The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-06-27
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Col. Richard Henry Savage, a short
Introductory biography to his latest novel
informs us, "has the newspaper mans love
for soft paper and good lead pencils" This
prediction is self-evident in the Princess
of Alaska" No man using a typewriter
would ever have taken the time to mark
in so enormous an amount of italics and
exclamation points as the Colonel has in
this story. The story itself is a wild con-
glomeration of murder, battle and sudden
death, adjectives and ancient and modern
history, with the scene shifting from San
Francisco to st. Petersburg, from Washing
ton to Saghalien, without breaking a para
graph. Lobbyists and lesser thieves, Sem
ators and Cars, appear, disappear and re-
appear with phantaSmagoric suddenneSs
and irrelevancy, all to the end that a rather
feeble-minded young American artist may
wed a Russian Princess who owns an
Alaskan island wholly composed of rich
gold ORE Colonel Savage has at one time
and another done some creditable work, but
"The Princess of Alaska" bears evidences
of having been written solely to sell. F. T.
Nicely Co., Chicago.
The evils of majority representation and
the reasons for change in our method of
voting are strongly presented in Political
Reform by the Representation Of Minori-
ties" by Matthias n. Forney. 1t gives the
results of investigation into the working
nois and shows the advantages and defects
which the experience of more than twenty
years has shown are inherent in that sys-
tenn and how those defects may be obviated.
The author is strongly convinced that our
present system of electing by a majority or
a plurality of votes single representatives
from each district to our national, State
and municipal legislative bodies is the great
obstacle in the way of political reform, and
that If IL were made possible for any con-
siderable body of voters less than major
ity to elect one or more representatives.
proportion to their numbers-it would do
more TO promote good government than
any other measure that is now within
reach. Published by the author, AZ Cedar
street, New York
(From the Bowen-Merrill Company
1t is doubtful if there was any popular
demand or need of a new life of Isabella,
Queen of Spain in Columbus's time. but
Major General O. o. Howard has furnished
it. isabella, of Castillo" tells anew the
story of that period and of Isabella's life
Preparatory to his work the author took a
brief leave of absence and personally Wis
tied Spain, making calls at Isabella's place
Of birth, baptism, childhood, education, be-
trothal marriage and burial, and at other
points of interest, preparatory to the issue
Of his work. He narrates her life history
with a feeling pen; and many a pathetic
episode attending her family life excites
the sympathy and increases the interest of
his readers. The volume Is handsomely
bound and beautifully illustrated. Cloth,
$3.50. New York, Funk & Wagnalls Com
pany.
1.-The Story of a Modern Woman" by
Ella Hepworth Dixon, daughter of WELL
known London preacher. is a novel which
possesses more than ordinary merit 1t
deals with the heart experiences of a we'll
bred and tenderly reared girl, whose father
died when she was about twenty-five
years old, and who was then thrown on
her own resources. She tried to make a
career for herself and live her own life
as an artist in London, but it ended in
her becoming reporter and art critic for
the newspapers. OF course, she had a
hard time. Her love affairs are related In
very interesting and natural way. The
reader is made to feel that he or she
knows the heroine, and is made to sym
pathize with her. 1t is a true and natural
story of the personal experiences and the
heart struggles of a noble girl struggling
against fate, and. besides being interesting
is remarkably well written Cloth, 81
New York: Cassell Publishing Company.
There seems to be marked tendency
in recent literature to turn back and in
vestigate the sources of literary and re-
ligious activity in the middle ages. 1t is
a sort of middle age renaissance. Nor
is IL unreasonable or uninstructive. 1t un-
covers the beginnings of many things and
shows that the birth of wisdom and virtue
was not delayed till the nineteenth century
The Life of st. Francis of Assist" by
Paul Sabatier, lands the reader right in the
midst of the religious feryor of the twelfth
and thirteenth centuries. st Francis was
one of the active factors of that period,
and the story of his life is one of ag
| gression and progress. The glimpses of
history and the touches of romance with
which the story abounds give ii special in
thoughtful and the style uncommonly vi
yacious. Cloth. $3.50 New York: Charles
Professor Henry A. Burs, Of Yale Col
lege, who has edited several literary works.
appears as the author of several short
stories which are published in a volume
entitled "A Suburban Pastoral" The
| volume contains seven other stories, be-
| sides the one named in the title The Pro-
| fessor should remember the adage about
| the shoemaker sticking TO his last. He is
doubtless learned man. but he is not a
| good story writer. These are heavy and
| pointless. Cloth, 20 cents. New York:
| Henry Holt e. Co.
Good wine needs no bush,' says the
adage. W. Clark Russell needs no intro
| duction writer of good stories That
he confines himself strictly to sea tales and
ocean life shows that he knows his forte
| His latest novel, the Romance of Trans
| port" might almost be paraphrased as a
transporting romance II viii fall right
into line among the authors best stories.
| Ornamental cloth. 81. New York; the Cas-
| sell Publishing Company. 81 East Seven
| teenth street.
The official report of the worlds congress
| OF representative women, held in Chicago
| year ago has just been published by Rand.
! McNally & Co.. of Chicago. The work is
edited by Mrs. May Wright Sewall. of In
| dianapolis, who was chairman of the COM
| mittee on arrangements Ii comprises two