Evening star., 1902-03-08

Miss Johnston's third novel is the strong
est Of the three that have thus far come
from her pen. 1t is a distinct advance over
ITO Have and To Hold,' in that 1t presents
an issue of more than mere adventure. Inc
period is the early part of the eighteenth
century and the scene. as in the preceding
novel is Virginia The elements Of stirring
romance are at hand, but beyond the open
ing and closing tragedies Miss Johnston es-
chews the materials for sword play ana
confines herself to the delineation Of char
acters and the play of emotions She has
produced a sad story, scarcely relieved by
a touch Of humor. The lighter passages are
sentimental and descriptive. There are
some dreary passages in the Garner cnap-
fers But when once the mid-pont OF the
tale is reached there is enough action to
carry the interest alonG swceplngly. Audrey
is a strange girl. yet natural. She develops
suddenly under the stress of a great sriel'
greater than that which came to her In
early childhood when her parents, sister
and brother were slain by the Indians ana
she was left to be rescued by Marmaduke
Harvard. His guardianship is lax and Tor
Eetful; his proxy in Virginia while he is
froIicking In London IS a wretched subSti-
tute. BUt the girl grows into a pure loNelS
woman worshiping the memory of the
knight who saved her life as a child, ten
terly chershng her ideal despite the
growth Of situation which would & nave
been intolcrable to a less unconscious mllo.
The sinister figure OF Jean Hugon the
French haIf-hrccd moves through the pages
as a menace, TO kill Audrey at last. Inc
tragedy is perhaps necessary for artlstlc
balance Ii shocks the reader who believes
in and likes the pleasant ending. just as
the skies have cleared the blow falls. II
seems useless and cruel to put an end 10
The union Of hearts 50 painfully attained.
The Incidental picture Of the Virginia CO
lcniIl life is bright and pleasing, the action
occurring practically within the nelghbor-
hood Of WiIliamsburgh, the capital OF the
colony.
TIE CORRESPONDENCE OF MADAME, PRIN-
CESS FALtTiNE. MARIE ADEI.AIDE DE SA-
VoIE. AND MADAME he MAINTENoN. Sc
ls,tti ana translated 10y Katherine Prescott
Wormel,y. Boston: Hardy. Pratt & Co.
TO those who have read the admirable
memoirs Of the Due de Saint Simon this
single volume will come well recommended
1t Is. SO to speak. a corroboratiVe view or
many events noted by the proud and dig
nifed author Of the memoirs, another
view point from which the reader Is ena-
bled to sec now truly the Due de Saint ST.
mon chronicled the passing events or MS
time. Madame, the Princess Palatine, was
the wife of Monsieur brother to Louis XIV,
and the mother OF the Due de Orleans. who
served as regent of France during the IN
fancy Of Louis XIV. Saint Simon has paint
cd her in bold colorS-"Madame was a
princess of the olden time; attached 10
honor, virtue, rank, grandeur, ana lneNora-
10 bring back from prejudice; coarse and
dangerous in her public outbursts; very
German in her habits. She loved dogs ana
horses, hunting and the theaters passion
attly and was never seen except In full
dress or in n mans wig and riding haolt
Tier letters most of them written to rela-
tves in Germany, reflect all this and speak
CueuIy her contempt for the French or
that period. They are perhaps the most
plainly expressed contemporaneous records
Of the time. The letters Of Adelaide de
Sayule-the Dushesse de Burgogne ana the
mother Of Louis NN-are mere autobio-
graphical record OF a tender and pathetic
young life on its passage through frivolity
and Ill health to q premature death Just
as age had corrected her defects, and the
prospect Of being, with her husband. the
blessing and salvation Of France was dawn
ing before her, Nine. de Maintenon's pc
culIar position in court, as queen with
out the seals Of her office and wife with
out an announced marriage service, Is we'll
known to every reader Of French history.
Her letters to the convent OF Saint-Cyr,
where she subsequently died. and her con-
versations recorded there are given by the
translator and the publishers to offset the
hostile pictures of her presented by Saint
Simon and Madame, who were her two
greatest enemies.
THE SECTIONAL STRUGGLE; an Account Of the
Troubles Between the North and the South,
Civil War. Ry Cicero w. Harris. First Period
Ending with the Compromise of 1888; part
Concerning the Early Tariffs and Nullihcations
Philadelphia: J. B. Lppincott Co.
For many years Mr. Cicero Harris, well
known as a Washington newspaper writer
and correspondent. has been gathering ma
teria,s for review of the sectional strug-
gle His labors are now assuming
terial form this first volume of a series
being the initial evidence of his achieve
ment. He has undertaken what he terms
"full-length view" Of the long political
and constitutional struggle which ended
with the war between the states. The plan
of the work involves a division into parts,
this being a portion of the first, the sec
ond to include the second great slavery
compromise. the period ending In 1850 and
the third from that date to the close of
the war Thus this book is in a certain
sense Introductory. 1t defines the first
sentiments of the leaders of the two sec
tions, shows the fundamental differences
which existed in their conceptions Of the
purpose of the American federation, and
reveals the irreconcllable antagonism upon
the doctrine OF states rights. Mr.. Harris
IS qualified are few others to under
take such broad work. He has the pa
tience of the investigator and the dis
elimination of the historian. His work has
been consCientiously done. and It's results
will doubtless be accepted by students of
history as valuable addition to the litera-
ture OF the most vital phase of the great
problem OF nation making the solution
OF which finally called for the arbitrament
OF war The present volume does not
fully cover the period marked off
by Mr. Harris in his grand division OF the
subject. The publication has been attended
with much difficulty the fire which de-
etroyed the publishing house two or three
years ago delaying the work material
ly. Consequently the story of the Missouri
compromise and the events preceding
which bore directly upon 1t has been de-
ferred for the present The portion pub
ished includes an account OF the tariff
legislation and attempted legislation from
17S9 to 1888. as well as the memorable
debates OF 1908. The book is in the best
of typogra phic taste and Is conveniently
arranged with marginal and foot notes
and copious index.
PERU-HISTORY OF COCA, the Divine Plant Of
the Incas; with Introductory account of the
1ncas and of the Andean Indians Of today. By
w. Golden Mortimer, Nd fellow Of the New
York Academy Of Medicine, etc. Illustrated
New York: ]. H. Vail 4 Co.
This exhaustive treatise on the subject
OF one Of the best-known Of stimulants
corrects many popular errors and seeks to
convince its readers that coca Is bene-
ficial. rather than harmful 1t points out
that there is no relation between coca and