The herald., 1896-10-11

a few we'll worth quoting:
1.-The saints are always tolerant of
weaknesses in others; they alone know
how hard it is to be strong"
"All things have resurrection except
the emotions. They are born-they die
they never return"
''If a woman wants to keep a mans
love forever, let her refuse to run away
with him. That is the one thing for
which the thankless ruffiians never fail
to show gratitude"
1T could never forgive a man who
gave me no opportunity to show my su-
perior virtue.
God, the angels and women know
that even the hardest Of men cannot es-
cape the necessity of weeping.
women adore great emotions; they
destest equanimity."
It is slightly snappy In tone, rather
than soothing and restful; while some
of the situations are bit forced, II
not unnatural But it is q lively and
entertaining story and will find host
vAwTER's UNDERsTUDY BY James
Knapp Reeve. Frederick a. Stokes
Co. For sale by Stoll & Thayer.
OF this little volume we do not care
to write at length. 1t is an alleged
study Of platonic love, but it does not
30 UeyOIu Hldh1IS the SupJeCI ulSd-
greeable and of questionable promi-
nence and propriety. A travelling dra-
matte company produces play in which
the platonic love Of Vawter and Mrs.
Ingraham Is portrayed by the Paul and
Adelaide of the piece. 1t doesn't prove
to be a happy ending, and a rather
unaccountable labor riot on the street
breaks up the entertainment.
AGNES OF SORRENTO, THE PEARL
OF ORR'S ISLAND, THE MIN
ISTER'S WOOING. BY Harriet
Beecher Stowe. Houghton, Mif-
fin & Co., Boston.
The above three volumes are of the
splendid Riverside edition of Mrs.
Stoves works announced some months
ago by this great publishing houEe,
and their appearance is an event of
no small Importance in the literary
world.
Agnes of Sorrento was begun by Mrs.
Stowe in the winter of 1850, during her
third and last visit to Europe, when
she was residing with friends in Flor
ence. The story was completed, and
it's publication began simultaneously
in the Atlantic Monthly and the Corn
hill Magazine, in the spring of 1861. 1t
is a romance of soft sunny Italy. strong
and deep and yet simple and without
authors preface she declared that ii
is story of dreamland, and she asks:
"Who criticises perspective and dis
tances, that look down into purple
lake at eventide? All dates shall give
way to the fortunes of our story, and
our lovers shall have the benefit of
fairyland, and who so wants history
will not find it here, except to our max
ing, and as it suits our purpose"
THE PEARL OF ORR'S ISLAND is
a romance of different type, story of
whose scenes were laid in a rough and
threatening bit of New England shore
at the mouth of the blue kennebec as
it is swallowed up in the great ocean.
1t would seem that the materials for
this story were being gathered as far
back as 1852, for in a letter of that year
she speaks of it as her Maine story
says that she was in need of living
studies to fill into her plan. Orr s
island is practically part of the coast
line, being only technically an island,
and is therefore typical coast COM
munity, where old Jonas, the fisherman
farmer dwelt. and in the long winter
ATTENDED prayer meetings and read the
Missionary Herald" 1t is a dear Dc
| lightful old-fashioned story,
| Full of all the tender pathos
OF the here and the hereafter
|
THE MINISTER'S WOOING is. tr
our mind the greatest of the three
| stories here arrayed. 1t took deeper
hold Of Mrs. Stoves own life than an!
| of the rest of her works. not excepting
! Uncle Toms Cabin. Not only is it 3
story whose central theme was the TIL
| ology of half century ago in New
England, but the authors own life and
| family cannot be left out of considera-
| xUhan n jc Io1 hny ta1 wa
the relation of these to the period IL
| which the story is cast The doubt:
then in the minds of men and womer
| were just as we'll founded and real rs
has been the open repudiation since
and the attending heresy trial. Mrs
| Stowe believed that the theology of thai
| time contained the kernel of Christian
doctrine. but shrank in horror from the
| extreme Calvinism taught in many ol
| the churches. There is no lack of humol
! in the story, as in the chapters por
traying 'the quilting" and ''the theo
logical tea;" but there is terrible ear
nestness in the philosophical and specn
lative phases that goes down into tn,
| depths. Mrs. Stowe had suffered a ter
| rible loss before the book was begun
! through the death of her son by drown.
| ing, and her sister Catherine. only
| short time before, was bereft of her en-
gagged lover through a like calamity
torment of conviction that her dea;
lover was under the stern sentence o
New England theology. She was forced
to believe, with her intellect, that n.
I was eterrally lost, while her heart criet
out in revolt
Never can we forget the impression
one chapter of this book made when I
was first read, years and years ago
being aware of all 1t sgnified to tn,
author, the present writer, and to tn
religious world. 1t is the chapter tina
tells of the dreadful sorrow that cam
upon the household of Squire Marry,
when the news of young James Mar
| vyn's shipwreck and death was brougn
| by survivor of the crew of the Flyin;
Scud. The stricken parents sat with tn,
! Bible spread out between them, speech
less, and with grief too deep for tears
/ Have you been conversant with tn,
exercises of our young friends mind q,
the subject of religion?" the minista
asked. At last the father declared tha
he had no evidence that his son had eve
met with a change of heart. And thel
the mothers grief found vent in sobs
and Mary. to whom James had been al
happiness and hope, broke into fear
| full utterance Of woe and rebellion. ]
was at this juncture that the faithful
old servant, Candace, broke in upon tn
| group.
"Lor' bress We, do talk gospel to her
can't ye? If We can't WILL Come, 20
honey, de Lord aint what We tink. HI
loves We, honey. He love me, even me
po' old black Candace. He loved Mas
ser Jim-loved him and died for him"
Don't We member how he looked or