Literary Notices by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Jul 29, 1908

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 34, No. 31.

Literary Notices.

By Editor

"The History of Babylonia and Assyria." By Hugo Winckler, Ph.D., professor in the University of Berlin. Translated and edited by James Alexander Craig, Ph.D., professor of Semitic languages and literature in the University of Michigan. Price, $1.50, net. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York City.

Dr. Winckler has the reputation of being one of the thorough scholars in Biblical research, one of the foremost Semitic linguists, and a specialist in Assyriology. The book first appeared in 1899. It was revised and edited up to date in 1907 by Dr. Craig, and this is the translation, revised by the author, so it is as nearly an up-to-date work on Assyria and Babylonia as we possess. The object of the work is to tell the plain story as far as history and archeology reveal of the earliest inhabitants of Babylon and Assyria; of the various dynasties and changes of the Babylonian Empire; the Elamites as rulers of Babylon; and finally, Babylon under the Chaldeans and subject to Assyria. In the same way the Assyrian field is covered. Part three of the book is a consideration of the new Babylonian-Chaldean kingdom. There is a very copious index and an excellent map. In addition to this the book is at a reasonable price, placing it within the limits of all who may desire to investigate. The author, altho not writing for that purpose, agrees with the Bible in placing Babylonian civilization and Babylonian influence paramount, in the earliest days of history extending far beyond her own bounds into that of all neighboring lands, including Egypt.

"New England Struggles for Religious Liberty." By Rev. David B. Ford. American Baptist Publishing Society, Philadelphia.

The author of this book has found abundant material for his facts in the vast mass of matter which the Puritans and other New England peoples and communities have left behind them. And from these historical facts and stories, he has gleaned and placed in a convenient volume the struggle for religious liberty. Part One and Part Two deal with the Puritans in their relations to the anti-Baptists and Quakers; and Part Three, the subsequent struggles for religious liberty and its final triumph. An interesting story it indeed is, as the struggle for liberty always must be to those in whose hearts there is longing for freedom. The part which Baptists acted is quite fully set forth, and the heroic efforts which they made, until finally church and state were entirely separated. He who would understand the meaning of religious liberty in America and the danger which menaces the country now, should read Mr. Ford's work.

"Winning the Boy." By Lilburn Merrill, M.D., with an introduction by Judge Ben B. Lindsey, president of the International Juvenile Court Society. Price, 75 cents. Fleming H. Revel Company, New York and Chicago.

This is an interesting, helpful, and timely book for those who are dealing with boys; and who do not? One may not agree with all that Dr. Merrill has said regarding the boy; he may not think the doctor's methods which he suggests are always the best; he may not find himself able to put them into practise; but we do not know who can read the book without getting help from it. It certainly offers hints and suggests helps with a constant, whole-souled sympathy for the boy that is refreshing. The scope of the ground is indicated in the following titles: The Heart of a Boy, Transition to Manhood, Study of the Individual Boy, Fresh Air Work with Boys, Religious Meetings for Boys, and Clubs for Boys. We can only say, read the book; it tells its own story in its own way, but it is worth reading.

"Health for the Million." A book of practical health-culture, which helps toward the Prevention of the Diseases, and the Attainment of the Highest Physical Efficiency. By Alfred B. Olsen, M.D., Superintendent of the Surrey Hills Hydropathic, and of the Leicester Sanitarium; and M. Ellsworth Olsen, M.A., editor of (London) Good Health. Richard J. James, 3 and 4, London House Yard, Paternoster Row, E. C., London, England. Price two shillings, six pence, which would be about 75 cents in America, including postage.

It is not the design of the book to give long symptoms of diseases. It leads forward to health instead of back to ailments and troubles. Of course it must recognize conditions, and it finds these conditions in the great, sick mass of humanity. Its aim and object are to lead the ailing from the wrong habits and customs and practices which have resulted in these untoward conditions to the simple, straightforward habits of health. If followed, it will lead from unnatural conditions to natural conditions; and with the natural conditions will come health. The scope of the book is indicated by the chapter headings: What Is Health? Physical Restoration; Good Physique and How to Train for It; The Heart, Blood-Vessels, and Blood; Hygiene of the Nose and Throat; Care of the Lungs; How We Digest Our Food; Liver Complaints; Hygiene of the Brain and Nerves; Care of Sight and Hearing; Hygiene of the Hair and Scalp; Care of the Teeth; Headache; Rheumatic Disorders and Other Ailments. The book deals with Nature's Remedies, Love and Marriage, Infant Feeding, The Growing Child, Woman's Health, Rational Beauty Culture, Personal and Home Hygiene, Food in Relation to Health, First Aid to the Injured, with some good, strong protests on natural narcotics, how they affect the body, especially the effects of cigarettes upon boys. There is a full table of contents with an excellent index. The introduction is written by G. Sims Woodhead, M.A., M.D., Fellow Trinity Hall, and professor of Pathology, University of Cambridge.

"Church History." By Rev. H. T. Besse. 534 pages; price, $2.75. Holzapfel Publishing Co., Cleona, Pa.

The aim of this book is to give in as simple and condensed form as possible, the great salient facts of church history, brief biographies of the reformers, and list of the principal American and European churches, with considerable space to missions. The author set himself a very difficult task to adequately cover so much ground in so small a volume. He has also to quite an extent departed from the idea of history and delved more or less into theology and religion, aiming to give the teaching of the word according to his views, as well as the history of the church. There are many Bible students who will hardly agree with him in his interpretations of the prophecies of the Apocalypse, or of his view of the gifts in the church. In his statistics the author has not consulted the latest authorities, having evidently depended upon general statements and year books which are out of date. Yet on the whole the facts which are given us are of interest and value to those who are not able to counsel the more expensive works, if they will not depend upon his later statistics. The great age of the author—eighty-four—has naturally had its effect in the last revision of his work.

"The Covenant of Salt" as Based on the Significance of Salt in Primitive Thought. By H. Clay Trumbell. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York City.

An excellent little book. One may not always agree with the conclusions of the author, but he will feel to thank him continually for the light which he throws on various passages of Scripture. The author made long and faithful study; some of it upon the very ground of Oriental symbolism. And in the light of that symbolism the subject of the book is presented. The Characteristics of the Covenant; The Covenant of Salt; The Bible References to the Rite; Salt Representing Blood and Life; Salt in Sacrifices; Exorcism and Divination; A Savor of Life or of Death; The Meaning of These Various Rites and the Times When They Originated. Some splendid thoughts are presented in the supplement—The Ten Commandments as a Covenant of Love. The book has a topical index, and also a Scriptural index. Every Bible student ought to have the little book in his library.

"The Story of the Revised New Testament" (American Standard Edition). Matthew Brown Riddle, one of the revisers. Price, 50 cents. Sunday School Times Co., Philadelphia.

This little work of nearly a hundred pages, by one of the American revisers of the Bible, is full of instruction for the Bible student. It gives a history which every Bible student ought to know. The reason for the revision, all the members and methods of cooperation, the Greek texts which the revisers used, the emended renderings and reasons for them, the American Appendix found in the first prints of the revised Bible, the continuation of the study between the time when that appeared in 1881, and the time when the American Standard Version appeared in 1897, how the American revised New Testament was prepared, the accepting of the American Revised Bible in its distinctive features, showing its superiority over the older versions, are all given to us first-hand by one who was connected with the work all the way thru. Many of those who read the Bible are ignorant of what is told in the little volume. Some have really unfounded prejudice against the American Revised Version. There is no reason for this prejudice; it is simply based on lack of knowledge and love for the old Bible. He who reads this story will not reverence the old Bible less, but will be glad indeed for the better version which has been given us by the able scholars of the American Standard Version.

"Hallowed Hymns New and Old." A collection of 266 hymns, edited and compiled by Allan Sankey. Price, in board binding, 35 cents; in full cloth, 40 cents; in extra cloth and gold, 50 cents. Published by The Biglow & Main Co., Lakeside Building, Chicago.

Many old favorites are to be found in the collection, together with a number of the popular hymns of to-day; several of the old songs appear with new tunes. The book is adapted for religious services of all kinds. It is an excellent collection.

"How to Read Plans." By Charles G. Peker. Industrial Publication Co., New York City. Price, 50 cents.

This volume gives simple, practical illustrations and explanations of the various lines, marks, and symbols and other devices that are used on working drawings, enabling the workman to correctly follow the plans and produce successfully the thing designed by the draftsman or architect. Many a workman is handicapped because he can not read the plans that are placed in his hands. This book is just what is needed to help him out. It is small enough to be readily digested, and yet is plain enough and complete enough to make it a reliable, practical help.

"The Thirteenth, the Greatest of Centuries." By James J. Walsh, M.D., Ph.D., LL.D. Price, $2.50, net, postage, 20 cents extra. Illustrated. Catholic Summer School Press, New York City.

The general argument of the book is to show that the thirteenth century was the greatest of all centuries, as shown in the development of the universities, cathedrals, arts, and crafts; the author holding that there was the beginning of modern democracy; that the scholastic method of education was there developed; the largest universities of all time, there founded; and from that time to the present there has been little change in the character of the great educational institutions of the world. We think, however, that the author has greatly overestimated his argument or his evidence. He has evidently given so much more thought to that century than others that he has lost his true sense of perspective. He looks at it from a purely traditional view-point, himself being a Catholic, of course his views are modified by the position of the church in that century and its influence upon the world. The character of a century is somewhat indicated by the books it reads. This forms his thirteenth chapter—"The Three Most-Read Books;" but these three books are none of them books of reality, but romance and fiction, that is apart from the Bible. The book is worthy of note, however, as giving us a Roman Catholic view of what constitutes the greatest of centuries. The careful student will find that the beginnings of true democracy and religious liberty date back to the first century rather than to the thirteenth.

"A Supplemental Bible Question Course of Fifty-two Lessons." By John D. Smith. Price, 50 cents. Sunday School Times Co., Philadelphia.

The whole design of the book is to make those who are questioned familiar with the Bible as a book in its general outline teachings. There is an appendix which contains the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer, and other great scriptures. An excellent little book to have in a family.

"The Russian Bastile." By Simon O. Pollock. Price, 50 cents. Charles R. Kerr and Co., Chicago.

This is a story written during the short period of the days of liberty in Russia, when there was hope that the old Schlusselburg political prison would no longer be used as a political dungeon; when it was hoped that autocracy was overthrown; but that hope has vanished; autocracy seems to be again restored; the one who wrote the preface to the book, in 1907, is now in prison in Russia. It is an interesting little book, illustrated by the faces of those who have suffered for freedom in the great Russian Empire.

"Hodgson's Practical Bungalows and Cottages." By Fred T. Hodgson. Frederick J. Drake and Co., 350 Wabash Ave., Chicago, publishers.

This book contains 125 designs of attractive bungalows, with floor plans, giving also the approximate cost of each. Any one contemplating building will find in this volume much suggestive and helpful matter.

"Missionary Missiles." Compiled by A. W. Roffe, Toronto, Canada. It is simply a compilation of facts and sentiments pertaining to the missionary

work. A little booklet bound in red paper covers. These are placed under different heads, such as: Fuel for Missionary Fires, Campaign Crackers, Marching Orders, Missionary Interest, Missions and Money, Facts from the Nations, etc., a good little pamphlet for the missionary worker to have.

"Socialism: The Mallock-Wilshire Argument." Pamphlet; 54 pages; price, ten cents. Wilshire Book Company, 200 William St., New York.

But little is quoted of Mr. Mallock's arguments; Mr. Wilshire states the substance of them and the conclusions so fairly, we presume, as an opponent could, and then answers them. One gets in the little pamphlet, however, some views of socialists quite clearly defined as to both the negative and positive side, by one of the ablest exponents of Socialism.

"Mr. Mallock's Ability." By Morris Hillquit (Socialist Literature Company, 15 Spruce Street, New York) is devoted to the same task of combatting Mr. Mallock, and to show that the gentleman has utterly misconceived the philosophy of Socialism.

How a Little Girl Went to Africa. By Leona M. Bicknell. The story of a trip to Africa, told by a little girl of eight or nine years. She writes first of the long voyage, of the great sea, and of the great cities she saw at stopping-places; then of the far-off country, of the queer little African children and their home life, of the Boer War, of the ostrich farms and the diamond mines, of the strange tropical fruits and flowers, etc. The book is also finely illustrated with some of the strange, queer African scenes. 172 pages. Cloth bound, $1.00. Address this office.

Bible Text-Book. By O. A. Johnson. A pocket edition of Bible-readings on 49 subjects, covering in a concise and complete way the Prophecies, the Third Angel's Message, Two Covenants, Law of God, Sabbath Question, and many other kindred topics. 208 pages. Cloth, net, 30 cents; leather, 50 cents. Address this office.