the times of the five Peck brothers who continued in the same devoted spirit the work of the fathers. Of these five the best known are George, the second son, and Jesse T., the youngest. The chapter on George Peck begins, "This name stands for a great man," and to the question, why he should be called great, our author says, "I will answer by a plain recital of his life." Born in the woods in a poor log-cabin, from an unpromising beginning and through discouraging environments he hewed his way to greatness. He was chiefly instrumental in the founding of Cazenovia Seminary and Wyoming Seminary; of the former he was for a time the principal. He "was the originator of the first course of study prescribed by the General Conference for traveling preachers. He had to do with all the legislation enacted in the Church during more than fifty years. He was elected to thirteen General Conferences in succession from 1824 to 1872, and was present at all those sessions and remained to the close of each." He was editor eight years of the Quarterly Review, and four years of The Christian Advocate. He was one of the committee sent by the General Conference of 1864 to convey to President Lincoln the sympathy of that body and of our denomination, with Joseph Cummings, Charles Elliot, Bishop Ames, and Granville Moody as his associ ates a group of stalwart men. Dr. George Peck died May 20, 1876, and his body rests in the shadow of the old Forty Fort church. From the old Genesee Conference came E. G. Andrews, W. X. Ninde, and John P. Newman; Thomas Bowman was born there; and Enoch George, Calvin Kingsley, and Charles H. Fowler bore relation to it. From it also came Jesse Truesdell Peck, youngest of the five brothers. "He was great in the sense that his brother George was great; with small beginnings and unfavorable surroundings, yet accomplishing wonders. was called from the lowest ranks to be field marshal, and in some respects was the most attractive figure of the family. He was the Murat of the dress parade or the carnage of stern war. He was the 'Plumed Knight' of the militant Church. He lived, married, died, and is buried in the territory covered by the old Genesee Conference. His brothers assisted in his elevation to the episcopacy, and one of them presented him on the day of ordination for induction into that sacred office. Has any family in the history of American Methodism rendered more years of ministerial service to our Church than the aggregate rendered by this Peck family?" The volume before us is far from being a dry historical narrative, being enlivened by many incidents, some ludicrous and amusing, some pathetic, some religiously impressive, but all contributing to the lifelikeness of the story. We are told of an old-fashioned presiding elder in New York State who, when the bishop inquired about a certain charge and what sort of man was wanted there, replied: "Two years ago they had a professor of chemistry; last year a professor of Greek; now they want a professor of religion." At the depot in Newark Valley Jesse T. Peck was persuaded to step on the scales and be weighed. The scales marked only two hundred and ninety-five pounds; and be

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explained apologetically that he was always a little thin in hot weather. In 1864, on the deck of a steamer, he had a discussion with a Catholic priest, and, referring to it afterward, he said he was made to feel his Own extreme littleness." At a family gathering where the five brothers, their wives, and many nephews and nieces were present, Jesse T. was at the head of the long table trying to dissect the fowl; he seemed to have difficulty in his work, and made a facetious remark somewhat derogatory to the deceased. He was at once reprimanded and reminded that it had always been the motto of the family "never to speak evil of the dead." Bishop Jesse laid down the carving implements and delayed the dinner by a long, loud, hearty, earthquaking laugh. At one of these family reunions all sat down to an old-fashioned mush-and-milk dinner. The author says: "Five sons of the same father and mother, all distinguished ministers of the same Church, with their wives and children and grandchildren, sitting together around one table, eating mush and milk, the meal having been ground from corn raised by one of the five brothers; the youngest brother a bishop, weighing three hundred pounds! I will give one hundred dollars for just such another story in the whole history of the world." Pictures of the father and mother and of their five sons and of the author appear in the book.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Civil Law in the Ecclesiastical World. By Rev. CHARLES SHEARD and LAWRENCE RUSSEL, Attorney at Law. Orders received by French & Griswold, Canton, N. Y., or by the Trade. Price, leather, 50 cents. Postage 5 cents extra. This is a compendium of the Religious Corporations Law and the Clergyman's Legal Adviser combined. It contains the Religious Corporations Law, a Résumé of Marriage Laws, Church and Clerical Exemption Laws, the Sabbath Laws, Privileges of Spiritual Advisers, Drawing of Deeds with Forms; and answers all questions relating to such matters under the laws of the State of New York, the clerical author of the book being a member of the Northern New York Conference. It is intended for the use of ministers and church officers of all denominations and for trustees of all religious corporations in this State. One chapter furnishes directions for the drawing of deeds, together with legal forms for deeds, bequests, and conveyances to religious and eleemosynary institutions and corporations. This chapter is by Justice Russell, of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. It appears to be a complete guide and handbook of such matters prepared by competent persons. Disciplinograph. By ROBERT T. MILLER. 12mo, pp. 24. Cincinnati Curts & Jennings. Price, paper, 25 cents.

Mr. Miller, who was a lay delegate from Kentucky to the General Conference of 1896, is known to be one of the most intelligent, diligent, and successful collectors of Methodist memorabilia and of rare relics and records and waymarks of the history of our denomination. His home in Covington contains a remarkable and valuable collection of antiquities,

curiosities, and prizable things. He has prepared and our Western publishing agents have issued in this convenient booklet a "Memorandum for Collectors of Disciplines," in which are given "the title-pages of the ORIGINAL EDITIONS of the Sunday Service, and of the Doctrines and Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and of other Methodist Churches, in the order of their publication." This memorandum is made up from the books which are in Mr. Miller's very complete private collection. The titles extend from 1784 to 1896. It is not to be wondered at that a Methodist minister's son, familiar with and interested in Methodism and its history and literature from his boyhood, should be found prosecuting this work of collection and sharing its results with his fellow-Methodists.

Christian Science. The Truths of Spiritual Healing and their Contribution to the Growth of Orthodoxy. By R. HEBER NEWTON, Rector of All Souls' Church, New York. 12mo, pp. 78. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. Price, paper, 25 cents. Christian Science Examined. By HENRY VARLEY. 18mo, pp. 80. New York: Fleming H. Revell Co. Price, paper, 15 cents.

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Both of these booklets are important contributions to the increasing literature of Christian Science. The first is the more tolerant of the two. Its author, Dr. Newton, is one who would gather honey from all flowers. While recognizing the evils of Christian Science, he devotes some considerable portion of his pamphlet to the enumeration of the vital truths which give to the movement its force. These in their natural order he finds to be that Christian Science "deals with disease;" that it "accepts the work of healing sickness as an integral part of the discipleship of Jesus Christ; " that it finds the clew to this ministry of healing in the example of Jesus;" that it is the recognition and application of the secret of Christ that "a true science of therapeutics must be largely psychical;" that it also recognizes and applies the principle of Jesus whereby he appealed to the soul, as well as the mind, of the sufferer; that it evolves its philosophy from the domination of mind over matter in the life of Jesus, and learns its theology at his feet; and that, "this theology realized, sin itself is seen, as Christian Science teaches, to be no part of the eternal reality of being. God is one. God is infinite. God is all. God is good." In short, "there is nothing in Christian Science, as thus interpreted, which is in conflict with the inner heart of Christian orthodoxy." The pamphlet constitutes a chapter in a new book of the author, which aims "to show that orthodoxy is no fixed and final form of thought." The pamphlet of Mr. Varley differs from that of Dr. Newton in that it makes no philosophical study of the principles which underlie Christian Science, but rather traces the development of the movement from its discovery in 1866, and outlines the chief characteristics of the system. In caustic words it points out the erroneous attitude of Christian Science toward the Bible, sin and Satan, God and the material body. In short, it supplements in its keen denunciation the semitolerance of Dr. Newton's review.