Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-28

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lIlES3llkAl\Sk j" career notes, as did
llik$3lMR AR&SLM Boswell of john
WEIIMlSSN2M/M son, the incidents
sSF$4f NSWV/N and episodes and
H1V ~SlA influences " IL c Il
~ EI are the richest ma
terfals Of the life historian. The worlo
is fortunate in tina, Henry Irving was an
exception. 1t was perhaps his remark
able capacity for friendship, for holding
the affections Of men. to which may DC
credited the fact that upon MS uea'h
there was a great abundance OF lntorna-
ton regarding dis early life, ms career
lis struggle and his intimate thoughts
Although "A reserved man, the remihis-
cences of those who knew irving arc
rerlete with matters of the most personal
character. Mr.. Brercton may be regard
cd as IrvinG's chosen biographer. In ms
nineteenth year he became associated
with Clement Scott, first as aus private
secretary and then as assistant eoi'o'
OF his magazine, the Theater In tiis
way he met Irving and became extensive
~ acquainted with the tneatrlcal "o.lu.
in 1889. when Irving decided 10 WIS.,.
America, Brereton wrote biographical
sketch which of value TO the puDhc'
Twenty years later he Wrote one his,'i3
OF the Lyceum Theater from us orls'h
agement OF the house. and in the prepare
ton of that work he consulted Closely
with Irving. During the last part OF the
great actors life MIR. Rrer"ton acted Tor
him in an official and confidential capac-
ity Thus when Irving died it was from
him that much of the Biographical ma
terial OF va ne er'anated- In the prep
aration OF this large work now in hand
which may be regarded as the oHclai
Irving biography, Mr.. Brereton has col
laborated effectively with Mr.. Bran
Stoker who was closely associated with
Irving for years. He has had access
also to IrvinS's rap-book, whith ne o.
gan in 1873 and maintained until 1874, a
human document of a most fascinating
kind
With all these materials il Is no wonder
that Mr.. Brereton has written NE vi
Irving which is of real value from i's
thoroughness and its sympathy. At the
same time the author has endeavored I"
abstain from pitching his appreciation
in the key of panegyric. irving limsel.
detested hattery, and nothing could nave
heen more appropriate than formal bi-
ography of him written by friend VINO
recognizes the eccentricitles, the huiilan
qualities and the occasionally attested
roibles of the man and discrlmlnatlnSiE
treating of the genius of the actor. There
is much in this work OF heretofore
confidential nature. such as the nnam .
returns of Irvngs various tours. mus
the work shows Irving as the business
man as we'll the actor.
The book is superbly printed in two
volumes with a richness of Illustration
which shows discrimination as we'll as
liberality i'm selection. The plates are
chiefly those of Irving in his best known
roles An appendix recites the parts
played by Henry Irving throughout MS
career. and also gives bibliography'
THE TRIAL OF JESUS FROM LAW
YER'S STANDPOINT. BY Walter NJ.
Chandler OF the New York Bar: Two
Volumes New York: The Empire
Publishing Company.
That it is possible to treat of the great
tragedy which changed the currents OF
the worlds thought nearly nineteen hun
bred years ago from a legal point OF
view without irreverence is proved by
this interesting work. The author di-
vides the book into two volumes, the
first devoted to the Hebrew trial and
the second devoted to the Roman trial
Each he studies as he would any cele-
brated case of equal historical importance.
,ional depth of knowledge regarding the
early judicial practices and the. intri-
racies of the Hebrew law. He speaks
in his preface of many remarkable trials
which have characterized hhe judicial
history of the world. including the trial
OF Socrates before the dicastery or
Athens, the trial of Charles the First OF
England the trial of Warren Hastings,
the blacklist chapter in the annals of
republic" and the trial of Alfred
Dreyfus. But none of these, he says.
approached in Significance, in effect and
in influence upon the destinies of the
human race the trial of the Galilean
peasant. Jesus Of Nazareth These he
says were earthly trials. on earthly
issues. before earthly courts. The trial
of the Nazarene was before the hlSh
tribunals of both heaven and earth: be-
fore the Great Sanhedrin. whose judges
were the master-spirits of divinely COM
missioned race: before the court OF the
Roman empire. which controlled the legal
and political rights of men throughout
the known world. from Scotland to Judea
and from -Dacia to AbysSinia.
Mr.. Chandler does not engage in DIS
cussion of the theological doctrines in
volved in the trial of Jesus nor has he
undertaken to Judge the ethical motives
and effects of the trial His analysis
has been confined strictly to considefa-
ton of the judicia! aspect of the great
tragedy and the result is work which
will be read with the greatest interest
and incidentally with profit by all stu
dents of the early Christian 1t is a
remarkable demonstration of the analyt-
.ral power and valuable contribution
- the literature Of law
THE MONGOLs IN RUSSIA. BY Jcre-
miah Curtin. author of The Mon
gols. History. Boston: Little,
u
Mr. Curtins first work on the Mongols.
treating of them III a broad aspect. was
published last year. He now takes up
he story of the domination of this race
~ Russia after their expulsion from
China by the founders of the Ming
Dynasty.
lie describes their invasion of Russia.
he Intellectual defense against them and
their final subsection of the Russians
until ttle breakup of the Horde at Sarai.
in 1905. The work is a vivid account OF
the exploits and achievements of these
powerful people in the heyday of their
strength. Necessarily the facts regard
!np the Mongpl invasion of Russia have
hcen collected only AS result of the
most painstaking research. and MI Cur
Tins previous efforts in the line Of East
European study have equipped him for
his task. This is a onapter of the
worlds history with which the great
majority OF readers are unfamiliar. and
those who start TO read Mr.. Curtin s
chapters will be led TO the finish by one
If the most fascinating narratives of
human activity ever written. These people
swept into Europe irresistihiy. and IN
tHsir inVasiun committed many crimes,
the relation OF which, while perhaps UNI
pleasant. is at the same time wildly
illustrative of the spirit of the age. one
may find In the Mongol invasion traces