The Portland daily press., 1885-02-02
being bound together in indIssolublo rela-

tionship.
The Wane of au Ideal. BY La Marchesa
Colombo. Translated from the Italian by
Clara Bell. New York: William S Colts
berger. Portland: Loring, Short & Har-
mon). The Wane of an Ideal is not an
agreeable story. It is pity that such
marked talent as the author shows--for 10
dramatic intensity and the power of sketch
ing vivid llkenesses with wonderful rapidity
the book is unusual-could not have been
turned into better channels. The coarse
and brutal "Dottorino;' the handsome, but
weak hero, whose very constancy is made 10
seem sarcasm, associated as it is with the
qualities he shows during his life in Milan;
the repulsiye GA Matta;'' the silly Contessa
and disappointing Rachele--we turn in vain
for fresh sweet scene to rest our mental
vision! ALI our ideals would wane had we
to look for inspiration 10 such sources. So
strong writer, capable of constructing
story most skillfully, ought to give us some
thing better worth whie--somethng not ul-
teriy alien to the home scenes la Dickens
which she quotes. We notice a pretty traus-
la.ion of an Italian provefb, "HeaYen helps
the light-hearted," which we have before
heard yariously "Englished" in less graceful
forms. The translation is spirited aud ac-
curate--Clara Bells work is alwaye good.
F'ichte's Science OF knowledge, A Crit
cal Exposition by Charles Carroll Everett,
D. d. Professor In Theology in Harvard
University. tChcsgo: S. c. Griggs & Co.
Fichte gave to Science some new problems.
We may add, he gave 1t some new methods;
also, new ideal, that Of unity of principle
and result. He sought to restore to philoso-
ply its old meaning, to make it love Of
wisdom, rather than Of mere knowledge; a
power in the life, more truly than a specu-
lation of the thought. An earnest student
of Fichte, though the world might have a
reality for him that it had not for the mas
ter, could never, it wonld seem, be lost
among the sophlstries of superficial mate
rialism, nor could the ideas of freedom and
duly ever be wholly without power over his
heart Professor Everett's aim is to furnish
clear and attractive statement of the spec
iai substance and purpo,t of the author's ar
gument. He interprets it and eucidates it
by reference to the historic and acknowl-
edged results of philosophc inquiry, and
seeks to give an independent estimate of its
merits aud deficiencies, especially showing
in what way German thought contains the
natural complement or the much needed
corrective Of English speculation.
Dsldee, The Ward Of Waringham. By
Warden. New York: d. Appleton s Co. j;
Portland: Loriug, Short & Harmony. The
House on the Marsh had what traders would
call successful run. It was followed By a
second story, Az the Worlds Mercy, and
now the same writer publishes third novel
entitled Deldee, or The Iron Hand-prettiy
bound in paper; its price % cts. The mover
reader will find here plot loaded with ad-
venture and pages running over with melo
drama. While the story lacks unity and
finish, it is stirring and wide awake. The
style of composition is remarkable; 1t is
that of narrative crowded to repetion,
holding material enough for dozen stories.
and yet never hasty or involved, bat, on the
contrary marked in the simplicity of it's
wording. We predict large circle of read
ers for Deldee.