St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-17
NEW BOOKS.

In early Bibles of America" the
rector of st. Paul's church, DR.. Wright,
mas given us book that will prove in
tenseiy interesting to all bibliomaniacs,
whether ola religious frame of mind or
not. 1t is an exhaustive history of the
earliest Bibles published in America,
and contains fac simile pages from sew
eral of the most noted ones. The de-
scription of the various attempts at
revising the King James version are of
great interest, and the extracts from
Benjamin Franklin's idea of it ex-
tremely amusing. The appendix con-
talns list of the owners of the rare and
valuable old Bibles now in existence.
The book is valuable addition to
American literature. and should be
added to all reference libraries.
THE Legends of Alaska" deals with
an entirely new field in literature, the
customs and folk lore of the Alaska In
dlans. The legends are in verse, which
is not an Improvement. The writer, being
physician, has given considerable care
and study to the ''medicine men," or
"shamans," their peculiar education.
strange practices, oStentatious manners.
mode OF collecting fees, their death and
BURIAL all Of which is interesting, and
some parts are startling in their intense
realism. HIS faithful adherence to
truth III recOuntlng the customs of the
people gives glimpseS of them in very
vivid light. and must awaken the SYM
pathy OF those who pause to think of the
heathen-llke darkness which instituted
such dreadful practices.
Admirers of the Duchess will be dis
appointed in Nor Wife Nor Maid" 1t
IS bright and readable, but decidedly
below what the author has led us to
expect from her pen. The plot is slight
The heroine marrieS. and three months
after the wedding the former wife of
the hero arrives on the scene. Wailing
and crashing of teeth follow. but the
former wife is finally considerable enough
to be killed i'll a railway accident just
previous to the birth of the heroihe's
child. The story turns out well, of
course, and the people in it are clever
and well-bred, but the story will not
add to Mrs. Hungerford's reputation.
Edgar Fawcett has something to say
in The Adopted Daughter on those
two subjects so dear to him, New York
snobbery and the corruption of New
York politics. To talk of these things
he has written as little story as possible.
The book is of course passing clever,
but lacks strength.
Liberty and Lfe'' is a collection of
admirable discourses op vital subjects.
One might call them the exposition of
the new Christianity, Christianity
founded on scientific truth and common
sense. The essays are plainly and
clearly written, religious without
loEt mat, tod
They are such as any reader will enjoy.
erS after truth linen and women who
want religion that is human and
beautiful. The responsibility of brains
is emphasized, and the popular habit OF
making Providence scapegoat protest
ed against. What the tone of the book
is is best shown in the following quota
ton: The poorest way of using time
is to beg God to take care of US; we
must stand or fall. not by supernatural
aid. but by natural law. [ saw mother
leave her sick babe to go to spend forty
eight hours in devotiOnS. She feared
God was about to take her child from
ious duties. [ said: You had better
be at home caring for your sick babe
'Ah" she replied, Il must pray God to
heal him; am afraid he is sick on &C
count of my SINS 1 said: 'Doyou think
God is poisoning your baby on the sly
because you have not said prayers
enough?' But, God is a jealous God
and requires our worship Then.
said l, YOU should have nothing to do
with him; we become like our compan-
ions; a bad god is the worst of friends
So the poor woman spent forty-eight
hours to appease all ugly being whom
she feared had infested the babe with
scarlet fever out of spite. But the fever
was the result of praying too much and
knowing too little. The thing needed
is to know the facts about US. There is
power in filth that prayers can not
match. Try your prayers OH hay fever.
Prayer is the spirit with which we do
things. 1t is true, honest desire to do
right things in right way. To believe
in progress is to believe in God. 10
lack faith in progress is the real athe
ism. Skepticism is a ghost. 1t is not
worth fighting. 1t is only the shadow
of a newer and higher faith coming
after. Men doubt only to come at higher
conceptions. The skepticism that in.
jures is to doubt the power of good over
evil. and the presence of divine GER
tainty in the universe. Infidelity is
unfaithfulness to principles.
with Columbus in America" is an