The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-01-27
NEW BOOKS.


Memo RS tvicux sawinus) of the PRINCE DE
JOINVILLE: translated by LADY MACY
LLOYD; Mcmillan e. Co, New York. For
sale by StOll & Thayer.
At this time, whan Francs has peace
fully passed through a crisis, this charm
ing volume of memoirs is particularly
interesting. depicting as it does, period
in the history OF that country iust ante.
dating it's most unhappy second delli-
ance with imperialism. The Prince de
Joinville, agallant son OF q monarch,
who was given too much to reasoning
and too little to action, takes hts read
ers into his confidence and treats them
with all the frsnknsss and absence OF
circumstances that should prevail
between the most intimate friends.
The description of his journey to the
was hie fret visit, for the volume does
not bring his career to the date of the
civil war, when he was a member of
General McOlellan's staff, and distin-
guished himself by his gallantry. This
view of life in tina states In the 30's aud
40's 10 cumulative evidence to the fact
that Dickens first NOTES" and Mrs..
Trollope's famoEs TRADE were aot enc
tirely exaggerated. He notes expeotor-
alton SIS national characteristic. and
wildly portrays number OF obnoxious
features which perhaps were then typi-
cal. But he lie not q prejudiced OBJ.
server and finds, royaliat as be was, q
number of fine qualities and admirable
tendencies, which gave him faith in the
Dsople and the government.
Though the prince was typical
sailor, he was also possessed OF
an artistic appreciation which fads
expression in many paragraphs
about the more notable artists and act
ors OF his time. A peculiar trait, evi.
IDENTIFY evolved from his love of the SEES,
is his openly expressed regard for the
English, evidently caused by his ad-
miration for the maritime achievements
of that nation. This, in Frenchman,
betokens exceptional breadth of mind
and generous, frank nature.
The fraEkness, in fact, of the royal
author is often amusing to a degree. In
one case he describes his extraordinary
difficulty at French colony on the Da-
honey coast which he visited In his ca.
pacity as admiral. He went ashore and
treated the black pabobs cordially and
generously. He made such an impress.
sion upon them, in fact. that it was de-
cidsd they wished this "petit roi, !"
the son of their far-away king
in Paris, to provide them with future
ruler in whose veins the blood royal
should course. So all the bellies of the
village, numbering several score, were
collected and offered to him. He Gays
that on discovering the situation he
made off with all possible speed.
The style is colloquial, witty aud init
mate, charming to high degree, and
uuooneciouslY the author depicts him.
self and his character, with the same
fidelity and joyousness that he does the
scenes he has visited and the people he
met in mis- journeyings in all quarters OF
the globe.
LoURDEs, by EMILE lola. author of The
Downfall, The Dream. etc. Translated by
Ernest A. Uizettelly; cloth edition, 81. 20.
F. Tennyson Nicely. Chicago. Fol- sale
by The A. W. Berry Stationery company,
40 South Spring street.
1t is undeniable that M. lola has
given in Lourdss book of great value.
Whatever his faults, he is certainly con :
scientious and painataking, and this
etudy of the emotional side of re-
ligion il a monument of patient research
and close observation. He has chosen
the narrative form, and the novel he has
woven around the little town whore
miracles are wrought is model OF CON-
struoton. The five days Of the pilgrims
age, during which the heroine is cured,
give ample opportunity for superb de,
acription--pictures of hopeless suffering
and religious exaltation, OF masses of
incurables, of the humblest, the poorest
and the unhappiest of mankind turning
to the Unknowable with confident sx-
pectation. Some OF theae descriptions
are horrble-especislly those of the
train, with its revolving sick. and of the
hospital-but every detail, however re-
pulsive, aids in perfecting q picture of
human suffering that haunts the mind.
lola has chosen doubling priest as
the vehicle for his observations, and
this young man, tortured by his doubts.
accompanies the pilgrims and tells to
them, in that wagon filled with plants
and groans, the story OF the virgins ap-
pesrancs to Bernadette Sonbri0ns, his
thoughts accompanying the simple tale
with the commentary of modern 5cien-
tiic investigation. For he has studied
the subject for many years, and has
gathered all the light thrown upon il
by modern medicine and psychology.
He knows that the cure Of the young
girl whom he accompanies was pre-.
dicted by physician, and understands
the grounds whereoR that prophecy is
baed lola presents, throughout the
story, these two views side by eide
the belief in miracles aud tbsj- eKp)an2-
ton by unbelieviug sciarbista.
*Fx
THE WORLD ALMANAC, 1895. Press Pub.
fishing company, Pu tier bull ling, New
York
There ia nothing worth knowing in
the way of statistics and general iR-
formation which cannot be found in this
volume. No encyclopedia treats OF
more subjects, and while the matter 10
necessarily much condensed, all the
essential facts that are needed In book
OF reference can be found.
1t is impossible to deal in detail with
such book in limited space, but. in
brief, it's quality can be summed up as
being as near perfection 90 mems work
ia permitted to be.
The chapter where the priest begins
the story of the virgins appearance at
Lourde's justifies Mr.. Lang's claim that
Tola 10 romantioist; it is filed with
mystic poetry-the song of hope that
never forsakes for long the most nisera-
BILE. He tells the story OF Lourdes from
the beginning; the attempts OF the i'm
mn y; Il oova ~ n, pt IN aunrva.a H. ,coya.