The morning call., 1894-11-11
RECENT PUBLICATIONS

| IHE LILAC SUNBONNET.-FOr a long
time it seemed as if the women noyelists
| would have carried off the honors this wear,
but the appearance of Hall Gaines
"ManXman" and Stevenson's pew book
have restored honorS to the men writers,
To the same class as the two latter be-
longs this new work of S. r. Crockett, the
| author of THE Suckil Minister" While
| not rivaling them in breadth or dramatic
power, THE Lilac SunbODnet" is charac-
terized by the same careful work, literary
dicuOn, humor and pathos combined as in
life and on equally incOngruous occasions.
IL Is curious what a number of novels of
late days have dealt with characters OF
narrow religious views; IL almost seems as
if a wave of realization of the evil in
| fluences and effects of the ''uuco guid"
was passing over the minds of men, "The
! Lilac SunbOnnet" is a story set in such
an atmoSphere-that is, Ralph Peden, the
| hero has been brought up in il. and Only
emancipates himself when he meets, in the
| old Pictish district of Galloway, WinsOme
! Charters, and falls in love with her. II
| Is charming love story, redOieDt Of banks
and Draes and iUchs and pines, healthy TO
the C r., the love that GaG made for man
and wUman's first glimpse of Paradise and
a constant reminder Of it. Few more win
some maids than Wlnsome have ever been
Ralph Peden il would be hard to fad in
| fiction, and yet they are nothing out of the
| common, only TWO creatures who have
| seized on and explored lies mystery
| Alright The touch of i'll and misfortune
| Tor the lovers comes from the narrow reli-
| gious belief and prejudices OF Ralph's
| father, Gilbert Peden, and Alan Walsh,
both ministers of tne Kirk o. the Marrow.
THE sole repository of orthodox truth in
Scotland, which is as gOOd as saying IN the
wide wOTld-perhapS even in the universe"
A little, too, of the shadow is supplied by
! Jess kisSOck the maid at Niu5ome's
! home, and Agnew GTeatOrex, the son of the
| lady of GreatOreX Castle; but they receive
| poetic justice in The end, and the doves
| having escaped he hawks mate in unioyelv
| union. There is lots OF ''sonsy" humor in
! the book, supplied principally by Saunders
| Mowdiewort. Ills reasons for wishing 10
| De married a second time are al original as
they are humorous. But though the story
| is good Itself, the best thing about it is tue
| atmosphere in which il moves. Ii breathes
| If bOnny Scotland and the music of the
mavis and the black cap is as plainly
heard in as the smell of the lily and the
| heather in the early morn. 1t is a great
| tribute to the writer to say that the book
| will recall bonny Scotland to the heart and
memory of the exile, its habits and Gus
| toms, It's people and scenery, and come
near to make him greet" New York:
! ID. Appleton & Co. For sale by the Ban
croft Company.
THE CHILDREN OF CIRCUMSTANCE
This is another interesting story from the
pen Of IOta, The author of "a Yellow
Aster." More ambitious than the latter,
with a far larger number of characters
and more intricate plot, it possesses just
as much originality. power and humor,
and is informed with the same pulse of
vivid feeling. The psychical analyses are
just as subtle. the literary style has the
same grace and force, but the characters
are deeper and more finely drawn. 1t il
story that when once begun cannot be
given up. but must needs be read t. the
end; full of pathOs and full of truth.
Margaret Dering, motherieSs and father
less child of ancient race, brought up
under the care of two maiden aunts-whO
have missed the joys of life and become
austere and ascetc aud narrOw-minded,
following their own small ideas of good
and God-falls in love with Godfrey Hyde.
He is married, but cOnceals the fact. ana
the truth is made known to Margaret
by Mrs. Hyde herself. Forthwith Mar
garet leaves her home and goes to
London TO live with her old nurse. There
she becomes interested in the cause of her
fallen sisters, and tries to win them to
better things. Meantime, Mrs. HYDE,
to the development of her husband. and
in the excess of seIf-abnegation facilitates
matters for he future union of her hus-
band and Margaret. She meets her re-
ward in the sudden OutpOuring of her
husbands love just as lie is leaving her,
ana the story ends abruptly there. The
above is the merest skeleton of the plot
thus cruGely given it may seem coarse, but
there is no cOarseneSS In the story. With
a great many positions and beliefs of the
writer. one may differ; her conclusions in
matters of religion and life are broader
than her premises, but none will deny the
red-hOt ferv0r of sincerity with which she
writes. The story comes trimming hot
from The very heart. and will undoubtedly
do good. If ii does nothing else except
make men and women who believe them
selves religious little more charitable,
generous and willing OF belief in others
goodness, though of different views, it
will have done much. The characters of
the religious maiden aunts who found
Shakespeare in Margarets drawer,
and agreed ''tO read together a por-
ton from the volume before we condemn
our niece" is piece OF capital work. 1t
is easy TO fancy the Old maids, as they
buckled up their reins to Judgment stiff
and prm and suspicious, when with the
irony of fate they opened the book and
began to read Romeo and Juliet" The
varying feelings of the two aged spinsters,
Tue secret pleasure uuu6T JDelr open con-
domination, the victory of habit and the
burning of the volume of Shakes peare
are wildly painted. Margarets nurse,
old-fashioned In thought aud habit, mar
row, seli-concei and honest in her re-
ligious convictions and judgment, whose
idea of God seems TO be, as it is of so
many others, a huge policeman with n big
club is llfelike sketch, and type of a
class that few people are unacQuainted
with. The character OF Margaret the
heroine, has, however, been the greatest
work of the writer, and well has it repaid
all the care and thought. The develop
ment of a noble woman, with keen sym-
pathies for men and women, with a full
belief in God and a religion unspoiled by
the elevation of personal conceits and
vanities into dogmas, ana at the same
time retaining the bright and helpful quail
tiles of girlhood. is study of intense in
terest and is by far the best work ''Iota"
has thus far accomplished. New York:
d. Appleton 81 Co. For sale by the Ban
croft Company.
The GOD IN THE CARA very readable
story this by Anthony Hope. A clerk in
a coal Office after eight years disappear
ance from England returns as the oriciua-
tor of big scheme, 'The Omofaga Com
pany" in Africa. The central point of
the story is that everything in the mind
of Willie Rnston is subordinate to his
H. a.