The morning call., 1894-07-01
RECENT PUBLICATIONS

story there is no more famous woman than
the Serpent of the Nile," the Egyptian
Queeu, who won the love OF the mighty
Julius and also that of his friend and fol-
lower, Marc Antony. Horace STYLED her,
in the hymn dedicated to Octavianus on
his victory over Antony and Cleopatra,
mon humllis muller" woman incapable
of basenesS; extraordinary testimony to
her greatness, coming as it does from the
protege and friend of the ruler Of the
Roman world. From his day TO our own.
notably in the works of Shakespeare. this
marvellous descendant Of the Macedonians
has been made the theme Of song and story
by hundreds of poets and prose writers. 1t
is n0s astonishing then that George EberS,
who has done SO much to populariZe the
life and customs of ancient Egypt, should
have attempted to delineate the character
of Cleopatra, who, in herself. combined
the attractiveness of Greece and the mys-
terry of ancient Egypt, and was as mo-
mentous aud epochal as that ef anv
Rameses or Sesostris of ancient days. II
is big canvas on which Cleopatra Is
painted, too big, we think, for it dwarfs
in some respects the figure OF the great
Queen. The period chosen by Ebers, too,
prevents that DEVELOPMENT of character
derstanding of the great influence of Cleo
patra over her suitors and followers. 1t Is
the period of her decline, the period i'm
medistely succeeding the battle OF Ac-
tium.
The duration of the story. as far as
Cleopatra is concerned, Is limited to her
return from Actium, accompanied by
Antony, her preparations to receive Oc-
tavianus and her death-a time of depres-
sion and foiled purpose, unfit for the
development and display OF all the many
sided qualities of the great Queen. Ebers.
however. draws a powerful though lim-
tied picture of the energy, the far-reachIng
wisdom and the ''foresightedness" the
born leader, while at the same time not
neglecting the attributes which belonged
to her as a woman. But how faint a pic
ture 1t is compared to the one that Shakes
peare painted on his canvas in cOlors that
centuries have not diinmed a whit; pic
rure, be it true or false that has fixed for
ever among English-speaking races the
idea Of the character of Cleopatra. There
is in the book a secondary story, as it
were, the loves of Dion and Barine, an ex-
QuisitelY charming idyl and as good work
as ever came from Ebers' pen. The pic
lures, too, of household and public life
OF the AleXandrians, their instability OF
character, fondness for oratorY ard debate.
love Of amusementS-in fact the whole
routine of their business, religion and
pleasure, is graphically depicted aud IN an
interesting form contains the essence of
NUN bers of serious and learned volumes.
In Cleopatra one misses the light and
movement Of Ebers' earliest works, but
still the book is well worth reading. The
translation is so good tnat one hardly ever
thinks of it as translation it reads just
like original English. New York: u.
Appleton & Co. For sale by the Bancroft
Company.
THE OVERLAND. - The midsummer
number Of the Overland Monthly" is the
best which has been published under the
management Of Rounsevile Wildman.
Among the descriptive and historical arti-
cles we note paper on the settlement of
Arizona, by Charles D. Poston, who was
the first delegate to Washington from the
Territory and is now president of the His
torical Society; fine illustrated article on
the Chilcat country in Alaska. by T. de
Laguna; a sketch of the lava beds. where
General Candy was murdered. by John Fl.
Hamilton; and a delightful paper ON Ma
drid, with life-like silhouettes of its peo-
pie, and pictures from drawings and
nhotos. The editor begins a serial entitled
lava, in which it is evident the reader is
going to be introduced to an English lady
who has been kidnaped by MaIayan
chief and carried off to the jungle. The
word painting in this tale is fine. but per-
haps the author introduces too many native
words for tthe comfort OF the reader who
does not have the Malayan dialect at his
finger ends. In the matter of shorter fic-
tion this number of the Overland con-
rains lively story of San Francisco social
life. entitled dot and Go One" by John
Bonner; 'True Ghost Story" by Z. NJ.
Tilden Brown, which is narrowing enough
to keep the reader awake for week;
brisk story for boys on "Pablo's Fiesta"
which describes the first Fourth of July
ever kept in this State; rather sad story
by Geneyieve Brown entitled David
Deed; "Study in Ochre." which let's a
raw of light on the pathetic side of the
Chinese character. The mum Der is rich
in verse, some Of which is good, and some
is, well not so good. Mr.. Albert b. Paine
has a poem In hne galioplng rhythm,
which begins:
In the far away West
There's region OF rest
Where never mortal hath trod,
And those who have failed
In the feyerish quest
Are slumbering under the sod.
How could they be slum bering under the
sod if they had never trod it in the flesh?
STRUTHERs AND THE COMEDY OF THE
MASKED MUsICIANs-Thes are two good
stories by Anna Bowman Dodd. the author
of Three Normandy Inns" Cathedral
Days." ETC., but in quite a different vein
from her former work. Readers of this
writer's fascinating accounts of Norman
scenery and peasant life will at first ex-
perence q shock ON beginning to read
"Struthers"-a shock that will quickly
change to delight as the social evolution
of the Struthers is accomplished. A
happy, simple couple, In love with one
another, enjoying their friends society
and tEeir simple pleasures, unaware of
the iact that they belonged TO the great
class OF nobodles, suddenly launched into
a career OF Anglomania and fiunkyism
through the husbands getting his clothes
from Poole aud by the Influence of club
friends. Straightaway. Jonathan Struth-
ers. by stroke of genius, becomes John
Ethan Struthers, and with his counterfeit
name he puts on counterfeit manners.
How man of no mean ability
in other matters could go write
hims elf down an ass is hard to under
stand. but he does it. and the situations
and incidents of his career are ludicrous
and aptly described. The saving salt in
the family is the thorough good sense of
his wife. who after her first attempt to
keen pace with her husband reverts to
her natural character and is constant
delight by her simplicity and thorOughness
TO the aristocrats on whom Jonathan
wishes but vainly to foist himself. That
the reader will be delighted with the story
goes without saying. The comedy of the
MASKED Musicians" deals with common
situation in novels in somewhat uncom-