Reid has obtained his knowledge of
A paper booklet of rhymed couplets, with
architecture from sound practical experience,
illustrations, aiming at the facetious in pre-
and the diagrams he sends us are constructed
historic social life.
A paper booklet of rhymed couplets, with
architecture from sound practical experience,
illustrations, aiming at the facetious in pre-
and the diagrams he sends us are constructed
historic social life.
Athenaeum - London - 1912a
Each has We would not, however, end on any
among the Romanticists, affirms that art much to say for itself ; each, in his opinion, carping note. If this work fails to give us
should be “ semblable à la vie. " Indeed, has failed, in the long run, to satisfy man any ultimate rationale of life and the world
it is the element of realism, which, as M. -Idealism, because of its aristocratic trend ; in which thought can find repose, it is
Pellissier shows, was the leaven' which Naturalism, because it fails to appropriate admirable both negatively, in its exposure
transformed the romantic conception of art the experiences and results of man's his. of the unsatisfactoriness of the “ merely
by virtue of a principle essentially naturalist, torical development; Socialism, because it human,” and positively, in its vindication
and infused new vigour into all forms of ignores the spiritual life of the individual, of the spiritual, and in a certain power and
artistic expression, including lyricism. This and, moreover, ignores, or arbitrarily wrests persuasiveness tending to incite the inquirer
is the heart of M. Pellissier's book, and the into accordance with its own theory, the at least to make trial of the spiritual life.
vigour and breadth of his treatment carry darker facts of human life ; and, finally, It must assuredly meet the needs of many
the reader along unresistingly.
Individualism, because the æsthetic con- minds, and by means of it English readers
By its very realism romanticism stands ception of life not only surrenders morality, may come to understand better than ever
out most clearly against classicism, and 'but also at the same time itself proves the influence which Prof. Eucken wields.
2
seems
was
on
## p. 158 (#134) ############################################
158
THE ATHENÆUM
No. 4398, FEB. 10, 1912
on
66
are
The Lay of the Nibelung Men. Trans-
which is good, is imaginary, These facts
OUR LIBRARY TABLE.
lated from the Old German Text by Arthur
may astonish a public which knows nothing
S. Way. (Cambridge University Press. )
In Dickens Street, by W. R. Thomson about the imagination of an artist.
The Fair Maid of Perth' has not been
To the task of rendering the 'Nibelungen-(Chapman & Hall), is a pleasant little volume
lied’into English verse Dr. Way brings an
of meditations on some of the better-known included, but contains, says Mr. Lang, in
extraordinarily extensive practice in the art
characters in Dickens. Mr. Thomson is Connacher a reminiscence of a brother of
of translation, the result being that he has zestful and appreciative, but we fancy that Scott's. It has also in Father Clement a
at his disposal an excellent command of the elaborate mosaic of familiar quotations, ribute to open-mindedness in religion which
language, great facility in versification, which is a feature of most of the papers, might have been mentioned in the chapter
and a trained sense as to how the innumer will appeal less to the Dickens veteran (whom Scott's Clerical Characters. '
The volume should serve its purpose
able stumbling-blocks that beset the path they are apt to worry) than to the raw
of the inexperienced translator may best be recruit. The lecture on Mrs. Gamp is, well, though the present reviewer does not
circumvented. We think that his version perhaps, Mr. Thomson's happiest achieve- regard it as putting out of court his copy of
of the epic will prove more enjoyable ment, though we may point out that that 'Waverley Anecdotes,' for which he paid
to the general reader than any of its pre- lady was by her sister's marriage with a precisely fourpence.
decessors. For its form he has wisely chosen master sawyer” related to a railway guard
the splendid and admirably flexible metre-not, as Mr. Thomson asserts, to an engine- The Rise of the Novel of Manners : a Study
of William Morris's 'Story of Sigurd the driver. In view of the Northern origin of of English Prose Fiction between 1600 and
Volsung'—a metre which is very closely the book some of the sketches have ap- 1740. By Charlotte E. Morgan. “ Colum-
akin to that of the Nibelungenlied itself, peared in The Glasgow Herald—it is curious bia University Studies in English. " (Colum-
while it escapes the monotony and awkward to find its author, in his “Micawber? essay, bia University Press, London, Frowde.
nesses that seem to be inherent in any reproducing without comment Dickens's Miss Morgan's formidable list of authorities
exact reproduction of the latter into English. misquotation ("* frere” for fere) from the shows how much has been written in the
His lines run vigorously and rapidly, and last stanza of Auld Lang Syne. '
form of articles and monographs in the
carry the reader successfully over the duller In dealing with the puzzle of Edwin Drood, last few years on this subject; and her
stretches of the poem.
Mr. Thomson inclines to the somewhat text shows that she has used them. She
On the other hand, the spirit of the arbitrarily discredited Bazzard theory, and gives, moreover, a chronological list, more
original—the simplicity and directness that states his reasons with conciseness. We than a hundred pages long, of English fiction,
so characteristic of it—is not always note a few small slips : the Kenwigses did or work bordering on fiction, published
preserved. The rendering of such a line as
not live in Golden Square, but in a dilapi. between 1600 and the appearance of Richard-
dated street near by ; it was
den wirt bi sînen gesten vil harte sêre verdrôz
“the baronet's son in 1740. But her account of this litera-
by
nephew,” not son, after dancing with whom ture would have been greatly improved by
at Exeter Mrs. Wititterly
But amidst of his guests for the host-king time traileth a
collapsed the exclusion of the period 1600-60, which she
broken wing,
while the allusion (p. 80) to“ Mr. Bob Allen sketches in the most perfunctory way, only
shows a sophistication of expression which
will surprise Pickwickians.
warming into a show of original knowledge
is extremely frequent and to which some
In the case of Mr. Swiveller, too, an and freshness of manner when she passes the
critics may take exception. It is, however, opportunity has certainly been missed. No Restoration. This restricted period would
only fair to add that the embellishments of
one, as yet, seems to have realized that the have given scope enough ; for, though not
this kind have generally been made with sublime Richard, at the beginning of the ten novels of any importance were published
considerable taste and literary skill. " A story, adopts the Weller mode of speech, in the last forty years of the century, the
good many minor inaccuracies in the inter-
discoursing of "wiolence," "conwiviality,
conwiviality,” jejune fiction of the time was nevertheless
pretation of the Middle High German text
'the old min,” “ jine hands,” and the like ; full of experiment and growth in literary
also occur, but they need not seriously inter whereas, as the narrative progresses, he form ; while its very meanness and poverty
fere with the enjoyment of the reader. We
speaks like an educated man. This is of content have preserved it from being
quote, as a sample of Dr. Way's quality, a
another example of the continual change of worked upon. The historian of the English
couple of stanzas :-
plan engendered by the method of publica novel in this its period of incubation will
tion which Dickens favoured, and a further have plenty to do. Even leaving out of
Flashedemany a priceless gemstone from the folds of her proof, if any were needed, of the futility consideration the romance in its several
And the roses flushed through the lilies, a snare of heart's of any attempt at the solution of the Drood kinds, the anti-romance, and the picaresque
mystery.
story, which by this time were faits accom-
Howsoe'er 'gainst the spell of her beauty one strove, he
needs must own
plis, he must read as much as he can endure
That nothing so passing lovely in the wide world yet had he For the expert the best part of the Rev. of the 500 or more vulgar “polite" novels
known.
W. S. Crockett's Scott Originals (T. N. Foulis) which were the favourite reading, and often
As the full moon in her glory swims on before the stars,
And the brightness of her splendour floats forth of the
will be the admirable illustrations, which purported to be the work, of
persons of
cloudy bars,
include facsimiles of the manuscript of the honour,” in order to disentangle the various
So before all other women shone out that Queen of Love.
Well hmight the hearts of the heroes be uplifted for joy volume is attractively produced, and shows into the new art. Perhaps Prof. Brie will
novels, and several rare portraits. The threads which were being woven together
This is by no means a faultless rendering: a wide knowledge of facts and possibilities prove in his forthcoming book to be this
in accuracy it is surpassed by the versions concerning Scott's prototypes. It is, how- historian; certainly Miss Morgan is not.
of Lettsom and Miss Horton, and, we might ever, filled out with a good deal of quotation Her essay is brief, and does not make up
add, Prof. Needler, and the love of decora- from the novels which ought to be familiar, for brevity by brilliance. But she has made
tion is too much in evidence ; but it has life and some criticism of no particular distinc- a useful first guide to the material, sorting
and movement.
tion. What Jeffrey said does not much a great deal of it into separate rubbish
* Other notices of French books will strikes us as occasionally verbose.
matter to-day, and Mr. Crockett himself heaps, each with a label neatly stuck into
the top of it. Had she confined herself to
be found under Fine Art, Music, and the
We find abundant entertainment and native English works, her task would have
Drama.
human interest in the Scottish characters been lighter ; but this would have been to
here portrayed, and the average reader will evade the real problem, for the great bulk
SALE.
not regret any more than we do that Mr. of English fiction till the eighteenth century
MESSRS. SOTHEBY sold on Tuesday, January
Crockett has gone beyond his intention of was translated or slavishly imitated from
30th, and the following day, the remaining portion keeping generally to Scott and Lockhart as the Continental novelists. Miss Morgan
of the library of the late Dr. Joseph Frank Payne. witnesses, and referred to such later sources distinguishes well between French and
Among the most important books were the follow- as Mrs. Hughes of Uffington, Mr. Andrew Spanish influences, a distinction not so
ing :-
Herbals, &c. : Herbarium Apulei Platonici, of Sir Walter Scott. '
Lang, and James Skene's vivid 'Memories apparent in the short stories as in the
Rome, 1484-8, 961. Latin Herbal, Passau, 1485,
The last might have romances which preceded them. Nor has
691. Hortus Sanitatis, Maintz, 1491,' 461. ; supplied some more details. Thus we learn she treated the novel as a watertight com.
another, Cologne, c. 1496, 311. ; another, in that Skene himself had the original combat partment of literature, but illustrates the
French, 1539, 351.
with the seals which was made into excellent connexion between it and comedy, as well
Miscellaneous Books : Bacon, Instauratio chaff in 'The Antiquary. A chapter on
Magna, 1620, 401. Spenser, Faerie Queene, first Scott's humour would have been pleasant, voyages, memoirs, character-sketches, and
the contemporary native genres of
three books, 1590, 431.
Milton Collection : Areopagitica, 1644,331. 108. ; and might have taken the space occupied the like, which helped to bridge the gulf
Brief Notes upon a late Sermon, titled “The by familiar verdicts and quotations.
between the novel and life.
Fear of God and the King,' 1660 ; and No Blinde Of the pictures, the most striking are those Perhaps the best part of Miss Morgan's
Guides (an answer to the previous pamphlet), of the Black Dwarf. That strange being volume is the long chronological list of
1660, 321.
Of Education, to Master
Samuel Hartlib, 1644, 1721. ; Paradise Lost, first
was more faithfully reproduced than any novels printed at the end ; but both this
edition, third title, 1888, 441. ;
other character in Scott, but the story was a and the text have many misprints and
The total of the sale was 2,0551. 178.
failure. On the other hand, its background, other slips.
desire.
as
108. ;
## p. 159 (#135) ############################################
No. 4398, FEB. 10, 1912
159
THE ATHENÆUM
LIST OF NEW BOOKS.
(Notice in these columns does not preclude longer
review).
ENGLISH.
as
Theology.
Roberts (Rev. Richard), The Renascence of
Faith, 6/
The author protests that the age is on the
crest of a wave of spiritual rejuvenescence. We
in no wise object to sharing in his optimism,
but dislike the prominence which he attaches
to himself in the matter by occupying the whole
of the book's cover with a reproduction of his
own photograph.
Saint Patrick (about 389–461), by the Abbé
Riguet, translated by C. W. W. , 2/8 net.
M. Riguet deals with St. Patrick's prose-
lytizing mission in Ireland in the fifth century,
and the indoctrination of the Celtic people
by means of what we may call “ peaceful pene-
tration," in its literally innocuous sense. The
conversion was effected at a critical period in
Irish history, and the author deals with this
transitional epoch concisely and with insight,
and without any excessive bias. The sources
and bibliography are satisfactory, and the
translation is serviceable. In “The Saints"
Series.
Lau.
Williamson (A. ), A French-English Dictionary of
Legal Words and Phrases, including Commercial
Terms most commonly in Use.
A useful compilation concerning a
plicated subject. “It supplies the reader with a
lucid explanation of the technicalities of legal
terminology in French.
com-
lined tombs in the first flush of the First
Dynasty. A larger work, ‘Abydos,' is to deal
Poetry and Drama.
more fully with the material still to be dug out. Anderson (C. G. ), With Lute and Viol, 2/6 net.
The present volume treats principally of valu- In Mr. Anderson's first three poems we trace
able ivory and copper discoveries. The ex- three potent fetishes, to which modern minor
cellent plates are comprehensively described. bards dedicate the fruits of their toil. There
Garrard's, 1721-1911, Crown Jewellers and Gold-
is the liquid, melting strain, melancholy and
smiths during Six Reigns and in Three Centuries;
fugitive as a dying wind; the rampant, Cory-
with some Account of the Original Seat of their
bantic ditty, whose rhythm marches to the
Business in the Haymarket and their New
waving of pennons and the beating of drums ;
Home in Albemarle Street and Grafton Street,
and, lastly, the catalogue of jewels of exotic
5/ net.
unguents, such as ambergis,” and musical
Messrs. Garrard have issued an attractive
instruments, such as the sackbut. " The
little history of their long-established firm,
vital sap has long been squeezed out of these
enlivened by interesting digressions about old
harmonies, and they are as conventionalized
London, and adorned by plans and illustra-
as the barrel-organ tune.
tions. More of the old business houses might Bayley (Stanhope), Anima Fanciulla (The Maiden
well gather and print their records in the same
Soul), 1/ net.
handy shape.
The smooth, invertebrate idylls before us,
Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. I. Part I. , 1911, 15/
though free from bad taste, are none the less
The first number of this Journal has an significant of the insidious plausibility of such
array of fine scholars which promises well for productions. They exhale a faint, scented
the future of the Society for the Promotion of
mist of subdued ecstasy, which by its very
Roman Studies. It should be as valuable to
nature suffocates vitality, and even when
classical students its Hellenic compeer:
compared with the vague atmospheric splendour
We are glad to see Prof. A. von Domaszewski
Fine Art and Archæology.
Briggs (R. A. ), Pompeian Decorations, 25/ net.
A reproduction of the mural decorations at
Pompeii by the three-colour process, which is
less costly than lithography. The decorations
are frequently drawn to scale, and their ex•
quisite colouring is transferred with as much
accuracy as possible. The pencil drawings,
reproduced by the half-tone process, are less
perfect, but the coloured frieze traceries
are striking in shading and proportion. The
variety and originality of the designs are
eloquent of the imagination which worked upon
them.
Cox (J. Charles), Cornwall, 2/6 net.
Dr. Cox apologizes in his Preface for the
stringent condensation necessary from con-
siderations of space, and it is occasionally a
strain on the reader, as in such an expression as
“ saint subjects. ". The book a learned and
conscientious guide, which may be trusted
to give all details of importance, and embodies
the results of a ripe judgment in church archi-
tecture. One of the volumes on County
Churches.
Cox (Kenyon), The Classic Point of View :
Critical Study of Paintings, 6/
of Maeterlinck's art is as a chimera to the real
and Dr. Salomon Reinach as contributors,
thing. The volume is one of the Vigo Cabinet
besides English authorities like Dr. Warde
Series.
Fowler. There are seven original articles, as
Cocks (Lucy F. ), Daffodils and Lyrics, 2/6 net.
well as some important reviews. The print and
We have turned page after page of this
illustrations are worthy of the scheme, the
collection of verses in the hope of finding a poem
plates at the end being admirable.
-but without success.
Reid (John A. ), Building Construction and Archi-
Currey (C. ), Now and Then; or, a Present from
tectural Drawing, 4/ net.
the Past, 6d.
Mr.
Reid has obtained his knowledge of
A paper booklet of rhymed couplets, with
architecture from sound practical experience,
illustrations, aiming at the facetious in pre-
and the diagrams he sends us are constructed
historic social life. The idea is not new, and is
not on the lines of academic formulæ, but
not well carried out.
from the point of view of erecting actual build- Furst (Herbert E. A. ), Songs of Town and Country.
ings. A small pamphlet is included among
There is more town than country in Mr.
the drawing sheets as an explanatory com-
Furst's poems. We respect him more for pure
mentary. The author is an alumnus of the efflorescence of temperament than for its
Glasgow School of Art.
expression in metrical form. He possesses
Seager (Richard B. ), Explorations in the Island
what may be designated the piebald spirit,
of Mochlos.
scanning the world as men have made it
The time is ripe, in the light of accumulated
through human, angelic, and demoniac eyes.
excavation, for a connected history of pre-
These ingredients he blends with considerable
Hellenic civilization, particularly, that of the
success. His rhythm displays uncertainty,
Minoan dynasty. Mr. Seager's investigations
and he indulges in grotesque experiment. , Mr.
in 1908 at Mochlos, off the coast of Crete,
Furst follows on the lines of the great pantheist
embodied in this volume, are a welcome addi-
Whitman and his disciple Edward Carpenter.
tion to our knowledge of the subject, and another Galsworthy (John), The Pigeon, a Fantasy in
incentive for the penning of a fascinating book.
Three Acts, 1/6 net.
His work makes no pretensions beyond cata-
We dealt with the dramatized version of this
loguing his explorations. It is issued by the play in last week's Athenæum. There are no
American School of Classical Studies at Athens. essential divergences between the acted and
Sibree (Rev. James), Our English Cathedrals :
printed texts.
their `Architectural Beauties and Character: Hudson (William Henry), Milton and his Poetry, 1/
istics and their Historical Associations Popularly Mr. Hudson has produced a readable account
Described, 2 vols. , 5/ net each.
of Milton's life, together with a selection from
Two volumes which can only be cha- his poems. The little book will be useful to
racterized as a collection of handbooks, each young students, but would have been even
on a cathedral. To the vast bulk of such lite- better if the author had refrained from bestow-
rature already in existence they add little ing injurious adjectives upon the Stuart kings.
or nothing. The author apparently tries to To call James I. " that foolish and contemptible
steer between the Scylla of the book which monarch merely in passing distracts the
goes into detailed elaboration about cathedrals, reader's attention from the matter in hand, and
and the Charybdis of the guide-book, which is needlessly offensive.
epitomizes salient features. He has only James I. of England, New Poems, from a Hitherto
ultimately succeeded in furnishing scraps of Unpublished Manuscript (Add. 24195) in the
information calculated to please those tra- British Museum, edited with Introduction and
vellers who scurry through places of anti- Notes by Allan F. Westcott, 6/6 net.
quarian and historical interest in the modern More than half of the fifty-seven poems and
style.
all the prose contained in the MS. referred to
Stearns (Frank Preston), The Midsummer of have not been hitherto published. They are
Italian Art, 6/ net.
here presented in their entirety, microscopically
This volume deals with the culminating edited and annotated. But the book is too
achievement of the Italian Renaissance and long for the value of James I. 's poetic pro-
the four great figureheads of the period-
duction. Many of the pages in the introduction
Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci,
are irrelevant. The notes, though efficient,
and Correggio. There is an appendix on betray a similar lack of proportion. Such
Morelli, Rubens, and the Aphrodite of Melos.
superabundant scholarship is a check rather
Unfortunately, though the criticism shows than an incentive to study.
perspicuity and spirit, the reproductions are
mediocre. Nor is there a bibliography.
Mayne (Rutherford), The Drone, and Other Plays.
For notice see p. 172.
Stein (M. Aurel), Ruins of Desert Cathay : Per- National Federation of Class Teachers, edited
sonal Narrative of Explorations in Central
by W. B. Steer, 6d. net.
Asia and Westernmost China, 2 vols.
A small anthology written by members of
An intimate and absorbing record of Dr.
the National Federation of Class Teachers. It
Stein's archeological and geographical ex. displays a deal of aspiration and some genuine
plorations while travelling in Central Asia
feeling with it, but, unfortunately, the results
for the Indian Government between 1906 and
are in no wise superior to the average achieve-
1908. The valleys of the Indo-Afghan border; ment of minor verse.
the snow-capped peaks of the Hindukush; Osmaston (F. P. B. ), The Future of Poetry.
the broad Oxus ; Khotan and the great desert
Mr. Osmaston's dissertation contains some
to the ancient wall of China; the Kun-lun
clever, though not new reflections on the nature
range, south of Khotan, and the solitary
and functions of poetry. His thought is
plateaus of Tibet-of all these almost inacces-
decidedly immature, nor can the fact be hidden
sible regions and the remains of their civiliza-
by a suave juggling with great names, a bland
tions, the author gives a fascinating picture. assumption of authority, somewhat nebulous
For the ancient historian his researches will
if closely examined, and preciosity of phrase.
be invaluable. Among other things he dis- His thesis, ramifying through an intricate
covered the most western portion of the great variety of argument, does not appear to us to
wall of the Chinese Empire.
lead to any perceptible goal. But with some
net.
The book presents views definite in character,
and is very interesting and erudite, though
inclined to be harshly dogmatic concerning
modern painting. The reproductions are good,
but their selection seems somewhat indis-
criminate.
De Hooch (1629-c. 1677) and Vermeer (1632-
1675), The Masterpieces of, 6d. net.
Dr. Hofstede de Groot's 'Catalogue of Dutch
Painters 'has served as the model for this paper-
covered booklet. It contains sixty reproduc-
tions on a small scale of photographs from the
original paintings, and embodies the painters'
characteristic work. The publishers deserve
commendation for their enterprise in attempting
to cover the entire field of classic painting up
to 1800. They hope to be able to publish
twelve volumes yearly. This is No. 46 of
Gowans's Art Books.
Dickens, Characters from : a Portfolio of 20 Van-
dyck Gravures from the Drawings by F. G.
Lewin, with an Introduction by B. W. Matz,
3/6 net.
For notice see p. 151.
Egypt Exploration Fund, Thirty-First Memoir :
Pre-Dynastic Cemetery at El Mahasna, by
Edward R. Ayrton and W. L. 8. Loat.
The printed result of excavations begun in
November, 1908, upon the ancient site of
Abydos. The editors eschew controversial
questions, and confine themselves to a statement
of what their explorations unearthed. The
cemetery graves are representative of the whole
pre-dynastic period to the embryonic brick-
а
## p. 160 (#136) ############################################
160
THE ATHENÆ UM
No. 4398, FEB. 10, 1912
:
exceptions he is in the line of wise thinking. receiving another, differing in no essentials Moorhouse (E. Hallam), The Story of Lady
With less self-consciousness, he should write from its predecessors, is not, we fear, alleviated Hamilton, 2/6 net.
excellently.
by the author's laboured efforts after piquancy. The author has already written one book on
Shakespeare, Coriolanus, edited by Stuart P. Resolved to outdo the pageantry of other writers, Lady Hamilton. We cannot see the necessity
Sherman.
he heads his chapters, The Cloudy Dawn, for this one, which is of the brief, popular order,
The Tudor Edition. This neat little edition The Sultry Noon, The Angry Sunset,' and with coloured reproductions of some famous
has comments by American scholars. Prof. Night. '
pictures.
Sherman's work is sound, though we think Chancellor (E. Beresford), Annals of the Strand, Scotsman in Canada (The): Vol. 1. Eastern
his introduction rather stodgy in expression. 7/6 net.
Canada, including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward
The notes and glossary are to the point, but A painstaking and pleasant, but somewhat Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario,
too brief, we think, here and there, to give verbose work. With such a subject, labour
sufficient aid. The adding of derivations would
by Wilfred Campbell ; and Vol. II. Western
and love are not enough. The method adopted
have fixed unfamiliar words in the memory.
Canada, including Manitoba, Saskatchewan,
takes the district piecemeal-streets, churches,
Winbolt (S. E. ), Spenser and his Poetry, 1/
Alberta, British Columbia, and Portions of
theatres, &c. , and describes them historically.
Mr. Winbolt's study of Spenser's life is better
old Rupert's Land and the Indian Territories,
Readers are, in consequence, in every chapter by George Bryce.
suited for senior than for junior classes, though carried from century to century, and not all
the selections from The Faery Queene
An able work dealing with the influence of
the amusing anecdotes related can prevent their Scottish life and character in the principal
might well be acceptable to very young readers. thinking of the Strand merely as the street cities of Canada. The immigration of the
A little more elucidation of Spenser's un- that runs from Temple Bar to Charing Cross, Scotch into the country played a large part in
sympathetic-not to say inhuman-attitude
instead of a pathway from the Middle Ages to
towards the natives of Ireland seems needed, if
moulding its religious, educational, and political
our own times.
a true view of his character is to be given.
conditions, and strongly affected the destinies
Chesterton (Cecil), The Story of Nell Gwyn, of the national life. The book lays much
Philosophy.
2/6 net.
stress on the prominence of the Ulster Scots-
Nell Gwyn's memory has certainly not been man. There are lists of the founders and
Boutroux (Émile), William James, 3/6
allowed to languish in obscurity. In contra-
pioneers of the settlements.
If all James's admirers were as discreet as distinction to the majority of other women Slattery Charles Lewis), Alexander Viets Gris-
M. Boutroux, pragmatism would make more of ill repute resuscitated by our latter-day wold Allen, 1941-1908, 7/6 net.
converts in England. The book is as clear and chroniclers, she at least had charm, and was not The biography of a celebrated religious
vigorous as its subject; and if, in our view, disagreeably venal. Mr. Chesterton, of whom teacher rather than theologian, who possessed
the author makes too light of certain diffi- we had expected better things, does not disdain as many secular as doctrinal attributes. Though
culties, he discusses James's character and either to whitewash his characters or to throw he was hardly an “intellectual,” his humour,
thought without becoming uncritical, or lapsing them into a sensational perspective.
tolerance, magnetism, and forensic ability made
into panegyric. The translation is adequate, Dickens as Editor : being Letters written by him him an appropriate subject for a biography,
and is by Archibald and Barbara Henderson.
to William Henry Wills, his Sub-Editor, but scarcely, we think, of such length ag
Colville (W. J. ), Creative Thought : being Essays
selected and edited by R. C. Lehmann, 12/6 net.
the one before us. It is adequately, if prosaic-
in the Art of Self-Unfoldment, 3/6 net.
For notice see p. 151.
ally written, and apt to wander into barren and
Mr. Colville covers a wide range of nebulous
irrelevant minutiæ.
speculation. He venerates astrology; mental | Fletcher (C. R. L. ), The Making of Western
healing, the human aura, and polarity are his
Europe : Vol. I. The Dark Ages, 300-1000 A. D. , Stevenson (R. L. ), Records of a Family of Engi-
stock-in-trade; and he speaks of Longfellow
7/6 net.
neers, 6/
as “ Columbia's representative bard. "
As a popular historian Mr. Fletcher has The contents of this volume, now published
Cooke (Harold P. ), Maurice the Philosopher,
already gained a notoriety not altogether in the excellent and familiar buckram binding,
2/6 net.
enviable. His political prejudices too often will not be new to readers of the expensive
make his English history read like a party
editions of Stevenson.
The dialogue is well suited for philosophy
It begins with The
by its power of suggestion and incompatibility
pamphlet. In the present work he is out of the Surname of Stevenson,' a paper modified by
with dogmatism. But the example of Plato is
reach of temptation, and the result is a clear a few foot-notes to which no name is attached,
dangerous. Mr, Cooke has caught his manner
and trustworthy narrative of a period scantily but which are due, we believe, to Sir Sidney
only in the form of his sentences, and for his
treated by English writers.
Colvin. The ancestors are distinguished for
literary grace he substitutes preciosity of Great Roll of the Pipe for the Twenty-Ninth
their work on lighthouses and a dry and severe
phrase. The good, happiness, and love are Year of the Reign of King Henry II. , A. D. 1182-
piety, the papers which Stevenson worked on
1183, now First Printed from the Original in
his themes, treated with care, if without much
being often monuments of misdirected
the Custody of the Master of the Rolls under the
originality. Dr. F. C. S.
among the Romanticists, affirms that art much to say for itself ; each, in his opinion, carping note. If this work fails to give us
should be “ semblable à la vie. " Indeed, has failed, in the long run, to satisfy man any ultimate rationale of life and the world
it is the element of realism, which, as M. -Idealism, because of its aristocratic trend ; in which thought can find repose, it is
Pellissier shows, was the leaven' which Naturalism, because it fails to appropriate admirable both negatively, in its exposure
transformed the romantic conception of art the experiences and results of man's his. of the unsatisfactoriness of the “ merely
by virtue of a principle essentially naturalist, torical development; Socialism, because it human,” and positively, in its vindication
and infused new vigour into all forms of ignores the spiritual life of the individual, of the spiritual, and in a certain power and
artistic expression, including lyricism. This and, moreover, ignores, or arbitrarily wrests persuasiveness tending to incite the inquirer
is the heart of M. Pellissier's book, and the into accordance with its own theory, the at least to make trial of the spiritual life.
vigour and breadth of his treatment carry darker facts of human life ; and, finally, It must assuredly meet the needs of many
the reader along unresistingly.
Individualism, because the æsthetic con- minds, and by means of it English readers
By its very realism romanticism stands ception of life not only surrenders morality, may come to understand better than ever
out most clearly against classicism, and 'but also at the same time itself proves the influence which Prof. Eucken wields.
2
seems
was
on
## p. 158 (#134) ############################################
158
THE ATHENÆUM
No. 4398, FEB. 10, 1912
on
66
are
The Lay of the Nibelung Men. Trans-
which is good, is imaginary, These facts
OUR LIBRARY TABLE.
lated from the Old German Text by Arthur
may astonish a public which knows nothing
S. Way. (Cambridge University Press. )
In Dickens Street, by W. R. Thomson about the imagination of an artist.
The Fair Maid of Perth' has not been
To the task of rendering the 'Nibelungen-(Chapman & Hall), is a pleasant little volume
lied’into English verse Dr. Way brings an
of meditations on some of the better-known included, but contains, says Mr. Lang, in
extraordinarily extensive practice in the art
characters in Dickens. Mr. Thomson is Connacher a reminiscence of a brother of
of translation, the result being that he has zestful and appreciative, but we fancy that Scott's. It has also in Father Clement a
at his disposal an excellent command of the elaborate mosaic of familiar quotations, ribute to open-mindedness in religion which
language, great facility in versification, which is a feature of most of the papers, might have been mentioned in the chapter
and a trained sense as to how the innumer will appeal less to the Dickens veteran (whom Scott's Clerical Characters. '
The volume should serve its purpose
able stumbling-blocks that beset the path they are apt to worry) than to the raw
of the inexperienced translator may best be recruit. The lecture on Mrs. Gamp is, well, though the present reviewer does not
circumvented. We think that his version perhaps, Mr. Thomson's happiest achieve- regard it as putting out of court his copy of
of the epic will prove more enjoyable ment, though we may point out that that 'Waverley Anecdotes,' for which he paid
to the general reader than any of its pre- lady was by her sister's marriage with a precisely fourpence.
decessors. For its form he has wisely chosen master sawyer” related to a railway guard
the splendid and admirably flexible metre-not, as Mr. Thomson asserts, to an engine- The Rise of the Novel of Manners : a Study
of William Morris's 'Story of Sigurd the driver. In view of the Northern origin of of English Prose Fiction between 1600 and
Volsung'—a metre which is very closely the book some of the sketches have ap- 1740. By Charlotte E. Morgan. “ Colum-
akin to that of the Nibelungenlied itself, peared in The Glasgow Herald—it is curious bia University Studies in English. " (Colum-
while it escapes the monotony and awkward to find its author, in his “Micawber? essay, bia University Press, London, Frowde.
nesses that seem to be inherent in any reproducing without comment Dickens's Miss Morgan's formidable list of authorities
exact reproduction of the latter into English. misquotation ("* frere” for fere) from the shows how much has been written in the
His lines run vigorously and rapidly, and last stanza of Auld Lang Syne. '
form of articles and monographs in the
carry the reader successfully over the duller In dealing with the puzzle of Edwin Drood, last few years on this subject; and her
stretches of the poem.
Mr. Thomson inclines to the somewhat text shows that she has used them. She
On the other hand, the spirit of the arbitrarily discredited Bazzard theory, and gives, moreover, a chronological list, more
original—the simplicity and directness that states his reasons with conciseness. We than a hundred pages long, of English fiction,
so characteristic of it—is not always note a few small slips : the Kenwigses did or work bordering on fiction, published
preserved. The rendering of such a line as
not live in Golden Square, but in a dilapi. between 1600 and the appearance of Richard-
dated street near by ; it was
den wirt bi sînen gesten vil harte sêre verdrôz
“the baronet's son in 1740. But her account of this litera-
by
nephew,” not son, after dancing with whom ture would have been greatly improved by
at Exeter Mrs. Wititterly
But amidst of his guests for the host-king time traileth a
collapsed the exclusion of the period 1600-60, which she
broken wing,
while the allusion (p. 80) to“ Mr. Bob Allen sketches in the most perfunctory way, only
shows a sophistication of expression which
will surprise Pickwickians.
warming into a show of original knowledge
is extremely frequent and to which some
In the case of Mr. Swiveller, too, an and freshness of manner when she passes the
critics may take exception. It is, however, opportunity has certainly been missed. No Restoration. This restricted period would
only fair to add that the embellishments of
one, as yet, seems to have realized that the have given scope enough ; for, though not
this kind have generally been made with sublime Richard, at the beginning of the ten novels of any importance were published
considerable taste and literary skill. " A story, adopts the Weller mode of speech, in the last forty years of the century, the
good many minor inaccuracies in the inter-
discoursing of "wiolence," "conwiviality,
conwiviality,” jejune fiction of the time was nevertheless
pretation of the Middle High German text
'the old min,” “ jine hands,” and the like ; full of experiment and growth in literary
also occur, but they need not seriously inter whereas, as the narrative progresses, he form ; while its very meanness and poverty
fere with the enjoyment of the reader. We
speaks like an educated man. This is of content have preserved it from being
quote, as a sample of Dr. Way's quality, a
another example of the continual change of worked upon. The historian of the English
couple of stanzas :-
plan engendered by the method of publica novel in this its period of incubation will
tion which Dickens favoured, and a further have plenty to do. Even leaving out of
Flashedemany a priceless gemstone from the folds of her proof, if any were needed, of the futility consideration the romance in its several
And the roses flushed through the lilies, a snare of heart's of any attempt at the solution of the Drood kinds, the anti-romance, and the picaresque
mystery.
story, which by this time were faits accom-
Howsoe'er 'gainst the spell of her beauty one strove, he
needs must own
plis, he must read as much as he can endure
That nothing so passing lovely in the wide world yet had he For the expert the best part of the Rev. of the 500 or more vulgar “polite" novels
known.
W. S. Crockett's Scott Originals (T. N. Foulis) which were the favourite reading, and often
As the full moon in her glory swims on before the stars,
And the brightness of her splendour floats forth of the
will be the admirable illustrations, which purported to be the work, of
persons of
cloudy bars,
include facsimiles of the manuscript of the honour,” in order to disentangle the various
So before all other women shone out that Queen of Love.
Well hmight the hearts of the heroes be uplifted for joy volume is attractively produced, and shows into the new art. Perhaps Prof. Brie will
novels, and several rare portraits. The threads which were being woven together
This is by no means a faultless rendering: a wide knowledge of facts and possibilities prove in his forthcoming book to be this
in accuracy it is surpassed by the versions concerning Scott's prototypes. It is, how- historian; certainly Miss Morgan is not.
of Lettsom and Miss Horton, and, we might ever, filled out with a good deal of quotation Her essay is brief, and does not make up
add, Prof. Needler, and the love of decora- from the novels which ought to be familiar, for brevity by brilliance. But she has made
tion is too much in evidence ; but it has life and some criticism of no particular distinc- a useful first guide to the material, sorting
and movement.
tion. What Jeffrey said does not much a great deal of it into separate rubbish
* Other notices of French books will strikes us as occasionally verbose.
matter to-day, and Mr. Crockett himself heaps, each with a label neatly stuck into
the top of it. Had she confined herself to
be found under Fine Art, Music, and the
We find abundant entertainment and native English works, her task would have
Drama.
human interest in the Scottish characters been lighter ; but this would have been to
here portrayed, and the average reader will evade the real problem, for the great bulk
SALE.
not regret any more than we do that Mr. of English fiction till the eighteenth century
MESSRS. SOTHEBY sold on Tuesday, January
Crockett has gone beyond his intention of was translated or slavishly imitated from
30th, and the following day, the remaining portion keeping generally to Scott and Lockhart as the Continental novelists. Miss Morgan
of the library of the late Dr. Joseph Frank Payne. witnesses, and referred to such later sources distinguishes well between French and
Among the most important books were the follow- as Mrs. Hughes of Uffington, Mr. Andrew Spanish influences, a distinction not so
ing :-
Herbals, &c. : Herbarium Apulei Platonici, of Sir Walter Scott. '
Lang, and James Skene's vivid 'Memories apparent in the short stories as in the
Rome, 1484-8, 961. Latin Herbal, Passau, 1485,
The last might have romances which preceded them. Nor has
691. Hortus Sanitatis, Maintz, 1491,' 461. ; supplied some more details. Thus we learn she treated the novel as a watertight com.
another, Cologne, c. 1496, 311. ; another, in that Skene himself had the original combat partment of literature, but illustrates the
French, 1539, 351.
with the seals which was made into excellent connexion between it and comedy, as well
Miscellaneous Books : Bacon, Instauratio chaff in 'The Antiquary. A chapter on
Magna, 1620, 401. Spenser, Faerie Queene, first Scott's humour would have been pleasant, voyages, memoirs, character-sketches, and
the contemporary native genres of
three books, 1590, 431.
Milton Collection : Areopagitica, 1644,331. 108. ; and might have taken the space occupied the like, which helped to bridge the gulf
Brief Notes upon a late Sermon, titled “The by familiar verdicts and quotations.
between the novel and life.
Fear of God and the King,' 1660 ; and No Blinde Of the pictures, the most striking are those Perhaps the best part of Miss Morgan's
Guides (an answer to the previous pamphlet), of the Black Dwarf. That strange being volume is the long chronological list of
1660, 321.
Of Education, to Master
Samuel Hartlib, 1644, 1721. ; Paradise Lost, first
was more faithfully reproduced than any novels printed at the end ; but both this
edition, third title, 1888, 441. ;
other character in Scott, but the story was a and the text have many misprints and
The total of the sale was 2,0551. 178.
failure. On the other hand, its background, other slips.
desire.
as
108. ;
## p. 159 (#135) ############################################
No. 4398, FEB. 10, 1912
159
THE ATHENÆUM
LIST OF NEW BOOKS.
(Notice in these columns does not preclude longer
review).
ENGLISH.
as
Theology.
Roberts (Rev. Richard), The Renascence of
Faith, 6/
The author protests that the age is on the
crest of a wave of spiritual rejuvenescence. We
in no wise object to sharing in his optimism,
but dislike the prominence which he attaches
to himself in the matter by occupying the whole
of the book's cover with a reproduction of his
own photograph.
Saint Patrick (about 389–461), by the Abbé
Riguet, translated by C. W. W. , 2/8 net.
M. Riguet deals with St. Patrick's prose-
lytizing mission in Ireland in the fifth century,
and the indoctrination of the Celtic people
by means of what we may call “ peaceful pene-
tration," in its literally innocuous sense. The
conversion was effected at a critical period in
Irish history, and the author deals with this
transitional epoch concisely and with insight,
and without any excessive bias. The sources
and bibliography are satisfactory, and the
translation is serviceable. In “The Saints"
Series.
Lau.
Williamson (A. ), A French-English Dictionary of
Legal Words and Phrases, including Commercial
Terms most commonly in Use.
A useful compilation concerning a
plicated subject. “It supplies the reader with a
lucid explanation of the technicalities of legal
terminology in French.
com-
lined tombs in the first flush of the First
Dynasty. A larger work, ‘Abydos,' is to deal
Poetry and Drama.
more fully with the material still to be dug out. Anderson (C. G. ), With Lute and Viol, 2/6 net.
The present volume treats principally of valu- In Mr. Anderson's first three poems we trace
able ivory and copper discoveries. The ex- three potent fetishes, to which modern minor
cellent plates are comprehensively described. bards dedicate the fruits of their toil. There
Garrard's, 1721-1911, Crown Jewellers and Gold-
is the liquid, melting strain, melancholy and
smiths during Six Reigns and in Three Centuries;
fugitive as a dying wind; the rampant, Cory-
with some Account of the Original Seat of their
bantic ditty, whose rhythm marches to the
Business in the Haymarket and their New
waving of pennons and the beating of drums ;
Home in Albemarle Street and Grafton Street,
and, lastly, the catalogue of jewels of exotic
5/ net.
unguents, such as ambergis,” and musical
Messrs. Garrard have issued an attractive
instruments, such as the sackbut. " The
little history of their long-established firm,
vital sap has long been squeezed out of these
enlivened by interesting digressions about old
harmonies, and they are as conventionalized
London, and adorned by plans and illustra-
as the barrel-organ tune.
tions. More of the old business houses might Bayley (Stanhope), Anima Fanciulla (The Maiden
well gather and print their records in the same
Soul), 1/ net.
handy shape.
The smooth, invertebrate idylls before us,
Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. I. Part I. , 1911, 15/
though free from bad taste, are none the less
The first number of this Journal has an significant of the insidious plausibility of such
array of fine scholars which promises well for productions. They exhale a faint, scented
the future of the Society for the Promotion of
mist of subdued ecstasy, which by its very
Roman Studies. It should be as valuable to
nature suffocates vitality, and even when
classical students its Hellenic compeer:
compared with the vague atmospheric splendour
We are glad to see Prof. A. von Domaszewski
Fine Art and Archæology.
Briggs (R. A. ), Pompeian Decorations, 25/ net.
A reproduction of the mural decorations at
Pompeii by the three-colour process, which is
less costly than lithography. The decorations
are frequently drawn to scale, and their ex•
quisite colouring is transferred with as much
accuracy as possible. The pencil drawings,
reproduced by the half-tone process, are less
perfect, but the coloured frieze traceries
are striking in shading and proportion. The
variety and originality of the designs are
eloquent of the imagination which worked upon
them.
Cox (J. Charles), Cornwall, 2/6 net.
Dr. Cox apologizes in his Preface for the
stringent condensation necessary from con-
siderations of space, and it is occasionally a
strain on the reader, as in such an expression as
“ saint subjects. ". The book a learned and
conscientious guide, which may be trusted
to give all details of importance, and embodies
the results of a ripe judgment in church archi-
tecture. One of the volumes on County
Churches.
Cox (Kenyon), The Classic Point of View :
Critical Study of Paintings, 6/
of Maeterlinck's art is as a chimera to the real
and Dr. Salomon Reinach as contributors,
thing. The volume is one of the Vigo Cabinet
besides English authorities like Dr. Warde
Series.
Fowler. There are seven original articles, as
Cocks (Lucy F. ), Daffodils and Lyrics, 2/6 net.
well as some important reviews. The print and
We have turned page after page of this
illustrations are worthy of the scheme, the
collection of verses in the hope of finding a poem
plates at the end being admirable.
-but without success.
Reid (John A. ), Building Construction and Archi-
Currey (C. ), Now and Then; or, a Present from
tectural Drawing, 4/ net.
the Past, 6d.
Mr.
Reid has obtained his knowledge of
A paper booklet of rhymed couplets, with
architecture from sound practical experience,
illustrations, aiming at the facetious in pre-
and the diagrams he sends us are constructed
historic social life. The idea is not new, and is
not on the lines of academic formulæ, but
not well carried out.
from the point of view of erecting actual build- Furst (Herbert E. A. ), Songs of Town and Country.
ings. A small pamphlet is included among
There is more town than country in Mr.
the drawing sheets as an explanatory com-
Furst's poems. We respect him more for pure
mentary. The author is an alumnus of the efflorescence of temperament than for its
Glasgow School of Art.
expression in metrical form. He possesses
Seager (Richard B. ), Explorations in the Island
what may be designated the piebald spirit,
of Mochlos.
scanning the world as men have made it
The time is ripe, in the light of accumulated
through human, angelic, and demoniac eyes.
excavation, for a connected history of pre-
These ingredients he blends with considerable
Hellenic civilization, particularly, that of the
success. His rhythm displays uncertainty,
Minoan dynasty. Mr. Seager's investigations
and he indulges in grotesque experiment. , Mr.
in 1908 at Mochlos, off the coast of Crete,
Furst follows on the lines of the great pantheist
embodied in this volume, are a welcome addi-
Whitman and his disciple Edward Carpenter.
tion to our knowledge of the subject, and another Galsworthy (John), The Pigeon, a Fantasy in
incentive for the penning of a fascinating book.
Three Acts, 1/6 net.
His work makes no pretensions beyond cata-
We dealt with the dramatized version of this
loguing his explorations. It is issued by the play in last week's Athenæum. There are no
American School of Classical Studies at Athens. essential divergences between the acted and
Sibree (Rev. James), Our English Cathedrals :
printed texts.
their `Architectural Beauties and Character: Hudson (William Henry), Milton and his Poetry, 1/
istics and their Historical Associations Popularly Mr. Hudson has produced a readable account
Described, 2 vols. , 5/ net each.
of Milton's life, together with a selection from
Two volumes which can only be cha- his poems. The little book will be useful to
racterized as a collection of handbooks, each young students, but would have been even
on a cathedral. To the vast bulk of such lite- better if the author had refrained from bestow-
rature already in existence they add little ing injurious adjectives upon the Stuart kings.
or nothing. The author apparently tries to To call James I. " that foolish and contemptible
steer between the Scylla of the book which monarch merely in passing distracts the
goes into detailed elaboration about cathedrals, reader's attention from the matter in hand, and
and the Charybdis of the guide-book, which is needlessly offensive.
epitomizes salient features. He has only James I. of England, New Poems, from a Hitherto
ultimately succeeded in furnishing scraps of Unpublished Manuscript (Add. 24195) in the
information calculated to please those tra- British Museum, edited with Introduction and
vellers who scurry through places of anti- Notes by Allan F. Westcott, 6/6 net.
quarian and historical interest in the modern More than half of the fifty-seven poems and
style.
all the prose contained in the MS. referred to
Stearns (Frank Preston), The Midsummer of have not been hitherto published. They are
Italian Art, 6/ net.
here presented in their entirety, microscopically
This volume deals with the culminating edited and annotated. But the book is too
achievement of the Italian Renaissance and long for the value of James I. 's poetic pro-
the four great figureheads of the period-
duction. Many of the pages in the introduction
Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci,
are irrelevant. The notes, though efficient,
and Correggio. There is an appendix on betray a similar lack of proportion. Such
Morelli, Rubens, and the Aphrodite of Melos.
superabundant scholarship is a check rather
Unfortunately, though the criticism shows than an incentive to study.
perspicuity and spirit, the reproductions are
mediocre. Nor is there a bibliography.
Mayne (Rutherford), The Drone, and Other Plays.
For notice see p. 172.
Stein (M. Aurel), Ruins of Desert Cathay : Per- National Federation of Class Teachers, edited
sonal Narrative of Explorations in Central
by W. B. Steer, 6d. net.
Asia and Westernmost China, 2 vols.
A small anthology written by members of
An intimate and absorbing record of Dr.
the National Federation of Class Teachers. It
Stein's archeological and geographical ex. displays a deal of aspiration and some genuine
plorations while travelling in Central Asia
feeling with it, but, unfortunately, the results
for the Indian Government between 1906 and
are in no wise superior to the average achieve-
1908. The valleys of the Indo-Afghan border; ment of minor verse.
the snow-capped peaks of the Hindukush; Osmaston (F. P. B. ), The Future of Poetry.
the broad Oxus ; Khotan and the great desert
Mr. Osmaston's dissertation contains some
to the ancient wall of China; the Kun-lun
clever, though not new reflections on the nature
range, south of Khotan, and the solitary
and functions of poetry. His thought is
plateaus of Tibet-of all these almost inacces-
decidedly immature, nor can the fact be hidden
sible regions and the remains of their civiliza-
by a suave juggling with great names, a bland
tions, the author gives a fascinating picture. assumption of authority, somewhat nebulous
For the ancient historian his researches will
if closely examined, and preciosity of phrase.
be invaluable. Among other things he dis- His thesis, ramifying through an intricate
covered the most western portion of the great variety of argument, does not appear to us to
wall of the Chinese Empire.
lead to any perceptible goal. But with some
net.
The book presents views definite in character,
and is very interesting and erudite, though
inclined to be harshly dogmatic concerning
modern painting. The reproductions are good,
but their selection seems somewhat indis-
criminate.
De Hooch (1629-c. 1677) and Vermeer (1632-
1675), The Masterpieces of, 6d. net.
Dr. Hofstede de Groot's 'Catalogue of Dutch
Painters 'has served as the model for this paper-
covered booklet. It contains sixty reproduc-
tions on a small scale of photographs from the
original paintings, and embodies the painters'
characteristic work. The publishers deserve
commendation for their enterprise in attempting
to cover the entire field of classic painting up
to 1800. They hope to be able to publish
twelve volumes yearly. This is No. 46 of
Gowans's Art Books.
Dickens, Characters from : a Portfolio of 20 Van-
dyck Gravures from the Drawings by F. G.
Lewin, with an Introduction by B. W. Matz,
3/6 net.
For notice see p. 151.
Egypt Exploration Fund, Thirty-First Memoir :
Pre-Dynastic Cemetery at El Mahasna, by
Edward R. Ayrton and W. L. 8. Loat.
The printed result of excavations begun in
November, 1908, upon the ancient site of
Abydos. The editors eschew controversial
questions, and confine themselves to a statement
of what their explorations unearthed. The
cemetery graves are representative of the whole
pre-dynastic period to the embryonic brick-
а
## p. 160 (#136) ############################################
160
THE ATHENÆ UM
No. 4398, FEB. 10, 1912
:
exceptions he is in the line of wise thinking. receiving another, differing in no essentials Moorhouse (E. Hallam), The Story of Lady
With less self-consciousness, he should write from its predecessors, is not, we fear, alleviated Hamilton, 2/6 net.
excellently.
by the author's laboured efforts after piquancy. The author has already written one book on
Shakespeare, Coriolanus, edited by Stuart P. Resolved to outdo the pageantry of other writers, Lady Hamilton. We cannot see the necessity
Sherman.
he heads his chapters, The Cloudy Dawn, for this one, which is of the brief, popular order,
The Tudor Edition. This neat little edition The Sultry Noon, The Angry Sunset,' and with coloured reproductions of some famous
has comments by American scholars. Prof. Night. '
pictures.
Sherman's work is sound, though we think Chancellor (E. Beresford), Annals of the Strand, Scotsman in Canada (The): Vol. 1. Eastern
his introduction rather stodgy in expression. 7/6 net.
Canada, including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward
The notes and glossary are to the point, but A painstaking and pleasant, but somewhat Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario,
too brief, we think, here and there, to give verbose work. With such a subject, labour
sufficient aid. The adding of derivations would
by Wilfred Campbell ; and Vol. II. Western
and love are not enough. The method adopted
have fixed unfamiliar words in the memory.
Canada, including Manitoba, Saskatchewan,
takes the district piecemeal-streets, churches,
Winbolt (S. E. ), Spenser and his Poetry, 1/
Alberta, British Columbia, and Portions of
theatres, &c. , and describes them historically.
Mr. Winbolt's study of Spenser's life is better
old Rupert's Land and the Indian Territories,
Readers are, in consequence, in every chapter by George Bryce.
suited for senior than for junior classes, though carried from century to century, and not all
the selections from The Faery Queene
An able work dealing with the influence of
the amusing anecdotes related can prevent their Scottish life and character in the principal
might well be acceptable to very young readers. thinking of the Strand merely as the street cities of Canada. The immigration of the
A little more elucidation of Spenser's un- that runs from Temple Bar to Charing Cross, Scotch into the country played a large part in
sympathetic-not to say inhuman-attitude
instead of a pathway from the Middle Ages to
towards the natives of Ireland seems needed, if
moulding its religious, educational, and political
our own times.
a true view of his character is to be given.
conditions, and strongly affected the destinies
Chesterton (Cecil), The Story of Nell Gwyn, of the national life. The book lays much
Philosophy.
2/6 net.
stress on the prominence of the Ulster Scots-
Nell Gwyn's memory has certainly not been man. There are lists of the founders and
Boutroux (Émile), William James, 3/6
allowed to languish in obscurity. In contra-
pioneers of the settlements.
If all James's admirers were as discreet as distinction to the majority of other women Slattery Charles Lewis), Alexander Viets Gris-
M. Boutroux, pragmatism would make more of ill repute resuscitated by our latter-day wold Allen, 1941-1908, 7/6 net.
converts in England. The book is as clear and chroniclers, she at least had charm, and was not The biography of a celebrated religious
vigorous as its subject; and if, in our view, disagreeably venal. Mr. Chesterton, of whom teacher rather than theologian, who possessed
the author makes too light of certain diffi- we had expected better things, does not disdain as many secular as doctrinal attributes. Though
culties, he discusses James's character and either to whitewash his characters or to throw he was hardly an “intellectual,” his humour,
thought without becoming uncritical, or lapsing them into a sensational perspective.
tolerance, magnetism, and forensic ability made
into panegyric. The translation is adequate, Dickens as Editor : being Letters written by him him an appropriate subject for a biography,
and is by Archibald and Barbara Henderson.
to William Henry Wills, his Sub-Editor, but scarcely, we think, of such length ag
Colville (W. J. ), Creative Thought : being Essays
selected and edited by R. C. Lehmann, 12/6 net.
the one before us. It is adequately, if prosaic-
in the Art of Self-Unfoldment, 3/6 net.
For notice see p. 151.
ally written, and apt to wander into barren and
Mr. Colville covers a wide range of nebulous
irrelevant minutiæ.
speculation. He venerates astrology; mental | Fletcher (C. R. L. ), The Making of Western
healing, the human aura, and polarity are his
Europe : Vol. I. The Dark Ages, 300-1000 A. D. , Stevenson (R. L. ), Records of a Family of Engi-
stock-in-trade; and he speaks of Longfellow
7/6 net.
neers, 6/
as “ Columbia's representative bard. "
As a popular historian Mr. Fletcher has The contents of this volume, now published
Cooke (Harold P. ), Maurice the Philosopher,
already gained a notoriety not altogether in the excellent and familiar buckram binding,
2/6 net.
enviable. His political prejudices too often will not be new to readers of the expensive
make his English history read like a party
editions of Stevenson.
The dialogue is well suited for philosophy
It begins with The
by its power of suggestion and incompatibility
pamphlet. In the present work he is out of the Surname of Stevenson,' a paper modified by
with dogmatism. But the example of Plato is
reach of temptation, and the result is a clear a few foot-notes to which no name is attached,
dangerous. Mr, Cooke has caught his manner
and trustworthy narrative of a period scantily but which are due, we believe, to Sir Sidney
only in the form of his sentences, and for his
treated by English writers.
Colvin. The ancestors are distinguished for
literary grace he substitutes preciosity of Great Roll of the Pipe for the Twenty-Ninth
their work on lighthouses and a dry and severe
phrase. The good, happiness, and love are Year of the Reign of King Henry II. , A. D. 1182-
piety, the papers which Stevenson worked on
1183, now First Printed from the Original in
his themes, treated with care, if without much
being often monuments of misdirected
the Custody of the Master of the Rolls under the
originality. Dr. F. C. S.
