Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-08-14
Notices of New Books.

YE LYTTLE SALEM MAIDE-A Story OF
| Witchcraft. BY Pauline Bradford
Mackie. Author Of ''Madamoiselle De
Berry,; "A Story of Valley Forge" IL
| Illustrated by E. w. D. Hamilton. Pub
lished by Lamson, Wolfe e. Co.: Bos-
ton. New York, and London.
| The quaintness embodied in the title
| of this sweet little story is transmitted
| throughout the whole book, and more
over, there Is not an uninteresting page
In the handsomelybo volume. In
deed, one rarely finds a purer, better, or
more instructive tale, and young and old
may alike enjoy it with equal benefits.
AS the heroine is . young girl, barely on
the threshold of womanhood, and as
many of the characters involved are
children, it may be inferred that the
primary aim of the authoress was to
produce a work for the young folk, but
she has accomplished even more than
this. People of all ages and conditions
may derive pleasure from the story.
The scene-and, by the way. 1t is very
well-painted scene-is laid in the old-time
was predominant and the narrow-min ded-
ness of this hard and unsentimental sect
exerted a widespread influence over the
Bay State. Religion was supposed to
rule the Colony, and all things save God
illness and frigid recreation were eschew-
ed. But beneath this adamantine cloak
of piety there lurked a liberal modicum
of petty meanness and human selfishness,
and though hypocrisy everywhere pre-
vailed, certain good housewives ofttimes
found opportunity for gossip, backbiting,
and personal spite. From this austere
condition of things-and very probably
because mans inherent meanness must
find some outlet-the superstition or
witchcraft arose. and, developing by slow
degrees into fanaticism. the craze ulti-
mately ran riot, and scores of persons
were executed for alleged deeds OF sor-
cery The most inoffensive and harmless
persons-doubtless those most unable to
protect themselves-were accused OF
witchcraft, condemned, and burned or
tortured. Trivial things were used as pre-
texts for arresting the victims of the
craze, and the evidence allowed against
the prisoners was of the most absurd
nature.
And, strangest of all. the instigator or
these cruel prosecutions and the most |
fanatical of all the fanatics. was man |
of consummate ability and splendid edu-
cation-the Rev. Cotton Mather-a |
preacher of excellent standing. The time |
ultimately came when the dawn of reason |
brought the Puritans TO just realization |
of their stupidity and narrowness, and |
when this same Mather's name was by |
word for contempt and opprobrium: but |
never TO the bitter end did he discard |
his belief in ,witchcraft. All this is his
tory; but we rather suspect that our
little ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Wentworth-is
a lovable fiction. She was a good little
girl, and a sweet, and though she was
sometimes so ungodIy as to long for silks,
instead of cotton-woolsey, she really was
a dutiful, religious maid. Possibly 1t was
her good looks, or maybe her general
which first brought the
wrath of certain busy-bodies down upon
her; but, be that as it may she was
accused of sorcery and arrest
ed. Her pathetic but useless protest, II
be no WITCH" resounds throughout the
story. but long ii fell upon pitiless ears,
ana brought no buCCOT. Inc BlIl, dlteT |
many hardships, was tried, convicted, and
sentenced to death. The evidence against
her was inane and ridiculous, but 1t was
sufficient for the pious. ong-jawed Puri-
tan populace, who, though painfully re-
igious, found frequent recreation in
roasting old ladies, children, cats, and
dogs for witchcraft.
OF course Deliverance cher name must
have been the cause of her good luckD
escaped from the tolls Of the
pious barbarans, but we need not tell
you how. The fact that she did escape
should be enough to cause satisfaction.
All the colloquies. conversations, and
documents in evidence in the story are
reproduced in the quaint old English or
Colonial days, and the attractiveness of
he plot is much enhanced thereby.
The September No. of Harpers
Magazine will be unusually cosmopoli-
an in character. The timely subject OF |