The herald., 1897-02-07

Philosophical discussion. Is IneTe
Another Life?" is in one sense more en-
crossing, but of course 1t belongs to
that class of discussion that is wholly
F, speculative and is therefore unsatis-
flying "The Miraculous Element in
Christianity brings us once more to
something near solid ground, and it will
be found a luminous paper.
Altogether this volume is to be cor
daily commended to all thoughtful
front human beings-the greatest prob
lens that the world has to try to solve.
Prof. Smith is q man all too broad to
purposely raise doubts in the minds OF
his readers, but that he himself has
doubts is very plain. In fact, we fear
the sturdy believer in some creed would
call him an agnostic of the boldest sort
And yet, in his preface, he declares it is
not his purpose to give up tenable argu-
ments but only those that are no longer
tenable. He is a champion of free and
hopeful inquiry, and would only remove
the wreck upon which we can found
our faith no more"
IT is an interesting inquiry whether
we are really living in an age of unbe-
lief, as we generally use the word. Is
this really doubling age in the sense
of being irreverent? We very much
doubt it.
PHROSA. By Anthony Hope. author of
The Prisoner of Zenda, The Dolly
Dialogues, etc. Frederick A Stokes
company
This very handsomely printed and
profusely illustrated volume has been
awaited with genuine interest. 1t was
to be seen whether the success of The
Prisoner of Zenda could be repeated or
IN,
Wheatley's fancy was for an island.
London was too cramped. And so he
bought Neapalio for hundreds of years
in the Stefanopouloi family. 1t must be
sold for the debts of the old lord then
living there,this vast possession in the
Mediterranean, off the Greek coast. And
at once, with few friends, the young
purchaser started for it in little yacht
from Rhodes, leaving Beatrice Hip
grove, his betrothed, rather unhappy,
but yet not greatly grieved over his
sudden departure. On arriving II was
found that the old lord had been secret
ly and cruelty slain by Lord Constantine.
a kinsman, who had become possessed
of Wheatley's purpose to arrive there at
certain time, and who was determined
to succeed to the estate and marry his
cousin, the Lady Euphrosyne-who.b by
the way, becomes the Phroso of the
story. Constantine arrives first and nat
urally was able to inflame the islanders
against the newcomers, who virtually
became prisoners at once upon refusing
to go away
What happened thereafter was a har-
vest of adventure, that reminds one of
the Swiss Family Robinson. Captain
Horn and Under the Red Robe, all at
once. The Englishman does not show
great tact at any pinch of the game,
While Denny and the rest look upon it
all as a huge lark.
Good fortune. however, pulls them all
and even rids them of the cum
ming Mouraki. the agent of the Turkish
government, who happened there, out of
time, to look after tribute, and whose
presence complicated matters most un-
expectedly, since it came into his head
that he would GUST her other lovers and
marry Phroso himself.
The self-styled king of Ruritania had
a more difficult and longer-sustained
part to act than the hero of this tale;
the Flava of The Prisoner of Zenda was
q rather more spirited creature than the
Phroso of this volume, but there is more
here IN the way of action and change
than in any other work of this author.
He has hesitated at nothing in the tax
ing of the readers credulity, and, yet
retains his interest and sympathy. 1t
is rafting story, and no mistake.
Heughton, Miff1in & Co will issue, the
latter part of this month, book of re-
markable Importance, The Liquor Prob
lem in It's Legislative Aspect. 1t is the
popular statement of the results Of
very careful investigation of the work.
ing of prohibitory and license laws of
various kinds in Maine, Iowa, South Car
olina, Massachusetts,, Ohio, Indiana,
n 1rI1, nj nd tic
tigation was made by experts under the
direction Of Presidents Eliot and Low
and James G. Carter, a subcommittee
of the Committee of Fifty which has
undertaken the problem of the drink
question.
The same firm Will also publish Henry
James novel, The Spoils of Poynton,
The Chief End of Man, by George S.
Merriam; Creek Art on Greek Soil, by
Prof. Hopin of Yale university; Mrs
Princes new story, The Transatlantic
Chatelaine, and the Complete Poetical
Works of James Russell Lowell in a sin
gle volume, uniform with the Cambridge
Longfellow, Whittier and Holmes 1t is
a book of noble verse, and is equipped
with notes. indexes, a biographical
sketch, portrait and a view of Elmwood,
the poets Cambridge home.
Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett has
been busily engaged of late in supervis-
ing the rehearsals of The First Gentle
man of Europe, the play which she re-
Gently wrote in collaboration with the
lady known to literature as George
Fleming. and it is to be produced in
New York soon by the Lyceum company
Mrs. Burne netts stage version of The Lady
of Quality, completed some time ago, is
to be held back for the present.
The Macmillan company announce
some important publications, among
which are On Many Seas a sailor story
of rare adventures; Geography in the
Middle Ages, by c. Raymond Beazeley;
The Recolections of de Tocqueville, The
Their Structure; The Cambridge Modern
History, a splendid historical series in
twelve volumes; Encyclopedia of Ameri-
can Horticulture, under the editorship
of Prof Bailey of Cornell university.
This latter work will consist of signed
articles by specialists and will be pro-
fusely illustrated.
Concerning Crawford's novels, this
same company give the following in
teresting statement:
The sales of his first book, Mr.. Isaacs,
for example, are now in their fifty-third
thousand, while his most popular book.
Saracinesca, scores more than over ten
thousand above the hundred thousand
mark. Saint Ilario, Don Orsino, DR..
Claudius, Katherine Lauderdale, The
Three Fates, The Ralstons, Casa Braccio
and Pietro Ghisleri follow in the order
named, so that the claim which some re-
viewers make that Mr. Crawford S
American novels are not equal to those