Evening star., 1907-08-31
THE LONE ST!



G.. y. DanZiger. New York and Wash
ingtOn: The Nedle Publishing Com
pany.
Mr Ambrose Rierce's preface to this un-
usual volume explains the circumstances
of its publishing. In 1890, he says. DR.
Gustav Adolf Danzige- brought to him. In
San Francisco. what DIR. Danzigar stated
was a translation of German story by
Herr Richard Voss of Heidelberg. AS DR.
Danziger had an imperfect knowledge of
the English language. he asked Mr.. Bicrce
to rewrite the story. The original pub
fishers failed coincidently with the pub
lcation. 1t followed that the book was
never Put on the market.
Whatever may have been the relative
share OF the authors. those acquainted with
Mr.. Bierce's style viii find the book pre-
dominatinsly suggestive of his personality.
The occasional touches of sly humor the
reader is tempted to believe not altogether
germane to the original authors of the SOM
Der tale. The brilliant treatment OF the
tragic iron,cs Of the plot is cha acteristlc
of Mr.. B.erce. as is also the rcstraint-which
is almost uudar-empua sis-of the emo
tiOnal possibilities of the situation The
Monk and the Hangman" is also marked
by an Extraordinarily clear comprehension
or the complexities of naive belief and
narrow. II burning, sympathIes, which
marked the early Christian era.
Brother Amhros:Us, who tells the story,
Is the man out Of tune with the estab-
Hshed church. lie is also, by reason of
has mOuk.sh training, out of touch with the
world about him. Natively pure but of in
tcnsaly human emotions. he would have
bScn iittcd for life OF gentle human serv-
ice The VOWS which he has assumed
make q sin of his natural excalIencias
Turned In on itself and revoltcd by the
Elimples of human life. which 1t never for
1s-FrN "a
gradually unEinReG until il prompts him to
a tragic deed which is the elimination of
the story. The fate of the unhappy Bene-
Cict3. fuli as II is of a Wild and beautiful
pathoS. IS subsidiary to the reCO of the
progress Of the monks mental sease
TINS Is so sUbtly suggested that il is only
at the conclusion that the reader realizes
that Brother Ambrosus has become a
maniac. Up to that moment his confusion
OF things as they are with things as they
seem to him has been so p.aUsibly pre-
ssnted as TO seem entirely natural. In
fact II Is evident that the author con
sideTs u to be not only natural hut in
eNiable, considering the conflict that must
ersut between temperament and c!rcum-
stanch. II IS noteworthy that the other
ttC4es!aStCS In the story are characterized
hy entire lack Of Imagination and by per-
feet content with that wrong and injustice
which SO madden their erring brother
HISTORY OF SLAVERY IN CUBA.
1Ill TO lSGS BY Hubert H. :. Ai,nes
fh.D. tNaleD. formerly professor OF
history and political science in Ur-
sinus College. New York: q. y. Put
lam's Sons.
As the hIst work of detailed research
Couce Ming the economical history Of Cuba,
Mr.. Aimes' volume Is oc interest. He has
shown the causes OF tire slave trade in
Cuba, its effects on both Cuba and Spain
and. through them, upon the world at large.
The domestic features of the slave system
are 70 b. considered in a later publication
The author has consulted in preparation
for this book, not only u wide list of au-
t.u:Il.1s IN the libraries Of this country
hut also references in the BblOteca Ma
C-'C1l az Ha5ana. the British Museum at
London. the BiblQteque at Paris the
Biblioteca Nacional at Madrid and the
Archives de Indias at S.villa His work
ing In its conclusions.
THE FIRST TRUE GENTLEMAN;
Study In the Human Nature of Our
Lord. With a foreword by Edward
Everett Hale, ID. Boston: John w
Luce * Co.
The assertion of the El!zabethan poet
Decker that Christ was the first true gen.
tieman that ever breathed' serves the au-
thor for the text OF his thought. Separat-
ing from the idea gentleman" the extra
neOus qualities which have grown I'D about
1t. the fundamental conception about which
all ages have agreed, the author uses TO
test the human nature of the Lord "A
hundred and fifty years before Dekker
wrote, II was declared that truth, pity
freedom and hardness were the essential