Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-10-24
EoiroRs TABLE.

Aonsea. the Mesa Azrsien, By Mrs. Ere
| iyn r. RAYMOND. fIlnstrzted. IL mo. PIP,
s51. Price sI.25. FT. y. croweli Co
New York and Boston.
| IL is undoubtedly a fact that nrsf ina
pressisns Of 4 hook are formed before It's
covers are s,eped " sth this in mind il IL
not ssrprssisig that one take. up this latest
hook 81 Mrs. Rsy naond's already pre-
pssssssesi In Iss favor, IL is certainly one
Of til. ,laiattes. and most attractive Volumes
go far as typographical appearance - CON
eerns.s that has come 70 9ar u9Eiee during
the year The covers are happy com
hinasion Of white and nil. green, IL print
is elear. its paper excellent and rs hiastra-
,ions considerably above tue aFefazs-
We e. eopse to It's tsu WIZ!
favorable mind. ami are ROT dinap-
pointed in IL. The writer has certainly con
triyed 10 weave out of the material avail
able in the environments she has gwen hrf
characters a most delightful story. She
has Departed somewhat from the wen beaten
mathis Of fiction and introduces ~ 70 new
seems and 10 characters that seldom figure
in the ~orks Of novel writers. There Is.
because Of this. freshness and interest In
the story that cannot fail to win II pop
nlarity Mesa il the spanish 'of
tsbleland and Monica II Span
lsh maiden. living in Southern Cali
fernis with her rather lazy and dIsreputaoie
though bigh-bred father whose chief sup
port she is 10 their genteel picturesque
poserty. The other members Of the house
hold " ieh are domieiled in flower AMI
yins-eovereh adobe structure, are her hand
some and talented but asy-going brother
her crippled cousin Behito, who has a strong
leaning 10 the Church ami, finally quaint,
great-grandmother over hhndreh
Years old. Into their quiet monot'
onou. life comes To the American tourists
.ho hire Moniea's donkeys. charming
isiyu is evolved from these new relation
ships 4 tornado sweeps over the Mesa ami
the bay and carries disaster with IT, Monica
goes ia search of her missing brother ana
meets with strange adventures. winch re-
suit In the unravellng of complicated
chain OF destiny Mrs. Raymond has won
derfuliy succeeded in nfusing into her
pages the dreamy idylic atmosphere OF
southern California. At the same time
there is great variety of incident and cley-
erness OF character-drawing. The deserip-
tons are vivid ami iife-like the converse
tinns arc natural and bright the simplicity
Of the story il one of its great charms II
is little masterpiece of genre-painting
which really adfls something 10 the know
ledge Of one OF the out-of the way hooks OF
this great country,
Studies in Sacred Song by Hon II. n.
Baker, pp. i5s. Press Charles +. Nash.
augusta. Me-. 1892. We have just finished
reading this charming little volume and
have 40 doubt that others will find il equal
ly interesting and instructive. In giving
his stiliies Ia hymnology 10 the public IN
this concise and attractive form Judge Ba-
ker has made a very valuable contribution
to current literature The plan of the book
il succinctIy stated by the author in his pre-
face. 1t aims TO sketch brief history OF
sacred song from the earliest ages
to the present time and TO give
select specimens Of the hymns composed
hy leynut men from time TO time along the
centuries" He terms this record ''neces-
sarily imperfect" but careful reading OF
the book has convinced US that this latter
phrase is superl,uous, and is the only one
in the book that should have been omitted.
We do not see how the subject could well
be treated in more complete and compre-
bensiye form. Judge Baker possesses
marked powers of condensation which show
TO conspicuous advantage in this volume,
and the reader lays it aside TO wonder how
its author succeeded in crowding so much
into 80 small a space. This
work should be in every library. II may
be found on sale at the store of j. +. Pierce.