The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-11-02
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

1t is always somewhat risky for an au-
thor who has achieved great success in
one literary effort to tempt his or her for
tune again. If the later effort should fall
below the standard of the earlier one the
author is apt to be subjected to odious
comparisons. However, this does not and
should not deter authors from always try
ing to do their best and some do continue
to improve almost to the last. Mrs.
Humphrey Ward, author of Robert Els
mere and "Marcella,' both noted novels
in their respective ways, has written an
other. "Sir George Tressady'' is a sort of
sequel to ''Marcella' in that the charac-
tiers of Marcella and her husband are car
ried forward in it, but it is broader in
scope than either OF the authors other
works. The chief characters are Sir
George Tressady and his wife Lefty, jeal-
Gus. impulsive and Maynard; Marcella and
her husband, Frank. The women in the
story are important factors. and vet they
do not demand it, The skill with which not
only the three families named. acting and
reacting on each others lives, but. also
the separate figures of each family, are
kept iE proportion, shows greater forma-
tive skill and larger handling than Mrs
Ward has hitherto exhibited. The plot has
a background Of contemporary politics.
and turns on the passage OF a certain bill.
and the personal influences of Marcella in
changing the attitude of Sir George Tres
sadly, who she knows is in love with her,
and even opens up the book with an En-
turned to Parliament. All this is subor-
dinate to the evolution of character, as it
italy politico-sociaI one, there is enough
of the subjective element In the character
studies to interest readers who prefer that
sort of writing. AS political novel Sir
George Tressady" will rank with the best,
and the subject of man in love with his
friends wife has never been more skill
fully and delicate!y treated.
IAN Essay on the Present Distribution
of Wealth in the United States" by
Charles b. Spahr, is designed. the author
says in his preface, chiefly for the in
struction of the instructed classes" He
says further: THE conclusions reached
respecting the present distribution Of prop
erty and incomes are. in the main, those
which common observation has forced up
on thoughtful men and women in the or
binary walks of life. The writer has come
to believe that social statistics are only
trustworthy when they show TO the world
at large what common observation shows
d:tons described" In accordance with this
idea the main purpose of the work seems TO
be 10 make statistics confirm the mischiev-
idea that the rich are growing richer
and the poor are growing poorer As
might be supposed. the author favors free
trade. an income tax, etc. Some OF the sta
tiStlcS are interesting, Dut one cannot help
suspecting that they have been careful
sifted so as TO present only one side of
the case. The work shows considerable
research. but Is one-sided- Ii is publish ii
I'm the Library Of Economics and Politics.
by Il. Y. Crowell & Co. New York
In anticipation. no doubt OF the holiday
season. the Penn Publishing Company OF
Philadelphia. have made a copious contrlbu-
ton to juvenile literature in the following
books for boys: The Lost Gold Mine" by
Frank III. Converse; I'm the Days of Wash
ington. a Story of the American Revolu-
ton" by william Murray Graydon; TN
der the Tamaracks. or a Summer with Cen
eral Grant at the Thousand Islands, by
Eldridge 3. Brooks. For girls they publish:
IAN Everyday Heroine" by Mary A. Deni-
son. and Her College Days" by Mrs.
stories, and are illustrated and bound in
ornamental cloth. The same publishers
issue by the Light Of the Fire. collec-