The herald., 1894-08-05
[BY L. BEHyMER.

[BY L. BEHYMER.
THE Mask OF BEAUTY, after the German OF
Fanny Lewald. By MARY M. PLEAsANrs.
Published by Robert Bouners Sons. For
sale by A. W. Berry, 100 South Spring
street.
brated writers of Germany. Her books
have enjoyed great popularity, but few
Of them have been translated into Eng
Nsh. This is story OF Hela, penin-
sula jutting out into the Baltic sea, OF
which Dantzig is the principal town.
The maid Of Hela is poor orphan,
whose rare beauty is the cause of her
many trials. She is bred in fishing
village among superstitous people,
full of curiosity and isolated from her
neighbors by reason OF her parentage
and religion. The story is minute and
realistic study of character. manners
and customs of an out-of-the-way corner
of the world. The extraordinary beauty
OF the girl Catherine, whose life history
IL narrated, ie made the cause of every
important situation and the final tragedy
Of the novel. Nothing can be finer than
the patient and loving art with which
the suthor hiss developed her subject,
and exhibited beauty as the maak of y
pure and beautiful soul unconscious of
the dangerous possession.
SIS
MARGARET sALIsBURY. by MARY HOLLAND
LEE Published the Arena Publishing
company, Boston. For sails by the Anti
quarisn book store, III West Firsl street
@. P. Hart, M. D., ia a thorough stu
dent in his chosen profession, and quite
o scientist in his line. In speaking of
Margaret Salisbury, he has come to the
conclusion that the scientific investiga.
ton recently made by the lamented
Charcot and others OF the phenomena OF
hypnotism and various allied mental
conditions have not only swept away,
perhaps forever, most OF the rubbish and
false teachings which morb bid curiosity
and blind credulitv had attached to
them, but have lent additional interest
and importance to the comparatively
new science of psychology, besides, Gu
riously enough, contesting for supremacy
in the field of imaginative literature.
This last phase OF subject which has
already undergone auch vast number
and variety OF Kaleidoscope changes, is
most ably and entertainingly presented
in q new novel from the pen of Mrs.
Mary Holland Lee.
In this work the heroine, Margaret
Salisbury, represents one of the COM
psratively few supersensitive subjscts
belonging to the class hyperneurypoins,
in which the induction of the hypnotic
state is brought about by the mere will
power of the operator, without the aid
of passes or other external means. Such
representative subjects, at least such es
are portrayed in the work, are seldom
met with in resi- life; for while Margaret
Salisbury is apparently 90 susceptible to
the hypnotizing inhuencs of the oper-
ster, Miss Appleton, as to fall uncon-
eciously and at once under the latters
power whenever she brings it to bear
upon her, unlike most cases, its effect,
> 30 far ss controlling or suppressing the
will power of the subject liz concerned,
is complete and permanent; whereas in
ordinary cases, when Intentionally or
artihcially produced, contrary to the
general belief, mere breath of air, or
at mest strong physical impression,
such as q shake of the head or dash of
water in the face, will at once restore
tn Q subject to full consciousness, and re-
move every false mental impression
wh ich the operator may have produced.
This brings us to consider, in the case
under review, the very strong meemeric
(hypnotizing) power of Miss Appleton.
It would seem that she was invested, or
rather surrounded, with an atmosphere
OF nervous energy, capable OF inhuenc.
ing to q greater or less degree, according
to the distrace and impressibility of the
subject, the nervous system OF the
patient. That certain mediums" as
they are called, have this power, 10 no
longer an open question. But whether
they can exercise it effectively upon
subjects not IN their immediate pres
ence, ia net 80 certain. Notwithstanding
the cumulative evidence in favor of
what is known as mental telegraphy." /"
Our own opinion ia that the effect in ques-
tion (hypnotism) can only be arti6claly
induced, when the operator, besides
being in the immediate vicinity of the
subject, either resorts to external means,
as in Brsidism. or is possessed of both
an unusually strong will power and a
marked neurotic constitution. Under
such circumstances the nervously weak
are overpowered by the nervously strong,
the former being influenced partly by
the surcharged nervous system OF the
latter, and partly, it is probable, by
atmospheric and ocular Impressions.
While, therefore, Margaret Salisbury
represents rather unusual form of the
hypnotic constitution, it ia not a hcti-
tious one, and, considering the purpose
in view, hae no doubt been wisely
selected by the author as q type of the
abnormal conditions she wished to
illustrate. But hypnotism is not the
only point of interest in this semi
scientific novel. Heredity, as well, re-
csives it's full share OF attention, and
adds materially to the value OF the
work. In short, while possessing NO
little interest as a story, the author may
we'll be proud of her success in dealing
wit such reconditc subjects as she has
brought before us in Margaret Sails
bury.
x**
EHE QUEEN OF ECUADOR, by z. NJ. MAN.
LEY, author of Some children of Adam;
published by the Fl. w. Hagemann Pub
lfshinx company, New YORK city. For sale
by the Stoll & Thayer company.
Among the 50-cent paper issues OF
the day this story is notable. Tcld with
skill, and vigor in smooth, easily-fow-
ing style. it ia very charming to read.
Tha plot ia highly original and sensa-
eional, but the e0Shor tells a startling
story in go quiet manner that he es-
s~pes the reproach Of too great Dtrain
after effect. The tale can hardly be
outlined in brief notice, but contains
pleasant love making, some gentle satire
and many dramatic situations. There