The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-09-26

ARAB
fishing Company, of Philadelphia.
Through the courtesy of Mr.. II. s.
Smith, president of the company, l
am enabled to tell something about the
work in advance, for / have seen the
proof sheets.
The book differs from all other lives
of the Christ in this, that it is simple
narrative in which no theological ques-
tons are propounded, no ''views' ex-
tolled, and there is no straining after
effect.
1t is made up of 600 pages, with over
400 engrayings, copies of famous paint
ings by the old masters illustrating
scenes in the life of Christ and portraits
of the Saviour by many famous paint
ers. In addition there is a splendid
panorama of the crucifxion in colors,
ten feet in length, which is a great
achievement of the publishers.
As literary effort the book is the
most ambitious of the great preachers
life 1t fulfills all the requirements of
literary style and finish. Each fact was
carefully weighed and scrutinized be
fore put on paper Nothing was taken
for granted 1t is not the work of an
idle hour, but rather the life work of a
strong man still in his prime 1t should
meet with O cordial welcome. 1t is not
written above the head of the average
reader On the contrary, it is a series
of magnificent word pictures, SO simple
that a child would be interested in
them. The reader is taken to every
spot made remarkable in the Holy
Land, and the guide is like delightful
elder brother sitting in the twilight re-
hearsing the old, old story, ever new.
II have been writing that book for
thirty-flve years." DIR. Talmage told me
recently, and he supplements this in
his preface by saying;
In my American home, on the At
lantic, on the Mediterranean, on camers
back, on mules back, on horseback,
under chandelier, by dim candle in
tent, on Lake Galilee, in convent, at
Bethel, where Jacobs pillow was
stuffed with dreams and the angels of
the ladder landed; at the brook Elah,
from which little David picked up the
ammunition of five smooth stones, four
more than were needed for crushing
like an eggshell the skull of Goliath; in
the valley of Ajalon, over which, at
Joshua's command, Astronomy halted;
on the plain Of Esdraelon, the battle
field of ages, its long red flowers sug-
gestive of the blood dashed to the bits
of the horses brides; amid the shat
tered masonry of Jericho, in Jerusalem,
that overshadows all other cities in rem
iniscence; at Cana, where plain water
became festal beverage; on Calvary,
whose aslant and ruptured rocks still
show the effects of the earthquake at
the awful hemorrhage of the five
wounds that purchased the worlds res
cue and with my hand mittened from
the storm, or wet from the Jordan, or
barred to the sun, or gliding over
smooth table, this book has been writ
ten"
DR.. Talmage is the only author of a
life of the Christ who visited the Holy
Land for the purpose of seeing for him
self the scenes made famous by the
birth and crucifixion Of the Saviour
and this record of his life is one of the
most interesting portions of the book
The writer wildly portrays the visit of
Mary and Joseph in Egypt;
"Over the hills and down through
the deep gorge they urge their way. BY
Hebron, by GAIA, through hot sand,
under a blstering sun, the babe crying.
the mother faint, the father exhausted.
How slowly the days and weeks pass.
Will the weary three ever reach the
banks of the Nile2 VIII they ever see
Cairo2 VIII the desert ever end2 When
at last they cross the line beyond which
old Herod has no right to pursue their
Joy is unbounded Free at last Let
them dismount and rest. Now they
resume their way with less anxiety
They will find place somewhere for
shelter and the earning of their bread.
Here they are at Cairo, Egypt. They
wind through the crooked streets, which
are about ten feet wide and enter the
humble house where have been today.
1t is nine steps down from the level of
the street. 1t is such place as no
reader Of this book would like to dwell
in. measured the room, and found it
20 feet long and 712 feet high. There
are three shelvings of rock, one of
which I think was the cradle Of our
Lord. There is no window, and all the
light must have come from lantern of