The San Francisco call., 1896-10-11
A VOLUME OF ESSAYS.

WITH MY NEIGHBoRs By Margaret E.
Sangster. New York: Harper & Bros, publish
For sale by A. NJ. Robertson, San Fran
cisco; price 81 20.
The articles which form this volume were
originally published either in the Congrega-
tionalist or the Christian Intelligencer They
consist of short essays on homely topics relat-
ing to everyday life, and the lessons sought to
be conveyed are often illustrated by some
pithy anecdote. In addition to the 'ttalks'
as the author calls these little essays, she has
reprinted-by request-some of her poems.
Among the most characteristic of these talks
are s'Tuckered Out" in which there is pro-
test against the incessant drive of people who
are too busy; ssMother-brooding," the ability
mothers have of seeing when daug hter is un-
happy and of silently comforting her; $50
ciety Girls" in which there is a strong plea for
the real usefulness of those who are supposed
to be devoted to fashion; ga Child's Savings
Bank" warming parents of the danger of arous-
ing the spirit of cupidity; three papers on the
relation of mistress and maid, topic always
timely and interesting in American homes,
and "Tne Care of the Care-Taker," strong
plea for those who care for invalids.
The Rev. John watson tIan Maclaren) will
sail on the Germanic on September 16, to
begin his American lecture tour. DR.. Watson
is booked for fiftyfour lectures in this country.
Marion Crawford has written a new story es-
pecially for The Century. 1t is called ga Rose
of Yesterday" and it will begin in the Novem-
ber number and run for six months. The story
opens in Lucefne, and while it is entirely sep
arate in interest some of the personages that
appear in 1t will be familiar to readers of "Don
orsino." 1t is wholly romantic in character.
Mr.. Astor's magazine, the Pail Mall, will
shortly publish verses by an American poet,
George Edgar Montgomery, on two British
themes, England" and "Queen Victoria"
Mr.. Montgomery, by the way, is writing
series of New York poems for Harper's Weekly.
A few of these have been published. Others to
follow Immediately are "Fire Island" and
"Fifth Avenue" These verses will be col
lected later in book. They are in vein OF
serious poetry, yet realistic.
Among the subjects for essays which the
University of Berlin offers prizes for the season
of IS96-97 is: .sRobert Burns, the hundredth
anniversary of whose death has just been ceie-
brated, was, Notwithstanding his great orfgi-
nality, influenced in variety OF ways as
regards both the form and contents OF his
poems, especially by the popular lyrics of his
home and Scotch imitators of them, like RAM
say and Ferguson, but also by Pope, Young,
Goldsmith, Ossian, etc. The writer of the dis
| sertation is expected to trace these inf uences
| to their source and describe them chronology
| cally, emphasizing everywhere the additions
made by Burns himself"
The fact that the first edition of ssThe Grey
| Man. amounting to no fewer than $4,000
copies, has been subscribed before the novel is
| published, shows that s. R. Crockett's popu-
| larity is still in the ascendant. Very seldom
| indeed is so large first edition printed.
| Howard Pease, who has been termed by Lon
| don critics the "Northumbrian Kipling" has
just completed volume OF stories called ''The
White-Faced Priest"
! A fairy tale in prose and verse by S. J. Adair-
Fitzgerald, entitled "The Zankiwank and the
/ Bletherwitch," will be issued shortly.