HOW TO CELEBRATE THE BICENTENARY. Two main objects should characterize the bicentenary celebration in Canada First, a revival of that old-time Methodism by which the mighty victories of the past have been achieved -a fresh consecration of "the people called Methodists" to the high ideals which animated the Wesleys-" the spread of scriptural holiness throughout the land." Second, the consecration of the growing wealth of Methodism to the highest objects. We have just passed through a great thanksgiving movement. Many persons have with a considerable degree of self-sacrifice, laid their offerings on God's altar. None, we think, are a whit the poorer, none wish to recall the gift. It may seem soon to present another great forward movement, but the urgency of the missionary crisis in the great North-West makes this imperative. The thanksgiving fund was largely devoted to payment of church debts and the aid of our colleges. Now is the turn of the great missionary cause. The Church, through its representatives in the General Conference, fully seized of the importance of the crisis, has asked for a bicentenary offering of a quarter of a million dollars for missions in addition to the fifty thousand of an emergency fund already in part contributed. With the rescue of St. James' Church which is in sight, and the great movements of the last two years, the connexional spirit has been greatly quickened and Canadian Methodism has been worthy of the best traditions of its heroic past. The wealth of the country is increasing even faster than the givings of the Church. If the dryrot of worldliness is not to destroy its spiritual life it must maintain with its increased ability increased liberality. Toward this idea it has been generously striving and must not cease to strive. So shall be illustrated the wisdom of the ancient rhyme : "There was a man, some thought him mad, The more he gave away, the more he had." A third way of wise commemoration is to recall the stirring story of early Methodism in the home land and our own land. This we strive to do by a series of articles in this razine, and in our Sunday-school which shall recall deeds of the fathers ters of the Church we love. ,איזי . the and May saintly sires. "Let us now praise famous men and our fathers that begat us. The Lord hath wrought great glory by them through his great power. Their bodies are buried in peace, but their name liveth for evermore."-Ecclesiasticus xliv. 1, 14. FORWARD METHODISM. Mr. W. T. Stead is reading a lesson to the English Wesleyans on the right use to make of their new purchase of the Royal Aquarium, which they design making an evangelistic centre. He says: "The Wesleyans will have to put their best foot foremost if they mean to compensate London for the loss of one of its best-known places of amusement. It was often used as a rendezvous for people who were no better than they should be, but it will be a thousand pities if the Methodists blot out a third-rate centre of recreation, and put nothing in its stead beyond a Wesleyan imitation of the Church House. If they would try the experiment of running a first-class cafe, a decent music-hall, without the drink, a variety show like an improved Dime Museum, where something was constantly going on, and a first-class theatre, they would do much to convince the man on the street that, after all, the Methodists lived up to the standard of their hymn, which says: "Religion never was designed To make our pleasures less." Mr. Stead predicts that the church of the future will run a bar-room and a theatre, but some of us conceive there may be a more excellent way of uplifting the masses. CHURCH FEDERATION. We are glad to note the organization in Ottawa of a Council of Federated Churches. The objects announced are "To aid in the most economical organization and the most effective direction of the Christian forces of the federated Churches by considering any matters brought before it concerning proposed sites for new church buildings; organized united action of an evangelistic nature; to review the social and moral condition of the aforesaid district, and to secure unity of thought and concerted action on matters of common interest; to prepare the way, by study of the problems involved, for the yet closer union of the denominations." Such a confederation will focalize the new spirit of fraternal unity in the Protestant Churches, and give it practical expression. Such federations in the United States have proved greatly helpful. In one case one of the Churches provided funds for the erection of a building in a needy neighbourhood, which should be under the charge of another of the federated Churches a fine example of Christian unity and fraternity. A marked recognition of the growth of Methodism is the prominence it is receiving in journals of the Old World and the New. The British Monthly has a special supplement illustrated with many portraits and other engravings of the Wesleys, and scenes connected with their labours. When this great paper wished to procure the best portraits of John, Charles and Susannah Wesley, it sent to Toronto for photos of the splendid portraits painted by our own J. W. L. Forster, the property of the Toronto Methodist Social Union, now in Victoria University. These are finely printed in large size in sepia colours, mounted on dark mats suitable for framing. It is a marked tribute to Mr. Forster's admirable art and something to be proud of that Canadian Methodism possesses the finest group of Wesleyan pictures in existence. THE RETIRING PRINCIPAL OF MONTREAL THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE. We all regret very much that Canada is to lose the services of the Rev. Dr. Maggs, the distinguished principal of Montreal Theological College. We are glad that we have had the benefit of them so long. He has given a distinct impulse to theological studies in this Dominion. His visits throughout the country, his ministrations in our cities, and especially his addresses before our colleges, have been an inspiration. His accurate scholarship, his large and sane outlook, his spiritual uplift, have been an unspeakable blessing. His influence will long be felt and his memory be kindly cherished when he himself shall have returned to his own land. We are persuaded, too, that he will carry to that land kindliest memories of the land of his, for us, all too brief sojourn, and thus be another living link between the parent Methodism, "the mother of us all," and her loving daughter in Canada. HONOUR TO WHOM HONOUR IS DUE. We are glad to learn from a letter from the Rev. John Lawrence, of Rama, of an instance of an even earlier membership of a Quarterly Board than that of Mr. Jack Hunt in the city of Mexico, mentioned in the March number of this magazine. Mr. Hunt's appointment took place when he was not quite seventeen. Mr. Lawrence states that his son, the Rev. Levi L. Lawrence, now on the Laurel Circuit, when only fifteen years and one month old, was appointed a member of the Quarterly Board and Recording Steward on the Alderville Mission, Bay of Quinte Conference. This, we imagine, beats the record. Mr. L. L. Lawrence was also appointed secretary of the laymen's electoral section of the District Meeting before he reached the age of eighteen, and was repeatedly reappointed to the same office. Well may Brother Lawrence describe himself as the grateful father of such a son. God bless the boys. The time was when the younger members of our Church were kept in the background and in a mild way "sat on." The Epworth League has changed all that. We put them forward, place responsibility upon them, train them for usefulness, and develop them in Christian manhood. "Instead of the fathers shall be the children." Again, God bless the boys. THE REV. PRINCIPAL SHAW. We rejoice greatly that the health of the Rev. Dr. Shaw is so greatly improved that he is enabled to resume the duties of principal which for some years he so successfully discharged. As one of the strongest sons of Canadian Methodism, we are proud of his record, and thank God for his commanding influence. No man carries greater weight in the councils of religious education, and no one is more persona grata in the relations of Methodism to the other Churches of this Dominion. We are glad to acknowledge our indebtedness for the substance of the article on "Morocco and Its Problems" in our March number to "The Missionary Review of the World," the ablest and most comprehensive missionary periodical with which we are acquainted. Book Notices. "The Jewish Encyclopedia." A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish people from the earliest times to the present day. Isidore Singer, Ph.D., projector and managing editor. Complete in twelve volumes. Vol. III. 8vo. Pp. xxii-684. Price, $6.00 per vol. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. Toronto William Briggs. It is a curious circumstance that the most extensive and complete cyclopedia on all subjects pertaining to Jewish history, literature, customs, and institutions, should be issued by the great publishing house whose conspicuous note is its series of evangelical periodicals and other publications. It is an evidence of enterprise unequalled by any other house that we know. The preparation of this great work involves the collaboration of more than four hundred scholars and specialists, many of whom are of Jewish origin ; but eminent Semitic scholarship, from whatever source available, is employed. Professor Rogers, of the Drew Methodist Seminary, Professor Toy, of Harvard University, Professor Bennett, of London, Professor Barton, of Bryn Mawr, and Professor J. F. McCurdy, of Toronto, contribute to its pages, and the whole Board is under the chairmanship of the veteran scholar and editor, the Rev. Dr. Funk. There are many features of special interest in this volume. The important article on the Bible Canon occupies twenty-seven columns, with a copious bibliography. Biblical editions and exegesis occupy fifty more. Biblical manuscripts and translations Occupy twenty more. These are illustrated with numerous fac-similes and exquisite reproductions of illuminated manuscripts. They will be supplemented in later volumes by a paper on paleography. The narrative of the persecutions of the Jews are a dreadful revelation of human bigotry and cruelty. During the prevalence of the violent pestilence known as the Black Death, which ravaged Europe from 1348-1351, and is said to have carried off nearly half the population, the Jews were accused of poisoning wells and otherwise spread g the plague. At Freiburg all the wws but twelve of the richest were slain. At Strassburg two thousand more were put to death. At Worms two hundred were burned. At Maintz it is recorded that six thousand were slain in one day, August 22, 1349, and at Erfurt three thousand fell victims to popular superstition and hate. A list of three hundred and fifty towns in central Europe, where the Jews were bitterly persecuted through groundless calumny, is given. The article on cemeteries gives graphic pictures of the crowded burying places of the Jews in the great centres of Hebrew population. We have a vivid recollection of the densely peopled Jewish cemeteries at Prague and other crowded centres of Jewish population. The article on Censorship is a strange history of bigotry. Numerous illustrations of obliterating passages in priceless Hebrew manuscripts, and a curious one of a page of the first volume of this cyclopedia defaced by the Russian censor as late as 1901, are given. This great work is simply indispensable to the intelligent study of the Jew in history and literature. "A Doffed Coronet." A True Story. By the author of "The Martyrdom of an Empress." Illustrated. New York: Harper & Bros. Toronto: William Briggs. Pp. 545. Price, net, $2.25. The previous books by this brilliant writer, "The Tribulations of a Princess" and "The Martyrdom of an Empress," the latter being the tragic story of the late Empress Elizabeth of Austria, give much interesting information of court life in Austria and other countries with which the author was evidently familiar. In the present vivacious volume we are introduced behind the scenes at a critical period in the recent history of Egypt. The author's husband, a young Englishman, occupied a confidential government position under the British Government, and held intimate relations with the late Khedive. We meet in these pages no end of titled people whose identity is partly concealed by their mysterious initials, among whom may be recognized, as the Marquis of D and A, our late popular Governor. General, Lord Dufferin. The Russian lady, Madame Blavatsky, is described as "the most brilliant, clever, and fas cinating impostor of the century," whose pro-Russian intrigues Lord Dufferin thought it worth while to watch. General Gordon and Lord Wolseley and other distinguished actors in the Egyptian drama receive illuminative treatment. The book is described as a true story. Its main outlines very possibly are, but some of its details seem to us incredible; as for instance, the alleged discovery in the catacombs of Alexandria of the crystal coffin of Alexander the Great. We have ourselves seen in the imperial museum at Constantinople the magnificent sarco phagus which has much better claims as the last resting-place of the world. conquerer. The adventure in which the vivacious heroine rescued her groom from a red republican mob in Hyde Park, London, strikes us as immensely exaggerated. We don't remember reading of such a riot, and the heartless and cynical sneers at the unwashed crowd may be aristocratic, but are distinctly inhuman. when The fun begins, however, miladi loses the bulk of her fortune, brother and with her husband and takes refuge in the United States. The rawness and roughness of the Chicago cattle king and his vulgar wife her grate aristocratic upon nerves. As a great economy they take rooms at $125 a month, and the countess celebrates the event by orderBut it is ing $52 worth of flowers. hard to believe that even a discounted countess should have the idiocy of ordering seven pounds of meat and five pounds of pepper. Milord, however, cannot find work, so miladi sends a dressing-case which cost $6,000 to pawn for the sum of only $500. They are compelled to take smaller rooms where the countess in intervals of narrow housekeeping does decorative painting and the conquering of refracfor tory horses, which she has a genius, for a liveryman. But after many trials of serious illness and a heroic operation, all goes well. Some legacies drift in, they rent a farm and again surrounded by dogs and horses, "Be of good begin life once more. cheer, O helmsman, now I see the harbour light." Not so the books They are the re creased enormously, but much of it, the result of a hasty tour, has comparatively little value. of Augustus Hare. sult of prolonged residence and careful study, and are enriched by copious citations from classical and modern writers in prose and verse that illustrate the varied and fascinating themes of the books. This is especially true of the two handsome volumes on Rome, which The Pall Mall Gazette describes as the best handbook of the city ever published. It is much fuller than either Murray or Baedeker and much more attractive in style. It is simply indispensable to any who wish to derive the fullest possible benefit from a visit to the Seven-Hilled City, the city of the soul," and "lone mother of dead empires." 66 An American lady is reported as saying to her daughter, "We were in Rome, weren't we, my dear ?" "Why, yes, mother; that's where we got the delicious ice-cream." This is, we suppose, an exaggeration, but there are many who derive little benefit from their visit to Rome because they know so little about it before going there. We strongly commend to such a study of Hare's fascinating volumes. furnish They the key to much that would otherwise be inexplicable. They take up the classic, and mediæval antiquities, the pagan and Christian memories of this worldfamous city, and trace their record down the centuries. The temples and palaces, the gardens and villas, the art galleries and museums, all receive illuminating comment and explication. "Paris." By Augustus J. C. Hare. Second edition (revised). Two the the One of the fascinating features of travel in the Old World is the historic associations of almost every town and city. Not merely Rome and Athens, but Paris and London, Vienna and Prague, are seen against a background of hoary antiquity. In traversing boulevards and avenues of gayest capital in Europe, we are haunted with historic memories. The past seems more real than the present. The vague figures of the Fronde and Saint Bartholomew, of the Revolution and the Commune, stalk through the streets. In the Place de la Bastille we see the gloomy dungeons of that grim prison. In the broad, gay Place de la Concorde we see the blood-stained guillotine and witness again the tragedies of the Revolution. From the Tour de l'Horloge we hear again ring out the tocsin of massacre. The memories of Paris go back to the days of the Cæsars. The Emperor Julian long lived here. The very word "Louvre" recalls the time when the wolves ravined on the banks of the Seine. In the venerable Notre Dame we recall the many pageants of royal marriages and burials, and the strangest of all-the worship of the Goddess of Reason in the Revolution. Many of the buildings still bear the marks of the outrages of the ComThese memories and many more are recalled in these pages, the historic sites are identified, and art and in literature discussed Mr. Hare's volumes. They are, moreover, enriched with numerous engravings and well indexed. The tourist who has walked the boulevards and parks and visited the shops and galleries may think he has seen Paris, but a whole world of memories remains unknown unless under such guidance as that of Mr. Hare. mune. "The Conquest of Rome." By Matilde Serao. Author of "The Land of New York: etc. Cockayne," Toronto: WilHarper & Bros. liam Briggs. Pp. 317. Price, $1.20 net. The writer of this book is the daughter of a Greek princess and of a Neapolitan political exile. She was born in Greece in 1856, but has lived long in Italy and understands thoroughly the political and social life of that country. She is described by Edmund Gosse, the famous English critic, as "the most prominent imaginative writer of the last century in Italy." "The Conquest of Rome describes the political and social career of a brilliant young statesman from one of the southern provinces. In the House of Deputies he takes a profound interest in the social and economic betterment of the people. He protests vigorously against spending millions on national defence and fortifications, on the army and navy, at the cost of taxing beyond endurance the peasant population. One of the most grievous of these burdens is the salt tax. No one may even carry a pail of water from the sea lest ho should surreptitiously make salt refrom. The salt they do use is oarse quality, fit only for cattle. lack of this necessary element pellagra and other dreadful diseases prevail among the people. By dint of hard work the honourable deputy forges to the front and is suggested as a member of the Cabinet. But he comes under the spell of a misplaced and hopeless affection which saps his mental and moral powers, defeats his honourable ambitions, and wrecks his very life. He finds that he has not conquered Rome, but Rome has conquered him. The book is one of subtle mental analysis and tragic interest. "Christ the Apocalypse." By Rev. James Cooke Seymour. Author of 'The Gifts of the Royal Family; or, Systematic Christian Beneficence," etc. Cincinnati: Jennings & Pye. New York: Eaton & Mains. Toronto: William Briggs. Pp. 350. Price, $1.00. Like a voice from the other world comes this posthumous volume of our friend of many years, whose contributions have often enriched this magazine. We had the pleasure of reading this volume in manuscript and of commending it for publication. Like everything which its author wrote, it is intensely evangelistic. It has all the characteristics of his clear, cogent style the short, crisp sentences, the lucid thought, the closelinked logic, the fervent zeal. It treats first the great foundation truths of the historic and the divine Christ, the revealer of God's existence and character, of redemption from sin and sanctification through the Holy Spirit. strong, Of special interest are the chapters dealing with the sociological and other problems of the times-war and its evils, labour and capital, wealth and its uses, the law of giving, literature and the press, science and religion, service and social relations, moral reforms, the Church, the Sabbath, and woman. In all these the eminently sound and sane conclusions of the writer are forcibly set forth. The closing section drops a thought into the future as men drop pebbles into deep wells to see what answer they return. It treats the world's outlook, sin's last evolution, and the final triumph of goodness and grace. many friends of the late James Cooke Seymour in this land can possess no more beautiful and helpful remembrance of this man of conspicuous literary ability and Christian fervour than volume this posthumous in which, "being dead, he yet speaketh." The |