St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-02
AMONG THE BOOKS.

strong exposition of the gradual
! physical and moral poisoning the We
Tins Of morphine undergo. 'Only Skin
Deep has, like morphine" the story
| of a Woman'S disgrace as Its theme, but
| has apparently no object whatever eX-
cept to impress OH the minds of its read
ers that such things as honesty or
morality are unknown to society. The
| redeeming feature of the book is the
moral rehabilitation of Mamie Bell.
The only comment to be made OH the
rest of the story is Lincoln's often
quoted remark: For the people who
like that kind of book. that is Just the
kind of book they Will like"
AprOpoS of Lincoln, Mrs. Nettie Col
burn Maynard, IN very well illustrated
volume of some 260 pages, attempts TO
| prove that he was spiritualiSt.
She begins her book with story of her
own life and her early experiences. There
| are the usual spiritual-Or sO-called-
anifestatiOnS To impress her during
| her childhood. The matter is interest
| ing-tO SplritnaliStS, but is not of public
| Interest until the writer tells how Mrs.
| Lincoln perSuadeS the president to see
her. Mrs. Maynard then goes into
trance and is told afterward by those
present that while in that state she gave
Mr.. Lincoln advice of great Importance
| ton proclamation. When she returns to
the material world again, Mr.. Lin
coin says: My child. you possess
very singular gift; but that it is of God
! have no doubt. | thank you for COM
ing here tonight. 1t is more important
than perhaps any one present can I'M
! derStanh." President Lincoln attended
number of Seances, and. if his words
are quoted correctly-which-af the
1 Ion r. Iii, Tl,,f
may we'll be dOu6ted-he was at least
| Interested in SpiritualiSn. but whether
more or less than the average man the
the book does not prove. Abraham
| Lincoln WAS not 4 man who mas
| queraded before the public, and if
he had in his soul a firm conviction of
the truths OF spiritualiSm it is not to
! be belieed that he would have attempted
to conceal it. Mrs. Maynards story of
| Llncoln's spiritual guidance is dis
! tincty weakened by the addition of
number of poems at the end of the
book. The verses are of spirit dicta-
| ton, and are for the most part dOggerei.
| One may be readily forgiven for doubt
| ing that the spirits who composed these
rhymes had the ability to direct such n
man as Abraham Lincoln. However, il
cannot affect the facts of history in the
slightest degree whether Lincoln was
a Spiritualist or not.
The beginning of the study of English
| grammar has always been bugbear to
1 teachers and veXatiOn to pupils.
/ Lewis Reid'S Primer of English Gram
mar will. therefore. be welcomed gladly.
1t is very attractive little book, and
| has clear, ''easy lOok' that is very
! pleasing. Its method of teaching is the
| object lesson, and the abstract facts of
grammatical classification are given
I Ill
| form. The parts of speech are pictured
as cubes. or ''bOXes, as the author calls
| them. with compartments for the sub
| divisions of each part OF speech cOnSid-
cred. The little book is of especial i'll
| terest to teachers.
"Hovenden. V. c., the Destiny of a
| Man of Action bears evidence of the
| common fault of novel writer's, ten
/ dency to the elaboration of utterly un-
| essential details. 1t is the story of
| Lawrence HOvenden, young lieuten-
| ant whose V. c. is won in Africa. His
return, his love affairs. his accidents,
| his woes and his ultimate good fortune
! are told with great fidelity to nature
| and a certain dramatic ability that
makes them interesting. The Inflated
heroine, Althea. is a distinct type, aud
is developed with consistency. The
fact that her fate would probably have
/ UCSu TIC SSltDC idu liCl lOhG UCCu SduC-
| toned by church rites and legal pro-
/ cedureS does not detract materially
from the evident moral that the wages
| of sin is death. The story is at times
too like real life 10 be pleasant, but
there is always about it an interest that
covers all its faults.
''HOw to Cooperate" is book which
| describes the how rather than the
| wherefore of cooperation. In other
l l. foil n nr..Afn
that is, how to manage cooperative
store, farm or factory, cooperative
dairying, banking and fire insurance,
! and co operative farmers and WOmen'S
| exchanges for both buying and selling.
The directions given are based not on
| theory, but on the actual experience of
| successful cooperative enterprises in
| all parts of the United States, a full list
| of which is given in the appendix. The
book is a revelation as to the extent
| and success of cooperative work in
this country, while its value is height
| ened 10y being confined TO practical di-
| rectiOns and details for organizing
| and operating cooperative enterprises
of all kinds. These directions are
based on successful cO-operatorS who
save from to - per cent on all they
have to buy, and make an extra profit
| of from > to 20 per cent on all they have
Of the book commend tito the attention
| Of all men and women who desire to
| Better their condition. 1t makes coop
Grafton practical reality rather than a
theoretical possibility.
The November Current Literature
opens with paper on Mental Ass0ci-
alton as Stimulus to Genius" credited
to the Boston Herald. The encourage
menJ and help George Elliott received
from Mr.. LeweS is in a way the text OF
the article, which is of unusual interest.
Edgar Fawcets discusses in a character
istic way ''RealiSm in Fiction" and
further on in the issue are Edgar Saltus'
original ideas Oh "Intidelity." Gossip
of Authors and Writers is entertaining
i'm the extreme. 1.-The Murder at the
Quarry" from Paul Cushing's "Ghe
Blacksmith of Voc. " and Setting Forth
to the Wars" from 1.-The White Com
pany," by A. Conan Doyle. are the Sc
lectiOns from notable books, with
Fighting the Waldensians," from
Monk and Knight" by Frank w.
Gunsaulus.
THE Anarchists-A Picture of CivIi-
cation at the Close of the Nineteenth
! Century," is The title of new German
work, an English translation of which
will shortly be published by Benjamin
II. Tucker, of Boston, Mr.. Tucker is
personal friend of the author. John
Henry Mackay. who stands in the front
rank of the young German realists.
| Mackav traces in this book, under the
veil of fiction, his own mental develop
4 ment to his present pOSitiOn-that of 4
! philosophical and egOistic anarchist.
i The scene is laid in London. and the
riots of Trafalgar square. the misery of
the East end and the Chicago eXecu-
tons arc graphically pictured in piano.
q ramic succession.
The November Overland.a AS a friendly
, | recognition of the presence of the
Il American Library association i'll San
4 Francisco, Is Il library number The
| leading article is full account of the
| libraries and librarians of California,
\ by +. Fl. Clark, who was himself on the