St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-04-04
NEW BOOKS.

"The Great IngersoIl Controversy"
is announced on the cover as work of
tremendous interest to every thinking
man and woman Possibly this can be
said of most books treating of religious
topics. This volume owes its existence
TO the somewhat noted Christmas SER
mon published in the New York Tete-
gram last December. This attacked
Christianity as NOT coming with It'd
ings of great joy, bat with message of
eternal grief" elaborated in the senten-
tious phraseology of the brilliant infidel.
Christmas was beautiful festival Dor
roWed from the Pagans This drew out
an attack upon Col. Ingersell by Rev.
DR.. Buckley, the editor CT the New
York Christian Advocate. who sug-
gested that the Telegram be boyeotted
for publishing the Ingersoil article. A
more elaborate response then came
from Col Ingersoll. followed by replies
from several noted clergymen, among
them De Witt Talmage, Dr. Da Costa
and Father Latimer. Ingersoll meets
them with various articles In vindica-
ton of his views. Much Of the best to
be said on both sides is strongly put in
this little volume. 1t is we'll worth
reading.
In his last book, 1.-The Third House,
Hamlin Garland has given us wonder
fully realistic picture of the work. ngS
of that mysterious combination of men
who are popularity supposed to keep a
guiding hand on all that goes on at The
capital, and are known to the outside
world as the lobby. The book is in his
best style. Every character is so clearly
drawn that one has q feeling of per-
S0nal acquaintance with them. and has
no trouble in fitting them onto various
lawmakers one has known. This is
particularly true OF the hero, who is
characterized as an apprentice in poll
tics" by one of the. members of the
Third House." He is so ardent, so full
OF chiyalrOuS determination to do his
whole duty, as be sees it. and so horri-
fed to find himself standing alone to
fight the combined forces of money and
social influence, that one feels his trl-
umphs or defeats as deeply as if he
were the young politician who lad per-
SOnaly asked us 10 vote for him. There
is a love story, rather pretty one, run
ming through the book, of course; for is
not Love the lord of all" and who
in it? Garland takes a very peSSimiStic
view of our political methods. and fears
the power for evil of money; and his
fears are we'll founded if 1.-The Third
House" is anywhere near true picture
of the life and actions OF the lawmakers
at Washington.
A book always loses something of its
original charm by translation. we are
often told, and this may be true Uf
Tine Household IDOL" written by
Marie Barnard and translated by Elsie
L. Lathrop. 1t is an ordinary German
love story, with the usual surprisingly
beautiful girl, who is phenOmenally
selfish, heartess and cruel, but who at
tracts ali men by her beauty. She
meets ana faneieS celebrated artist,
who, one would suppose, had seen
enough of life to know that something
more than pretty face is needed to
build domestic happiness upon. He
meets the fate of his predecessors, but
differs from them in still having man
hood enough left to tear himself away
from what he feels to be degrading
slavery to foolish passion, and. after
months OF struggle, regainS his lost
power as painter, and is, let us hope.
WiStI dfiu d DGbIeT HAL 1Or HIS
little experience in the ways of heart
less women. There is the usual good
uncle who always lives iii the other side
of the house, in German love stories,
with his plants, his cat, his pictures and
his ugly but good-hearted maid of all
work; he is a rich man, of course, and
rescues the unlOved and neglected sis
ter of the household idol from hel tender
mercies. He recognizes in this tall, I'M
graceful girl the typical ugly duckling
that shall yet develop into wonderful
white swan, and makes her his heiresS
and gives her an ideally lovely life,
with all the pretty gowns and their
accompaniment that are supposed to
be necessary to such life. The girl
returns his love, and so pass two years,
during which the idol marres a wild
prince, for the sake of his name and po-
sition. and the usual quarrels follow, till
she resolves to get a divorce, and then
she will marry half-Idiotic son of a
many times millionaire, and, let us
hope, live happily ever after in her own
way; while the artist, grown sober and
steady, comes back To marry the trans
formed younger sister, who has loved
him all these years.