Virgin Saints and Martyrs. By S. Baring-Gould. (Hutchinson and Co.
6s.)—Mr. Baring-Gould gives us here a short account of the lives of a number of women eminent for piety and courage. The martyrdoms of the early Christians are not exactly pleasant reading, but the author tries to comfort the too-sensitive reader by saying "that in a moment of great excitement the nerves are not very sensitive." The chapter on St. Bridget is full of amusing stories. She was a stirring lady, and managed the affairs of the Irish, both worldly and other-worldly, much to their satisfaction, and in a thoroughly national spirit. The account of Sister Dora is perhaps the most striking chapter in the book. She was born in 1832 and died at Walsall in 1878, having spent most of her life in nursing and general devotion to the poor. She seems to have had a wonderfully fascinating per- sonality, as well as a great capacity for developing and organising hospital work of all kinds.
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