The times., 1900-12-23

are pleased to call 'the action of the divine mind
| over the human mind and body" The
| long ears Of the ass, Fad, crop out through the
| hon skin of science.
| The expression voodoo is particularly
| happy in connection with the healer
of Mrs. Eddy's cult, for anyone familiar
| lyith the "conjure woman" and witch
| doctor" of the Black Belt will probably
/ be struck with the similarity of his
! methods to those of the average Chris
| tian Scientist. In both cases the patient
i is told that there is nothing the matter
| with him except that he is 'conjured
or under some strange mental spell or hal
| lueination; in both cases tie doctor pre-
| soribes certain rites, such as the piac-
ing of brown paper over the afflicted part
or the driving of a nail into a tree. with
| the firm faith that there is some par
: ticular occult virtue in the act; and in
both cases the deluded one has to pay
| literally for benefits received or not re-
| ceiYed. Absent treatment" too, is q
thing which the African witch doctor
knew about long before Mrs. Eddy's time.
The author tells of some remarkable
things in subsequent chapters, but Of
nothing which is beyond belief. The fact
is that hypnotism is simply an extreme
form of the influence of one mind over
another. which everyone recognizes as an
everyday fact. (New York: Harper &
Bros. s1.25.)
Studies and Appreciations' is a book
containing several essays by Lewis E.
Gates. The essays deal with English and
American literature of the present cen
tury, and will be helpful to teachers and
students of that subject. One Of the most
fVNss f..r eNNft ID
Movement" in which the author dis
cusses the anti-conventionalism OF Eng
lish writer's Of the first quarter of the
present century. Scott began the revolt
against the commonplace, Byron contin-
ued it, and Wordsworth, by emphasizing
the Importance of humanity in itself as
distinct from the artificial themes Of the
eighteenth century, carried on the work.
The eighteenth century was above all
the age of the artificial, and the natural
reaction from an ultra conventional
mode of thinking and writing produced
sort of subdued renaissance, in which
Paine and Jefferson asserted the truths
of democracy, Scott showed the impor-
tance of noble ideas and emotions as
against conventional formality, and
Byron challenged all the moral and con-
ventional standards together with his
Oriental verses
After this essay comes one on THE
Return to Conventional Life" in which
the author discusses Mrs. Browning and
other exponents of the moral revival. or
Philistine movement-it has the nature
of both-which happened about the mid
die of the century. The authors of this
Heriod we're impressed with the claims of
conscience, and the duties of man to
man, as their predecessors had been i'm
cd txrit ha f1bt ~ b,,,, 1o;p
to do as his impulses prompted. So they
had their turn In shaping the thought of
civilization. All this is clearly outlined
in the essays of Mr.. Gates, and these
are followed by discussions OF Taine
Challott Bronte, Hawthorne. and others.
The book is altogether decidedly inter-
esting in its way. New York: The Mac
milan Company.
The Ha-pers have issued for the holi- |
day trace beautifully illustrated edition |
of Mrs. Sarah p. Mclean Greenes novel. |
''Vesty of the Basins,p The drawings are !
by Otto H. Backer. fs2.00)
In the Hands of the Red Coats a |
story by Everett 7. Tomlinson. is accu- /
rately described in the subtitle as tale |
of the Jersey Ship and the Jersey Shore |
In the days of the Revolution. MIR. Tom
linson is no stranger to this sort of work
and he has considerable constituency
always ready to welcome his books (Bos- |
ton: Houghton. Miffiin & Co. $150)
Sisters Vocation" by Josephine Dodge
Daskam, is book of breezy short stories
for young girls, and it will be thoroughly
enjoyed by almost any school girl. No
two of the tales are alike, and the char
acters are all individual and interesting,
and most of them pleasant TO meet The
little humorous touches which appear
here and there relieve the book from any
suspicion OF moralizing, but there is a
moral-of good manners and savior
faire-in nearly every one. Little lessons
Of etiquette and taste are taught in an
fashion, and there is enough |
fairy tale about the adventures described
TO save them from dullness while none
IS actually improbable (New York: |
Charles Scribner's Sons. sL25.)
Making a Life" by Cortland Myers. is
1 dissertation or character building, with
4 good deal of information incidentally
sprinkled through it. The author follows
he plan of citing innumerable characters
n history TO prove his argument. For the
rest. 1t will be interesting and profitable
'eading for people who do not mind split
ninitives and other minor defects New
York: The Baker & Taylor Compary.)
wit and Wisdom OF the Talmud'' is an
interesting little book edited by Madison
:. Peters. with an introduction by Rabbi
Il. Pereira MendeZ. Perhaps few read
RS of general literature are aware how
much sagacious advice the Talmud has TO
,ffer, and in reading the selections here
made, one is assured that in 1t there is
lot only a valuable code of morality. but
'eal spiritual guidance. The book should
,e in the library OF every clergyman or
student of religious matters. New York
rhe Baker G. Taylor Company. s1.00)'
Overheard in a Garden is a book of
pictures and rhymes by Oliver Herford |
rhe only visible recommendation pos
sessed by it is that some of the pictures
are good Mr.. Herford is so clever an ar
list that il is rather hard to see why all
If them should not be good. But they are
not. (New York: Charles Scribners /
Sons. s1.25)
LITERARY NOTES.