Sorrows of a Tangled Soul," which has been selected as faintly representative. Those who like the flavor of it will find others just as good in this portly volume.

Church Finance and Social Ethics. By Bishop FRANCIS J. McCONNELL. The Macmillan Company, New York, 1920. 74 x 5 in., 130 pp.

Dr. McConnell, Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, has in the preliminary chapter of this well-written volume set forth the advantages which will come from a united Christendom. He feels that few have really sensed the tremendous power and responsibility that such union will mean in pouring into some central treasury vast sums of money. In view of this situation he naturally raises the question as to how the church should comport itself so as not to hinder its real work.

He discusses the question of the church as owner, meaning owner of funds, the church as solicitor, and as philanthropist, and maintains that the church is to be judged by the same principles by which all holders of wealth in a rational society should be rewarded or condemned. Further, he takes up the question of Christian expenditure, and on this subject he shows a generous spirit. "The most truly Christian expenditure is for evangelism, but for evangelism that redeems all of man's nature and activities." Following this there is a chapter on The Church as Employer, The Church in its Missionary Effort, and finally a chapter on The Body of Christ, all of which are characterized by vigorous and fearless thinking. The Problem of the Pentateuch: A New Solution by Archeological Methods. By MELVIN GROVE KYLE. Bibliotheca Sacra Company, Oberlin, Ohio. 289 pp.

This book is a serious attempt to discredit the results of the labors of a multitude of scholars in many lands on the field of Pentateuchal criticism. Dr. Kyle seeks to do this on the basis of an exhaustive examination of the legislative part of the Pentateuch, in particular of the terse and mnemonic "judgments," of the descriptive "statutes," and of the hortatory Deuteronomy. But a critic can accept practically all he urges with regard to these distinctions, without in the very least accepting his conclusion as to the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch. An immense array of facts both within and without the Pentateuch, which no adequate criticism can possibly

ignore, renders such an authorship absolutely untenable. The mind which can assign the Book of Job to the patriarchal age (p. 210) or which can accept literally the view that certain commandments were "announced by the voice of God from the summit of the mountain" (p. 129, cf. p. 146) is a totally unmodern mind. The book is gravely disfigured by a long series of misspellings, some of which, like "decument" (for document) and "eqully," are manifestly slips, others, like "homogenious, voluminious, adherance, Sybbilene, Nazarite (for Nazirite), MacCawber," are almost inexcusable monstrosities. Such carelessness in a matter so elementary does not tend to strengthen one's confidence in the writers' competence to handle so complicated a theme as Pentateuchal criticism. It is not by work of this kind that the patient toil of nearly 170 years will be overthrown.

The Passing Legions. By GEORGE B. FIFE. 74 x 51⁄2 in., 369 pp.

The Story of the American Red Cross in Italy. By CHARLES M. BAKEWELL. 734 x 51⁄2 in., 253 pp.

With the Doughboy in France. A few Chapters of An American Effort. By EDWARD HUNGERFORD. 71⁄2 x 5 in., 291 pp. All published by the Macmillan Company, New York, 1920.

During the war the Red Cross was too busy doing things to make reports. Now we are beginning to learn what the hundred and more millions of dollars enabled it to accomplish. And what we learn-e.g., from the three books named above-leads us to believe that feats of sacrifice and achievements on the fields of Flanders and the hills of Verdun were almost matched by the deeds of mercy and service under the Red Cross.

Mr. Fife's book is fitly named. It tells of Red Cross operations in England, through which so many American soldiers passed-on their way to the trenches or from them. The astounding feature is the variety of service rendered. We knew of the canteen servicecoffee, cigarettes, correspondence facilities, and the like; of the hospitals built and manned, with all their comforts and relief features but did we think of the Red Cross as a banking establishment, exchanging foreign for American currency, or as a necessary forwarding agency for uniting returned soldiers and the wives they had taken from France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom! "The half was never told."

In a similar way Mr. Bakewell reveals the foresight, enterprise, resource, sheer grit and stick-to-it of the same organization in Italy, in its work for soldiers, orphans, and refugees.

Mr. Hungerford's volume furnishes still another picture of "America in a big job." With this particular side of the Red Cross accomplishments the public is a little more familiar, because France and Belgium were the seat of war and so reports of doings there were more abundant. The work too was different, it was in part amid the storm of shot and shell and bomb. Hence the background is more lurid and grim.

In coming days, when the complete story of the war is written, the tale of the Red Cross will take an honored place in the narrative. Those who had to stay behind but were contributors to the great drives for funds and for the yearly membership will be humbly thankful for their part in the salvage and comfort process.

All of these volumes fairly shout the story of heroic endeavor. They present on almost every page examples of fine honor, glorious self-effacement, great-hearted service. Inspiration abounds in them.

The Influence of Animism on Islam. By SAMUEL M. ZWEMER. The Macmillan Company, New York, 1920. 246 pp.

This book is called an account of popular superstitions. The subtitle is certainly correct, since the material consists almost entirely of quotations and observations of Moslem superstitions. These cover the whole of Mohammedan life, and are easily explained on learning that even in India and Egypt about 94 per cent. of the Moslem population is illiterate; the light of knowledge has not yet penetrated these masses, and they cling to the old, old religious rites which may have come down the ages from thousands of years.

Animism is the oldest of all religions. It is a belief that a great part if not all of the inanimate kingdom of nature as well as plants and animals are endowed with reason. On this old belief the later religions built a light superstructure which is easily removed when elemental passions grip the individual. Islam is not the only religion which has succeeded only poorly in replacing the old foundation of animism; Judaism and popular Christianity among the illiterate

masses of Eastern Europe are still largely animistic. The difference between the various religions is not as great in this respect as is that between educated and ignorant persons within the same religion.

The reason why Islam finds ready believers among the ignorant masses of the Dark Continent is that it furnishes some sort of philosophy for an already existing animism with its crude superstitions.

Reconstructing the Church. By Wм. A. HARPER, President of Elon College. Revell Company, New York, 1920. 188 pp.

This is one of the many new books which have appeared lately from Christian sources, each attempting to call the attention of the churches to the new era in which we are living. It is a wholesome sign that such books multiply, and Christians may do well to pay heed to them.

Some of the new conceptions in religion are loyalty unto death, the interpretation of salvation as individual and social, the necessity for Christian union. The new tasks are the brotherhood made real, a truly Christian education, an enlarged conception of service, the recognition of the place of sacrifice. Worship in the new era must be a life of consecration rather than mere prayer; service rather than services. The leaders in this new movement must come from Christian colleges, because the idea of service may be inoculated there and Christian character formed. The home may contribute to this education by having fathers become the companions of sons. The philosophy of materialism must be supplanted by one of spiritualism; this is the teaching of the World War. Not the only one, tho. All kinds of believers worked together in that war, and the result of such cooperation should be a closer approach to church unity. The future may be faced boldly if we apply ourselves to the formation of fine Christian characters, each with a vision animated by love and aiming at the fulfilment of a definite and socially useful task.

The Children's Great Texts of the Bible. By JAMES HASTINGS. (3 vols.). Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1920. After reading these volumes we realize what a mistake it would be to advertise a full course dinner as a light luncheon. The advertisement would not appeal to the hungry.

The

Dr. Hastings' title to his three great volumes is misleading, and many who are hungry for material to aid in children's work will glance at the title and pass the books by. They are great texts and almost make you think the Bible was written exclusively for children. But the books give us more than great texts; they give us sermons that any minister or teacher will find interesting, helpful, and tempting. minister who, after reading these outlines, can not successfully preach to children must be a failure in preaching to their parents. Dr. Hastings' six volumes mark a new era in church work for children. "Feed my lambs." There is material in these volumes for feeding all the "lambs" for many generations. The food is placed in beautiful sermon racks and placed high enough for a giraffe to enjoy and low enough for the small lambs. Parents and children will enjoy them alike, and find food for their souls.

We give on page 333 one of the selections.

Life in Ancient Britain. By NORMAN AULT. Longmans, Green and Company, London and New York, 1920. 71⁄2 x 54 in., 260 pp.

It would seem as tho it was only natural that man should be eager to know at least part of the long and tortuous way through which he has climbed. He can get some idea of this ascent by perusing this instructive and deeply interesting volume which aims to give a survey of the social and economic life of ancient Britain from earliest times down to the days of the Roman conquest.

The earliest remains of man yet found is said to be that of a portion of a skull found in the year 1911 in the gravel of an ancient bed of the river Ouse on Piltdown Common in Sussex, England, and the date as "hundreds of thousands of years ago."

Great stretches of time mark the stages of man's progress

"from the first clumsily pointed flint daggers but little removed from the 'dawn,' to the beautiful leaf-shaped flint spear heads wrought at the zenith of Paleolithic flint culture a far cry indeed, being probably not less than a hundred thousand years."

The neolithic age, the age of the polished

stone implements, apparently lasted in this country from eight to ten thousand years.

"And if we remember that all which has happened since the Norman conquest has occupied a space of time about one-tenth of the probable length of the Neolithic Age alone, we can then realize something of the immense time which was necessary to move our early forefathers one stage forward in civilization."

One gets an idea of the ground covered by this admirable survey from the following four parts: Civilization in the Paleolithic Age, Civilization in the Neolithic Age, Civilization in the Bronze Age, Civilization in the Early Iron Age.

The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice. By STEPHEN LEACOCK. John Lane Co., New York, 1920. 152 pp.

The author of this book is professor of economics at McGill University, Montreal, and has written a number of books on various topics. In the present essay he takes up certain vexed questions in economics and industry, and attempts to arrive at some principles which may lead to social justice. He discusses quite eloquently the troubled outlook of the present hour in the light of the democratic declaration of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He is inclined to believe that there are many failures and fallacies in so-called natural liberty, since work and wages are not distributed according to natural fitness, but according to eco

nomic power. The proposed remedy of

socialism and other forms of radicalism are shown to be impossible, and the author pro-. ceeds to argue for certain reforms, such as have been advocated by sociologists for the last two decades, e. g., old age insurance, provision of work by the state for the unemployed, better child training, etc. The book presents in an able and popular manner the views current among liberals in America and Canada.

Faith, Works and Grace. By ARTHUR CHANDLER. Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London (New York, The Macmillan Company), 1920. 71⁄2 x 5 in., 94 pp.

Addresses on the seven words from the cross, with a foreword on meditation, by the Bishop of Bloemfontein.