Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-02

pose which Is capabfy accomplished. ne
| contributes, indeed. an important item IN
| the study of the Renascence in thus ana
| Lying the characters and careers OF three
of the most powerful personages OF EUROPE
ofsthat period OF Macmillan he writes;
He never accepted the Renascence, and
| it never changed him from medieval
into modern man. The works he wrote
and the monuments he planned are stand
ing proof that his taste WAS undsscrimi-
mating He could never free his mind from
| the social and political ideas of the middie
ages. Thomas Cromwell, on the
| other, hand, understood the spirit and ideals
| of the Renascence and assimilated them
or the third member of this group he says;
| And the volunteer humanist. Aretino, the
man who without the humanitles became
| rich and famous with his pen, Is an ex-
| ponent of the declension of the Renascence
| on the soil where 1t started
F! THE CROWN OF PINE, a story of Cor
NTH and the Isthmian Games. By the
Rev. A. J. Church, MA. author OF
stories From Homer" sc. 1llustra-
tions in color by George Morrow. New
| York: Charles Scribners Sons. WASH
ington: Woodward g. Lothrop.
| Vividly rendered In the form of a novel.
this tale of the dawnng days of Chris
| tianity and the three-cornered conflict be-
| tween Greek and Roman pagans, Jews and
| Christians is of absorbing interest. Mr.
| Church has produced a number of books
which in this manner retell the classic
| stories in modern form and with romantic
touches. THE Crown of Pine reaches It's
climax In a description of the great 18th
| milan games. 1t introduces the apostle
| Paul, and strongly outlines the manner in
| which the word of the newly-born faith
| was spread through the then civilized
| world
| SELF-KNOWLEDGE; or, Alma Jnana.
| BY Swami Abhedenanda. With por-
| trait. New York: The Vedanta Society
-
| head of the Vedanta Society of New York,
presents in a clear manner, calculated to
| arrest the attention of those not yet ia
| miliar with vedic literature, the principles
| of self knowledge as taught by the leaders
of that philosophy. It will be welcomed by
students of the Vedic scriptures. since each
| chapter is based upon some one of the
| ancient Vedas known as the Upanishads,
and the many passages quoted prove the
| profound wisdom and practical teaching
contained in the early Hindu Scriptures
| Tho book touches a new field in Nedanta
literature, and should be read by all those
| Interested In this line of thought In force
| fulness and clearness of style II Is in every
| way equal to the other works by the Swami
Abhedananda, who has always shown him
self in his writings a remarkable master of
| the English language.
| A YANKEE IN PIGMY LAND; Being the
Narrative of a Journey across Africa
| from MOmDaSa through the vi eal
Pigmy Forest to Banana. BY william
Edgar Cell illustrated. New York:
Dodd. Mead & Co. Washington: Bren-
tano's.
The pigrnies of central Africa should feel
| highly fattered. They have been visited
| by the greatest living traveller, and he mas
now set them forth In all their ugliness
| in a large book with many pictures and
| a fair division Of the text between himself
| and them. They may not have known that
| the white man with the large retinue was
| the greatest living traveller. and perhaps
| they will never see this book as evidence
of the fact But the American reader is
| fully apprised of the authors standing In
| the exploration world by full-length por-
| trait opposite page 167. which Is plainly
| thus styled, and that settles all doubts.
After this assurance the volume cannot
fail to he interesting to all who meet 1t.
| 1t tells much that is entertaining, ana
| some things that are new, about part OF
| the world not yet exploited as an enjoy
| able route for pleasure seeking tourists.
THE WIFE OF THE SECRETARY OF
| STATE. By Ella Middletown Tybout,
| author of "Poketown People Illus
| trated Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott
| Company.
! While the characters in this "Washingtor
| novel; may represent some Of the best
| known figures In capital life,'' loyal Amer
| leans should be glad that they are not pho
| Geographically correct. The incident on
which the story hinges-the theft of certain
| papers of a graveIy secret nature-is re-
| Specially old, and therefore commendable
| from the point of view of the literary
| worker but it's application in this instance
! is open to some criticism. No single char
| acter in the book Is especially strong, yet
| the association of them all makes pleasant
! reading the excellent style of which Is
| evenly maintained to the end.
LITERARY LIVES SERIES-Edited by
| w Robertson Nicoll - CHARLOTTE
| BRONTE AND HER SISTERS. BY
| Clement K. Shorter Illustrated. New
! York: Charles Scribners Sons. Wash
| ington: William Ballantyne d Sons
| Mr.. Shorter acknowledges the difficulty Of
presenting life of the Bronte sisters which
| justifies itself in the face of Mrs GaskelPs
| comprehensive biography and other SINH
| lar works, which would seem to have ex-
| hausted the subject But he ventures to
offer his appreciation of the remarkable
group of women with the assurance that he
| has discovered some new materials which
| will be at once recognized by the conscien-
| tious student of the Bronte literature.