LITERARY NOTICES by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Jan 3, 1905

LITERARY NOTICES.

By Editor

"Diplomatic Mysteries." By Vance Thompson, 378 pages. Illustrated. Cloth. J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia and London.

There are ten chapters in this work as follows: "The Undoing of a King;" "The Great Austrian Conspiracy;" "The Sultan's Secret Agents;" "A Crown Prince's Escapades;" "The Fight Between France and the Vatican;" "The Truth About President Faure;" "The Lady of the Opals;" "Tolstoi, the One Free Man in Russia;" "Made in England;" "How Revolutions Are Made in Russia." The first is the wicked undoing of poor King Ludwig at the planning of an unscrupulous Bismarck and the ambitions of an unnatural mother. And other chapters, too, show the master hand and utterly unscrupulous soul of the Iron Chancellor. The next chapter tells the story of Bismarck's altering the royal telegram, and so involving France and Germany in war, and the bribery, assassination, murder, that followed in the removal of Prince Rudolph. In the chapter on France and the Vatican, we are told that the support of Leo XIII. was turned from the royalists to the republic because the royalists would not pay his price; and that the election of the present pope came about by the King of Italy tricking both France and Germany—setting France against Germany till the German candidate was disposed of, and then Germany against France till Rampolla was out of the way; and then Cardinal Sarto was brought forward, he who is Pius X. It is a tremendously striking book, and intensely interesting.

"The Moral Crusader, William Lloyd Garrison." A Biographical Essay Founded on the Story of Garrison's Life Told by His Children. By Goldwin Smith, D.C.L. Cloth, portrait of Garrison, 200 pages. Funk & Wagnalls Company.

This is a well-written, readable book of Professor Smith's. Whether it is best to print such books, and so in any way rouse new prejudices or old hatreds, is questionable; but the story of a man who had convictions, for which he was willing to dare and die, if need be, is worth reading. The story is well told.

"The Boys' Life of Christ." By William Byron Forbush, Ph.D., Litt.D. 12mo, cloth, 318 pages, eight half-tone illustrations, and map. Ornamental cover. $1.25, net. Funk & Wagnalls Co., New York and London.

This book is an attempt to make more real the life of Jesus. It does not try to tell all that is in the Gospels; but aims to set forth the manly, the heroic, the real, vigorous, active qualities in the life of Jesus so as to appeal to boys. The miraculous has not been emphasized but the glorious manhood of the Son of God is set forth. The author has allowed some play to the imagination, founded on careful Oriental study. A childhood life of the time is given from the best sources attainable. We do not particularly admire the attempt to restate the words of Jesus in "modern English;" we still believe that the words of the American Standard Revised Version, and to a great extent our common version, are good "modern English."

"Bible History" (Old Testament) after the Results of Historical Criticism. Arranged for Students of Different Ages. By Pastor X. Koenig. Translated from the French. Cloth, 190 pages. McClure, Phillips & Co., New York.

The publishers take particular pains to inform us that the author is connected with the Protestant schools of Paris, and that he believes the Bible "the Word of God as truly as tho it were the work of a miracle from cover to cover." But the book tells us that "some of the Bible stories are not edifying, and others are not probable." The author has set the modern higher critics above the Bible, and accepts the Book according to their judgment. We do not wonder at the weakness of the Protestant church in France if men of such belief are her teachers. He tells us, as tho it were without question, that the writer of the book of Daniel borrowed the name of the prophet, and wrote somewhere about B.C. 165, contrary to the words of our Lord, and that "from design, he involves his words in an obscurity which does not fail to make extremely difficult the comprehension of his work." Daniel tells us that he wrote what God gave; that he himself did not understand his prophecy; but that the wise should understand it in the time of the end. See Dan. 12:4, 8-10. It is better to study the Bible. The Oxford helps are infinitely better.

"Adam and Eve: History or Myth? Missing Links." By Professor L. T. Townsend, D.D. The Chapple Publishing Company, Boston.

We are glad this little book has been published. It stands for the primitive faith of Christendom; for faith in the Bible; and it lays upon an infidel science some telling blows with cudgels which scientists have oftentimes unwittingly furnished. It is a refreshing little book, and we commend to Christian ministers its candid reading.

"The Vest-Pocket Standard Dictionary," abridged from the Funk & Wagnalls "Standard Dictionary," containing the correct spelling, pronunciation, syllabication, and definition of about 30,000 vocabulary terms, James C. Fernald, editor, is just leaving the press of Funk & Wagnalls Company.

Vol. XII. of the "Jewish Encyclopedia" will have thirty-three pages devoted to the Jews in the United States, a very clear and succinct account. It gives the number of Jews in each state, their occupation in general, religious standing, etc. A very low percentage of criminals is found among them.

"The Preparation of Manuscripts for the Printer," by Frank H. Vizetelly, associate editor of the "Standard Dictionary," Funk & Wagnalls Company, publishers, will be ready soon. Besides giving directions to authors on how to prepare copy and prepare proofs, Mr. Vizetelly's work points out how authors can reduce the cost of corrections in type, and tells them when, where, and how to make them.