The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-05-10
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

God In His World. An Interpretation
New York: Harper & Brothers; Portland:
Loring, Short & Harmon This is remark
able book by an anonymous writer; and those
who read it thoroughly and seriously will be
richly repaid. Full of ripe scholarship. deep
reverence, and the result of a profound de-
sire for satisfying conception Of Christian
ity, it is of broad scope, and will antagonize
neither the churchman nor the sceptic. 1t
may be called prose poem, mys tical in
form, and yet holding in its depths rare
thoughts which will touch the hearts of the
weary and the heavy laden, and he to them
an inspiration and an uplifting; DOCK tnat
will make faithful the faithless.
The author divides his work into four
parts. Book /. From the Beginning. Book
IL Ipcarpatap. nako ID hlnhfa Is n Ih
PRODUCTION:
"Wbat is herein written is individual, as is
all Interpretation, but Las been without pre-.
yiOus design as to its undertaking or shape
1t cannot be. said that it was compulsion,
since 1t is only in an absolutely free move
ment that one is caught and carried forward,
as II independently of all self-determination.
to an issue of which there is no provision.
1t has not been the result of any striving
after truth. An Interpretation is not an in
venti0n, mental construction, a specula-
ton. but vision Of living reality as seen in
Ine HgnI Oh lts own lie.
And again:
but even in the Interpretation there are
different fields OF vision. AS one may read a
DOCK With reference merely to its grammar
or style, so one may regard Nature with ref
erence merely to the mathematics of her
movements, and he will thus gain real knowl-
edge, and valuable, as applicable to the ma
terial uses OF life; and, incidentally, be will
receive larger meanings and impressions.
But II he Will put aside these limitations as
to the scope and motive of his regard, and,
| as lover of Nature, follow her living ways.
| she will reveal herself to him. He will cease
TO make mere congratulations and classical
| lions, and to lay such stress upon nomencla-
ture that he would seem to be kind of sci
entic Nominalist
1t does not matter where he starts. He
may follow the bees as they fertilize flowers
mystery. Ii he will follow the butterflies, he
VIII receive an eYangel, not excluding hint
of the Resurrection. 1t is thus that Science
is being born again, the meek inheriting the
earth"
And to make his position absolutely clear,
he adds:
1T is true that patient witness to Ma
tare, like Darwin. will be followed by host
Of Nominalists, who will ignore the life,
apotheosizing a notion, as in making God
of Natural Selection. The genuine and sin
cere agnosticism is the meekness of those
content with the unfoldings of real life, ex-
Guiding the arbitrary and supposititious. The
true agnostlcs keep to the simplicity of faith,
instead OF constructing kind of scientific
mythology, in which Laws and Forces pa
rade with Olympian majesty.
The Hammer. A Story of the Macca-
baean Times. By Alfred j. Church. M. A.
and Richmond Leeley. Illustrated. New
York: G. p Putnam's Sons; Loring, Short
d HARMONY The literary partnership an
nounced on the title page of this volume is
explained in the preface, which states that
THE plan of the story and detailed outline
Of it have been contributed by Richmond
Seeley, and the story itself written for the
most part by Alfred Church." 1t opens
with the year 174 B. C. at a season when
there had been great festival In Jerusalem,
and the authority for the incidents of the
narrative is to be found in the Apocrypha,
the First Book of Maccabees. This was a
critical period in the history Of the Jewish
nation. The evil of idolatry was at its
height In the Second Century b. c.; along
with the increasing influence of Greek civili-
zatlon in Western Asia. The story of how
JUDAS and his brothers led the movement
winch rescued the Jewish faith from the
perils Oh Hellenism is told in skilful and
picturesque manner by the authors of this
book. The minor characters are fictitious.
but the narrative is intended to be histori :
cally correct. The book has eight excellent
fullpage Illustrations by John Jelllcoe
Delicate FeaSting. By Theodore Child.
New York. Harper Brothers; Portland
lorinp Short AZ Harmony II has hean soid
that 1.-THE way to a mans heart is through
his stomach" and, if we are to judge by the
innumerable books written upon the subject,
gastronomy has become one OF the fine arts,
Few writers have treated of it in such varied
phases as the author of the present volume,
which is most interesting reading; wise'
somewhat practical, with an abundance of
humor and satire, and good sense displayed
upon every. page.
We cannot, perhaps, all rise to the heights
Of passing years in making study of deli
cate feasting" like the authors friend who
writes the introduction to the book, but we
ought, surely, to give sufficient thought to
tue subject to know the secrets of good
cooking, and should cultivate a taste for
DAINTY and delicate food as well as for pic
lures and statues.
theodore de Bouville says "that the hy-
h'ene u the stomach is also the hygiene OF
the lni'lu ana soul, and that delicate cooking
develops the Intelligence and the moral sen
sibility." Upon these principles Mr.. Child,s
instructs us; and he quotes Balzac. also,
:says, IF there is anything sadder than
coginized genius, 1t is the misunder-