GIFT-BOOKS.
Heroes of Chivalry and Romance. By the Rev. A. J. Church. (Seeley and Co.)—Professor Church has conferred a greater
benefit upon boys by this new volume than even by such of its
predecessors as "A Young Macedonian," "The Chantry Priest of Barnet," and "The Count of the Saxon Shore." For Heroes of Chivalry and Romance is even more of a marvel of literary con-
densation than any of these, for it includes "The Story of Beowulf," "King Arthur and the Round Table," and "The
Treasure of the Nibelungs." Mr. Church's skill, his overflowing knowledge, and, above all, that cultured simplicity of style in respect of which he has absolutely no rival among contemporary writers for boys, enable him, however, to triumph over all obstacles. Never, at all events in prose intended or suitable for young folk, has the story, which would otherwise be wearisome, and even inco- herent, of "The Treasure of the Nibelungs " been told in such a way as to make the readers of it all eager for the tragic final act. Similarly, Mr. Church executes with perfect propriety an egg- dance among difficult situations in retelling the story of the Round Table. But for sheer power of narrative, the account of the brilliant feats and tragic, but yet heroic, end of Beowulf will probably be regarded, and justly, as the most thrilling section of the book. The killing of Grendel is, indeed, a masterpiece. The value of this volume is greatly enhanced by the beauty of the coloured illustrations, which are the work of Mr. George Morrow.
Time and the advent of what may be termed the New Magazinism have made many changes in the character and contents of that old favourite, The Leisure Hour. That these are, on the whole, for the better is clearly seen in the annual volume, which appears as a contribution to the literature of Christmas. It has little or no "preachee-preachee," but an abun- dance of sound ethical teaching, conveyed chiefly in the form of good stories ; and the illustrations are not only excellent but edu- cative. The " informing " character of a section of the letterpress may easily be gathered from the titles of so me of the articles, such as "Across Persia on a Bicycle," "Chess Playing To-day," "A Chat, with a Steeple-jack," "Cardiff," and "The Seal- hunters of Newfoundland." The articles on criticism and literary subjects are rather thin, snippety, and amateurish, but the monthly scientific notes are very readable. Several of the stories, both short and serial, are distinctly above the average of magazine fiction. "Paul Carah, Cornishman," by Mr. Charles Lee, has already been noticed in the Spectator.; in "Driftwood," which, by the way, is written with commendable care, there is a prettily pathetic picture of a girl who has a tendency towards eccentricity, though not evil. Altogether, no annual volume can be more heartily commended than that of The Leisure Hour it is full of good and solid things and is absolutely fr-3e from preteni ionsneu. The Sunday at Home, like other magazines intended especially for reading on Sunday, has had its scope greatly enlarged of late. It has come to give prominence to serial stories
and articles on subjects which used to be accounted secular, and illustrations have been introduced for the vivification of the letterpress. Of these changes ample proof is given in the annual volume for 1898. The leading serial story indeed, "God's Out- cast," which is by that now eminently popular writer Mr. Silas
Hocking, is essentially religions. It gives, with a " force " which almost reminds one of Mr. Hall Caine, an account of the struggles of John Comfort, an unfortunate minister, who contracts a deplorable marriage, and, speaking generally, has some reason to consider himself an "outcast," but who nevertheless is allowed to return to moral health and contentment if not happiness. The "purpose" of other stories, however, is not so pronounced. Similarly, a number of the "miscellaneous" articles are of general rather than of special interest. Such, for example, are the two really excellent series of papers on "Tombs of the Early English Kings" and "New Italy : the Story of a Transformation." The value of the latter is enhanced by an almost unique collection of the portraits of the men who have remade Italy. The volume is a marvellous collec- tion'of morally stimulating, edifying, and yet interesting litera- ture. The work both of selection and of collection has been done with great judgment and discrimination.
The annual volume of Cassell's Saturday Journal is portentous in size and almost appalling in the variety of its contents. We have taken at random the number for March 16th, 1898. It contains twenty pages of matter closely printed in three columns. In addition to serial stories by such popular authors as Mrs. Meade and Mr. Richard Dowling, endless jokes and stories, and a page entirely given up to a comic picture, we have articles on such widely different subjects as "Killing People as a Pastime," "Shall we Ever be Able to Fly ? " "In Search of Manly Beauty," "Insurance Crimes and Comedies," "Where Dreyfus is Imprisoned," and "The Adulteration Artist Unmasked." Some of the better illustrations are admirably finished, and it may at least be claimed for this adventurer among penny journals that the literature it supplies once a week is wholesome, and that even the jokes are free from vulgarity. But could not the quality of the paper be improved ?
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