New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-30
NEW BOOKS AND NEW EDITIONS

A volume has been added to BOhn's Antiquarian
Library containing Select Historical Documents OF
the Middle Ages" All reading people Know what
the Bohn TRANSACTIONS Often wooden ana hieics'
TO an exasperating degree. they are yet verbally
faithful and one may almost follow tie lines OF an
original text. The effort to preclude the color that
might be given by a translator who was bound TO
understand his author in his OWE wa. is largely
responsible for the inhcXibilty OF The rendering OF
foreign works In this indispensable collection FOR
reading them one must have brains OF HIS
own, certain passive appreciation wmch
the complement OF genius and wmch
can sometimes supply Imagination and the stimuli
acrnm OF creative skill, where these are lacking IN
the books under ones 1t Is said that Dderot
always read in this deficiency supplying MOOD ana
those who listened to his animated and. II we mus
say It, long winded account OF the book he had just
been perusng never could tell till they had READ 'e
book for themselves how much Of the crltcl'" "'o'
owed 10 the author and how much to DidcrOt'
Readers interested In the financial history OF inc
Middle Ages will find in this volume the one .ra0'
which is indispensable to the very beginning Oh .ne
study the famous Dialogue concerning '"c EN-
cheauer" Another fragment Indispensable even 10
an elementary knowledge OF the Middle Ages Is tue
Carolncfan formulas for subjectng accused persons
to the trial BY ordeal. The first book OF 'ir coio0
ton Is devoted to documents relating 10 Ehsils" ID"
and history the second TO the Empire 'ne tl'u 10
the Church and the fourth TO the rcIauohs vi O"ui"
and State.
In "etories from the Greek Comedians (Macniiiah
g. CO.. the Rev. Alfred J. Church mas coieo'ou
series OF entertaining episodes from TIE "oiAs Vi
Artstophanes Philemon, Dphilus, Menander anu
Apol,odorus that IS the Old Comedy, Of which Arsto
phanes Is the only representative worth much COZ"
alteration and the New Comedy, when shohe huboS
with a borrowed lustre Nobody VINO taxes up '"c
hook can fail to see how universal humor is-nether
AL
in and year out. What made men laugh In ola t"eS
always makes them laugh. The change Is only IN
the dressing Of the characters and the setting VI '
scenes Mr. Church has rather emphasized inc
parallel between ancient and modern life. ferhaps
n WAS well 10 do So There may be no other way 10
meet the Grass ignorance which is always reaoN 10
exclaim ave are the people; before we came NOBODY
knew anything"
Tho special virtue of "The Universal Atlas lpouo'
Mead A. Col Is that il can be deposited on an ordinary
bookshelf and can be handled without Sp.oiai
support. With desk covered several incles ueeP
with papers not one of which can be displaced "l'ou'
fear OF dsordering The workers whole mnemohc
system. with his library table piled meh WIN oooAS
open or marked ready for opening Just at the place
needed il is downright boon to have an atlas winch
can be held in the hand like any ordinary DOOR, lie
smaness OF the maps does not render them less GEAR
though Of course one is likely TO come on uc'"lis III
his reading which will require more elaborate caS'
thankful for would be ample plans of the great cities
of the world There are least three in Europe and
two in the United States. whose topography Is a
matter of frequent study with every man who reads
much.
1.-THE United Service" IL. r. Hamcrsley & COZ,
monthly review Of military and naval affairs, has
several interesting articles from the pens OF we'll
known Navy and Army officers The November num-
her opens with "Wanted-A Definite Policy" from
~ II NJ
Gates progressive If net aggressive foreign policy.
and as 10 the struggle for commercial supremacy he
maintains II TO be in which victory or indeed any
success means health wealth and happiness 10 all
the people. "Tle aggressive carriers of al hatiohS
he saws have entered all harbors. have taken
The bread from tho very mouths Of orr telling seamcn
have endeayored. with what success we may never
know 10 subsdize and control our legislation and TO
mould our very National policy for their beneht ana
have used every means in their power to hedge us
In and to curb the National exuoerance that would
lead forth conquerng and to conquer IN the battles
Of commerce." Commander Rockwell also commenos
the project Of the Nicaragua Canal as dlsthctiveiy
American enterprise and declares that every sent
ment Of pride and patriotism should keep 1t so; that
every dollar invested should be American capital and
that when finished the people should see to II that
they are strong enough, and aggressive enough, III
need ne, 10 maintain Its neutrality unimpaired lie
regrets that the United States has not possession OF
ganto Domingo and asks Can criticse the
craftsmanship Of President Grant when he would have
annexed Santo Domingo and purchased ST. Thomas!
OF Santo Domingo he says: 1t Is the key 10 The
whole position in the West Indies. and should by all
preceps Of selfprescrvatOn. national policy and the
good Of humanity, have belonged u us years ago Its
value 20 us Is incomparably greater than ever be
fore, when present and future position toward the
canal Is considered
The journal Of the Military Service institution
published on Governors Island has some attractive
contributions from Army officers one OF which. " Ar
tillery Service In the Rebellion by General Tldba
proves that Chckamauga well in other battles
there was II system of strategy and logstcs rarely
equalled in campaigning Captain Charles II. Clark
contributes an article entitled skobelefs Last Cam
paign" an interesting story Of this illustriOus young
Russian general who won world vide ronown during
the Turkish a tirelesS fighter and skilful com
mandcr. Lieutenant Harry L. Hawthorne has an
article Recruiting Experiences" 1t IS humorOusy
entertaining, and may set vibrating sympathetic
chord in the bosoms Of those who have had similar
experiences with mngling Of the irritating and the
grotesque and whose mileage rewards far from com
pensated them for the mental and moral exhaustion
connected with recruiting duty. The articles on the
new drill regulations, aerial navigation. field guns Of
the future etc. with numerous cuts make interesting
reading for military people.