Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-10-02
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the BooklOUer.

/
1t Is not often that we find sympa
thetic criticism and attempt at inter
probation of Christian Science by one
| who is not an adherent of that faith.
That however. is what we have in
| christian Science: An Examination
of the Religion of Health" by the late
Sir William Barrett. Left diminished
at the authors death, this little book
has been completed by his sister. Rosa
NJ. Barrett. who points out that most
books on Christian Science are either
holly for or against its teachings. but
/ that this aims to be diSpasslonate
! examination of the subject from
definitely Christian point of view. The
authors are warm in their tributes to
the influence of the faith: IF Chris
| tan Scientists can at all times keep
serene. sunny. embarrassed and con-
tented. most of us could learn from
them with advantage. IheN
are a rebuke and model to most pro-
Tossing Christians They also quote
with approval from William James
who called Christian Science the re-
ligion of Observation-Disclosures"
After discussing the philosophical.
religious and therapeutic aspects of
Christian Science, Mrs. Eddy's life
story, her relations with p. p. Quimby,
the literature and growth of Christian
Science, the authors make comparisons
with mind healing, faith healing and
suggestive treatment, and in t1nal
/ chapter attempt an eXpla ton of
Christian Science. They cOncede that
| cures. often of very remarkable
| character, are effected. The marvel
GUS improvement in the general health
of persons who have become adher-
ents Of this faith is unQuestionab bic. y
They give competent medical author
ity that christian Science is capable
of improving the symptoms even when
serious anatomical changes are pres
emit" In trying to find the proba BILE
eXpla nation the authors point out that
the system ''consist0 in getting its
| adherents to become possessed with
the one idea that all is spirit. and that
spirit cannot suffer. Illogical as is
this conclusion. 1t suff1ces." This
process. the authors claim, belongs Ito
the region beneath the threshold Of
consciousness-the subliminal region"
THAT is. the realm of suggestion.
They therefore conclude 1T is the op-
Grafton of this principle of suggestion
that underlies the cures wrought by
Christian Science, by the mind cure
and by the faith cure
Stories of the London slums. some
! what highly colOred-but who shall
say unna tural?-compose the last
volume of Thomas Burke. who has
already made a reputation by his
| LimehOuSe tales. The title. East of
Mansion House." indicates the section
of London forming the backgrounds.
| As in Mr.. Burke's previous volumes.
the Chinese quarter is q center of
especial interest. and one of the best
stories is The Dream of All Lum."
In this the cha racter Of Quong Lee,
introduced in The Wind and the
Rain" THE Song Book of Quong
Lee" and "LimehouSe Nights" again
appears as the friend of the homesick
All Lum, dreaming of his native
China. Other stories are White
Wings" THE Tablets of the House
Of liz THE Pash." CRASH and
adventure" All are dramatic, full
of sentiment. even sentimentalty:
good in character drawing and eSpe-
cially vivid in atmosphere. Several
| are equal to the best in "Limehouse
Nights
An interesting experiment in biog-
raphy is "Disraeii and Gladstone, by
|
| this interpretive study of two rival
political heroes "a duo-biogra phica !
sketch" He does not claim original
ity for his work but frankly states
/ hat his material is practically all
! drawn from John Morley's great life
of Gladstone and from Moneypenny
and Buckles even more extensive life
of DiSraei. The author says that the
reader rises from perusal of the
G,t<N xNAS'
with a very distinct impression that
Gladstone was the greatest of Vic
torian statesmen and that Disraeli was
really a rather miSchievous politician
But he also confeSSeS that q reading
of the Moneypenny and Buckles 5000
| pages about Disraeli gives one An
equally distinct impression that Dis
raeli was the greatest Of Victorian
| statesmen and that Gladstone was
really a "a Their mischievOus politician
| Both of these impressions are not in
accord with the sum total OF the facts.
hence this book. Clear, Shrewd and
entertaining the author preserves an
even hand, at the same time painting
sharp contrast, in that Gladstone
always thought of politics in terms of
morals. whereas with DisraeH politi-
cal issues were matters of opinion.
The author says that he concluded
his book, as he started it, with a cenu-
inc dmiration-in fact. kind of af-
fection-for both his heroes.
- ~
Again leaving his favorite Dart
moor Eden PhillpOtts makes voy-
age to Greece of the ancients in his
two novelties. "Circe's Island" and
1.-The Girl and the F'aun." In the first
story the Greek enchantress. whom
Milton represents as mother OF his
Comus, is revealed in her sinister
island home. surrounded by her trans
formed guests. Among them are a
merchant who has become a spider. a
corsair now tiger and a schOolmas-
ter turned into a kangaroo. Odysseus
arrives. and, as in orthodox classical
story, resists the magic of Circe. A
fantastic tale of a boy, Amphion. and
a benevolent serpent, Simo. forms the
greater part of the novelette,. THE
Girl and the Faun" tells of the hope
less love of faun, son of Pan, for a
human shepherdess. The faun petit
tons his father to turn him into a
mortal in order than he may succeed
in his love. Unable to shuttle off his
Immortality. he consoles himself by
later falling in love with the grand
daughter of his first love.
* X
! Regrets over incomplete literary
careers are of course, always futile.
The destiny which ends u life is mex
orabe. Also the wisest prophet can
never tell what would have followed If
life had been prolonged. We feel
fairly sure that "Weir of Hermiston'
would have been Stevensons best
work if it had been completed. but we
have no evidence that Shelley and