The Portland daily press., 1893-04-07


but with that exasperating habit OF the
author, which appears to be growing
upon him, we must apparently put up,
thanking our stars, or his, for the good
we do get. (New York: Harper &
Brothers; Portland: Loring, Short &
Harmony
DR.. Paull's Theory. A Romance. By
Mrs. A. N. Diehl. New York: D. Apple
ton and Company; Portland: Loring,
Short & Harmony This appears to be
an English reprint, or product of inter
national copyright. 1t is pretty poor
selection by the American publishers.
DR.. Paull's theory is that of the transmit
grafton of souls, and the romance is fan
tastic and futile. The people are as
dreary as the story, and between them
the reader yawns consumedly.
Primary Convictions is the title that
DR.. William Alexander, the Bishop of
discourses on subjects connected with
the evidences of Christianity that he de-
livered before the faculty and students
of Columbia College, New York during
Lent last year. Though these discourses
are apologize in form, they are to some
extent homilies and the more attractive
for that reason. The lecturers reasoning
is along the old lines of argument, and
he does not permit himself to be dis
| turbed by the new school of destructive
criticism-indeed seldom takes distinct
| issue with it. He plants himself upon
the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed
and beyond these does not permit him
self to go. The meaning attached by the
author to the term Conviction is set
forth in the following paragraph from
| the Introductory discourse:
"When we consider thought not as
| comprising all processes and products of
mind, but those of investigation, there
are four degrees in the hierarchy of
propositions which we question in regard
to the measure of acceptance which we
accord to them. 10 We have two oppo-
! site alternatives as to which the mind is
in absolute equlpoise, absolutely neutral.
| The symbol of ibis mental condition is
| Montaigne's pair of scales with the
motto, Que scais-je?' This is a state of
suspended speculation, and the name
| psychologically of such a state is doubt
| ~ In many cases, however, there is a
very slight turning of the balance one
way or the other, instead of the previous
equilibration. Something like dawn
| begins to whiten in the doubtful sky.
This state of thought is suspicion 81
| One of the two alternative PROPOSE
| tons advances further. 1t appears to
have a distinct surplus of evidence. The
doubt has practically disappeared; sus-
picion is an inadequate term. The prop
osition, instead Of being pale and shadowy
in the background, is flushed with the
glow of passion or reduplicated in the
| imagination by the applauding voices Of
| party. Yet, in calmer and more Judicial
moments there is voice which warns
| the intellect to beware of deeeption-that
| there is an unknown something which
may turn the scales; that somewhere or
other resistless refutation may lie in
wait. This state of thought is opinion.
| AZ But beyond opinion there is some
thing higher and stronger. There is a
conclusion which takes possession of. the
mind at once forever and will not allow
itself to be gainsaid Such are mathe-
NAUTICAL truths or principles logically de-
| rived from certain premises or received
| upon authority from which there is no
appeal. Such, again, are the moral and
spiritual principles which gain posses
sion of every avenue of the soul. They
not only take the reasoning faculties cap
tive as in necessary subject matter.
/ Thor possession is a triumph and sets
/ Il -
be more proved than mathematical truths
but they are better proved in a certain
sense. These propositions are the OBJ
| jects of faith; they are convictions"
Among these convictions, Primary
Convictions, he calls them, the author
places the belief lin God as revealed in
| the Old and New Testaments, the Divini-
| ty of Christ and the Holy Ghost, the In
| carnation of Jesus and his Resurrection,
| Judgment after death, and the resurrec-
ton of the body. How far he succeeds
in rendering these opinions "Convic-
tions,'' in his meaning of the word, each
reader must judge for himself. Apart
from their value as theology, or apollo
| petics. the discourses haze worth as
literary essays and possess much charm
of style. (New York: Harper & Broth
ers; Portland: Loring, Short & Harmon
Molly Elliot Seawen is a born story
teller, and her latest novel, Children OF
Destiny (New York: D. Appleton &
Company; Portland: Loring, Short &
Harmon the best-told and most reada-
BILE of the season. She has the gift OF
narrative, which is lacking to many peo-
pie who strive to fiction; and to all APP
pearances she has cultivated it assidu-
| ously, for her latest work shows prog
ress in ease of utterance and strength OF
construction Certain qualities OF hel
style, its directness, rapidity and clear
ness, suggest that she has sat at the feet
of Charles Reade, than whom no wor-
thier master in the art of storytelling
can be found. This is not to say thai