Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-09-29

| large, eSriy ana CONSTANT demand TOT THIS
form Of the work. Il will unquestionably
lead other publishers to reproduce other cheap
series in similar form. and thus new oppor-
tunities will open up for the storing in the
household library of q vast deal of choice
literature ct nominal cost. The volumes of
the new Issue under notice now at hand, and
their prices, are Laurence ELEPHANTS AL
tjora Peto," 20 cents; By the Gate of the
Sea-, by David Christie Murray, Is cents !;
George Eliot's "Silas Mariner" 90 cents !;
Charles Dickens Hard Times, 20 cents,
and Dickens BLEAK House, three volumes,
20 cents each.
"The History of Christianity" by Edward
Gibbon, is published by Peter Ecker, New
York, and is for sale by the publisher. Mr..
Ecker, who is the editor OF this volums as
well as the publisher, has extracted from
Gibbons " Decline and Fall of the Roman
| Empire all that relates TO the rise and pro-
gress Of The Christian religion. He also pub
fishes between the same covers q vindication
by Gibbon of some passages in the fifteenth
and sixteenth chapters of the Dscline and
Fall" This viadicatiOn, which IS more IN
the nature of an analysis of special attack
made upon the famous fifteenth and sixteenth
chapters by q Mr.. Davis, Of Baliol College,
whom, of course, master of logic and Eng
lish such ss Gbbon was demolishes most eff
| fectually. The vin6ication, Mr.. Eckle- in
forms us, is published for the first time in
this country verbatim. from TIE original j.
ton of "Gibbon's Miscellaneous Works,
eiitsd bv Lord Sheffield in 1876. In his pre-
face Mr.. EakleT States one reason Tor his pub
location TO be shat an abridged students edl-
ton of Gibbon, edited by William Smith,
! LII. d has gained q wide circulation in
| schools and colleges-an edition that SUD-
presses Gibbons sketch of Christia7ity be-
cau-e of its hostility to the faith. Now Glib
bon's chapserg GU Christianity are as true as
his other chapters, says Mr. Ecklar, or else
they are NOT true, and in that
case why don't tina learned Christians
bring in historical evidence of their uutruth.
Aud ne calls Dean Milmau PhsTisee, and
| quotes Iugersoll in his foot-n0te7, and 10
other ways stands up for GibbOn like man
who likes fair play and free Fps5ch. The
! Irishmsn that knocked the Jew down re.
plied. when asked why he did It, that it was
because the Jews cruciisd the Savior. When
it was objected that the event happened
long time ago, Paddy threateningly an
swered, g Nevsr mind, I've just heard of it."
So tha theological dust kicked up over the 81
most forgotten 18Th and 10th chapters seems
! exceedingly remote to readers of the more
! subtle and m re modern controversies. Still,
! if MIR. Ecker has just heard of it, ne is JUS
titled in saying openly that Gib5On was not
paid 60 preach orthodoxy, and had cry right
TO the expression of his opinion and of the
result of his historical researches. A sketch
| Of Gibbons life precedes the history. The
| sketch is prepared from Gibbons Own me-
moirs of MS life and writings. edited By Lord
Sheffield. Two engravings of Gibbon accom-
psny tae volume, one full length silhouette
! cot in 1894, and said to be complete like
ness. Cuts of the Roman deities are scattered
through the book.
"Shakespeare's Sonnets," edited, with
notes. by William j. Role, A. NJ New
York Harper ( Brothers. For sale by A.
l.. Bancroft & Co., San Francisco. at 60
cents. To most Shakespeare worshipsrs the
sonnets are peculiarly dear, as the only ex-
tant fragment of autobiography which
Shakespeare has left for almost every reader
feels that the poet not only unlocked his
heart, as Wordsworth's immortal line runs,
but fairly dashed its contents out upon the
page when he wrote sonnets. Some of them
bear about them such an atmosphere of
sacredness, and some are such mere cries of
passion, anguish and remorse-cries that es-
cape ia mere words with men less gifted in
exprassion-that one feels sometimes in read
ing them SIS if Shakespeare never could have
intended them TO meet any eyes but those
two mourning ones of his somber and
tyrannous lady.love and of his friend, whose
treachery one is inclined to forgive, remem.
bering that 1t called forth the lines
The offenders sorrow lends but weak relief
To him that bears the strong offenses Cross
In this edition Mr. Rolfe has given the
accepted text of the sonnets, without omis-
sion or expurgation. It is preceded by sn
introduction giving the history Of the first
publication Of Ghs sOnnets In 1909 with the
cries of their meaning ard sequence more
deliberately discussed IL Port III. of the intro
duction, called Critical Comments on the
Sonnets," culled from Pro!. Dowdeu'- Lon
don edition of the poems, which extracts,
with Rolfe's own foot-notes, give an excellent
epitome of the literary discussions these
famous sonnets have given rise 20. The text
of the verse Ia printed without the eye being
tssse5 and the mind distracted by f-ures,
stars or foot-noteg, while at the end of the
volume cupiOus and compac5 notes, Ia the
msin mCrs sensible than Blos5 anOotatOns of
Shakespeare, explain obecure phrases and
obsolete words, compare parallel passages in
the plsys and str8igh ten involved COnstrue-
tions for the benefit OF the prOseicsily
minded. The eDgrsvings are happily few.
They are not the strong point of the volume.
The Princeton Rcgielc FOR September is at
hand from the publishers, No. 2 Nassau
street, New York. It is ably edited by Jonas
NJ. Libbey. The number is one of especial
interest the leading papers being of crit
cal order, and from scholarly and experienced
writer's We note especially an essay, by
President Porter, of Yale College, entitled
a College Fetch" II is in reply to the
criticism of CHARLES Francis Adams, Jr, on
the teaching of dead languages in our Uni
veIsties, and which we have editorialiy
noticed. Professor Porter responds to the
assault Of Mr.. Adams with vigor, and enters
in defense of the classical courees an earnest
plea. A timely article on our Iron, Weolen
and Silk Industries before the Tariff Com.
mission, is by Herbert Putnam, and con-
taius q defense of the doctrine of free trade
for these classes Of industry. Rev. Mr.
Beugless' article on "IGcineration " has al
ready had extended notice editorially. II is
a most excellent defense of cremation, and
valuable exposition of the barbarity of our
present system os disposing of the dead. John
+. Weir contributes an article on "The
Artist as Painter" Professor D. J. Hill, |
President of Lewisburg University, presents
a theological essay on THE Antecedent Prob.
abilities of Revelation" and j. Brander
Mathews closes the volume with review of
the Status of Recent French Fiction"
Mark Twsin's latest book comes to hand
from the publishers, james +. Osgood & Co.,
Boston. and is large quarto entitled Life
on the Mississippi" The book is freely il.
lustrated, and contains good deal of useful
information relative to river-!ife scenes, ETC. |
that is, useful fe- those who need to inform
themselves upon those subj 9cts, Some OF the
sketches are graphic, true to nature as we
know from personal observation and some
are full of original humor. But taken as
whole, the volume is by no means the best
of Mr.. Clemsns' work, nor, indeed, does it
rise to the level of his ability. Measured by
what we know of his capacity, and we should
say that this was an effortless volume. Yet
the stories are not uninteres.ing, sumo bsiDg
even thrilling, while the criticisms-sspecial-
ly those relating to New 0:lesns-are sound,
and contain much food for thought. For in
stance, Mr.. Clemens, with incisive argument,
convinces any impartial reader that the sys
tenn Of burial practiced in New Orleans is
cruel in its cost TO TIE poor barbarous in the
exposure it makes of decsyIng human bodies,
unssnitsry in the highest degree, and alto
gether sbominsbie, and that the one thing TO
substitute for it is cremation. Probably the
best lines in this fat volume are those devoted
to "reminiscences of boyhood. In this vein