The times., 1897-05-16

states, together with a vindication of the
application OF the adjective Christian To
citizenship, and many other reasons. Eliza
Burt Gamble wrote 1.-The God Idea Of tie
Anctents, because 1.-The Evolution of
Woman would be incomplete without it.
and she felt it had to be done. John
Strange Winter says she wrote Grip
simply to reproduce human natlre-thc end
Of all her writing.
Flora Annie Steel notes that the reason
she wrote The Face on the Waters is set
out i'll the preface, and leaves us to infer
that if we really wish to know we can Luy
the book and find out. This is so.md Com
mercial instinct But Rose Hawth .arne
Lathrop says she wrote the memoirs of
her father in indulgence of an old desire.
Most timely to the Queen jubilee will be
1.-The Private Life of the Queen" a book
to be published by the Appletons during
May. Il is written by a member of the
royal household. For various reasons the
name of the author is kept a secret, but it
is stated that he or She as the case may
be, is not new figure in literature, having
written several other books under nom
de plume that has obtained respectful az
book gives it unique interest, revealing
as it does the personal side of the Queen
as shown in her private life to one who
has long been close to her.
The constant recurring of old friends
with new dress Is one of the pleasant
treats which the publishers afford read
ers And while the stalls are so over
"A
merit, it is refreshing to find the standaTd
books which have been the bulwar>s of
our early reading coming back to renew
their acquaintance. One Of these old
friends which comes back in ftn-de-siecle
elegance is John Halifax, Gentleman
which dates the beginning Of its career
TO the fifties. The new edition is hand
some volume, octave, in q cool blue or
white cover, with fine paper, clear type
face, and number of interesting iliuStra-
tions by Hugh Riyiere.
What is also Interestingly is new preface
by &C. n. d. whoever that may be. Says
he, or she: I'm 1853, when John Halifax
was first designed, English society and
English literature were still governed by
the social prejudices and traditions Of an
agricultural people Trade, though neces-
sary and widely carried on, suffered from
the innumerable practical evils Of accom-
panying social exclusion, and types which
are now familiar were then extremely rare.
Fortunately for the novelist she hap
pened to number among her friends and
admirers some peculiarly fitted models
for the work she was revolving in her mind.
She found men and women who actually
practiced while others preached, and from
whose daily experiences she could draw
not only the act but its natural sequence.
From the living example she was able to
be certain that man could be shrewd,
capable business man, conducting some
ordinary trade, yet be at the same time the
very type and quintessence OF the perfect
English gentleman; and that woman
could aid him in his life work, yet remain
lmquestionably an English lady. Eighteen
hundred and fifty-three was the period OF
the preraphaelite revival in English paint
ing, with which Miss Mulock 80 deeply
symnathized, and she set herself to paint
, from the life, in words, with the same
fidelity to nature that Millais was cx-
| hibiting In paint
1.-THE author always said that the char
acter of Ursula was the only actual copy
| from nature that she ever made. All hel
| other characters, including John Halifax
himself, were her own creations, modelled
upon types that had come within the range