New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-20
NEW BOOKSAND NEW EDITIONS

A
OF the International Scientific Series mas oe."
brought from the presses Of D. Appleton q o. |
This is the Rev. Thomas r. r. Stebbinss his.o's
OF Crustacea." york N small compass Which, ID
singularly valuable. entertaining and compreheh-
sive The author deals not only with the facts Oh
hi. sub,ect the Maacostraca. but with its litera-
ture the references serving to guide the STUDENT
into widening and delightful paths OF research Inc
hook Is full of curious details; we read OF ''e
Dromia crab which strolls along the shore' houIns
on its back mangrove leaf or dead waive Oh d
shell to conceal itself from meddnG persons; OF 'he
crab that when tickled. becomes so enraged tha'
II nips itself with its own claws ana so coinn''S
suicide and of the hermit crab, winch 'hous"
usually greedy and pugnacious has been known 10
carry his wife about tenderiy in her shell and TO
abstain from food until she had fed. one OF 'ie
difficulties in the way Of the investigating natural
lat Mr. Stebbing records. is the inability OF 'he
seafarng person to realize the value oil specimens
Upon one occasion near Torquay, he says a hshhs
boat drawn up on the beach was swarnihs Win
Cirolana cranchi LAS the boatman had oi'eA
promised to preserve any small marine curios'ues
met with in his fishing his attention was caiieu
to these creatures crawling in such numbers over
his boat. When asked why he had never pro"s"
any of the kind to the naturalist MS reply was
that they were so common that he could not mag
inc any one wanting them"
The ideal scholastic anthology of poetry OF prose-
or of both is that which develops the student Tor
study's sake into the reader for readings sake
Such an anthology is only producble out OF 'he
catholic taste of n sensitive editor. and such an
editor Mr. A. de Rougemont does not show hnseh
70 he in his Manuel de la Literature FRANCHISE
Nv r. Jenkins). or course he has quoted Racine
and Moliere and of course every one OF MS exem-
plars bears a of equal fame in his he'd' puta
little less of 'I.Avare" and "Athalie' and little
more of the "Essais' of Montaigne ana other
literature OF that genial cynic's age would nave
made this textbook Of greater value in the school,
rooms for which 1t is intended. There Is no more
admirable mode of induction into the esprit eau
lois than acquaintance with Montaishe anu
Rrantome There is no more interesting phase OF
literary history in France than that due to the or
panizinr efforts of the Peiade The Renaissance. in
short is of the same serious interest IN france
that 1t is in the South Mr.. de Rougemont' now
ever passes over the period with three or lour
pages and begins his more extended citations win
Descartes This is justiiable If 1t Is desirable TO
know the literature of France only after the Ian
guage had fully entered upon its high estate as an
instrument of extraordinary fexibility and pre-
cision But in practically ignoring the sixteenth
century 1t seems that the author Of THIS
manual has neglected very essential feature OF the
scheme of instruction needed in schools. Ills doom
has other defects of omission. The group of nine
teenth century writer's quoted is small enough IL
does rot include such important stysts as Saintc-
Beuve Flaubert and Gautier. When these points
have been disposed of the book remains one OF
serviceabe selections The notes are also useiui
and the questions tabuaed for tho of teachers
are calculated to exercise profitably the inteih-
gence of the pupil.
c. p Putnam's Sons bring out a study OF the
four Gospels by anonymous author. entitled
THE King and the Kingdom" 1t is an attempt
to get at the meaning of the Gospels from the Cos
pels themselves. The story told by the four Evange-
lists is related in their words except that II Is
arranged in chronological order far it is possi-
bic to do So Its chief value. indeed. lies in the
fact that 1t constitutes excellent harmony oil the
Gospels. The authors principle OF Interpretation
compels him to disregard many of the orthodox
views of Gospel teaching on the one hand ana
MANY Of the conclusions of the higher critics on
the other For instance, he discards the theory
of inspiration because he does not ma mat the
Evangeists claimed to possess it, 1t Is the helght
of presumption he says ito assert that any writer
possessed supernatural power OF arriving at truth
and error when the writer himself makes no such
pretensons." Nevertheless. he accepts their mar
ratves as literally true when they involve the
miraculous. simply on the ground that they were
honest This is n position that VIII strike
most people untenable. However honest 'he
EvanpeIists NAV have been IL they told the story
OF Christs miraculous birth. for instance In their
capacity as ordinary fallibe men. and OF their own
voiton it is competent for any one to doubt or
disbelieve their story Doubtless many of the mar
rators of medieval miracles were also honest. but
that fact leads no one TO believe their wonders.
No amount of merely human testimony will prove
such a miracle the incarnation OF Jesus. me
testimony adduced for 1t must be divine But
while the author upholds the credibility OF Christs
miracles. he does not believe that they prove His
sunreme divinity THAT idea" he says. was never
in the minds of the first behoders. but was the out
come of later scholastic thought" On the whole
while this study of the Gospels will be unsatis-
factory to both the liberals and conservatives ana
cannot take rank a work OF original research
II accomplis purpose its author had in view
main
of the four Gospels and will be valuable hand
book TO students of the Bible who are only familiar
with English.
The republication Of the Rev. Washington Glad
denis Century" papers on 1.-THE Cosmopois CITY
Club" CThe Century Company. New-IorD serves a
useful public purpose. Americans do not need Mr.
Bryce's word for it that the government OF cities
g. inefficient and corrupt, and the conspicuous
failure of the United States They recognize the
evils Of municipal government. and have been as
heartened by many failures on the part OF citizens
movements and non-partisan bodies of amateur or
professional reformers to remedy them Ihis httie
hook 20 one that will set them TO thinking about
one of the most vexatious and troublesome prob
lens OF public life. 1t records the transactions or
circle Of practical reformers who began ther
operations by taking up one branch OF municipal
administration after another. investigating 1t In n
eciont,dc way and forcing the evils of misgovern-
ment upon public attention. While the Cosmopolis
Club is an ideal organizat on with imaginary trans
actions and hypothetical circumstances. many pas
sages of it's experience borrowed from the pro-
ceedings of various reform organizations. The core
of the matter is the necessity of public enlighen-
ment respecting the methods OF municipal govern
ment. The club is organized In sections, ike a
scientific association. for specific branches of in
oury and investigation. II is compact, working
body. which aims TO bring out The facts about
mlsgovernment. and TO appeal to public intelli-
gence and morality TO support radical reforms.
fhe author does not profess TO have discovered a
panacea for the bad government Of towns. This.
indeed would be a vain pretension, for the charter
Of BROOKLYN is grounded upon the same funda
mental principles which are embodied in his re-
form charter OF Cosmopols. He could write a Sc
ollel 10 his work recounting the relapse OF the
town into bad government under the reform
charter and II, would be the actual experience OF
T,rooklyn since the retirement OF Mayor Low. He
has NOT vet touched bottom In his study OF mu-