The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-23
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

compared WlGl PRESIDENT DOl6 ana the
other provisional leaders.
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
Humanics. Comments, Aphorisms ant
Essays. By John Staples White New
York: Funk, Wagnalls & Co. From the
Publishers.) Mr.. John Staples White,
who by the way is well known Port
land man, undertook, he says, in the pre-
face to his book, to write something that
absolutely could not be read" If this
was his real purpose he ingloriously
failed to accomplish, for not only has
he written book that can be read, but
one that is very readable. A great many
wise thoughts presented in picturesque
and striking garb are contained within
the covers of his volume. There are
Others that are not so wise, or at least
not so obviously wise and just as to be
generally accepted. Not infrequently
there is a touch of cynicism. Sometimes
the proverb is twisted to correspond to
what thing toosoften is instead of what
it ought to be. For instance Mr.. White
remarks that charity begins in the
Sums ends at home" which is undoubt-
edly oftentimes the case as charity is
practised. There are plenty OF sugges-
tions in the book to set men thinking,
and book that accopmlishes that is
never written in vain.
Massachusetts,, Its Historians and it's
History. An Object Lesson. By Charles
Francis Adams. Boston aud New York:
Houghton, Miff1in & Co.; Portland:
Loring, Short & Harmony There are
presented in this book four lectures on
the early history of Massachusetts, orig
inally delivered before class of students
in history. The history treated of in
this volume is chiefly the history of
theological development in Massachu-
setts. Mr.. Adams is decidedly not of
the opinion that the early religious bigo-
try and nafrowness of Mass
achusetts was desirable and
contributed to her present greatness.
On the contrary Mr.. Adams believes and
argues convincingly that the supersti-
ton, prejudice and narrow conformity
OF early Massachusetts were obstacles
and not helps, and that the people de-
velped in spite of these things and not
on account of them.
National Consolidation of the Rail
ways of the United States. By George
H. Lewis. New York: Dodd Mead &
Co.; Portland: Loring, Short & Har-
mon.) The purpose and scope of this
work are sufficiently indicated by this ex-
tract from the preface:
The purpose of this book is not to find
fault with railroad managers, nor to stir
up the animosity of the pu bile towards
the railroads but to present a definite
and distinct plan to remove the evils of
the present system.
The definite and distinct plan which
the author presents is the consolidation
of all railroads through the formation
of one great national corporation owning
and managing them all. The author
presents his plan with much skill and
makes strong argument in its behalf.
Such"va plan however, goes counter to
public opinion as it at present exists,
and is not likely to be achieved, even if
it be desirable, until this opinion has un-
dergone radical change. Nevertheless
as a contribution to the solution of
question full of difficulties the work is
interesting and valuable.
Recent publications in Harper's Black
and White Seires are My Year in Log
Dress, by the same author.
Riders of Many Lands BY Theodore
Ayrault Dodge. (New York: Harper &
Brothers; Portland Loring, Short &
Harmony Anyone who remem bers the
earlier book by this same author, called
Patrocles and Penelope, will welcome
this last book, especially as it is enriched
by numerous drawings by that facile
and spirited artist, Frederick Reming-
ton. Col. Dodge is more than an enthusiast
tic lover of dogs and horses he is most
genial and clever writer, who has
Travelled in many lands, and while dis
cussing horses and horsemanship gives
us glimpses of peculiar peoples and Gus
toms touched up with local coloring and
wise and pertinent suggestion. An &C.
casional anecdote, we'll told, often re-
lieves the pages, which are devoted in
the main to q description of horses and
riders, seen by the author in many lands
This is accompanied with discrimin ating
criticism of the style and merits of their
horsemanship. The range is wide from
Xenophon and Alexander's Companion
Cavalry to the bullock riders and Anna
zon riders with split skirts or loose
trousers) of Hawaii. The author sums
up his comparative studies of the riders
of many. lands with the statement that
"the best sportsman in the saddle is the
Briton" but he also says that cit must
be allowed that in all-round ability to
breed, train and ride the shorse to the
very best advantage the American is
primus inter pares."