The Portland daily press., 1889-02-16
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

NEW PUBLICATIONS.
A souvenir volume of the celebration OF
the 250th anniversary Of the Swedish settle
ments in America, which was observed at
Minneapolis last year, has been published
by Col. Hans Mattson, Secretary of State OIL
Minnesota. The volume contains the elo-
quent address of Hon. w. W. Thomas, Jr,'
who was the orator of the occasion, ana
historical sketch OF the Swedes In both heml-
spheres by Hon. Pennock Pusey, now OF
WASHINGTON, but many years resident OF
Minnesota, besides letters from persons In
some way identified with the fate OF the
Delaware Swedes. An attractive feature oil
the book is fine picture of the old Swede
church at Wilmington. The book can be OBJ
tanned of Col. Fl. Matson. Capitol, st. Paul,
Mimi, at 81 per copy
Baptist Hymn Writers and Their Hymns.
By Henry S. Burrase, ID. d., author OF a
History of the Anabaptists. &c portland:
Brown Thurston d Co.. DR.. Burrage has
done not only the Baptists, but all lovers of
hymnology, valuable service in making
this collection of churct hymns with biog-
raphies of their authors Beginning with
the Anabaptists Of Switzerland, DR.. Burrage
traces the progress of Baptist hymnology
down to the present day, giving comprehen-
sive biographies of each author and the best
specimens of his work. The book is chrome
logically arranged, and provided with an in
dex of first lines and an index of authors
The work has been done with great thor
oughness and good judgment. 1t involved a
vast amount of original research and patient
industry, for the volume contains no less
than SO biographies of English and 125 of
American writers, and more than one thous-
and hymns are indexed by their first lines.
The book contains five poItraits-those of
John Farcett, ID. D., Charles H. Spurgeon'
Samuel F. Smith, ID. d., Emily c. Judson.
and Basil Manley, ID. D., LII. ID.
Louis Lambert translated from the French
of H. de Balzac by Miss X. p. Wormeley, with
an introduction by Geo. Frederic Parsons
Boston Roberts Bros. Portland: Loriug,
Short q Harmony This story together with
Facino Cane and Gambara are grouped az
philosophical studies in the series of the
Comedy Humane. In Louis Lambert the
metaphysician and mystic, as well as in
Gambara, the musician, the author designed
to show the abnormity of genius, and the
thin wall that separates it from madness
"Great wit to madness close allied" Balzac
was seer; by intuition he grasped at
the subtletes of metaphysics and
anticipated modern research which is
after all but the solution of ancient cults.
Under the guise Of fiction much autobio-
graphical matter is interviewer, and his own
speculations as we'll as the wide field of his
research. in which he has assimilated much
of eastern mysticism, are apparent. He
transmutes it by the spell of his genius, and
even his sketches are profound and suggss-
tive, and made the framework of his most
imaginative flights. Louis Lambert is the
story of dreamer, an idealist, delicate and
profound thinker, abreast of all advanced
ideas. He could have written Zadig as
brilliantly as Voltaire and Thought out the
dialogue between Sylla and Eucrastes as Wig
oroasly as Montesquieu." His mind strug-
Cling amid the highest principles of Spirit
ualism and Materialism. had not the power
20 fuse them into complete system. He
falls in love, and his love life is traced In a
series of exquisite letters to pauline. He
wins her, but on the eve of his marriage his
mind becomes unhinged. Faithful to her
love, she passed her days in caring for him
and to her be was not insane, but his mind
attuned to supersensual heights
In Gambara, the author pushes the philos-
ophy of music to its extreme. limits, and in
place of the French Cabaret, where musical
discussion goes on, we might imagine
instead of tho writings of genius fifty
years, ago we had been in the eel
lars of the sold Elm in Boston listening to
the discussions of Gerickes musicians of
today.
In the scholarly introduction by Mr.. Par
sons-of equal length with Louis Lambert
we are treated to a feast of eruditiOn, and
given many of the authorities from Paracel-
sus, Swedenborg. Tully to Rabbi Simon, Ben
Tochai, in which Balzac STEPPED his genius
also comprehensive essay in Philosophy
and Metaphysics, as Louis Lambert seems
to have stirred Mr.. Parsons to his intellec-
tual depths.
Balzac clothes his theories in the romantic
interest of story, while we hasten over the
essay profound as it is, half inclined to dis
miss it the witty apothegm-"What is
Mind-No Matter-What is Matter-Never
Mind"