The record-union., 1895-12-11
new PUBLICATIONS.

1.-The Comedy of Sentiment, by DR..
Max Nordau, the author of .'Degenera-
tion," is novel of great strength and
power. Two editions were required to
fill the advance orders, and the third
edition is now in press. On the day of
its publication, the New York papers de-
voted many columns to a discussion of
this latest work by the famous author.
1t is regarded as one of the most i'm
portant books of the year. 1t is story
of a beautiful adventures who desires
to maintain her footing in society, for
feited by want of principle and di-
Vorce. Women understand her. but
men she manages to deceive. One man,
a scholar, little used to society is thinks
he isl fascinated by her, when he only
deceives himself. He has sufficient
self-control TO enable him TO reflect, and
this brings him to the judgment that
the woman would make him no fit wife.
There is, therefore, separation of the
two, but the coquette does not relax her
arts to recall the man and faSten him
to her girdle, and she very nearly sue
ceedS-at least, he leads her to think
so-when he is withdrawn from her by
the love he bears his mother, a woman
Of no social pretensionS, whose life has
been one of toll However, the siren re-
sumes her efforts, and is about to again
entangle him when discovery of her du-
plicity and double-dealing with men
save him the second time Nordau's
scheme in this novel is to show that the
emotion of love, all it's arts and feeling
may be feigned, and that the whole
tragedy of love may be played as low
comedy by the conSummate actor. DR..
Nordau himself says of this view of
the work: 1T neglectS one side of the
novel, to my mind and in my intention
the most important, which is this: The
hero, from false feeling of chivalry,
has assured the woman that he loves
her. He thought this at least was due
to her, as he had accepted her favor.
But he did not love her, and he knew it
from the first moment He did not want
to confess his pious lie, he continued to
assure her of his non-eXisting love; he
acted the comedy of this absent love
and it was his lie that brought all the
trouble down upon him. Had he had
the moral courage to say from the very
beginning: Altho' l enjoyed your ia
vor, do not love you, there would at
once have been an end of it. But this
brutal courage he has not had, and. in
deed, very few men have it. This is the
source of an immense amount of mis-
chief, against which the novel is in
tended to be a warning
a very great amount of labor is repre-
sented by the compiled record of the
worlds progress found in Current His
tory Garrett NJ. Cox & Co., Buffalo, n
W. Not one of all the weighty ques-
tons of the day now attracting mems
attention but finds treatment compre-
hensive, clear and concise, the arrange
ment of contents is simple and con-
venient. The present number cd quar-
ter, 1880 contains 253 pages of reading
matter, and is abundantly illustrated
Louis Pasteur forms the frontispiece
accompanied by an ably written sketch
Among the leading topics, are discussed
in all their political and diplomatic
bearings: The Outrages on Mission
aries in China" the situation in the
Orient, the Armenian problem, Cuban
revolt silver question A wide range
of subjects follows, covering every i'm
portant interest-such as, an able
sketch of M. Stambouloff of Bulgaria;
Political campaign in the United States;
Atlanta Exposition; Sunday law and
enforcement in New York: Manitoba
School and Copyright Questions in Can
ada General Election and New Sails
bury Ministry in Great Britain; the
labor world here and abroad; later
discoveries regarding ArgOn and Hell
ium; the wonderful Antarctic Cont
nent; results of last Peary expedition;
Pan-American Congress of Religion
and Education; National Educational
Association: British and American So
cieties for the Advancement of Science;
review of leading books issued from the
press; Sociology and Religion, and
biographies of prominent people who
have died.
The North American Review for De-
cernber (New York; has these valuable
papers; 1.-The Work of the Next Con-
gress," by NJ. W. Hazeltine, Repre-
sentatives Thomas c. Catchings of
Mississippi Jonathan P Dolliver of
Iowa. G.. n. Southwick of New York and
John C. Bell of Colorado: "CrankS and
Crazes," Mrs. Lynn Linton; THE Last
Gift of the Century" n. S. Shaler;
How London Deals With Beggars,"
the Rt. Hon. Lord Norton; Results of
the Behring Sea Arbitration ex-Sec-
rotary of State Foster; Christianity
Millstone,' Professor Goodwin Smith;
"Our Benefits from the Nicaragua
Canal Arthur Silva White: Per
scnal History of the Second Empire
XII; The End of the Empire" Albert
D. Vandam; wild Traits in Tame
ADimals-IV." DR.. Louis Robinson;
THE House of Representatives and
the House of Commons" Sir Reginald
F. D. Palgrave, K. c. B.; Congress and
the Next Paris Exposition" Theodore
Stanton; "Some Memories of a Great
Lawyer" w Watson; "a Plea for the
English Wife" E. M. Nicholl.
The Cosmopolitan for December
New York; is more than usually copi-
ously illustrated. Especially in por-
t1aiture and art work is it attractive
and interesting. "a Christmas Legend
of King Arthur's Country" by Arthur
Warren and j. Leon Williams, illus
trated: Loves Court" by Elizabeth
c. Cardozo, illustrat ted; Actresses Who
Have Become Peeresses," by A. c..
Wheeler, illustrated; Game Fishing in
the Pacific" by C. f Holder, illus
trated; "The Great North Road" by
Robert Louis Stevenson, Illustrated;
Butterflies by James Allen, illu-
trated; "A Momentary Indiscretion, -
by Sarah Grand, illustrated by f. O..
Small; Dreams in Woven Thread" by
Mary S. Lockwood illustrated; 'Tonia:
A Story of Crime From Poverty" by
"Ouida,'' illustrated by B. West Cline
dinst; "The Choice of Parents" by I.
Zangwill, illustrated; "a Brief History
of Altruia," by Sir Robert Harton;
some examples of recent art by Bou-
guereau, Makowsky, Yperman, Berne-
Belle-Cour, lie RouX, Gardner, Saint
pierre, Priou.
The Advance in Education is the mi
tia1 number (November) of a new mag
azine from Los Angeles, with P. w.
Search, late of the Los Angeles School
Department, as editor and publisher. 1t
largely relates to the discussion of