Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-04
BOOK NEWS

TTyHE second volume Of an authorized
translation of the Life of Goethe'
Il nv Albert Bieschowsky, just on the
press. will prove a delight to all admirers
of the great German writer The book car
ries the poet and thinker through that
period Of his life from the italian journey
to the wars Of observation-disclosures d.
Beilschowsky was acknowledged as the
foremost authority on Goethe Oh IeSens
times. This beautiful book bears out tnat
claim. The literary form Is one Oh lne
highest artistic finish, the BOOK peihs nos
merely intended for specialists Dut more
nartIoularlv for the general cultured pub
lie. Hence the overwhelming mass Oh
learned details so conspicuous In German
works of a similar nature has Deen cur
tailed and everything is presented III u ,ie
nronortion. This book is undoubtedly the
most important life of Goethe from the
STANDPOINT of scholarship, sympathetic IN
terpretation and literary art-ln lact' tho
most important biography OF any man
translated from the German lor MAJ ~
years. A third and last volume Will NC
published. 49,. Dial
The Life of Goethe by Albert Bel
scbowsyk. Volume II, authorized trans
lation from the German by Mhllain ~.
Cooper. New York: G. 2. putnam ~
Sons. Los Angeles: Fowler Bros
Almost as good as a trip to Europe is
rerusal of w. d. McCracken's beautiful
volume on THE Italian Lakes. IL gives
succintly vet admirably pen ana camera
nicture of that most fascinating region
Of northern Italy, which Is full OF beauty
and romance Towns sheets OF water
villas and country roads are all covered
not in guide book style but In cleVer
fashion which is sure to make even tne
most blase long to visit them. Inc ii'us-
trations are especially fine. -,
THE italian Lakes. BY w. d. NC
Cracken. Boston: L. C. Page Il Co.
Whether Jane Wardle, in THE Artistlc
-remperament' wanted to excuse tine
vagaries of that supposedly hecessars
mental condition of the artist, or 10 MAKE
'fun Of II. every reader must decide TOT
himself. Doubtless there is lesson IN
the rather interesting novel, but certain
n is that the possessor of the temporal
rent aforesaid is not only weak ana
1,acillating but a very caddish nero VINO
escapes his own evil doing without seri-
ous damage, the while the victim OF MS
vaearies also comes out without catas
trophe Also the girl to whom the nero
Is engaged learns naught of his @tions
ti,I the very end, when she both forgives
and WEEDS him. And the only real SUFFERER
who ia considerably guyed in the bargain
ts the earnest well-meaning chap VINO
butts in and tries to corner the artist'
univ 70 end his own sufferings miseraoly.
Ono other character is the victim nus
hand and the artists real friend VINO Is
made a giIlie, though he never knows IT,
Ills not nice lookout II lhterestlns'
The Artistic Temperament. BY Jane
nrLr
& Co.
The August issue of Suburban Life has
an unusually attractive cover among
the many interesting articles are Fran
cis wilson: Comedian and Commuter," by
EsrI webber; Outdoor Recreation at
Night" by Lynn S. Abbott; THE Shet-
land Pony" by z. l. Harrington; The
Homes of Long Island by III.
w. Mathews; "A Study of the Clovers,
bv Edward F. Bigelow When ana
Where to Plant Evergreens. by Rooert
Cameron; Common Sense Treatment OF
the Family Horse" by DR.. G. M. Twit-
chell and 1.-THE Cruise of the Mime
by William Wait
Professor Smaller Mathews latest
book. 1.-THE Church and the Chang
ing order" discusses broadly and frankly
the weighty problems involved in the re-
lations of the church to important INTEL
lectual and social movements of the day.
The author, who is dean OF the Chlcago
university's theological school, points out
numerous recent changes in the attitude
Of organized religious establishments to-
ward philosophlc systems and social
theories that have come into vogue with
1ut aid or recognition from any OF the
forces of ecclesiasticism. 1t is a fearless,
Intelligent, liberal and Illuminating dis
,ussion of topics that are constantly in
,reasing in weight and moment The
book has especial value in showing the
;tupendous lack of churchly influence IN
he everyday affairs of men, and the great
necessity for an overcoming OF that lack
It is a book every thinking man should
read.
The Church and the Changing Order.
By Smaller Mathews New York: The
Macmillan company.
DR.. Joseph Alexander Leighton, pro-
fessor of philosophy and psychology in
Hobart college, Geneva, N. Y, is author
Of Jesus Christ and the Civilization of
Today" and has for the subtitle of this
book 1.-The Ethical Teaching of Jesus
Considered In It's Bearings on the Moral
of Modern Culture" DR..
Leighton Is the author of Typical Mod
ern Conceptions of God, with Con-
StructiVe Essay, and personality ana
Reality "A Treatise of Metaphysics" In
his predatory note DR.. Leighton says:
1.-The scope of this work is limited to
of the ethical teachings of
Jesus Christ ia their bearings on the
spiritual life of civilization. The purpose
of the present work is to discover the
ethical needs of contem-
porary life and to determine by what
principles of conduct the spiritual charac-
ter of man and Of civilization may be pre-
served and developed. For the gospel of
Christ is waytof conduct, an attitude of
soul or spirit, and as such it must be
judged" Through chapters which con-
slider Mature and Human Nature 1.-THE
Heart of Man. 1.-THE Conduct of the
Social Life" and 1.-THE Imperfections of
Life" the writer shows that Christ has
been to the world the moral ideal of SER
vice and spiritual exaltation.
1.-The vision of divine perception points
the way and stirs men on in the work
of making goodness a second nature.
This ethical or spiritual progress i'm
plies the Immortality of mans spirit Not
only must the spirit continue to exist in
order that its ethical progress may go,
but must exist eternally so that no spir-
itual achievement may be lost. For there
is no meaning In goodness, perfection
love which Ia not an attribute or quality