The herald., 1894-07-15
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grew to crave but one abiding place. and
that in the halls OF death.

so6slou VI tuo QueoD, VINO imagined ner-
self safe beside Antony's dead body in
the strong walls OF the almost completed
tomb.
In the famous interview of Octavius
with his royal captive, Eberr shows be
not as wanton who had suojugated the
uncle with her charms and would also
see the nephew at her feet as the crown
ing tribute TO her vanity, but as the
harrassed mother desperate enough to
stoop to almost any act by which she
might save and make certain the future
OF her children. For this end, so the
Egy yptologist shows, did she even smile
upon her captor, and she would have
been more than woman not to triumph a
moment in the signs of weakness that
displayed themselves in the conqueror
before her. For a second there entered
emptation-''ehould che dupe him into
granting her wishes by fegning love for
the fret timer" Should she yield to the
man who had insulted her in order to
induce him to accord her children their
rights? Should she, to crafty her
lovers foe, relinquish the sacred grief
which was drawing her after him, Civ
ing posterity and her children the right
to call her, instead of the most loyal of
the loyal. q dishonored woman, who
sold herself for power?
The best that was in her answered
mo" TO the thought, and the woman
having won against the tempter, the
queen was strong. to die rather than
grace the triumph of Caesar in that
Rome where years before her supremacy
Of mind and dazzling beauty had held O
greater Cesar in thrall.
The love story of Barine and Dion is
the thread of this story OF Cleopatra,
but it is one of those tbreade useful
only as means by which priceless
gem is to be displayed. But for Bar
ines connection with the narrative, Cle-
opatra's petty weakness and counter
p)siog strength and goodness of heart
could not be brought into the high
lights, and thue with every character in
it; each perfect, we're there no Cleopa-
ira. yet each and all but heightening
accessories to the facinatng central
theme. Ae to whether Ebers' concep.
ton of the beautiful Nile queen is nearer
the truth than that of the historians
who judged her as the most evil OF wo-
men, it is too late after the dead CEN
turtles to: discuss. Ebers' work
has been labor of love, it
is easy to see, in this lat
ter-dsy justification OF his heroine.
and as none of us are ever either 80 bad
or 60 good as We are thought to be, no
one will grudge the dead and gone queen
the chaplet of laurel placed to her
memory with the love and sympathy of
a writer who sees her as a woman and
wife, not as sorcoress and Phryne.
-.
THE DUKE OF ARCANUM, novel, by
FRANK CARLETON LoNG. author of Inc
Lady of Jh5 Lens. Published by Laird e
Lee, Chicago. For sale by the Antiq
book store, III West FIRST street.
OF al! the attributes of the human
heart the greatest 10 charity, and yet
how few OF us can pause in the midst of
our successes in life to cast thought to
those objects of distress who see moth
ing but the dark side of existence, and
know little of the joys and comforts to
which they should AS rightfuliy be heirs
as any others of the human family. Are
they selected and condemned to life OF
penury by an lnexorable predestnation
No. Then circumstances are alone re-
sponsible for their miseries, and the
amelioration of those conditions are acts
which place such characters as Stanley
Edgecumb in the ranks of the greatest
bepefactors of the race. He is the CEN
trail figure OF this novel, a novel with q
purpose. II the noble purposes and
philanthropic philosophy OF this man is
understood by the reader, and his acts
cont.asted with those to whom abund-
ance is but the synonym of avsrice, then
the labor bestowed upon the writing of
this volume, by its author, may not
have been wasted, as the world lie always
bettered, even by the most modest
of ideas, if they convey to the
intellect some humble truth or Lesson,
which. taking root, liftu the soul up to
brighter glimpses OF human concepts,
volltions and purposes. The charity OF
EdScumb was largely the charity OF the
teachings OF Christ. He was not one of
that numerous class who. being blessed
with q superabundance of wealth, seek
to leave some colossal monument 70
their bonee by the endowment of some
notable enterprise in the direction of
q college, spital or school of tech
nology but he believed in extending a
helping hand to those oppressed by mis-
fortune and the bitter sfflctions OF
dire and relentless poverty; or. in other
words, of seeking misery where it sctu-
ally exists and by generous deeds to
warm the soul with gratitude aud lead
IL Out VI bu6 UBIQUITOUS buaOOWb WINCH
envelop it into the strong light OF hope
and better aspirations. And how much
more real happiness ia caused by the
worthy distribution OF fortune in
those channels of penury than by the
endowment OF some great library OF
reference, whose shelves are burdened
with a collection OF rare and
costly volumes. not one of which
one In Thousand ever gees. and in
which these miserables have no earthly
interest Edgcumb had himself tasted
those bitter woes which go frequently
enguf the victim in an abyss OF
gloom. indursting the heart alike
agalnst God and man. But his
strong eoul had risen out OF it,
and when prosperity came be did not
forget the state to which, by sad fate,
SO many of hia fellow beings had fallen,
and tbs milliens with which a wise
providence had invested him became
the beneiactions to the needy, and an
unos.entatiuos charity. almost prodigsl
in its application, guided the heart and
hand of this princely dispenser of aims.
And when the reader has finished the
book, has read the Lesson it teaches and
has taken its morals into the heart, he
will exclaim with the author; "Oh,
that ths world contained more Edg-
cumbs" How much brighter would 1t
be for countless creatures, to whom
Death is the most welcome visitor, and