carrying
tina mails as good compensation as Is paid to
railways for similar service.
Anne" is one of the very best of the
productions Of that accomplished novelist,
Constance Fenimore Woolson. While
it was appearing in " Hsrpers Maya.
zire" it attracted deservedly much
attention in book form it comes to US with
the freshness of newness. In this Ioyel the
author engages the reader more deeply In an
ANALYSIS Of the depths, eccentricities and
subtlety of woman's love than in any work she
has put pen to- Not sill readers will be ready
to agree with the philosophy of her story, or
accept as natural or probable the strange re-
lasiouship and rivalry of friends therein de-
pictsd, notably the conditions surrounding
Anne and her friend and rival, the rich
widow, Mrs Lorrington uor will they be
ready TO approve the course of Anne III fee
ing as she did from Heathcoate. But all will
agree SIS to the enhancing interest Of the fic-
ton and the skill OF the novelist. Perhaps,
too, the great majority will agree also in the
disappointment felt over the method of con-
clusion in the novel. Nevertheless, none can
say that it is not probable one. The truth
is, the book deals with such strange and
new class of people, class not often made
the subject of novel writing, that the reader
is hardly in a position to criticise closely. To
our view the very best drawn character in
the book is that of the cunning Roman Cath
ole priest, Pere Michsux, and next to that
we place the sketch of Lois Hinsdale, the old
maid Of Puritan timber. These two rise SUI
perior to sll Others in artistic conception and
skillful delineation. This is from the press of
Harper & Bros, New York. ard is for sale
by A L. Bancroft & Co., San Francisco, and
W. A. & G. S. Hough ton, of Sacramento, at
81 %.
From J. T. White & Co.. San Francisco,
we have large 12mo. cloth volume from the
press of D. Appleton & Co., New York, en-
titled 1.-THE Prophets of Israel and their
Place in History TO the close of the Eighth
Century B. c." The volume embraces eight
lectures, delivered by Professor W. Robert
son Smith to Edinburgh snd Glasgow au-
disuces in 1881. 1t is not necessary to re-
mark upon the character or scope of these
lectures. Professor S1aith and his views are
too well understood to render this essential.
We present, however. come extracts from the
preface, that will indicate to the reader the
current sf the lectures:
Ecclesiastical leaders have always been prone to
A.tteT themselves that questions of truth and
Christian liberty can be set at rest by eXertiOn
OF authority but those who love truth for its Own
sake cannot acquiesce in this easy method and not
in Scotland alone but in all Protestant Churches OF
English tongue, it is becoming yearly more manifest
that thoughtful and earnest students of the Bible
will continue examine the history Of revelation
for themselves and will not rest satisfied with con-
illusions that do not c-mmend themselves to the
scientific as well as to the religious consciousness
For the pOpularizaon Of science in all its branches
which is 80 characteristic Of age, has accustomed
men to examine the foundations OF current beliefs
and TO acquiesce i'll no results that nave been reached
or are defended by methods which science condemns
1t is manifestly absurd TO think that
the very best use of the Bible be made by those
who read it for the nourishment of their religious
fe so long the history Of the revelation which 1t
contains is impeTfecty understood In the interests
Of religion as vel as of sound knowledge, it is Of
the highest importance that everything which
scholarship has tell about the Old and New Tesla
ments should be plainly and fully set before the in
telhgeut Bible reader. Much I'M
necessary exacerbation of dogmatic controversy
would be avoided if theolcgians we're always alive
70 the fact that the supreme truths OF religion were
first promulgated and first became a living power in
forms that far simpler than the simplest system
of modern dogma. The habit of reading more into
the uttersnces of the prophets than they actually
lin 10 mari
but partly to a lack Of historial criticism.
We have received from a. L. Bancroft /
Co., publishers, San Francisco, volume one
of the digest of CAGES re-repOrted in the legal
series known ss the American vDeeisisns.nn
1t is edited by A. q. Freeman OF the Sscrs-
mento Bar. The name Of the author is
suffi iient to give the work place on the
table of every practicing lawyer. 1t con-
tains syllab from some 900 cases which have
been re-reported in that series of law publi-
cations, and extends over the period from
176O to 1887, inclusive, containing leading
decisions from the highest tribunal Of every
State in the Union. 1t also contains tabla
of ali the cases re-reported in the series and
also an index showing in what reports the
cases were originally reported. The law is
stated in the syl'abi in very terss and concise
language, which gives the book value over
most of the digests issued. A digest should
be d1slncumbered OF laug1sge as mucn as
possible, snd this enc could not be improved
upon in this respect.
G. P. Putasm's Sons, New York, have en-
ntered upon the publication of an important
series. It is entitled "Science Ladders"
The books are we'll bound in flexible stiff
paper covers, and sell for the nominal sum of
BIS cents each. For instance, No. treats of
+ Forms of Land and Water" and is freely
ILLUSTRATED. while No. treats of Vegetable
, Life" The Srst becomes an illustrated geo
graphical reader and she latter an illustrated
natural history reader. The series is edited
by N. Drawers. author of 1.-The History of
Art" The purpose of these small, we'll
prepared books is to teach the great laws Of
Nature in language simple enough to be in
telligible to every child who Can read The
volumes, while purely elementary, aim at
awakening the powers of observation and
reasoning. They are certainly very useful