ported, covering almost every branch ot corporation laws. The Annual on the Law of Real Property. Vol. II., 1893. Being a complete compendium of real estate law, embracing : all current case law, carefully selected, thoroughly annotated and accurately epitomized; comparative statutory construction of the laws of the several states; and exhaustive treatises upon the most important 'branches of the law of Real Property. Edited by Tilghman E. and Emerson E. Ballard. The Ballard Publishing Co., Crawfordsville, Ind. Law sheep. 16. 50. The Messrs. Ballard are doing a good work for the profession in preparing these annual volumes on the law of real property. Containing the most recent decisions as well as the statute law of all the states upon important subjects pertaining to real estate, they are exceedingly handy working tools for the busy lawyer. A vast amount of labor, and great care and discrimination have evidently been bestowed upon the work, and it should meet with the hearty approval of the profession. miscellaneous. Massachusetts, its Historians and its History. An object lesson. By Charles Francis Adams. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, 1893.. Cloth. $1.oo. Mr. Adams appears in the r61e of an iconoclast of the first order in this little volume, and we fear many a Massachusetts man will hold up his hands in holy horror as he sees his cherished idols so ruth lessly handled and torn from their lofty pedestals. The history of Massachusetts according to the author was certainly, for hard upon two centuries, black in deed. Such a history of intolerance and persecution it would be hard to duplicate even in the palmy days of the Inquisition. Wholesale proscription; frequent banish ment under penalty of death in case of return; the inflic tion of punishments both cruel and degrading, amount ing to torture, and regardless of the sex of those pun ished; the systematic enforcement of rigid conformity through long periods of time; — all these are part of the record — and in these bad respects it is not apparent how the Massachusetts record differs from those of Spain or France or England. Mr. Adams has no patience with Massachusetts historians who, devoted to "ancestor worship," have addressed themselves to their task in such a blind sense of filial devotion that their self-deception has been •complete. No one will accuse Mr. Adams of any thing of the kind. He does not hesitate to call a
spade a spade, and even his own ancestors come in for unfilial treatment at his hands. The book is exceedingly interesting, and one lays it down with a sigh of relief that his lot was not cast with the early founders of the Commonwealth. Speeches and Addresses of William E. Russell. Selected and edited by Charles Theodore Russell, Jr., with an introduction by Thomas Wentworth Higginson. Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 1894. Cloth. $2.50. Whatever may be one's political affiliation, this collection of addresses by Massachusetts' Ex-Gover nor will receive a hearty welcome from every thoughtful reader. The author is respected and admired by both Republicans and Democrats, and his remarkable career demonstrates the high estima tion in which he is held. In this volume a great number and a great variety of topics are discussed, and one cannot but be impressed by the manly, straight-forward manner in which they are uniformly treated. There are not many bursts of eloquence to be sure, and little superfluous rhetoric, but there is throughout a spirit of patriotism and sincerity which is positively captivating. One is at once convinced that the Governor is not talking for effect, but that his utterances are the result of a firm conviction. This, added to his wonderful persuasive powers, makes one almost ready to agree with what ever he says. There is a vast amount of food for reflection for unprejudiced minds in these addresses, and we commend them to every fair-minded reader. The book is handsomely gotten up, but we are disappointed in the portrait which forms the frontis piece. It fails to do the Governor justice. A Native of Winby, and other Tales. By Sarah Orne Jewett. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York. 1894. Cloth. $1.25. No writer appeals more strongly to one's sense of humor or to one's tender sensibilities than Miss Jewett. The mixture of wit and pathos in her writings is indescribably captivating, and the col lection of stories which makes up this volume shows the gifted author at her very best. The title story is a pathetic picture of the return of an old man who has made both name and fortune in the world, to his native village and his old friends. " Decora tion Day "and "Jim's Little Woman " are both touch ing stories, while New England rural life is charm ingly depicted in " The Passing of Sister Barrett," "Miss Esther's Guest," and " The Flight of Betsey Lane." It is a real pleasure to take up such a book for an hour's recreation.
