The Portland daily press., 1892-11-12
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Three Episodes of Massachusetts, His
tory; The Settlement of Boston Bay; The
Antinomian Controversy; A Study of
Church and Town Government, vols.
by Charles Francis Adams. Boston and
New York: Houghton, Miffiin & Co. ;
Portland: Loring Short & Harmony
1t would require more than the space
usually allotted to book review in this
prolific season of new books, to do JUS
tice to this last production of Mr.. Adams
pen. To say that this book is one of the
few most valuable historical works,
which have come from the press of the
year now nearly spent, is none too great
praise. Not only is it a work accurate
in historical detail, but it possesses a
literary excellence, which gives it sterling
value, and which will prevent it from
dropping into that limbo, which awaits
all dull books. however accurate in de-
tail they may be. The day when the
mere cataloguing of events was thought
to be all that the reading public re-
quired has passed away, and now even
readers of history demand readable his
torical books and will have such or
none.
Mr.. Adams has recognized this de-
mand, and has selected three of the most
interesting episodes in New England his
tory to write about.
| The settlement of Boston Bay is pre-
sented to us in a graphic manner, and we
mingle with the people of the times.
| Squanto, the faithful ally of the Pill
grims, Weston, Tom Morton, Standish
Bradford, Georges, Gibbins. i'd genus
omne and become interested in their
struggles and their fates.
Of the Antinomian Controversy,
which agitated the religious world of
Massachusetts, Bay in the early part of
the seventeenth century, more THAI it has
since been agitated, Mr.. Adams writes
in the most impartial manner. John
Wheelwright of the Monist, "a born con-
troversalist;' Young Harry Vane, fresh
IOnl Olo 1AhliO
Hutchinson, the magnetic woman, and
eloquent mystic" who belonged to a
type of her sex, for which New England
has since achieved considerable noto-
| grave body of Boston minister's, all APP
pear before the footlights, and act their
parts with a spirit, which commands the
closest attention of the spectator from
beginning to end.
Though the title of the third episode
treated by Mr.. Adams, Study of Church
and Town Government, may not appear
so attractive to the general reader as the
others, the author has made it quite as
interesting; in fact, it is the most valua-
BILE portion of the work, and occupies
nearly the. entire second volume. 1t
would be a pleasant and profitable task
to give critical exposition of this por-
tiou of the work, but this would re-
quire altogether too much space here,
and anything short of such an exposition
would be fruitless. The book should be
read by every lover of New England his
tory, which should be the same as say
ing, every son and daughter of New
England. J!P. B.
For the Elsie books there is always an
eager demand by the young folks, and
into these volumes their elders occas-
ionally approvingly peep. The latest to
be published is Elsie at Viamede. By
Martha Finley. (New York: Dodd,
Mead & Co.. Portland: Loring, Short &
Harmon. Price: S1.25) place on one
of the Louisiana bayous, near the scene
of Jackson's defence of New Orleans in
1916 and it's capture by the Union forces
in 1S62-both of which stirring histori-
cal episodes, together with much similar
matter, being retold in the course of the
narrative.
Lucretia P. Hale has conferred favor
upon parents and their offspring by
VIZ ting and by procuring the publication
OF her Stories for Children, Containing
Simple Lessons in Morals. Boston:
Leach, Shewell & Sanborn) The author
calls her excellent little work supple
mentary reader for schools, or for use at
home. 1t might with advantage to pupils
take the place of some text books now
in their hands, and with benefit to the
home circle displace a host of the ''juve-
miles, scattered about nurseries and
living rooms.
In the excellent Makers of America
series is published, from the pen of Prof.
William G. Sumner, Robert Morris.
fNew York: Dodd. Mead & Co.; Port