The Department Store: a Novel of To-day. By Margaret Balms:.
Translated from the German by Ethel Colburn Mayne. (D. Appleton and Co. 6a.)—In strong contrast to the novel just noticed, dealing with "nobly born" personages in Germany, is the translation of a German novel dealing with the upper middle classes. As its title announces, the story is one of a gigantic shop or store in Berlin conducted by one Joshua Miillenmeistor. The characters are all more or less concerned with Mallonmeister's store, and detailed accounts are given both of the family of the proprietor and of many of his employees. Here, again, as in the story of "Daphne," the English reader will find that there is more difference between England and Germany in small outside matters than in the inner spirit of things. Mallenmeister's store is as competitively inexorable to the small tradesmen as any big shop in England, and its departments are as well run and complete as those to which wo are accustomed over here. The novel is very long and covers a groat number of years, and necessarily suffers a little from the interest being switched off constantly from one small group of characters to another. Nevertheless the most prominent figures all through are Joshua Mtillenmoister and his elder son and tho reader will follow the details of their history with con- siderable interest.
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