Books Of The Day.

Books of the Day .

Books , Music , & o . intended for review , should he addressed to the Editor of the Freemason ' s Chronicle , at Fleet Works , New Barnet . The Life and Death of Richard Yea-and-Nay . By Maurice Hewlett ( 6 s ) . —Macmillan and Co ., Limited . MR . MAURICE HEWLETT has made for himself a great reputation . Why he has succeeded in floing so is known to most

Englishmen of literary competence , none of whom will grudge him his well merited success . That success is due mainly to two qualities by which he is eminently distinguished . He is master of a truly beautiful , poetic prose , and can go back in spirit to a bygone age and realise it with so unerring a vision that he can re-create it with a fidelity to which few writers ever attain . Two

of his books have been read on the Continent as few English fictions are— " The Forest Lovers , " and " Little Novels of Italy . " This volume does in no way belie the promise of his spring ! Even readers with vivid memories of the Richard of " Ivanhoe " and " The Talisman " will be delighted with the wonderful creation of Mr . Maurice Hewlett , and will cherish a wish that so able a

depicter of the past may try his hand upon other protagonists in the great drama of English History . The many-sided character of Richard the lion-hearted is presented by the writer in a series of romantic adventures well calculated to exercise the creative ingenuity of the most skilful novelist . We are shown his brave and martial spirit chastened , at times , to the temperament of the

dove ; we are shown his ever resourceful 'diplomacy , his fiery temper , his powers of endurance , his commanding personality . Here and there we have met a descriptive paragraph so daintily conceived and choicely phrased that it might have been penned bv Sidney Colvin or ' E . A . Freeman . On the whole , if our

readers can imagine a story of an historical character written by Mr . Hamilton Drummond in collaboration with Mr . F . Marion Crawford we think they will have a very fair notion of the qualities by which this book by Mr . Hewlett is distinguished . But we nope they will read it for themselves .

The World ' s Great Snare . By E . Phillips Oppcnheim . Illustrated by J . Ambrose Walton ( 3 s 6 d ) . —Ward , Lock and Co ., Limited . AN exciting romance , admirably conceived and fluently written . We have had former opportunities of expressing a high opinion of the ability of Mr . E . Phillips Oppenheim , and are glad to say

that in his last work we think' he has taken yet another step towards excellence . His style is , indeed , not very original ; but what a great number of writers are doing very indifferently Mr . Oppenheim is doing so well that we can hardly expect him to do it better . He is as imaginative as Mr . Richard Marsh ; as versatile , and more uniformly correct , than Mr . Guy Boothby ; he is as perfect a plotter as Mr . Le Queux . In the volume before us a mining camp

in America affords the opening scene , and the doings of Jim Bryan and Myra are so rich in incident and so dramatic in character that the reader finds abundant entertainment to the end of the story . A character at once so noble and self-sacrificing , so refined and so lovable as Myra has not often been sketched of late in English prose fiction . We hope Mr . Oppenheim will give us something mo-re presently , and trust it may equal "The World s Great Snare . '

Hibernia Hippica . By M . O'Connor Morris ( 5 s ) . —Harrison and Sons . M . O'CONNOR MORRIS is a name well known to readers of the " Field " and indeed to fox-hunters generally . He has here given us a few pleasantly written papers , of somewhat fragmentary character , on the glories of tiie cnase in Ireland , and expresses a

hope that this booK may induce some readers to visit lreiand and . join in the sport . We sincerely hope , for the sake of Mr . Morris and these Irish sportsmen whom he knows so well , that this desire may be realised . We cannot refrain from noticing the extravagant admiration of the writer for fox-hunting gentiy and ail that pertains

to them . Every man to his tastes . Some people think about as highly of a skiltul fox-hunter as of a skilful judge of old iron or a clever huckster . However , " Hibernia Hippica" is of course addressed mainly to persons whose tastes accord with the writers , and they will be pleased to read these papers ion the fugitive fox and his pursuers .

Hate , the Destroyer . B y R . Norman Silver . Illustrated by T . W . Henry ( 3 s od ) . —Ward , Lock and Co ., Limited . A WONDERFUL copper-mine in the Ural Mountains , a detestable crime , a great hatred , a deal of dialogue of an explanatory nature—these are the more apparent features of Mr . Norman Silver ' s very readable romance . Two facts stared us persistently

in the face ^ when we were reading " Hate , the Destroyer , " the fact that Mr . Calvert is in many respects too good a man to be so relentless in search of revenge , even after so great provocation , and the fact that the story is hardly so well knit together as could be wished . We were much pleased with several chapters which

, with but little adjustment , wouid make good short stories . Of these , the chapter in which we are told how ' Mr . Morton - engaged the apartments at Mr . Fernyhough ' s , and how strangely he proceeded to act , is the best . We hope to see Mr . Norman Silver ' s work on another occasion .

London Memories . Social , Historical , and Topographical . B > Charles William Heckethorn ( 6 s ) . —Chatto and Wmdus . JEASY reading , as Sheridan once remarked , is very hard writing

Books Of The Day.

Mr . Heckethorn has written a good book upon old London , in -which delightfully easy reading is apparent on almost every page , and doubtless a deal of labour was necessary before such fluent paragraphs could be produced . The work was , we presume , a labour of love , and Mr . Heckethorn has added a valuable contribution to a subject which , in company with our learned Brother

Sir Walter Besant , he has studied exhaustively . 1 he chapter on the old relig ious houses of London could hardly be bettered ; whilst professing only to amuse the writer imparts much useful instruction . He has taken the salutary advice of Pope , who has told us that men must be taught as though you taught them not . There is a short chapter of a somewhat lurid character on the savage villany

so often prevalent in our great city during the good old days ; there is a very long one on the Thames , in which Mr . Heckethorn has woven many an interesting reminiscence of the river-side . " London Memories " should not be opened merely for amusement , for it deserves very careful perusal . The volume is light in the hand , and well printed . There can be no hope for honest literary work if this book does not circulate widely .

BRO . RUDYARD KIPLING ' S new story , "Kim , " will begin in the January Number of " Cassell ' s Magazine , " and it will probably surprise not a few of his readers to know that the author only completes his thirty-fifth year on the 30 th inst . The son of Mr . J . Lockwood Kipling , who was formerlv in the Indian Educational Service ,

he was born at Bombay , and was educated at the United Service College , Westward Ho . He returned to India while he was still a youth , and his father was Principal of the School of Art at Lahore . He began to contribute verses and tales to various journals , but the success of " Departmental Ditties , " published in 1886 , soon made the way clear for the career which is familiar to everybody .

New Year.

New Year .

THE glad New Year is here , O Brethren mine , May it bring Joy and Hope and Peace and Love ; Imparting Wisdom from the realms divine Which ever leads to the Grand Lodge above .

Let us be brave throughout the coming year , Aiding the weak , guiding the steps of youth , Sharing life ' s sorrows , battling for the Truth . Fighting for Him who is for ever near Let us have strength to conquer lust of

greed—With Fortitude to bear us through the fray ; Remembering One who still will intercede If but we tread aright the narrow way , Until we hear the glorious words "Well Done , " In Lands which know a never-setting sun ? CHAS . F . FORSHAW , LL . D .

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