The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1897-12-19

at the SKY, Wnlcn nau taken on cop
perry color. Darkness had indeed begun.
1t was not yet mid-afternoon, but all
the world was blackening fiercely.
Lurid redness gashed the heavens; 1t
was as IL they had been splashed with
| blood.
Between the crucified. high above the
heads Of the living. an awful CONVERSE
ton was taking place. From one of the
condemned felohs taunts were over
heard:
"'rhen. why do you not save yourself
and us?'
"Reproaches for this brutality issued
from the dry lips Of the other, COM
peer in some dark past. 1t was OBJ
served that this man addressed the
sinking Nazarene. He replied family.
offering some devout comfort to his low
companion in agony.
"This exquisite self-forgetfulness did
not stop the CHASTITY hilarity. which still
amused the mob at intervals, as it had
all day.
"'why do you not come down from
the cross, you Son of God?"
The whole character of the volume
can be we'll judged from the above ex-
tracts. AS to the devout spirit and pur-
pose of the author, nothing could better
attest it than this extract from the pre-
face, with which we must end our task:
There has come to me, during the
time given to the growth Of this work.
an experience always full of wonder
and charm. Often on waking in the
morning. after days of the most absorb
ing and affectionate study of the Great
Life, the first conscious thought has
been: Who was with me yesterday?
What noble being entered this door? In
what delightful. in what high society
have been? 1 felt as if l had made
new. supreme acquaintance.
Il pass over this feeling to those who
can understand it, or who may share it,
and wish 1t. from my heart, for those
who do not"
THE BETH BOOK. BY Nine. Sarah
Grand, author of THE Heavenly
Twins" D. Appleton G. Co.
We confess to having had a dislike OF
Nine. Grand's main novel. 1t has never
seemed as if there was any excuse for
the indicate treatment of certain fam
lily and social questions, and the work
was married by this. The present vol
ume is also novel with a purpose"
and starts out with the assumption that
woman was a slave at the time her
mother gave birth to Beth. "She lived |
in the days when no one thought of the |
waste of women In this respect. and |
they had not begun to think for them
selves" Causes she never considered.
because she knew nothing about them"
Her husband scolded her the very day |!
,I,,, 20 ha her of
other child" But Mrs. Caldwell said |
nothing. however. She belonged to the !
days when a wife's meek submission to |
anything a man chooses to say made |
nagging a pleasant relaxation for him,
and encouraged him to persevere until
he acquired peculiar ease in the art,
and spoiled the tempers of everybody
about him.
Now, in a certain sense and to GER
tain degree. this assumption is true. But
it is too sweeping and superficial to be
accounted fair or justifable. If this
means anything it means that husbands
were generally and habitually base a
little while ago, and wives generally
and habitually abused, and never
thought of any other state. This as
with no restriction or attempt
at discrimination, goes all through the
book. But Beth grows in grace and |
has visions of great things in
the future, mixes in the strife of re-
form, and at last reads in the papers
on the morning after she has spoken in
public that "a great teacher has arisen
among US. a woman of genius" while
her friends said, Beth is launched at
last upon her true career" She also had
her triumphs over men, her experiences
Of married life, and generally lived
through the average bright woman's
experiences. Exactly what is meant to
be taught in the case of Beth is not very
clear, when one has tried his best to
get the logic out Of it, The reader can
not rid himself of the narrowing feeling
that it is photographed, and this is a
sort of challenge; for such an attitude
before the public is always trying. To
say that the book has power is to say
truly; also 1t is fair to say that its gen.
aral tone Is on the side of truth and |
in line with social growth and
experience. And still there is through
out crudeness, a failure to reach the
fine and full meaning of life as it Is
evolved in human effort and experience,
which compels the belief that this vol
ume will so the way Of THE Heavenly
Twins" 1t will be generally discussed,
which also means that it will be widely
read, but to very few hungry souls can it
bring any message of sure and lasting
help or comfort.
A GROUP OF FRENCH CRITICS-By
Mary Fisher, author of Twenty five
Letters of English Authors" etc. A.
c. McClurg & Co. For sale by c. c.
Parker
The authors purpose in this attractive
volume has been to introduce a group Of
eminent French critics for our better I'M
derstanding of their attitude towards
general literature, as we'll as their
standing at home. They are Edmond
Scherer, Ernest Besot, Saint Marc CT
rarden, Xmenes Dudan and GustaVe
blanche. A very interesting introduce
ton is given which shows in a striking
way what French criticism through this
group, has accomplished in the way of
enduring reforms, and the treatment of
each individual worker is honestly and
very intelligently set forth. The volume
is a timely and deserving one.
WITH A PESSIMIST IN SPAIN. BY
Mary +. Nixon. Illustrated. limo,
$50 pages, gilt top, $1.50. A. c. Nc
Ciurg & Co. For sale by C. C. Par