The San Francisco call. [volume], September 18, 1910, Page 15, Image 15

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

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Tlie San Francisco Sunday Call
BOOK PAGE OF THE SUNDAY CALL
"AFRICAN GAME TRAILS,"
1 "African Game Trails"
B - r c-Tfir od 'J re cßooc Roos * Trtt - Polished t>T Charlei
Seribaer's Sons. Now York. Prlc« W.
The great expedition Into Africa by
Theodore Roosevelt and his party is
. over and the journey at an end. We
had a record of It as it appeared In
the articles In Scribner's. but the
magazine gav<. no idea of the tremen
dous size of "the book. Somehow in
reading the Bmall- doses allowed us
every SO days we lost sight of what
bad gone before and the big book just
irom the publishers is . « [revelation.
Colonel Roosevelt has written a short
preface for this publication in which
he epitomizes his whole story and in
\u25a0which occurs the best writing In th«
book. \u25a0 .' »>i-i
"I «?peak of Africa and golden joys;
the Joy of wandering through lonely
lands; the Joy of hunting the mighty
and terrible lords of the wilderness,
the cunning, the wary and the grim."
Usually this author's style (many
critics would say absence of It) is
crisp and direct, jriving rather the lm
' pression that in his strenuous life ho
has had little time to give to fine
writing, but occasionally Sn this book
\u25ba he allows himself to give a few un
necessary details, which add much to
Chd pleasure of reading.
"In these greatest of the world's
»"<•): hunting^ grounds, there are
mountain peaks whose snows are daz
zling under the equatorial sun; swamps
where the slime oozes and bubbles and
festers In the steaming heat; lakes
like seas, skies that burn above deeerta
wiiere the iron desolation is shrouded
•from view by the wavering mockery
of" the mirage; vast grassy plains
\u25a0where palms and thorn trees fringe the
dwindling streams; mighty rivers rush
ing out of the heart of the continent
through the sadness of endless
marshes; forests of gorgeous beauty,
\u25a0where death broods in the dark and
silent depths?."
v Even in the brief space of his fore-
we see pictures of . the land
through which he traveled' with a
clearness never imparted by Stanley,
who, though .he accomplished frrear
things, had no literary ability.
"There are regions as healthy . as
the northland; and other regions, radi
ant with bright hued Cowers, blrdi
and butterflies, odorous with sweet)
and heavy scents, but. treacherous in
their beauty and sinister to human
life. On the land and In the water
there are dread brutes that feed on
the flesh of man; and among the lower
things, that crawl, and fly, and sting,
and bite, he finds swarming foes far
more evil and deadly than any beast
. or reptile; foes that kill his crops and
his Cattle, foes before which he him
self perishes in his hundreds of thou
eands."
As has been noted, the foreword 18 a
perfect index to the book. Reading it
one knows exactly what he will find
elaborated in the body of the book, but
told with no artistry. The country
through which the party passed was
not new. Explorers had seen It thor
oughly and sent scientific descriptions,
but they have all proved dreary read-
Ing. Let us read the last pages of the
preface: /
"The dark skinned races that live In
the land vary widely. Some are war
like, cattle owning nomads; some till
the soil and live in thatched huts
shaped like bee hives; some are fisher
folk; some are apelike, naked savages,
\u25a0who dwell In the -woods and prey on
creatures not much wilder or lower
than themselves.
•. "The land teems with beasts of the
infinite In number and incred
ipie In variety. It holds the fiercest
beasts •of ravin and the fleetest and
most timid of those beings that live
in undying fear of talon and fang. It
holds the largest and the smallest of
hoofed animals. It holds the mightiest
creatures that tread the earth or swim
In Its rivers; It also holds distant kins
folk of these same creatures no bigger
than woodchucks, which dwell in cran
nies of the rocks and In the treetops.
There are antelope smaller than hares
and antelope larger than oxen. There
are creatures which are the embodi
ment of grace, end others whose huge
ungalnllness Is like that of a shape In
& nightmare. The plains are alive with
<Srcves of strange and beautiful ani
mals whose like is not known else
tvhere, and with others even stranger
that Ehow both In form and temper
something of the fantastic and the gro
tesque. It Is a never ending pleasure
to graze et the great herds of buck as
4hey move" to and fro in their myriads;
as they stand for their noontide rest
in the quivering heat haze; as the long
files crime down to drink at the water
ing places; as they feed and fight and
rest and make love."
That Roosevelt is first of all a hunt
er is shown In his appreciation of the
\u25a0wonderful animals found In the forests
and his enthusiastic descriptions of
them: -
"The hunter who wanders through
these lands sees eights which ever aft-,
eru-ard remain fixed In his mind. He
eees the monstrous river horse snort-
Ing and plunging beside the boat; the
Eirßjffe looking- over the treetops at
' 'Ki 'faring horseman; the ostrich flee
\Smpt a speed that none may rival; the
ffnaTling leopard and colled python,'
with their lethal beauty; the zebras,
barking in the moonlight as the laden
caravan passes' on Its night march
through a thirsty land. In after years
' there shall come to him memories of
thJ* lion's charge; of the gray bulk of
the elephant, close at hand in the
Fomber' woodland; of the buffalo, his
Bullen eyes lowering from under his
helmet of horn; of the rhinoceros,
truculent and stupid, standing in the
bright sunlight on the efctpty plain."
So much for the author, but for a
i-rief glimpse of the man behind the
author with feeling*and sentiment, or,
as he himself might put it, with blood
c.nd bones:
"Th«»se things can be told. But ther*
are no words that can tell the hidden
spirit of the wilderness, that can re
veal its mystery, its melancholy and
its charm. There Is delight In thehardy
!if« of the open, in long rides, rifle in
l;an<l. in the thrill of the fight with
dangerous gamo. Apart from this, yet
mingled with it. Is the strong attrac
tion of the silent places, of the large
tropic moons and the splendor of the
new stars; where the wanderer sees
the awful glory of sunrise ami sunset
in the wide waste, spaces of the earth,
unworn of man. and changed only by
the slow change of the ages through
time everlasting."
The book Is divided Into 15 chapters,
jyhich form as a whole a brilliant rec
ord of unique adventure. These chap
ters are followed by six appendices of
great value and interest. They consist
of personal acknowledgments, list of
mammals, from Heeber's notes. Loring's
"notes, biological survey of Mount Kenia,
protective coloration of animals and the
pigskin library. As to this last ap
©pendlx, many people will be Interested
to read what Mr. Roosevelt thinks of
the Various "condeneed libraries":
"There Is no such thing as the hun
dred best books or the best five foot
library. Mr. Eliot's is in most respects
an excellent list, but it is, of course, in
no sense a list of tho best books for
all people, or for all places and times.
The question is largely one of the per
sonal equation.' Some of the books
which Mr. Eliot Includes I would not
put In a five foot library, nor vet in a
fifty foot library, and he includes vari
ous good books which- are at least no
better than many thousands (I speak
literally) which he leaves out. This is
of no consequence, bo long as' it is
frankly conceded that any such list
must represent only the* Individual per
sonal preferences."
The book is filled most generously
with illustrations from photographs
taken by Kermlt Roosevelt and other
members of the party. The drawings
by Philip R. Goodwin could be omitted.
Not that they are bad, but they suffer
by comparison with the splendid photo
graphs and do not seem to fit the text.
The book is beautifully printed and
bound.
"Yawcob Strauss: and
Other Poems"
By Charles Foll»n Adams. -- Published by Lo
tfcrop, Lee & SUepaxd, Boston. Price $1.
It was in 1878 that Charles Follen
Adams offered his first collection of
verse under the title of "Little Yawcob
Strauss and Other Poems." Ten years
later .another volume followed, and
now, 22 years later, a book cornea
which contains all in the first two thin
volumes and such other poems as have
been written since. Thousands of peo
ple throughout the country have
known many of the author's poems
without knowing his name. "Little
Yawcob Strauss" made Its author so
famous that his second book of Ger
man-American dialect verses was
"written by Yawcob Strauss." It will
be a pleasure to many people to have
these genuinely humorous verses col
lected in one volume. The titles of
some of the best known are: "To Bary
Jade," telling the story of the young
man with the fearful cold in his head;
"Mine Moder in Law," "Der Shpider
und der FLy," "Der Oak und der Vine"
and "Dot* Long Handled Dipper." The
last named is one of tho later ones by
the Author, and more familiar, perhaps,
than the others to "the readers of this
generation.. "Der Oak und der Vine"
k is not too long to quote and Is a fair
example of tho author's style and his
quaint philosophy:
I doa'd vas preaching voman's rlghdts,
Or anyding like dot,
Und I likes to see all beoples
, Shust gondented mit dhelr lot;
Budt I vants to gontradict dot snap
Dot made dis leedle shoke:
"A voraan va3 der glinging vine,
Und man der shturdy oak."
Berhaps, Fomedimes, dot may be drue,
Budt, den. dimes oudt off nine
I find me oiidt dot man himself
Vas been der glinging vine;
Und vhen hees friendts dey all vas gone
Und he vas shust "tead proke,"
Dot's vhen der voman shteps rlghdt In
Und been der shturdy oak.
\u25a0 t
Shust go oup to der paseball groundts
Und see dhose "shturdy oak 3,"
All planted 'roundt übon der seats —
, Shust hear dheir laughs und shokea!
Dhfcn see dhose vomens at der tubs,
Mit glothes oudt on der 'lines;-
Vhlch vas der shturdy oaks, mine
friendts,
Und Vhlch der glinging vines?
Vhen sickness in der householdt comet,
Und veeks und veeks he shtays,
Who vas Id fighdts him mitoudt rcsdt.
Dhose very nlghdts und days?
Who peace und gomfort alvays prings,
Und cools dot fefered prow? -
More like id vas der gender vine
Dot oak he gllngs t# now.
"Man vants budt lecTllehere pelow," .'
Der boot yon time .said;
Dhere's leedle dot man he don'd vant,
I dink id means, inshtead:
Und vhen der years keep rolling on,
Dhelr cares und ' droubles bringing,
He vandts to pc der shturdy oak, •
Und, also, do der glinging.
Maype, vhen oaks dhey glihg some
more, -
Und don'd so shturdy been.
Der glinging vlne.s »dney have some
\u25a0 shance . . '<:\u25a0'.: '
To helb run life's masheen.
In helt und sickness, shoy und pain.
In calm or ehtormy veddher, <
'Tvas beddher dot dhose oaks und vines
Should alvays glln'g ; togeddher.
"The Tragedy of Hamlet" -
By Henry Frank, author of "Modern Light on
Immortality." Published by Sherman,
French & Co., Boston. Price $1.50.
The literature relative to "Hamlet"
has now reached such colossal propor
tions that It will soon have a room to
itself in great libraries. It would seem
that In its infinite variety' tho subject
had been discussed from every im
aginable point of view, yet Henry
Frank offers a new solution and stu
dents will ba Interested to study again
this greatest prpduct of the master
minJ. It seems scarcely credible that
Shakespeare, when ho introduced tho
ghost as the chief moving character
In his drama, could have had anything
else In mind than one of the conven
tional apparitions which wero so firmly
believed to appear at critical moments
by the people of his time; and a casual
consideration of the ghost in "Hamlet"
bears out the Idea: it is seen by three
people before Hamlet sees It;' it talks
In the conventional way for ghosts, and
disappears promptly at midnight as
ghosts should. Still Henry Frank con
tends, and certainly makes out a very
good case, that Shakespeare uncon
sciously probably has described a
ghost which agrees In every particular
with what the modern psychologists
call a projection of the subconscious
mind. The laws of psychic phenomena
as studied by Hudson and others seem
to have been known* intuitively to
Shakespeare 300 years before the
science was discovered.
Says Hudson in his "Law of. Psychic
Phenomena": "A phantom or ghost is
nothing more or les6 than an intensi
fied telepathic vision; Its objectivity,
power, persistency and permanence be
ing in exact proportion to tho Inten
sity of the emotion and desire which
called It into being. It Is the embodi
ment of an idea, a thought. It is en
dowed with the intelligence pertaining
to that one thought and no more; and
It Is a well known fact that when a
ghost fulfills Its missfcm It never again
appears on this planet."
Henry. Frank says: "Now all these
features are well carried out in Shakes
peare's phases of the ghost's appear
ance, and If they are to bo accepted as
finally scientific then It Is manifest
that Shakespeare has antedated modern
science by many centuries.";..
The laws of telepathy as s6 far
worked ;out, say that a telepathic mes
sage may be sent by one person to one
or more others unknown to tho sender
himself, and that such a message, if
powerful enough, may appear to I the
receivers as a visual object. Also the
subject himself miay. have projected be
fore .him -by- his subconscious mind an
apparition- which to him appears real.
Such an apparition, if It appears to
speak,, can reveal, of course, nothing
which is not already In the mind of the
subject. Yet the whole mission of the
ghost in Hamlet is to reveal the fact
of the murder of Hamlet's
The author's argument is In brief
as follows: Ha^mlet's constant brood-
Ing ' over- the :v: v Image of: his "departed
father causes a telepathlc^lmage to be
projected -before his friends^ Marcellus
and Bernardo, 'later rbfiforo:: Horatio
also; finally after having been informed
of the apparition and .thus having his
mind prepared, \lt appears to himself
and in a more Intense, form, so that It
apparently speaks. In* regard; to the
message it delivers.? the author con
tends that the', fact of | tho king's being
responsible for his father's death was
already guessed at ? by, Hamlet, and
calls attention to the* following, slgni
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
flcant # passage, which has strangely
enough been but littlo commented
upon: . . ; \u25a0
Ghost— "lf erer thou didst thy dear father
lore
- Revenue his foul and most unnatural murttier."
Hamlet— "Murther 1"
' Ghost — "Mnrther \u25a0 most foul, as It Is at best;
now, Hamlet,' hear: \u25a0 :-s
'Tis given out that, «leeplntr In my orchard
. A serpent stung me; — but know, my noble youth,
The serpent that did sting thy father's life
Now wears his crown." \u25a0 .
Hamlet — Ob my prophetic soul I My uncle!"
Commenting on this passage; the au
thor says: "Here is a clear Intimation
that the thought that his father had
been foully murdered by his uncle, had
already existed in his mind, but ho was'
loath to give it expression even to him
self. But when he hears the ghost pro
claim it then suddenly the rush of
memory crowds upon his mind and he
hears himself cry* aloud, 'Oh, I knew It;
I felt it; O my prophetic soul, thou
wert right!' This Is manifestly the
force of the entire passage, 'and re
veals the psychological, purport of
Hamlet's mental vision."
Taking such speculations for what
they are worth, the author proves pret
ty conclusively that Shakespeare either
deliberately or by chance described an :
apparition which corresponds in every,
detail with tho only real apparition —
if there are any such.
Upon tho much mooted question of
Hamlet's sanity, Henry Frank has his
fling and examining, the subject from
the. standpoint;- of.;. the modern alienist
calls attention to the following facts:
The text undoubtedly shows that Ham
let, for his own reasons, pretended to
bo Insane. The passages wherein he is
assuming. madness are quite plain. But
\ in others, where it is equally plain that
he is not shamming:, he gives way; to
outbursts which could only come from
a real madman. Now, the author points,
out what has never been mentioned:
before, that these outbursts occur only
when the king, the object of his Intense
hatred, is . present, or when he mistak
enly t,hinks he: is -present, as in the
scene In his mother's closet where he
\u25a0'.' kills Polonius behind the arras, suppos
ing him to be the king.
The conclusion is that Hamlet, per
fectly Bane and rational at most times,
was thrown into fits of madness by the
presence of the king, whom he loathed
Boheartily; hence he would be classed
ns a monomaniac, which class, ; If in
sane. It Is well known, are as rational -
as any. one else at, ordinary times, and
Hamlet would bo perfectly capable of
assuming madness when his real mad-.
ne"ss:was. not upon; him. ..\,
The book makes a real addition Jto
the study of Hamlet and whether or not
the author's conclusions ; are tenable,
the portions quoted ; from, as well as
many others not « alluded • to, are well
: worth the time of any one interested in'
things Shakesparean.
A^slim; little booklet entitled "The
: City of : £alnt Anna" is explained in a
subtitle as "The Story of The < Man
Child." jit is written and published by
Edward-; A-VMerrit,-; who , with \u25a0 many
others nowadays is agitating the.ques
tion of education on the subject of the
"social evil," "or as :.' James .Oppehheim
puts 'It; • "The Great : Black Plague."
; This book purports; to be asketch of
the last 18 years of a man's life, living
, here on the; Pacific", coast.; Like most
.reformers -:he 'makes*, the mistake -of
overshooting the mark. He selects the
;mosf ' depraved\ conditions to write
about,- and Cwhile they fill ; the reader
\,\Plth ' horror; he.. ,:knows';,lnstinctlvelyi
"that .these cases must be I exceptional.;
The book is; much-overdone and badly
written, but the | honesty, of purpose is |
evident throughout ",'; (Salt' Lake* City.)
>\u25a0&?.<\u25a0: - •\u25a0: . " \u25a0 . > : ,
"Thomas a -Kempis'.
Imitation of Christ"
Edited with Introduction and notes by Brother
Leo. r. S. C, profes3or of English literature
. In St. Mary's college, Oakland, Cal. Pub
. liahed by the Macmlllan company. New York
and San Francisco. Price 23 cents.
This .latest addition to the "well
known aeries of Pocket Classics pub
lished by the Macmillans represents
what, for the average reader, must
prove the most serviceable and con
venient version of "The Imitation"
that has thus far appearod in English.
The translation, following closely the
authentic Latin manuscript of 1441,
makes smooth reading with just a sug
gestion of the archaic flavor to be ex
pected In the work of a medieval monk
and scholar.
Brother Leo's introduction contains a
mass of information concerning
Thomas a * Kempis and the brothers of
the common life that heretofore has
not been accessible to the ordinary
reader. The biography «of the author
monk enables us> to reconstruct In a
measure the life of the times in which
he lived and out of which his master
piece flowered. The editor also traces
the various sources of*"The Imitation"
and tho influencing agencies that were
brought to bear upon » a Kempis as a
result of '70 years' sojourn In the
monastery of. Mount St. Agnes in Hol
land.
The present edition of "The Imitation
of Christ" has been prepared from a
literary and educational viewpoint
rather than from the purely devotional
outlook. A section of the introduction
deals with "The Imitation" as a com
mentary on life, in the course of which
the editor rather pertinently remarks:
"'The Imitation of Christ* must be
read from the viewpoint from which it
was written. This Is the only senslbla
and I fruitful method of reading any
book. There Is Omar Khayyam. His
point of view, shaped by his 'Book of
verses underneath the bough,' his 'Jug
of wine' and his warbling 'thou.* may
not be your point of view; but whether
or not you ultimately adopt his attitude
toward men and life, you muet, to read
the 'Rubalyat' with discernment, adopt
his views for the nonce. Similarly, to
read aright 'The Imitation of Christ/ to
grasp the meaning of its author's com
ments on "life/you must don in spirit
the white habit of tho canons of St.
Augustine and look out upon the world
with the pyes of faith through the nar
row cloister windows of Mount St.
Agnes."-
As a rule, religious treatises do not
rank high as works of art Among the
few exceptions, however, the master
piece of Thomas a Kempis stands alone.
For some 600 years it has been read and
reread by. all sorts and conditions of
men. Catholic nnd Protestant. Jew and
gentile, believer and* atheist, all have
admitted Its strength, experienced Its
consolation, yielded themselves to its
fascinating sway.' - And why?
;". 'The secret of a Kempis' power,"
writes Brother Leo, "was his sympathy
for his, fellowmeri. Knowledge alone
•loes not suffice. .The cynic who points
out our weaknesses and our follies, and
Jeers at them and at us, undoubtedly
possesses' knowledge; but no cynic who
vas, merely a cynic ever produced a
book of abiding worth/Besides knowl
edge- of men, the great writers in
variably reveal a profound sympathy
for ; and with men. They recognize
themselves as a part of the world, they
portray,. as sharers In "the common lot.
as partakers of humanity's sorrows and
humanity's- Joys." % They, look into their
own hearts, and write."; . ."J
Here we have the explanation of the
curious Influence. exerted by "The Imi
tation;Of Christ" over men and women
far removed from the time and the life
of a Kempis. \u25a0 It is ; at 'oncij suggestive
and; anomalous that what Is perhaps
the, strongest tribute to" "The Imita
tion" that over appeared Jin English
came from the pen of George Eliot. In
understanding of human nature, in
sympathy with human nature, the monk
and the woman were on common
ground. . ;
To bestow praise at this late'day on
Thomas a Kempis would savor "of im
pertinence, for. when* all- is eald his
masterpiece remains; for all time hl3
crowning ', achievement. On the other
hand;; It- would be * indelicate and un
necessary |to | felicitate ,the ; professor of
English literature | in. St. "Mary's college
on this unique contribution the
world "'. classics. , Let ?it suffice .to say
that i; this, . book,* written by a monk tof
the ( fifteenth century '. and edited by a
monk- of ;< the twentieth century, de
serves; the cordial : reception It is cer
tain, to *: receive* , '
UNA H. H. COOL
"The Science of Poetry"
By Hudson Maxim. Published By Funk il
WagnaUs company. New York. Price $2.50.
The author, says in his Introduction:
"The main object of this Dook Is to
provide a practical method for literary
criticism and analysis and a standard
of uniform Judgment for determining
the relative merits of literary produc
tions and, further, to supply a more
practical and efficient means than we
have had heretofore for the standard
ization of poetry, whereby any poem
may be assayed and the amount of its
poetic gold determined and separated
from the slag and dross. • • • The
more I have studied, the stronger has
grown my conviction that no other sub
ject of equal interest and importance
to mankind has been so neglected by
eciono#, so abandoned to the chaos of
misunderstanding. There Is. indeed, no
general agreement as to what consti
tutes poetry. *f here are as many opin
ions as there i are critics. Often the
worst poetry Is pronounced the best,
and often the best the worst by some
who are considered leading authori
ties."
The book is sure to arouse a great
deal of interest and discussion in liter
ary circles because of the daring of
its scientific originality. It will give
the public a new 'conception of the
manysldedness of Mr. Maxim's Intel
lect. In scientific circles his inventive
genius ha 3 been by the
production of smokeless powder' and
high explosives which are now used by
American and foreign governments.
In writing this book he has applied
the same analytical methods of thought
to his subject that have won him suc
cess in the field of invention. The book
Is not to be made fun of, though that is
the first attitude of the-. critic; prob
ably because It Is difficult to Imagine
a man — who is strictly scientific, who
has given his life to inventing high
explosives — even reading poetry, to say
nothing of expounding It and making a
scale by which all are to Judge it. Some
people may like the Idea — poets will
not, and will find hundreds of Ways
to prove the author all wrong In hla
theories. The illustrations are super
fluous and injure the book, which will
bear study and discussion. .
"The Gang" *
By Fred I'.rasted. Published by the Griffith
& Ilowland Press, Philadelphia. Price $1.25.
"The Gang." explained, in a subtitle
as a tale of the middle west, is a side
light on politics shown in the form of
a"m>vel. The author attempts to show
the difference between "machine" poli
tics and "organization." To obtain re
sults organization is necessary. Quot
ing from the. author's explanatory ar
gument^tthe end of the book this
point is clearly stated:
"An evil' genius in power embodies
the greatest danger Jn 'machine* poll
tics. Too. of ten he holds sway so com
plete and so. long that the people come
to regard him as a perpetuity and even
a necessity. • \u25a0• • Organization in
politics is right because it is a neces
sity. Machines in politics are often
bad, but If bad It Is not because they
are machines. . B<ssses in politics are
often bad, but If bad It. is not because
they are bosses. There are good and
bad machines, and good and bad
bosses. • \u25a0 • \u25a0 • "
. This book tells the tale of a small
community in the middle west dom
inated by an unscrupulous crook. A
young lawyer settles in the town and
determines to reform the affairs of th*>
place. The fact that he soon falls in
love with the stepdaughter of the
crooked boss somewhat complicates
matters, but In the end he is victorious
In lovo and politics, without hurting
the feelings of anybody. • Many inter
esting sidelights on crooked political
methods are exhibited to us and the
story Is full of Interest. From a lit
erary viewpoint it is not of great value,
being amateurish In style and dis
jointed and rough In construction. The
author ha 3 Ideas, but shows a lack of
skill. in assembling them.
Frederick Townsend Martin has Just
finished and delivered to his publishers
the manuscript of his book. "The Rem
iniscences of My -Life." Martin's recol
lections'cover a most interesting period
of -American society. The book closes
with, a description of the fancy ball
given by his brother, Bradley Martin,
in 1898. Before It Is published in book
form it will appear serially.
Frederick Townsend Martin has Just
finished and delivered to his publishers
the manuscript of his book. "The Rem
iniscences of My -Life." Martin's recol
lections'cover a most interesting period
,of \u25a0 American society. The book closes
with, a description of the fancy ball
given by his brother, Bradley Martin,
in 1898. Before it is published in book
form it will appear serially.
"The Native Born"
By I. A. tt. Wyllia. Published by the Bobb»-
Merrill company, IndianapolU. Frlc* 91.30.
I. A. R. WTllle is a new name araonf
the authors of fiction, but from now on
ft is a name to be reckoned with. In
one of the notices sent from the pub
lishers they refer to the author as
"She" and in an accompanying letter
they again notice him as "He.**. So
we are as much in the dark as before
reading their notices. The story 13
the sort of one whlcn once begun i 3
not laid aslda till finished. It 13
breathless with excitement, but a thou
sand miles from melodrama. It Is full
of emotion but quite* devoid of nentl
mentality. It la a strong, virile story,
every page of which convinces us that
the author knows the subject, she
write 3 upon thoroughly. The publish
ers have compared the tale with Flora
Annie Steele's book "On the Face of
the Waters." and It does. Indeed, stand
the test. Like that book it has for its
setting India, but a later period la
pictured than in Mrs. Steele's great
book.
The first chapter, "Which is a Pro
logue," la supposed to give us an
inkling of some of the Important events
and characters in the. tale. It de
scribes the last hours of two unfortu
nate couples, the victims of one of the
then frequent Indian uprisings. The
talk between the two women tells U3
one leaves a baby boy, the other a baby
girl, not in any danger, for they are
far from the mutiny. The husbands
come Into the room when there is no
more hope and as the doors crash be
low them one of them puts a bullet
Into his young wife's brains. We are
left !n some doubt as to the fate of
the others. The savages break in and
after a groan the chapter end 3.
The story opens 25 years later. Fate
has crossed the paths of the girl and
boy ana they have become. good friends.
The girl has been adopted by Colonel
Carmichael, who has blamed himself
all his life for arriving too late with
his soldiers to save her father, wllo
had been his dearest friend. This girl
Lois Is a fascinating creature. She
has lived all her life In India and has
absorbed much of the mysticism and
oriental taste of the native. Young
John Travers on the contrary is a typi
cal Englishman and the more hd se?a
of the Indians the more he distrusts
them and realizes that n<» friendship
with any of them Is possible, for they
were the slayers of his father and
mother.
There are several characters of quite
equal Interest and importance, so that
one can scarcely label any as hero or
heroine. Beatrice, the other woman, is
a cold calculating adventuress, but sho
Is transformed into 'the noblest" of
women by her unselfish love for a fine
and noble man. Not, however, before
she has done untold damage by lies and
deceit, and her mischief has grown to
alarming 1 proportions. Adam Nichol
son, another man, 13 almost too ad
mirable In every way to be real. He
is the perfect type -of soldier and quite
suited to the life In India, for he un
derstands the people thoroughly and
respects those whom he governs.
To hint at the plot is to spoil the
story for the reader, but it la full of
complication and surprises and yet has
a most artistic and satisfactory ending.
Too much praise can hardly be given
this- clever writer. She (?) understands
India thoroughly and writes with
strength and conviction. Her story
gives us a picture of that
always alluring country and the life in
an army post there is, graphically pic
tured. No lover of India can afford to
miss this book. It Is one long to be re
membered. ,i. ,-\u25a0•":.'\u25a0; ,'-.-;
"By the Way"
By Assess Greene Foster. Published by Paul
Elder & Co.. San Francisco. Price $1.50.
"By the Way" is the title of soms
pleasant travel letters, with useful
notes for tourists, written by Agness
Greene Foster. Too many travelers go
to foreign lands to find fault, because
things are different from what they
are at home. But the author of this
little book is a simple natured. sweet
hearted observer, and on each of her
fours went to enjoy new sights and to
drink In new creauties without the
Incessant query, whether they were In
ferior or superior to other 3. There la
nothing of dry guide book recital in
this volume: it Is more like a tray!
novel, and Is full of the author's kindly
personality, written in an enjoyable
manner, bright, conversational, and
presenting an exceptionally entertain
ing story in an easy, picturesque style.
The Information Is cleverly woven in
through a series of bright letters deal
ing with Interesting people and places.
England. Ireland, Scotland. The Nether
lands. Switzerland. Germany. Austria-
Hungary, Italy, Greece and European
and Asiatic Turkey mre among the
countries visited with characterises
comment and anecdote. The book Is
thoroughly indexed and a list of hotels
and pensions In places visited will be
found a feature of great value to the
tourist of moderate means. The illustra
tions are reproductions of photographs*
in brown. The book will make a de
lightful "bon voyage" gift
Books Received
"The Passover." by Clifford Howard- R. T
Fenpo & Co., New York.
SBSUSSK b7 Cjrril HaIl! R-F-Ffaao
_ "Once Upon a Time." by Richard Hardlnr
Darls; Charles Scrtbner'» Sons, New York.
"New Faces." by Myra Kelly; G. W. DUllns
ham company. New York.
"The Peacock of Jewells." by Ferjrna Htsaj«:
G. «. DUllnjrham company. New York.
"Bucky O'Connor." by William UacLeod
Kaine: G. w. DUUnsrhara company. New York.
"The Honse on Stilts." by R. H. Hazard; G.
W. Dllllnghan company. Xew York.
"John Marsh's Millions." by Charles Kle!a
knd Arthur Horn Mow; G. W. Dillinzaam com
pany. New York.
'The Lonely LoTers," by Horace W. C. N'ewte;
Mitchell Kennerly. New York.
"Mad Shepherd* and Otter Human SrndW '•
by L. P. Jacks; Henry Holt & Co.. New York#
"God Men and True." by Eucene Manlora
Rhodes; Henry Holt tt Co., New York.
"Tue Lady of Sbenipslt.'* by Frederic P. Ladd;
Stnrgls & Walton company. New York.
•The Trail of .Sourdousa." by May Kellozz
SullWan. Klchard C. Badser; The Gor ham ere jo,
Boston.
"A Square Look Into Eternity," by J. C Jen
sen; J. C. Jensen. Denver. Colo.
I BANKRUPT BOOK SALE
w Catalogue Ready for Mailing
w Valuable works of reference at 13 and
j 20 cents on the dollar. Send name for
ej i.it.
P JOHN «l. IVEAVBHCIIX
»gj 2i2 SUrkat »t., s*a Francisco, Cil.