The record-union., 1896-06-07

| From Harper & BrOtnerS (NeW Orh),
we have a handsome octave volume en-
titled Mark Heffron." 1t is a novel
by Alice Ward Bailey, the wife of a
well-known Sacramento professional
man We have read the story care
fully and with more than usual in
terest. The tale is one that is full OF
human concern; it is natural, without
WEAKNESS, or anything of the COM
monplace; romantic without being un-
natural, and strong in color without
exaggeratiOn. The story begins with
the advent at a summer resort, where
the Intellectual is the main purpose,
and which we suspect is meant to
represent Chautauqua end its assem-
blies, where. in a few weeks time, II
is sought to cram the hungry seek
ers after knowledge with a varied as
sortment of intellectual food until they
are literally stuffed To one of These
summer assemblies comes a charming
maiden of strong artistic tastes, of ex-
ceeding high purposes and notable in
dependence of character, one Eloise
Gordon of Louisville Here. too, comes
Mark Heffron, a man of wonderful
individually, strong of character, in
hearted, kindly and gentle. Albeit, he
is rather free thinker and much the
doubter and skeptic Toward Eloise,
as also toward an old pupil of his,
Mile. Dauvray, he is much drawn, and
the former feels his magnetism in a
way suggestive of the exercise of hyp-
motto powers on his part. But Miss
Gordon is sought by another, weaker
man, but not less amiable and sincere,
and his suit is favored by her chaper-
one, her aunt. The maiden, not fully
| knowing her own mind, and decidedly
divided in herself between her own
| feelings, is pictured as deYoting her
self to art studies some time later in
Chicago at the time of the opening of
the Columbian Exposition, where her
self and aunt, in the crush Of the time,
ere driven into small quarters, and by
| the exigencies OF finance and space,
they are jammed into a single room,
which serves Miss Gordon also as
a studio. Here the adventures of the
| high-minded and ambitious student of
art and artist really begin, the affair
| of making the acquaintance of Mark
| Heffron at the lakeside assembly be-
| ing no more than predatory to the tolls
OF the affections in which the pair sub
| sequently find themselves enmeshed.
| OF course, the mere love-making of
two young people, or three, is no novel
theme, and rarely is of extraordinary
interest. But Mrs. Bailey has man
aged to get outside of the common in
this story, and to give9to her romance an
interest that is far and away above
and outside Of the ordinary. The phil
osophy of the story is refreshing,
strong and breezy. The heroine one
cannot fail to admire and respect; and
her social criticisms, as we'll as those
| INDUCED in by Heffron and the other
characters, are iaeisive, rarely of
| doubtful soundness and always full of
suggestion. The characters in the
story possess an individuality most re-
freshing. They are not described to
US. they grow out of the tale and upon
US imperceptibly. They command our
respect for the author, because they
are not over-drawn or er-colored
The diction of the novel is graceful, the
style ornate, and the action, while not
dramatic, is rapid, never slackens, and
| throughout the interest is maintained
and our concern in the parties to the
social drama kept constantly alive. 1t
| is charming story and restful good
reading.
The late Henry C. Bunner, of whom a
portrait and biographical sketch ap-
peared in THE Critic" of May 10Th, is
the subject of two brief tributes in the
same paper for May 23d In one of
these, he is considered as an editor and
a teller, the writer being H. G..
Paine Of 'Harper's Weekly" his former
associate ON Puck" In the other he
is judged as a poet, the critic being
Frank Dempster Sherman of Column
| bia College, himself an ACCOMPLISHED
writer of verse. Full justice is done to
the rare qualities Of heart and intellect
that made Mr.. Burners career a series
of successes. In the same journal a
very bright young woman, Miss Ellen
Burns Sherman, discourses wittily of
THE New Man" who has generally
| been lost sight of in the excitement at
tending the arrival of the new woman.
His chronicler certainly gives the devil
his due. a portrait of Harold Fred
eric, the novelist; signed review of
Rochefort's memoirs, just published in
L. <, u
planning the failure of his Ely Leaf
to become an integral part of Mr. Hub
| bard's "Philistine," are other features
of this number.
Macmillan & Co. have in preparation
The Introduction to Public Finance. -
by Professor Carl c. Plehn, of the Uni
versity of California. II treats of pub
lie expenditure, public revenues. public
Indebtedness and financial administra-
tration. BY far the largest part of the
book is devoted to a discussion of the
different forms of taxation. The treat
ment is historical and analytical. The
author has attempted to coIlate the
positive results reached by the exten-
sive researches which have recently
been made in these lines both in this
country and in Europe He advocates
no hobby 1t is the purpose of the bool,
to explain existing systems and to
provide that knowledge from which
alone intelligent reform can proceed
rather than to advocate new theories
The reform of national, commonwealth
and local taxation viii soon be imper-
ative if it is not so already, and there Is
urgent need Of widespread education in
the correct principles of the science OF
lpublic finance The work shows the
lines of development in public finance
from the earliest times down to the
present, and draws upon the experience
of the leading nations for illustrations
It is intended primarily as an elemen-
tary textbook for colleges and uni
versities. In the smaller colleges whers
. ~ \ L.. N@n