The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-01-08

tanning tales, without great deal of
stress and strain upon our sympathies or
our intellect. When we read them we do
not feel called upon to apply that queer
epithet to them that Is now tagged with
out reason to so many novels-fin-de-
steele. +" The Despotic Lady," is a book
that can be read in an evening, and 1t
gives an evening of excellent entertain
ment Most OF Us know something about
women like Lady Maunsell, whose
tyrannical sway over her daughter
and everybody she came in contact
with was never modified except when she
met greater bully than she was, or, as Is
cleverly developed In this story, when
somebody played upon her weaknesses.
That such a strident travesty on woman
hood as this Lady Maunsell had sweet
daughter introduced an element ncces-
sary for the story, and not as rare an
anomaly as the same phenomenon would
be in real life; but II was more natural
that Eric Langdale should fall in love
with the girl. Poor Eric did not UNDER
stand how to manage the dragoness who
stood at the portal Of his palace OF
love. He tried to propitiate her,
and incurred more and more OF
her vitriolic animosity. At length
his friend Peter Garnett met the Des-
potic Lady and defied her, which made
her his fast friend and caused her to re-
solve to marry him to her daughter.
Eric despaired and Peter raved. but my
lady held the rein firmly and never wav-
cred. The girl enacted q colorless part.
Then came Eric's father, @ general who
possessed a shrewd humor and fund OF
common sense. But the she despo. would
have conquered even the old campaigner
had he not stumbled upon an
interesting chapter OF her early
life, and by shrewdly aud bravely
handling his trump card winning
the game for his timorous son and the
daughter OF the virago. Peters existence
was clouded by the despot's resolution to
marry him to her daughter, and he was
as grateful for deliverance as the young
couple were for their captivity. But
though beaten the old lady was not
routed. The General had played his game
30 shrewdly by employing subterfuge
and creating the impression that he OBJ
jected TO the idea Of his sons marrying
into her family that the worthy Lady
Maunsell believed she could sting
and thwart him by marry ing the
young people off hand, which
she proceeded TO do. The Despotic Lady
was thus made to carry out the scheme
for her own undoing, while her enemies
grinned complacently behind the arras.
SO the young people got each other, as
they wished, and the old dame was left in
the delusion that she had managed 1t all.
1t is clever and interesting story, all the
better that it makes no great draft upon
the readers sympathies, and leaves him
free to put the book away with laugh
and enjoy a dreamless night thereafter.
J. b. Lippincott Co.
The first event of much Importance in
the publishing world in 1896 Is the issu-
ance today by the Macmillans OF the
second volume OF the new edition of Prof.
James Bryce's american Common
wealth." The work was first issued in
1889, and at once attracted wide attention
ss a consideration OF American institu-
tions at once broad, acute, and faithfully
adhering to an especially high concep-
tion of our fundamentals. Some notoriety
was directed toward Prof. Bryce by a suit
at law arising from some statements in
the book, and it was withdrawn
from sale until a corrected edi-
tion could be prepared This
third edition was planned some years ago,
and the first volume issued in September,
1893 when it was expected that the Sec
ond would follow within few months at
the utmost, and the delay has been occa-
stoned both by Prof. Bryce's political
duties as a member OF Parliament, but
also, and more especially, by the severe
labor involved in the revision OF the
work. This is by no means a new edition
ia the sense merely OF a reprint; the en-
tire matter has been carefully revised
throughout, and has in many places
been practically rewritten. All
difficult and controverted points
have been reconsidered, and, while some
few chapters have been slightly abridged,
large additions have been made TO others
In particular, four new chapters have
been written and inserted in Part ",
chapters which belonged to the original
plan of the book, but which II was found
impossible to insert in the first edition.
The first OF these deals with the Tam
many Ring of New York city as an ex-
ample of the perversion and corruption
OF Democratic government. The second
discusses The way in which physical con-
ditions have Influenced the development
of the American people, while the third
and fourth are devoted to the question of
the reconstruction OF the South, and to
what is, in the authors mind, the most
there OF seven millions OF negroes. The
phenomenal success OF the book, 10000
copies having been already sold, lends
special interest TO this announcement of
the completion OF the revised edition.
1t is only few years since franklin H.
Giddings was hard working, under
paid and not particularly brilliant repor-
ter on the Springfield newspapers. He
began TO teach IN some Pennsylvania
school, as remember, and as he took up
sociology he has now landed, as professor
of that branch OF man science, in Colum-
ba College and ha won high and as
sured place as writer OF books that are
indispensable to the educated man of the
day. His latest Is 10 appear soon from the
Macmillan press, under the title OF "The
Principles of Sociology" This book
Is designed to be rather epoch
making, as 1t combats some limita-