The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-05-23
NEW BOOKS.


Firth, M. Al
Puritans in England" written by
Charles Firth OF BGliol College. OK
ford. and published by q, r. Putnam's
Sons in the series Heroes OF the Ma
tions." is a most satisfactory biography
| for the general reader who requires
thoroughncss. absolute authority and
yet brevity. In respect 10 these quail
fications we know no other TO match
| this Putnam book I'm all the Cromwell
literature that We have happened
across.first and last.The Life In in part
based on an article contributed by the
| author TO the Dictionary OF National
biography a dozen years ago but later
| researches and the most recently dis
covered documents have been availed
OF To complete the book at hand.
! Cromwelrs biographer Is no hero
| worshipper and ne gives us the living
| man In this excellent Life. IL Is a mar
ratiye of facts and not an argumenta-
| tive paper, although the writer is
| thoroughly convinced OF Cromwells
| greatness among his contemporaries
and among the great figures OF history
| and OF his honesty as well as his piety
and courage. His style in lively and the
reader Is carried along as through a
| romance-as indeed what could In fic-
! ton be more romantic or adven-
! turous than the plain facts of the life
| of Cromwell and his times?
The Student who seeks a more deci-
| sive statements OF the writer's attitude
| toward his subject than is provided I'm
| the narrative win md in an epilogue
| summing up OF opinion and an estimate
| OF Cromwell's standing as soldier.
| statesman and man that is convincing
| and stimulating. There Is probably
| neither room. opportunity nor purpose
n N a
from Cromwelrs character, thanks
largely to Thomas Carlyle. Not only
was Cromwell the greatest English
man OF his time but he was one OF the
great figures OF world history and TO
quote the closing words OF the writer
Of this Life. mo English ruler did more
10 shape the future OF the land he gov
erned, none showed more clearly in his
acts the plain. heroic magnitude OF
mind"
This biography. though not large
volume. is plentifully supplied with IL
Illustrations many of them portraits,
some pictures OF important relics. 9th
ers Photographic views of historic
scenes as they look today and all OF
them authoritative. The battle plans
have been especially drawn for this
work and the author warns his reader
that while in two cases they VIII be
found to differ considerably from those
generally accepted as correct there II
ample authority In recent evidence for
the alterations although the limits OF
the book do not give space for dis
cussion OF such evidence. Reference is
however had 10 the authorities on
which the changes are made. tFor sale
by Preston K Rounds. Price sl.50)
SECOND COMING, by Richard
Marsh
The first thought that the title OF this
book suggests is the correct one. Ii is
a tale of the second coming of Christ
1t is published by John Lane at the
Bodley Head and is handsome book
with a cover design also significant or
the tale.
If Christ were TO &c NE again TO Lon
don i'm the present year OF grace how
would ne be received and wnat would
happen? This Is the query Which fore
casts the story. The author admits
that i'm answering IL he Is attempting
to achieve the impossible. He does IL
acceptably, be 1t said.
You are likely TO read "A Second
Coming pretty carefully from begin
ming to end once IL is in your hands. 1t
isn't always convincing but IL is rarely
lacking in interest at any page. 1t has
some good wit in IL but is not In the
least frivilous. IL the subject is treat
ed lightly there is always an underlying
reverence. There is no attempt TO
shock. 1t seems TO be a sincere and
painstaking attempt TO Imagine just
what would happen IL Christ were TO
come again to earth now. and how he
would be treated. The reader will be in
clined 10 agree with the scribe's view
of the prospect.
A young fellow on his way to din
ner party is witness to an accident
whereby cyclist is killed by a fall. A
stranger appears and restores the cy-
clist to life. The young fellow arrives
late to dinner and proclaims that Christ
has come to earth again. He is thought
to have temporarily lost his reason,
which is not strange. But from other
quarters of the town come other ex-
perences. woman is raised from the
dead before a crowd OF students attend
ing in clinic. A fellow who attempts TO
strike down the stranger has his arm
withered. Good deeds of one kind or
another are reported. The thing be-
comes the talk OF the town and the pa
pers are full of the testimony of eye
witnesses to them and of discussion
over the mysterious stranger.
Practically nobody accepts him, how
ever. as Christ--not even the Salvation
Army or the Second Adventists to
whom he appears in the middle OF a
sermon in which the preacher proclaims
the second coming" and assures his
congregation that they will all know
when he appears. They don't. however.
A deputation waits on him to inquire
into his personality but fail TO receive
much satisfaction. He IL discussed by
dignataries I'm church and state but
none OF these takes him at all seriously.
A lame man and charcoal burner be-
come his disciples and a young girl ac-
cepts him as Christ. For the rest, the
people are i'm tumult of sceptical GU
riosity and demand signs and miracles
which. however. on being given fail ut
terly 10 convince quite as was the. case
with the first coming. One good man
suggests that the stranger. III he really
is Christ. will be compelled to repeat
the tragedy of his first coming unless
he proclaims> himself In a way TO be
more easily understood. And there Is a
general disposition to boss him and in
sist that he meet the list of qualifica-
tions prepared bv wise doubters TO de-
monstrate that he Is the authentic
(-hriot Dvhlic ipfarauf .hotpu hatkoH