The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-05-27


task This work has been beautifully
cone by MF. Herman I. Stern IN
volume recently published by the Harpers
entitled "Ihe Gods OF Our Fathers:
A Study of Saxon Mythology an ex-
tremely valuable as we'll as interesting
work.
The author feels that Morse Mythology
is familiar ground to but few. Ihae
there is one person conVersant with H. 10
one hundred eonversant with the my
theology of the Greeks and Romans; the
Had is known to thousands; the Edda TO
DOZENS ''Who is not familiar Win
Venus, Bacchus, the Fates and the
Sirens. But how many ever heard OF
Freya, of Thor. Baldur and Loki. OF the
Nornes and the Valkyries? "Yet the lat.
ter" says MIR. Stern. CONSTITUTED the
gospel upon which our pagan forefathers,
in the days of their unalloyed nation
atty, fed their hearts and minds, while
the former were imported later along
with an alien civilization Gay and
ilghtsome gods and goddesses were they
OF Olympus, compared with the more
solemn and grand characters of Morse
mythology.
The writer begins with the formation
of the world, then tells us of the Gods
and their abodes; of Odin, Thor or
Donar. The Queen of Asgard-Asinges,
Loki and his brood; the giants and
dwarfs and Thor's adventures. After
this be gives us three acts in the world
drama; first the Golden Age of the Gods
and Baldur's Death, the last act ending
In the Twilight of the Gods.
do not know where I have read a
more fascinating book, and 1 heartily
recommend 1T to readers and students,
young and old.
In contrast to the works already men
toned comes Mrs. Gertrude Atherton's
latest novel American Wives and
English Husbands. recently published
by Dodd u Mead. The other books of
this writer have made one rather dread
to take up new one lest one fall into
bad company. One expects this writer to
be risque to a degree, as if she were
writing for the very modern and ad.
vanced men and women, who like high
seasoning and can swallow the most rank
mental food without grinace, their
tastes being acquired. We all know
what Mr.. Zangwill gave as recipe for
the modern drama-''a pint of sin an
ounce of sorrow, and pound of chest
nuts;' and this rule has been adopted
by most of our modern novelists But
10 and behold! A story first of two very
good children, an English boy, Cecil
Edward Basil Maundrell, and Lee Tarle-
parentage, who meet in San Francisco.
Strange as it may seem they grow into
two highly respectable adults in the
hands of the author, marry and behave
themselves properly for the rest of their
days. Lee has but one lover after her
marriage and while she misses the free
dom of tho California life and gets des-
perately bored with English politics and
society, che even declines to leave her
husband and go with Randolph to Cali
fornia. The utmost familiarity she per-
mits is his mildly and platonically EN-.
bracing her upon one occasion, and even
hat she afterwards regrets, and con.
tinues to love her husband to the end OF
the story. There is really not single
indecency in the whole book.
We must thank Mr.. Nathan Haskell
Dole for his delightful work, "Joseph
jefferson at Home and the publishers.
Messrs. Estes & Lauriat, for the beauti-
full manner in which the volume is
bound, printed and illustrated.
This charming monograph begins with
the birth of its object, and gives us
bright and entertaining sketches of his
life and experience from that day to this
Mr.. Dole tells US that his work has been
done in order to crafty "a lsudable
desire on the part of many to have a
compact sketch of the life, particularly
OF the home life, of an actor who has
been SO long before the footlights, and
secondly. to lay an humble wreath at
the feet OF one whom we all are proud to
honor" We are duly and sincerely
grateful for the service Mr.. Dole has
rendered US, and the great pleasure he
has given to the hosts of Mr.. Jefferson's
friends and admirers.
Joseph Jefferson came of race of
actors, and is the third of his name. In
his early days, in common with his
parents, jefferson encountered all the
difficulties that accompanied his profess
sion, at a time when play acting, and
actors received nothing like the coun-
tenance, the encouragement, or The appre-
citation which they do at present and
their experiences in wandering
about the country, East, West, North and
South, were varied, peculiar and most
interesting.
Mr.. Dole tells a funny story of Jeffer-
son when he was playing in Australia
where he made great sensation, playing
rip Van Wrinkle" "Our American
Cousin, "The Octoroon," etc., for one
hundred and sixty-four consecutive
nights. One thing was quite too much
for him, and he was obliged to put a