Books Of The Day.

Books of the Day .

Books , Music , & c . intended for review , should be addressed to the Editor of the Freemason ' s Chronicle , at Fleet Works , New Barnet . — : o : — Sour Grapes . By J . F . Cornish ( 6 s ) . —Chatto and Windus . THIS volume belies its title . " Sour Grapes " has afforded us some very pleasant reading , and we hope Mr . Cornish will write another story which shall prove equally good , if he has not already done so . The work before us

is in truth more than a story ; it is a study in human frailty and strength . The style is almost wholly excellent , and the characters well drawn . Ruby Brabrooke does not occupy a large share of the author's attention ; but we think readers will acknowledge her to be a very chdrming young lady , prettily impertinent to papa , loving and gentle towards Mrs . Brabrooke , and —after much teasing and delay—an ideal wife . Barbara Ashleigh is

doubtless intended for a young lady in every respect equal to Ruby , but we think Mr . Cornish had exhausted the cunning of his hand by his delineation of the latter , and Barbara , consequently , is comparatively a failure . But the Squire is the prominent feature in the book . We are inclined to think him the most ably drawn character we have met in a new novel for some time . . Some readers may think his utter helplessness while under the spell of Miss

Conway ' s fascination somewhat overdrawn ; but they will not think so if it has been their lot to mingle freely with all sorts and conditions of men . His reckless conduct towards his wife and son is perfectly true to nature , for Mr . Cornish knows that when self command is lost self respect soon follows . Here and there , too , readers will notice some prose of fine workmanship , of

almost finical finish ; the first chapter , for instance , is an uncommonly good description of an hour ' s quiet poaching in the west of England . Messrs . Chatto and Windus are fortunate in adding yet another excellent novel to the many that have issued from their house . " Sour Grapes " is a book to place on our shelves for future reperusal or reference .

Church and Realm in the Stuart Times . A course of ten Illustrated Lectures by the Rev . 0 . Arthur Lane ( F . R . Hist . S . Author of " Illustrated Notes on English Church History " ) . Arranged for popular instruction , to accompany a series of 600 Lantern illustrations ( 3 s 6 d ) . —Edward Arnold .

BROTHER the Rev . 0 . Arthur Lane can write upon the history of the Church of England with considerable authority , and not as the average scribe . He has preached in more churches than most laymen have seen ; he has perhaps seen more churches than any other prelate , alive or dead . Granted sufficient leisure , and further access to those materials in the British Museum which he has already put to such admirable use , he could

doubtless do for the story of the church what Porson did for a part of the text of Euripides , —he could restore it as approximately as it is ever likely to be restored . These lectures on Church and Realm in Stuart Times well fulfil the purpose for which they were written , and lead us to hope that their author will further devote his attention to that period . He has avoided the Seylla of prelatical bigotry without touching the Charybdis of an invertebrate

and complaisant latitudinarianism . We see no reason why the devotees of Puritanism as reflected in the life and writings of Milton or Bunyan or Baxter need quarrel with Mr . Lane ' s treatment of those worthies ; indeed , we think he is often singularly impartial under circumstances which must sorely tempt him to hit out—and he can hit exceedingly hard . The ecclesiastical sciolist and the liberationist of tender years and slender

knowledge have aired their historical acumen in attacks upon this volume . We are not surprised . In an age when , as Mr . F . Marion Crawford puts it , young ladies criticise the architecture of Michael Angelo and the colouring of Raphael , we should be somewhat astonished if folks failed , after reading these lectures , to hint a fault and hesitate dislike . We commend this

volume to the attention of those who are wont to give the old divines a had name , and hang them . Macaulay , for instance , describes Laud as " The Scandal of the Star Chamber , " an " individual for whom we entertain a more unmitigated contempt than for any other character in our history . " The correction of such estimates as this is one of the services rendered by the lectures . We trust they will be largely used in the more remote provinces .

Maitland of Cortezia . By Francis Lavallin Puxley ( 6 s ) . —Grant Richards . THIS book is on a level with many which come into our hands . A very pleasant hour or two may be spent in reading it , as Southey read Latin , by the run of the eye . But it can hardly claim a place on our bookshelves . Dr . Johnson , in speaking of a certain dinner , complained that it was not a dinner " to ask a man to . " Similarly , we could not ask a busy man

to lead " Maitland oi Oovtezia , without some qualm of conscience . Sir Howard Denbigh , a weak , incompetent man , handed the reins of government in Cortezia to his successor , and Basil Maitland reigned in his stead . He was as strong as his predecessor was weak ; so when the rebellion broke out he behaved as Englishmen sometimes do when their back is against the wall . Mercedes , a girl of rare beauty , is in

a strait betwixt two ; for she is at one and the same time pledged to serve the cause of "liberty" and the National League , and in love with Basil Maitland . There are a few good incidents , —the first meeting between Maitland and Mercedes , the reception of the deputation , Mareinar ' s attack upon Maitlaud , the riot at Sah Miguel ; but we are afraid this book , as a whole , will hardly make a reputation for its author . We could point out

many passages where the style is by no means blameless , as , for instance , on page 112 , where , in the course of twenty words , the pronoun " him " is used five times in regard to the same person 1 We should be pleased to meet with another book by this writer , on a subject which he is more competent to treat ; and sincerely hope we may be able to give it a more hearty welcome than we feel justified in according to " Maitland of Cortezia . "

Roman History . Translated from the German of Dr . Julius Koch , by Lionel D . Barnett , M . A . Temple Primer ( Is net ) . —J . M . Dent and Co . Ax able summary of a vast subject . How vast that subject is and how difficult to summarise may be gathered from Gibbon ' s autobiography , from Arnold on " Early Roman History , " in the Quarterly Review , and many other well known writings . The arts of selection and compression have been

used by Dr . Koch to such good purpose that he has succeeded in placing before us a thoroughly comprehensive r 6 sume of Roman History in a wonderfully small treatise . In judicious hands this little work should be invaluable ; but there is perhaps some danger that young folks will be tempted to regard it as a substitute for , instead of an introduction to larger works . Wc are sure the author is with us when we say that there is no royal

Books Of The Day.

road to an adequate knowledge of Roman History . The ground , however , may be surveyed well enough from these pages , and the reader who passes from this book to Plutarch , Livy , Suetonius and Gonyers Middleton , should be making satisfactory progress . The White Rose . By G . J . Whyte-Melville . Illustrated by S . E . Waller ( 3 s 6 d ) . —Ward , Lock and Go ., Limited .

WE had the opportunity , some time back , of expressing our warm approval of this library edition of Whyte Melville . This further volume that Messrs . Ward , Lock and Co . have kindly sent us has induced us to attempt a fresh estimate of this novelist ' s position in the temple of fame . How many living masters . of fiction are greater than Whyte Melville ? Every critic would answer this question " more suo "; for there is no concensus of opinion possible on such a question—perhaps it is not desirable . For our part ,

considering that range of topic , catholicity of taate , and breadth of culture have , after all , some right to our consideration , we will venture the opinion that while there are five or six living novelists equal to Whyte Melville there is but one , Mr . F . Marion Crawford , who has surpassed him . The volume before us , and " Holmby House " are excellent specimens of Whyte Melvi ^ e at his best . Many of our Brethren know by pleasant experience that that " best" is very good indeed . " The White Rose" is a book to buy and cherish ; for it is a prime favourite .

A NEAT little booklet has been issued by Messrs . Dean and Son , Limited , under the title Thankful Tommy ( his reply to " The Absent-Minded Beggar " ) , a poem by R . Adams Foster , illustrated by A . S . Forrest , which well deserves a warm reception among the mass of patriotic literature just now on the market .

THE May part of " Cassell ' s Magazine " brings the half yearly volume to an end , and is an interesting number . The articles on " Famous Regiments " are continued , No . 6 of the series dealing with the Corps of Royal Engineers , while another feature of the issue is seven complete Stories by some well known authors . The Princess of Wales's jewels , the evolution of an army uniform , and other matters go to make up an entertaining budget .

A HANDY guide for the busy man is provided in " Practical Advertising , " the new issue of which has been sent us by Messrs . Mather and Crowther , Limited . The literary sections of the work—which is a great improvement on former editions—consist of no less than thirty original articles on subjects of interest to advertisers . The indices and tabulated matter have been

thoroughly revised and corrected up-to-date , while the value of the book has been much enhanced by the incorporation of lists of foreign publications . The illustrations of Messrs . Mather and Crowther ' s " practical " work in the art of advertising , and the hints they give on matters of publicity , change this work from a mere directory to an entertaining and instructive handbook .

BOOKS RECEIVED . Castle and Manor . A tale of our time . By St . George Mivart , F . R . S . ( 6 s ) . —Sands and Co . The Son of the House . By Bertha Thomas ( 6 s ) . —Chatto and Windus . The Purple Robe . By Joseph Hocking . Illustrated by J . Barnard Davis ( 3 s 6 d ) . —Ward , Lock and Go ., Limited .

Wide World Adventure . True narratives of extraordinary human endurance . Illustrated ( 2 s 6 d ) . —George Newnes , Limited . " A 439 . " Being the autobiography of a Piano . By twenty-five Musical Scribes ( 6 s ) . —Sands and Co . A Young Dragon . By Sarah Tytler ( 3 s 6 d ) . —Chatto and Windus .

British Locomotives . Their history , construction , and modern development . By C . J . Bowen Cooke . Third revised and enlarged edition . Numerous illustrations fr an sketches and diagrams by 0 . E . Jones and R . A . McLellan ( 7 s 6 d ) . —Whittaker and Co . Rhymes old and new . Collected by M . E . S . Wright ( 3 s 6 d net ) . —T , Fisher Unwin .

Traces of a Hidden Tradition in Masonry and Mediasval Mysticism . Five Essays , by Isabel Cooper-Oakley ( 3 s 6 d net ) . —Theosophical Publishing Society . Fairy Tales from Fairyland . By Donald and others ( 2 s net ) . —Gay and Bird .

Wireless Telegraphy and Hertzian Waves . By S . R . Bottone . With 35 illustrations ( 3 s ) . —Whittaker and Co . Letters from some friends who have crossed the border . Automatically written ( Is 6 d net ) . —Gay and Bird . The "Contour" Road Book of England ( Western Division ) , including Wales . A series of elevation plans of the Roads , with measurements and descriptive letterpress . By Harry R . C . Inglis . With 500 maps and plans ( 2 s net ) . —Gall and Inglis .

Music Of The Day.

Music of the Day .

RECENT PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED . Edwin Ashdown , Limited . —While Life is May . Vocal duet by G . Hubi-Newcombe , music by Seymour Smith . — " Dona Nobis . " By G . Hubi-Newcombe , music by Frank L . Moir . —Our Empire's Sons . By Sir Donald H . Macfarlane , music by Louis Diehl . —The Dolls March , for the piano . By Edoardo Barbieri . —Norwegian Dance , in G minor . By Paul Conway . —An Eastern Fire Dance . By Dudley Clinton .

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" THE GRAND SANHEDRIM " A Paper for reading at Royal Arch Chapters , & c . By OBLTON COOPER , M . E . Z . 483 , H . 1928 , Price thirteen pence , post free from BRO . ALFRED H . COOPER , PUBLISHER , 19 COLEMAN STREET , LONDON , E . G ., or from " Freemason ' s Chronicle Office , " New Barnet . BOOKBINDING in all its branches . Prices on application . Morgan , Freemason's Chronicle Office , New Barnet .