The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-12-28
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Tue series OIL American Religious Leaders is
clear and succinct history of the rise and
progress of Methodism in the New England
States. At the same time Professor Prem
tlce gives an extremely interesting sketch of
the Rev. Wilbur Fisk,-his life and what he
accomplished In religious and educational
directions during the years of his work as
Presiding Elder, church pastor, and as Prin-
eipal OF the Wesleyan Academy at Wilbra-
braham. Professor Prentice speaks very
bitterly OF the expressed opinions of Mr..
Matthew Arnold In regard to the Wesleyan
Methodists. ITO live," says Mr. Arnold.
with ones mind, as to matter of this sort,
fixed upon mind of the third order, such as
was Mr., Wesley's seems to me extremely
trying and injurious for the minds of men in
general" La return Professor Prentice
speaks Of Mr.. Arnold as a man 'who always
had the courage Of his opinions. and whose
courage ros sometimes sto,ttest Just ,vhere
his ignorance acas greatest" And he scouts
the idea that the Wesleyan boys and girls
are brought up on Wesley's Sermons, Hymns
and Notes on the New Testament. He also
states that the Theological Institutes" of
Richard Watson-who is said by Professor
Alexander of Princeton College to treason
like Perley and descant like Hall lis the
manual from which the Wesleyan Methodists
have learned their systematic theology.
1t is fifty years since the death of Wilbur
Fiske. yet his sanity life is still remembered
and cherished in the church to which he was
SO devoted. Pastor, presiding elder, princi-
pal OF large school for young people. presi-
dent OF college, husband of very exacting
wife. worker and deeply interested in the
temperance and slavery questions, school
commissioner, twice chosen bishop, an ac-
tive controversionalist and theologian, his
days, in spite of constant i'll health, were
filled with usefulness and activity.
From every standpoint Professor Prem
tice's work will be found both valuable and
interesting.
The Career of Nihilist. A Novel. By
Stepniak. New York: Harper & Brothers !;
Portland: Loring. Short g. Harmony A
new literature has been opened up recently
to English-speaking readers through trans.
lations OF the work of the great Russian
masters of fiction, Turgenief, Tolstoi, Gogol
and others. among whom stands Stepniak,
the author of various works. as. 1.-THE Rus
sian Storm-Cloud," Russia Under the Tzars. !"
1.-THE Russian Peasantry," and now we have
translation of his powerful novel, entitled
1.-THE Career Of Nihilist." One reads the
book rapidly, swept along by the intense
passion of the writer, the dramatic intensity
OF the incidents. the pathetic sadness of the
whole-to the bitter end, when waking from
what seems like horrible dream one thanks
God that he was not born in the land of the
Tzars. Painful and oppressive as the story
is 1t is work Of unboubted power, and we
follow the sad fate of Audrey, the hero, with
breathless interest to its tragic close.
DR.. Arnold of Rugby. by Rose E. Selfe.
london & New York. Cassell & Co. limited)
In the series Of volumes entitled, "The
Worlds Workers." we have an interesting
sketch of Doctor Arnold. The tiny volume
has portrait frontispiece, aud is dedicated
to the memory of Dean Stanley and to
Thomas Hughes. In a very brief space the
author OF this little work has managed
to give very lifelike picture of the beloved
school-master, the historian, the reformer,
who is said to have changed the face of
education all through the public schools of
England" Says his biographer "Where
superstition and bigotry were to be de-
nounced, where social and moral abuses were
to be made public and remedied, his voice
was never silent" 81 must write or dep
he said. And then the personality of the
man, his dignity, his charm, which gave him
such power on all with whom he came in
contact that the name of Doctor Arnold is
household word in every home of culture in
America, as well as In his beloved England
where he labored with such sublime success.
The Bursting of Boom. BY Frederick
r. Sanford. philadelphia: j. B. Lippincott
& Co.; Portland: Loring, Short & Harmony
This is pretty little story of Southern
California, from which one gets very good
idea of San Bunnaventura in particular, and
the scenery and climate of that region in
general, as we'll as the methods of existence.
The hero OF the story goes from the east
enters largely into the land speculations.
loses good deal of money and gains wife.
This is the simple plot and with its acces.
sories-of story pleasantly written and
creditable to its author.
Joe Bently. Naval Cadet, By II. Fl. Clark
us. Navy. Boston u. Lothrop Company
Here is a book that will delight the bows.
and with good reason. 1t is bright. full of
incident. and written by man who knows
what he is talking about After graduating
at the Naval Academy our friend Joe is as
signed to the United States steamer "Day-
break" and has many adventures during
her stay in the North Atlantic waters and
her subsequent cruise in the Pacific where
she founders with loss of nearly all on
board. There is very interesting descrip-
ton, too, of sham sea-fght, and the laying
OF the torpedo under the flagship. Joe is
hero on all occasions, and the story happily
ends with Mount Desert idyl, when he
wins the hand and heart of a lovely girl in
spite of plots and obstacles.
A Life of John Davis, the Navigator. 1850
1905. Discoverer of Davis Straits. By
Clements r. Markham, c. B i, F. R. S. New
York: Dodd, Mead & Co.; Portland: Loring,
Short & Coz Under this title of "The
Worlds Great Explorers and Explorations"
Messrs. Dodd, Mead e. Company propose to
issue series Of volumes dealing with the
life and work of those heroic adventurers
through whose exertions the face of the
earth has been made known to humanity"
The present volume is the first of the series;
the next one will be Palestine" by Major
c. r. Gender. R. E., leader of the Palestine
Exploring Expedition when the series
is completed 1t will form a Biographical
History of Geographical Studies. Eleven
are now either ready, or in an
state of preparation. John Davis,
the English Navigator, was born in Devon
shire, England, and died in 1906. He dis
covered the strait which bears his name
when in 1886 he was sent out with two vessels
TO find Northwest passage. He afterwards
explored the coasts of Greenland and Ice
and. Following this he made five voyages
10 the East Indies, and on the last of these
he was killed In fight with some Japanese
pirates off the coast Of Malacca. He wrote
IN account of his voyages, and invented
quadrant. The present work has excellent
maps and illustrations, and is written in
most careful and thorough manner, correct
ng the mistakes made by most of Davis
oiographers. Davis being an author as well
IS navigator, much light is thrown upon |
a 10 nh a..