New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-03-24
SOME NEW BOOKS.


arrangement such desuory cmt-chat may serve "
macs some INDECENT hours and amusing anecdotes
of notable people brighten Mr. Rus,ells pages icio
is however an impression Of literary iunis Hoo"e
compilations of the kind which Is little III accoi"
with this alert and busy age. our grdhola"r'7'
who had vastly leisure and took He more casiN
we're rather fond of such faementars ana olSlo'he@
collections of thoughts upon trite subjects but i
questionable whether that taste persists 70 any extent
We have received the second volume of the Century
Dictionary, fThc Century Company. IL carries '"o
alrhabet forward from Como" TO III" IL Is pehg
uroceeded with in strict accordance WIN the ahoh'c
ments of the editor and publishers. and the same
filness Of Illustration, care In definition ana eN-
,cnsive research which characterized the first volume
arc 10 be found in this Nothing need be added
10 oar remarks upon the first ins'alment OF ths nag
oiaccnt undertaking. for the system and the execution
are the same and the high promise Of the beginning Is
IN a fair way 70 be scrupnlou,ly fulfilled
clubs for Working Girls" By Maude Stanley
Macmillan =, Cor is a boo, which should he III the
hand, Of all who Interested in the elevation anu
improvement OF the life conditions which bring Only
the deepest wrrchedncss NJ the best 10 so ldEc
a number Of women and girls, not IN England OILY
hut wherever population is gathered into iha>so''
The cN pcrience OF Naude stanley has been WITH ohuo"
working girls but human nature IS much tho
same everywhere and the methods which haNo Dech
successful in London likely TO have equally soou
effects In New York and elsewhere. The piacuca
importance Of such books as these CONSISTS III ''"
reality They do not deal with theory merely o"'
they show how things work when PUT Ill pI'1uoc'
Gibbs for working girls have in London been iiiaoe
highly useful, They have unmistaksbiy added zeai
and ambition 10 tOsome and normally SAD anu uc
dressed lives They have frightened the horizon or
those who have joined them. and they nave I'D i"
way lnterfercd with the independence ana responsibility
of the girls Miss Stanlcys account VIII NC i"u'''t
bo,h interesting and suggestive. and it may be well
eof\A
In the same line of experiment with Walter bcsantS
Peope's Palace the entire and triumphant success
Of which ought 10 be shining example Tor Biiiai'lo'
pists everywhere
Mr.. John C. Henderson has been at the pains OF
compiling a volume with the title Thomas Jeheisohs
Views on Public Education" c.. =. Putnams 'ons)'
and those who continue to regard Thomas Jefferson as
the highest authority Statrsranship ana poh''s
may lie interested IN reading It, TO trained educators
and 10 moderns who have studied educational questions
seriously II will appear old fashioned. crude ana III
considerable measure obsolete. Jcfer-ons views OH
education partoox much Of Eousseau's theories 10
be received with profound respect by the present
generation. lie was. moreover theoIl't WHO never
succeeded in macrialzing his closet HYPOTHESIS but
who on the contrary made shpwrcck OF his mos;
cherished views the rocky coast OF practical eN-
pertinent.
Under the promising title "The Way ont Of Az
nostici,m. or the Philosophy Of Free Religion MI
T. r. Abbot (Bostoa Little, Brown 4 CO.. prints an
exceedingly condensed statement. based on course
of lectures delivered at Harvard IN lSeJ Those VINO
undertake 10 read his little book viii soon discover
tina, the closest atr1uon is necessary to Tie udef
standing OF III, argument. Those who are inclined uS
experience 10 be shy Of writers who speak s'orliuN
of modern science and dcnounce 1t as barOdious ana
stupid in this or the other respect Will not have their
suspicious removed by Mr.. Abhots use If terms ara
definitions In effect they viii be apt TO conclude
that with ovcrwecnns prcentou>ne-s' there goes a7
is not unusual, insufficient perception Of the Nno
Of terms and definitions IN this argument ana that 10
is by no the closely wrought lO-cal chAih H.
author imasucs IL. but IA TRUTH vtatcd by oD,,urlH
ambiguity and grs,iutous a>,umpt0ns-that IS to say
by unscicniinc and unphiiosopMcal trcament-in too
uany parts for u, conclusions % be accepted a.
demonstrated. Orthodox believers may further OBJECT
that Mr.. Abbot, way ont Of Arnosncsn Is after az
merely "a way into Romans land Of what lie DC
dominates free religion and which. being defined
appears TO BE- religion cmancipated from dogma and
doctrine. or some cynical critics might define H.
AgnOstcism with the chill of.
The open Court Publishing Company Chicago has
issued an uthorized translation Of H. Ribot, Psy
chology OF Attention. little work distinguished by
all the keenness Of perception and felicity Of eN-
preston for which this authors writings are noted
The scientific standing # Professor RibOt In his own
country is descrvedly high and nothing proceeding
from his pen can safely be neglected by those who
wish to keep ahead OF modern thought. But II -
somewhat odd To find religious newspapers IN tle
United states joining the scientific journal IN hearty
approval Of a psychology which is the most uncOm-
piomisncly material cNiant. IL !, not too much 10
SAY that thorough acceptance Of W. Rbot's philosophy
and psychology must rule God ont of the universe
and relcsac the doctrine Of human Immortality 10 the
limbo OF folklore and fable Whoever follows Ebots
studies should bear IN mind his bent He is not
without bias and he is not 10 be trusted blndly for
The psychologist who excludes the spiritual from his
rtaVk e A.
too narrow
Thomas Nelson a Sons have published a short
1amo volume entitled The EMPIRE protesting
to give complete history from Roman times 10 the
present day Of the British Empire. II j, intended
for "A school reader. and. while unavoldably scrapW
and too condensed H. be very Lively reading, J, prob
ably we'll enough adapted to IT. purpose though We
are not sure That there is. after all much TO BE
said OF the system Of education which imposes upon
young Intelligence, a form Of conveying information
~ dry and repcant that mature minds could by 10
means away with II.
W. X. jenkins has added to his capital series Of
Roman Classics the late Jules -audcaus La MaisOn
de reuarvsn7 interesting and vigorous story H.
Illustrating the conservatism Of The old French no
tcs,ev and the IF the republican cvelling Of
rank II is written style which renders II specially
adapted for school and college use. The same pub
Usher has issued. in his series o: "Classqucs Fran
le,is9 Racinc's "AndrOmaquc7 and Comedies
Horace both annotated by Professor T. &. sunni
ohrast, Of Harvard. Printing, editing and price leave
. nothing 10 be desired. Mr. jenkins announces the
addition Of the "Travaeurs dc la Mcr7 to his series
If Victor Hugo's works.
The Bancroft Company i>an Francisco have re-
gently published pretty little "brochurc.' dantlly
printed and with decorated cover. containing TWO
short but vigorous poems, by J. {. j.. entitled The
Meeting OF Antony and Cleopatra and The Death Of
tscopatra, These verses considerably above the
average % such poetry. and show strong Imagination
AID facility OF expression, besides an unusual power
In vcrsincatl0n. There T. passion in them and
restrained dramatic force and they lend themselves
naturally 10 defamation.
Mr. Thomas :. Townsend has prepared, under the
title The IonOrs Of the Empire state in the War Of
The Rebellion a. Lowell a Cob succinct account OF