The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-09-05


life. 1.-THE Birds Christmas CAROL and
"The Story of Patsy" particularly. have
been very widely read. These two
stories have reached greater number
OF editions than any other recent Ameri-
can fiction. The secret of their popu-
larity is that they appeal strongly to the
good sense. the sympathies and suscept-
Utilities of the reader. They play in
very forceful and wholesome manner up
on the fundamental emotions of human
nature: the mothers love for her child,
sympathy with the unfortunate, and the
combined humor and pathos of child
experience. OF "Timothy's Quest" the
"London Times" said. "The tale is told
with rare combination of feeling and
humor. By this felicitous sketch Mrs.
Wiggin has firmly established her liter
airy reputation" OF THE Birds Christ
mas Carol" which has sold we'll into it's
second hundred thousand, the New
York Evening Post" remarked: "One
could hardly imagine how it would be
possible to write sweeter story"
Having achieved such remarkable sue
cess. it is not strange that Mrs. Wiggin
should attempt larger book, a more
elaborate and ambitious piece of fict on.
This she has done, and book the now
completed, has been secured by the "At.
lantic Monthly" and will appear in the
numbers for September, October and
November. "Marm Lisa" is partly
story of child-life, but is much more.
"Marm Lisa" the central figure of the
story. is defective child. who has "all
the cares of maternity with none Of it's
compensating Joys" Although she does
not occupy as much space as some Of
the other characters, she is the motive
power of the narrative.
The sweet influence of mistress
Mary" Lisa's self appointed guardian,
adds charm to the story. and every
life it shines upon reflects the more
clearly the truth of Goethe's saying.
"The eternal womanly ever leadeth u.s."
The story is not sweetness and light
only, for the deliciously whimsical Mrs.
s. Cora Grub, whose philanthropy is
hysteIia, and whose good works are SO
many spasms." and the small twin re-
probates. Atlantic" and Pacific" fur
nish refreshing element of humor.
1t will be readily seen that Mrs. Wig
gin has remained. to some extent, in the
field in which she won her earlier sue
cesses, but she carries the reader be-
yond the realm of child-life, and in this
broader field she bids fair to achieve
equal renown.
A reaction in some respects TO be COM
mended from the blighting tendency to
write books for the specialists only, is
shown in the increasing number of sci
entific books which aim, each in it's
field. to present we'll rounded views of
the whole subject. and often in the case
of works on the natural sciences, the
subject in it's relation to the life of man.
There are books on physical geography,
on the distribution of animal life and on
botany among other subjects. In the
same line is the new Geographical His
tory OF Mammals which will be pub.
lished very shortly by The Macmillan
Company.
1t opens with discussion of the fac
tors which control the distribution of an
imal life. such as temperature. humidity
and such changes in the condition of the
earth's crust as belong properly to the
subject of palon@tology. the influence
OF man and higher animals on the dis
tribution of animal life; and proceeds to
a description 10 succession of the fauna
of different regions of the world, follow
ing the scheme Of division of land areas
into geological provinces.
The book is illustrated, in style of
binding, etc., is uniform with Keane's
Ethnology, and like that volume belongs
to the Cambridge Geographical Series.
The Macmillan Company has already
published a considerable number of
books bearing more or less directly on
the history of England. including narra-
tives of it's political history, its consti-
tutioual and industrial development,
ETC., and will very shortly add to these,
IAN Introduction to the History of the
Church of England, from the Earliest
Times to the Present Day." by Henry o.
Wskeman, author of a volume in the
periods of European History Series"
on Period ": The Ascendency of
France, A. d. 159S-1715." The book is
not a manual or text book, but is rather
an answer, in a short and convenient
form, to the question. How is it that
the Church of England has come TO be
what it is?" The author aims to trace
the origin of that which has proved to be
permanent in the history of the Church,
and to indicate in his outline all that is
structurally important. He has laid
special stress upon those periods in
which the Church was occupying new
ground, influenced by new ideas, work
ing under new conditions. adapting her.
self to new needs; such. for example, as
the periods of her establishment, her
development under Norman influence.
her reformation in the sixteenth and