Periodicals Books

American Missionary Association. FREE ONCE MORE. At the close of our fiscal year in 1887, we were enabled to utter the joyful word "Free," no debt darkening our balance sheet. Last year (1888) we were compelled to moderate our tone and say "Not quite free," for a balance of $5,641.21 stood on the wrong side of our ledger. But now, in the good providence of God, we can say "Free once... more...

THE RETIRO VIADUCT. We give engravings of the viaduct over the river Retiro, Brazil, our illustrations being reproduced by permission from the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. In a "selected paper" contributed to the volume of these proceedings just published, Mr. Jorge Rademaker Grunewald, Memb. Inst. C.E., describes the work as follows:   VIADUCT OVER THE RETIRO, BRAZIL.... more...

Once in a generation the intimate and vital secrets of a great nation may be made public through one of the little circle of men to whom they are entrusted; but rarely, if ever, till the men are dead, and the times are entirely changed. Beginning next month, McClure’s Magazine will present to the reading world a striking exception to this rule. It will print for the first time a frank and startling... more...

ERNEST RENAN'S THEORY. Christianity is a fact. We sometimes hear of men who are said to 'deny' 'Christianity.' The expression is nonsense. Men cannot deny the sun. Christianity has been a visible thing, on this planet, for eighteen hundred years. It has done a heavy amount of work, which is very visible too. It is altogether too late in the day to 'deny Christianity.'... more...

Menander, as has been said in the last chapter, once more rescued the stage of Greece from barbarism. In the death of Aristophanes was involved the death of "the middle comedy," which rapidly declined in the hands of his insufficient successors. The poets and wits that came after him, wanted either the talents, the malignity, or the courage to follow his example, to imitate him in his daring... more...

WHAT NOW? One-third of the fiscal year passed on Feb. 1st without any special campaign of appeals in behalf of the debt and the suffering work of the American Missionary Association. We have constantly reported to its supporting churches and friends the exact financial condition of the Association. We have reiterated the call voted at our Annual Meeting for such enlargement of support as will bring the... more...

There does not seem to be any prospect of a settlement of the Turkish troubles. The various European powers have called the Sultan to account for the massacres in Armenia, and laid out a system of reforms, which they think should be made. But this is as far as they have got. "You may lead a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink." The various powers of Europe are learning that this... more...

TOMBS OF THE FIRST EGYPTIAN DYNASTY. By LUDWIG BORCHARDT, Ph.D., Director of the German School in Cairo. For many years various European collections of Egyptian antiquities have contained a certain series of objects which gave archæologists great difficulty. There were vases of a peculiar form and color, greenish plates of slate, many of them in curious animal forms, and other similar things. It was... more...

As we go to press there is an uncertain feeling resulting from the departure of our cruiser for Cuban waters. It may provoke a crisis, or it may lead to a better knowledge of the true attitude of the administration toward Spain. Cuba continues to furnish us with its share of current history; the news is no more encouraging than that of previous weeks, however. In the East the situation has not... more...

A Song of LifeBy MARGARET W. MORLEY. With illustrationsof flowers, fishes, frogs, birds, etc., set in the text.12mo, $1.25. "It describes with artistic delicacy the transmission of that wonderful thing called life in both the plant and animal existence. The difficult subject is treated with such intelligence and charm of manner that children may read it with interest, and parents need have no fear... more...