The Portland daily press., 1898-10-21

after page with eager interest, enjoying
to the utmost the epigrams, the ouips
and the fascinating twists and turns of
thought and speech which are SO refresh
ingly original and slim ulating.
To the book lover the Bibliotaph will
especially appeal. written as it evidently
ia BY a man who himself has passion
for books: and the portrait Of the Biblio.
taph himself is drawn 80 absolutely to
the life that am sure that l, Tor one,
number him among my friends. says the
author: "Life had an unusual richness
and warmth when the Bibliotaph was by.
There was an Olympian largeness and
serenity about him. He seemed almost
pagan in the breadth of his hold upon ex-
istencs. And when he departed he leIt
behind him what can only be described as
great untitled mental spaces. recall
that placard WAS hung up in his partic-
ular corner (of the booksellers shop
where he met his friends when he was in
town., with the inscription English
spoken here Later there was attached
to it another strip on which was orayoned
Sir, we had much good talk, with the
date of the talk. Still later victim added
the words, Yes, Sir, on that day the
Bibliotaph tossed and gored q number of
people admirably Speaking of
Jewett the Bibliotaph once said that it
was wonderful to note how culture failed
to counterfeit in an English man that dis.
position to fling stones at an American. "
But 1t were useless to begin quoting
from these pages, for there is temptation
to do 10 in almost every paragraph.
Mr.. vincent's critiques upon Thomas
Hardy, Stevenson, Keats, Prisstly and
Gautier are all that one could desire for
clear sighted analysis and appreciative
disoernment, while his style is both force
full and delicate. Mr.. Vincent has al
ready secured for himself distinguished
place among American essayists port
land: Loring, Short & Harmony
Mr.. Arlo Bates's new novel, which is
just out is entitled The Puritans. and
is the last of series of three, the others
being The Pagans, and The Philistines.
These volumes are interesting to read in
succession, for though they have no di-
rect connection, there is special design
running through them all, ami some of
the same characters Will be found in each
story. For the motto of his book Mr.
Bates makes the quotation from As You
Like II: "The web of our life is Of a
mingled yarn, good and i'll together. "
The leading characters are Philip .Ashe
and Maurice Wynne, two young deacons
of the Clergy House of St. Mark, who
have an immense enthusiasm for semi
monastic life. and are absolutely opposed to
the marriage of the clergy. Suddenly
thrust into the midst of the gay world,
as typlfied by Boston society, each man
falls in love with beautiful woman, and
it ENDS in the marriage of Maurice
Wynne. while Philip Ashe. falling to
gain the woman whom he desires, finally
enters Roman Catholic monastery.
All this is deliberately and cleverly
worked out by the author, who touches.
not too heavily, upon the fads of Boston
women, and their various and varied
mental gymnastics and ethical caprices.
At one private house, q Persian mystic
gives the large assemblage Of fashionable
women readings full of the grossest
Oriental symbolism, which they swallow
with as much composure as if it were
cup of very weak tea; and again pretty
and fascinating creature, Of guileless and
childlike mien, plays upon the emotions
of these same women in q spiritualistic
seance. At "Christian Science" so
called, Mr.. Bates has his fling, and one
can 81 silly see that none of these things
appesl to bis Judgment, but merely to his
sense of the ridiculous. portland: Lor-
ing, Short & Harmon
A Lover of Truth, by Eliza Orne White.
is another volume from the same publish
ers, but of quite a different trend to Mr..
Bates's exceedingly up-to-date novel. 1t
is a sweet, simple and pathetic tale, of
very possible persons under perfectly nat
ural and wholesome conditions, and de-
serves nothing but praise. Miss Whites
story is purely New England one ami
her characters are all interesting and
worth while. Young girls particularly
will joy in the history of Jean, George,
Helen and the Doctor. and will not find
dull page in the pretty volume. port
land: Loring, Short & HARMONY
From the same firm We have novel by
Miss Mary Johnston a new writer.
Prisoners of Hope has power and force,
combined with skill in plot and general
composition. 1t is sad as life itself, and
ID the story of an English gentleman who
had been convicted of a crime which he
never committed, and sent with other