The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-07-13
BOOKS AND AUTHORS.

implies is romance of the days of Messias.
The son of Issachar is the son OF the widow of
Main, and the story opens first with his cruel
death by order of Uerod, followed by his resur-
recton to life by the Messiah. The plotis sug-
gested by few words of the preface. "To be a
partisan to-day, TO be doubter tomorrow, has
been the life story of many follower of the
truth. Even he whom Christ recalls to life
may, through lack of understanding, prove re-
creant to the divine impulse that has re-
awakened him. even he whom a Messias raised
from the dead may have been the loudest in the
rabble to cry, Cruelty Cruelty y" Such is
the tenor of the life of the son of 1ssachar,
who from a lowly camel driver has come to be
a disciple of the Christ, and who afterward,
from lack of faith and understanding, allows
himself to waver until he becomes joined with
the rank of his prosecutors. There are sew
eral powerful scenes in the book, notably
that of Christ before Plate, followed by the
scene impassioned by the remorse of Judas, the
betrayer. Parts of the romance are powerfully
written, and the book throughout retains, pos
sbly through its associations, more of the
readers interest than is usually given. Some
minor faults are found in the composition of
the book, first among which is the frequent
habit the writer INDUCES in of using modern
provincalisms in his explanations and descrip-
tons, making them totally out of harmony with
the conversations of the characters, which, to
suit the times, are more of the archaic. Thus
'But they reckoned without their hostn makes
a discord when introduced in the scene of strife
between Herodias and the woman she sup
plants. The book is full of instances of this
kind, and they greatly mar the excellence of q
style which would otherwise be exceptionally
pleasing. 1t is for sale by Robert Beall.
''Me and Chummy," by Coyne Fletcher, has
been on the market week, and has already
proven a success as to sales. Miss Fletcher,
hitherto, has confined her literary efforts to
plays, the names of which decorate her title
page. She has chosen for the central thought
of her story the unhackneyed theme, 'The New
South" and she handles it with vigor and in
terest. ''Me" and "Chummy" are by no means
! the most taking characters in the book. 'Me"
is Dixey, and she is rather frivolous and STACEY,
and talks much slang, as do other characters in
the story. ''Chummy'' is passable doggie;
| but when Miss Fletcher treats upon ''The New
South' she gives the reader good character
sketehing in depicting John Campbell's rugged
nature. Di1ie's father, who is "poor white
trash,'' with pedigree Col. Delacy, who es-
tablishes The Regeneration, and Gen. Herbert,
represents the old regime as a candidate for
Congress- while Isabel stands out nobly as
representative of the modern woman with lit
erary turn. The author shows an intimate ac-
quaintance with Southern habits of thought,
| and her old ''mammy" talks genuine dialect
in her speech of protection. The book is very
well gotten up, good paper, clear type, and a
catching title-page. 1t will, no doubt, have
deservedly wide popularity, and bring its
authors name to the front as one of the prom
ising writers of the South Published by the
Sterling Publishing Company, of Washington,
D. c. For sale at all the book stores.
One OF the latest of those interesting ro-
mances which the chronicles of early literature
occasionally furnish US is translation from the
German of Joseph Victor Won Schetfel, bearing
the title "Ekkehard: \ Tale of the Tenth Cen
tury." The writer, realizing the priceless
value of that mass of literature buried away in
the vaults Of ancient German monasteres and
castles, in searching therein has found the
chronicles written during the tenth century by
Ekkehard the younger, of the Monastery of st.
Gall. They deal with the most pleasant period
of the history of Southwest Germany, at time
when one can study the beginnings of Church
and State, of burgher society still rather bar
barous, and of feudal spirit, harmless then,
but destined later on to be SO nimical to all pro
gress; at time at which the fine arts begin to
bud; when eminent minds begin to rise above
the multitude; when unsatisfed delight in
poetry springs up in the desert of learning, and
a fondness for national themes begins to mani
! festitself. The story is interesting and well
told. Gottsberger & Co., New York, 2 vols
j. For sale at Brentano's.
The January and April issues of the Paper
Of the american Historical association, issued
quarterly, have been received. The January
number contains the secretary's report, deliv
cred at the sixth annual meeting, held il
Washington December 2S to 81, 1889. The re
port embraces, besides an account Of the work
3 done, thorough resume of the papers reat
e and addresses delivered before the association
e The inaugural address Of President Charles
Kendall Adams, LID, is given in full The
q title, 'Recent Historical Work in the colleges
r and Universities Of Europe and America," ;" Il
n suggestive Of the fields upon which he touched
s exhaustiyely. Andrew d. White, expression
- of Cornell University, contributes a paper o
r great interest entitled ga Catechsm of tn
: Revolutionary Reaction" The April numbe
!, is devoted entirely to paper by Dy. G.. Brow
Goode on "Ihe Origin of the National Scientif
d and Educational Institutions of the Unte
d States" The volumes are sent by Rober
# Beall
n "Eistorc Homes Of Washington-Its Note
Men and Women," by Mary S. Lockwood,
one OF the choicest volumes ever published o