MISCELLANEOUS WORKS

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5288, 28 May 1904, Page 10

MISCELLANEOUS WORKS

“The Making of English.” By the Hon, Henry Bradley, lion. M. A. Oxon, Hon. Ph. D. .Heidelberg, sometime President of tho Philological Society. Macmillan and Co., London.

Mr H. Bradley, in Ills essay “The Making of English,” begins by showing, from a comparison with German what kind of language was spoken in England a thousand years ago. He goes'on to indicate and classify the causes which by gradual changes have made English what it is today, and the story is lit to show how philology, the most arid of sciences, may he made the most interesting kind of history. When he explains, for instance, how- the mixture of races in England naturally tended to diminish gramatical inflexions and reduce words to their simplest form, iie states what is obvious, ly true and yet not obvious. Thousands of English people, again, have probably never realised how unique is the English system of gender, pinch less speculated on its origin in a language where nouns were originally masculine or feminine for purely arbitrary reasons. When Mr Bradley comes to treat pf word-mak-ing, he touches a subject of living interest again, far more complex than fhe average man conceives; and his comment on the inconsistency in such formations as “tree-fern,”, ‘.‘type-fruit” and “tree-frog” is no less full pf suggestion than his explanation why we say “divide” but “revise.” The chapters on changes of meaning (as in the word “fellow-”) antj on makers of English, which, for instance, assigns to its true owner the phrase “'Mrs Grundy,” cover again ground only touched by Archbishop Trench in a book whose charm may bo fairly cited as a fpi-etaste of this.

“In Relief of Doubt.” By R. E. Welsh, M.A. H. R, A Henson, Lon. don, S. and W- Mackey, Wellington.

Tho author is up to date in tho best sense of the term. As he phrases it, he puts “the case for Christ” in a most convincing and effective form. He is well acquainted with the best modern literature. His power of apt quotation is remarkable. In fact, his book is well worth reading, for the sake of its felicitous quotations. But this is only one oi its many merits, 'fhe writer is logical aiid his arguments proceed with scientific like demonstration. The Bishop of London writes: “I have found it in a great many instances of real service in relief of doubt. . . It deals with that vague atmosphere of doubt which is so common, and dispels it by its clear and pointed arguments; and it is written in a stylo so racy that none can put it down and call it dull.” There are few books on apologetics that will be more useful to thinking young men; and few writers who make Christianity and the things of a higher* life appear so rational and attractive.

Mr Maurice Hewlett’s new work, ’’The Queen’s Quair,” which is running its serial course in “The Pall Mall Magazine,’’ will be published ip book form by Messrs Macmillan neat month. They will publish ,at the same time a new novel, “Helianthus,” by Oujda, and Mr Winston Churchill's new story, “The Grossing,” , “