The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 20, 1901, Page 4

: THE SUNDAY CALL. -— WIDE canvass of representative made by the Chicago Ay ibune would indicate that tnere was no “book of the past year.” esmen, clergym athors, n-were asked their » most interesting publi- twelve months, and ntioned twice, and Foster's “A rican Diplomacy. at sixes and sevens, ngs Bryan h his dia,” pronounced ad- with k Secretary of the 1z and Horace White, »f the New York Even- reed. N White writes me length because the 2 tremendous es of the S: srested me memoir hful Achi de Chartres ) these quali remar not styles him joined were fch t attention ¢ v than to the He was 1 h one of natu 2 He was also time when ot the e v of tation with They had Lord Dun- cer, made a Jones” ab- carried off he dread- During mortsage d Archibald his ther side he in property into Ladies ged West s ok to withot he shouid aga ter Jones replied at with the pr existing « ) the sugges- become & > t ect of suc- would re- 1 ocen- it was at a that they score have ved me sadly and y, of the main part of offenaing as an owner uman & You are aware thal v free my only two re aaG Sciplo, at Provi- 1 writing 1 must sav s des- g ai of human I'berty and the right of man at large tring myself to a color or misfortune the good book in his own Im e written, en- h as the victo; Long saye of the book that it books of the year whicn ially interested me.” But it i= k he na letter Lo of the in George Dewey and President £ the University of Iitnois the quality of Foster's Diplomacy.” Of » Admiral Dewey writes = ‘A tury t has given me morw bosk 1 have read this any s of it the last year which I have nt i= former ‘Cent 4 is almost as e prize ring MeoLaren of the Epis- se of Chicago writes: book 1 have read witn most en- ent thig year Is he Littie Flowers int nele of Assisi’; the one his. with most instruction, ‘Memoirs of Two Last Years of the Reign of K Charles 1.’ by Sir Thomas Herbert: t one In psychology with tereat ‘The Soml of a Christlan’ by Frank Granger. voice of the critics Is of interest tte 1. Gilder agks: “Why didn't you me for best books, rather than the best book? There are 0 many points of v The best book in the wey of bi- cevaphy, 1 should say, was Morley's ‘Cromwell’; the best novel Mrs. Hum- * So far as mere Howell® ‘Literary * fills the bil, s and Acquai P ‘An Englishwoman’s other class Love Letters. le Hassam. the art critic. says: e best book of the yerr must be Hux- ley's ‘L d Letters’ 1 cannot give an opinion of any of the succeseful chromos of literature, for I have read but one, and 1 should as soon think of reading the others as of looking for a work of art gmong the pictures of forelgn mediocri- ties shown in the windows of the Fifth ' dealers. A book that I read again and hope often to reread, 18 Thoreau's ‘Cape Cod.’ Art is the contin- u uggle against shop."” feesor Y. P. Trent of the chair of ) In Columbia University writes: st confess that owing to change of residence and other causes my reading of contemp books this year has been neither systematic nor extensive. Of such &s 1 have read I should select Lord Rose- bery’s ‘Napoleon—the Last Phase’ as the one that has much interested me on the whole. although Dr. Edward Eggleston's “Transit of Civilization, which I have just begun, bids fair to rival it in inter- est.” John Kendrick Bangs says: “I would ®ay that the best book of the year in my judgment is ‘The Cardinal's Snuff Box, by Henry Harland. The love story is as delightful as it is delicate and is charrg- ingly told. I should call it a prose poem, and consider it immeasurably superior to any work produced by an American au- thor, from point of view of conception, construction and uterary style. in the last ten years. It is pleasant to note that its author is an American, and that by no means the least appreciation of the de- lightful quality of his work has been found in England, even in the day of Maurice Hewlitt."” Hobart (hatfield Chatfield-Taylor con- fesses to few books on his reading lis He writes: “In these days of prolific literature it must be an omnivorous reader indeed who would be qualified to select the best from among the many volumes of inter- est which fill the book shops. Should it be the best in purpose, conception or style? Should it be fiction, history, poetry or belles lettres? To select the best of any one of these, were the task consclen- tiously fulfilled, would n itself be the labor of a year. Among the few modern books 1 have read during the year the one which gave me the most pleasure was Maurice Hewlitt's ‘Little Novels of Italy." " Carroll D. Wright, United States Com- missioner of Labor, writes of his read- ings: “My reading the last year has been exceedingly limited, owing to various conditions, and any selection T might make would be thoroughly unjust, not only to the books, but to’' myself. If.I were to name one at all, 1 should say ‘Man and His Ancestor,’ by Charles Morris.” Profe Elisha Gray writes: “I have not all the books of 1900, but of those 1h read ion I have enjoyed mo Dr E absolute 6v He says: es the “There is no such thing as absolute primacy of excellence among books. One the best of the year in its kind; unother the best of it kind. The best philosophical work of the year and the sest poem or book of poems are incom- mensurable in quality. In power., how- r, to interest a given persom, this or at book may well excel all others. The st interesting bhook which I have read ring 190 has been ‘The Life of General Nathan Bedford Forrest, of the Confed- crate Army.' President M. E. Ingalls of the Big Four Railroad system writes: “'I think the book e me the most pleasure was one I was Jeaving on t 1 read on the At- ky Pilot.” " hony and Secretary of are open to the charge of nar Whness their s ctions. *“The book that I think most important to be read by the people of the United States,” writes Miss Anthon “The History of Woman Suff e, the fourth volume whnich will soon b issued, bringing th records down to the close of the nineteenth century. There is no his- ry about which there is so much ignor- ce as this great movement for the es- tablishment of equal political rights for women. 1 hope that the twentieth cen- tury will gee the triumph of our cause Secretary Wilson writes: “I have the honor and pleasire %o state that the book of the year which has given me the most satisfaction and the keenest enjoyment ls the ‘Yearbook of the Department of Agri- culture, 189" ** Paul Laurence Dunbar. the negro poet, writes: “1 think the ‘American Slave Trade. by John R, Spears, far and above the best and most significant book of the vear." Bishop Whipple has no special favorite, a3 “The books which have left impression ‘on my mind and been those which tell of the progress of the kingdom of Jesue Christ. the herotsm of Chrigtiah men and women and the bravery of those who have died as mar- tyrs for Christ.” pbt Emil G. Hirsch writes “I have read so many books in various languages during the flight of 1630 which 1 thoroughly enjoyed that I am now un- able to recall which afforded me the greatest degree of pleasure. Nor am I competent to decide as to the reiative greatness of the works I have come roes. 1 should say that I have enjoved b the deepest heart have of the lighter order most intensely ‘Tom- my and Grizel” in English; D'Anunzio’s oco.’ in Italian: and if 1 have not en- joyed I have at all events rend with deep- est inter Marcel Prevost's ‘Vierges Fortes.' in French. I know of no really great book to name. I believe only the test of time will establish the hierarchy of greatnessc For this reason I cannot say which of the many other professional, theological, philological or soclological books 1 have attempted to master de- serves the distinction.” Eharp; and Flats. Tovers of the writings of Eugene Fisld have a treat in store for them In two volumes just published of his “Sharps and Flats.” Originally all th~ “Sharps and Flats” published in these : wo volumes ap- peared’ in the columns «* the Chicago Dally News (now the C_icago Record), together with about 100 ’!mn as many more. These which now afpekr have been collated by Slason Thomikon, a personal friend of Mr. Field, whi assisted over eleven years ago in the piblication of “A Little Book of Profitable Tales” .and “A Little Book of Western Verse.” Some of the selections in the present nublication may seem rather uninterest- ing on account of time having placed the subjects on the back shelf, but stif throughout all there is the Kind light of Fleld's ze 1 humor, and from such a pen evew past history burns brightly. An explanation taken from the preface by Mr. Thompson may not be amiss in this connection: Befora coming to Chicago Eugene Field had attracted some attention In the newspaper of- fices of the country by his Denver Tribune Primer stories. Put his renl career as a news- paper writer and author dates from August, 1882, when his connection with the News firs began to show in paragraphs under the com- monplace heading of “‘Current Gossip.” In such A peragraph as this (August 16, 188%) “It is sald, though not authoritatively, thar, purely upon grounds of self-protection, the buffaloes are fleeing to TYellowstone Park In great numbers There was the flavor of Fleld's peculiar hu- mor, which was still present in the last para- graph he ever wrote. To appreciate this hu- mor at ghis late date it needs to be recalled that President Arthur, with a hunting party of distinguiehed friends, was in the Yellow- stone Park at that time. On August 20, 1883, the title “‘Current Gos- sip” gave piace to that of “Sharps and Flats,” whieh was retained to the end. This heading was taken from the title of a play by Clay M. Greene and the writer, then being performed by Messrs. Robson and Crane. Mr. Field's early work had the character of the breeziest sort of table-talk. It conslsted of dafly gossip mbout persons and things. From the President and affairs of state down to the doorkeeper of a local theater and the most trivial happening of the day, everything was grist to his whimsical mind. So it is iIn reading this collection of poems and sketches we must remember that when they were written they were for the present only, being thoughts of the hour for the readers of a daily news- paper. Still there is much in them worthy of preservation and many readings. Mr. Thompson has been careful in his work and omitted all that would need edi- torial footnotes, as, for instance, the Pres- ident Arthur paragraph quoted above. It is row many years since the old Sal- vini days, when we all enjoyed, or those who din't tried to enjoy the one part Italian dramas of the great tragedian; yei Field's description of the “entertainment, he calls it, is still tickling to the palate of humor: But there are humorous features about these Salvin! entertainments which partly compen- sate us for this other desecration. For in- stance, the dialogue of & Salvial tragedy im- b presses the average auditor much as the sub- joined dialogue will impress you, gentle reader: Viola Allen—You eent for me, me Lord? Salvinl (gloomily)—8i, Signora. Viola Allen—Wherefore, I prithee, tell me? Salvini' (seizing her by the arm)—Quosta in- telice grazzio guglielmo & glacomo puella leus- tra! 5 Viola Allen (deprecatingly)—Oh, me Lord! Ivinl (with suppressed rage)—Sospiro, ah! m'appari—questa adaglo banana rodrigo piano? Viola Alien (eageriy)—Oh, me soul, I know not! Salvini (glaring at her)—Ce la morte soste- nuto miserere piazza milano presto patti? Viola Allen (shuddering)—Me Lord, amaze me! Salvinl (dragging her to L. U. E.)--Sperato hernani guestato habani vigliogenoa colombo guesta grazzia nouvello! Viola Allen—Oh! Salvini—Descendo, pianoforte! Viola Allan—With a dagger, me Lord? Salvini—Fortissimo. Viola Allen—When' the pale moon shines on yon pallid corpse? Salvinl (frowningly and hoarsely)—Lazzaroni planissimo! Viola Allen—Henven's will what if he bear it not hither? Salvini (raising his sword on high)—Questra padre nouvelio bella donna trovatore! Signora che la mezza? Viola Allen—Yes, my Lord. Salvini—8i? Viola Allen—Tes. Salvini (approvingly)—Si? (Exeunt.) By this fair sample of a Salvinl play it ean be seen that a man with a fertile imagination can derive a large amount of satisfaction from the Dago drama if he is willing to pay for the pleasing experiment. Field was an excellent dramatic critic inasmuch as he always saw just the odd points that struck the public most forci- bly and yet which that same public could L e e e e e Y you crescendo et diminuendo be done! But tore of a young barrister seeking a change of venu ““Well, T don't know what the general's opera-glass 1s," said Colonel Nixon, “‘but this one of mihe is a lay zhoomels. 11 it what you piease,’’ replied the Judge, ““it 18 der tro, as far as I am concerned, until the corpse de bally makes its ontray. “I thought you didn't speak French,” said General Stiles, turning fiercely upon the Judge. *‘Oh, well,"” the Judge explained apologetical- 1y, “I'm not what you and the colonel would call oh fay—I'm a june primmer at the busi- ness—but when the wind is southerly 1 reckon I can teil a grizet from a garsong.” Chicago soclety is still in considerable doubt as to where Bernhardt should be located in the artistic scale. A good many of the elite think that her Fedora is second to Fanny Davenport's, and there are very many who prefer Clara Morris' Camille. We notice that the. popular inquiry in cultured circles s, “‘Have you been to see Bernhardt?” not “‘Have ¥ou been to hear Bernhardt *'Oh, you don't know .how I enjoyed Bayern- haverdt the other evenink! exclaimed one of our most beautiful and accomplished belles. ‘‘Her dresses are beautiful, and th do say she is dreadfully naughty!” 'teld’s newspaper pen was most prolific. Six days of the week for twelve vears he ground out good materiai for his col- umn in the News. Mr. Thompson tells us that the total number of words written during that time must have exceeded 7, 000,000, and the variety of subjects dis- cussed in prose and verse are legion. The last column made its appearance on No- vember 2, 1885, and “two days later the man who for twelve vears had filled it with his odd conceits, his effervescent wit and his thoroughly American humor, all expressed in faultless English, was dead.” in the two books just published Mr. Thompson has selected and grouped under varfous heads stories and verses which bear a relation one to the other, but for A @ MISS MILICENT W. SHINN. SHINN has written in “The Biograph of a Baby” a book that will interest both the scientific investigator of the dawning of intel- ligence in a child and the larger circle of untrained observers whos: study of the déings of children is guided by the loving sympathy which shows itself as instinctive wisdom. The “Biography” isthe history of the first year of the life of the author’s niec>. It notesin ascientific way the signifi- cance of the repetition in each normal child of the gradual unfolding of in- telligence which has differentiatsd man from the brute. Miss Shinn ts fortunate in her treatment of her sub- ]X’P\ISS MILICENT WASHBURN ject, for she shows not only the trained ability of the scholar, but al- £c the sympathetic insight into the problems of humean nature when re- duced to their simplest form, which will make her work interesting for one who is neither a spscial investi- gator nor admiring friend of babies. Miss Shinn is a graduate of the University of California, and was the first woman to reczive from' there the degree of doctor of philosophy. It is from her connection with the Over- land Monthly that Miss Shinn is best ¥nown, for she was its editor during some of the best years of its exist- ence. (Published by Houghton, Miff- lin & Co., Boston. Price 81 50.) not pick out for itself and describe In detail to ite friend. His description of a Bernhardt evening is very enjoyable, and as Mme. Bernhardt is soon to be among us it may be well for us to seize the op- portunity and “brush up” a little also: The Bernhardt engagement has brought out all (he French echolars in Chicago. Never be- fore had we suspected that there were o many able lingulsts In the midst of us. Gen- eral Stiles, we have jast discovered, spéaks French Jike a native of Parls (Vermilion Coun- ty). He attended the ‘“‘Froufrou” perform- ance last evening with his friend Judre Prendergast. The Judge Is & proficient Greek and Latin scholar, but he knows little of French, his vocabulary being limited to such phrases as “'fo par.” “liaison.’ “keiky shoze' and “olly bonnur,”" so Gemeral Stiles had to explain the play to him as it progressed last evening. . Now what is she seying?” the Judge would e said, ‘Good would answer. “Does ‘Bung swor' mean the Judge would inquire. Yes."" “Ob, what rot!” the Judge would ex- claim, and then a dude usher in one of Wil- loughby & Hill's $19 dress sults would teeter down the aisle and warn the gentlemen not to whisper so loud. 3 Presently Colonel Willlam Penn Nixon, the gifted editor of the Inter Ocean, came along and stpped into the seat next to General Stiles. He had an opera-glass and he ley- eled 1t at once at Bernhardt's red hair. “Do you speak French?' asked General evening’ "' the general ‘Good evening' 2" Stiles, in the confidential tone of & member of the Citizens’ Committee, . “Oony poo,” sald Colonel Nixon, guard- edly. “Vooley-voo donny moy voter ver de lopera?” asked the general, motioning toward the opera-glase. “‘See nay perzoon ver de lopera,” protested the colonel. ‘“‘Say lay zhoomels.”” - ““Mong doo! What do I want of zhoomels?" cried General Stiles. “‘Zhoomels is twin: “‘Parbloo!"” said Colonel Nixon, “it is not twins; it I8 opera-glasses. ““You're all wrong, Willlam," urged the gen- eral. ““The French idiom is ‘the glass of the opera,;’ Ver is ‘glass,’ and de I'opera Is ‘of the operal’ ™' “I have heard them called lornyets,” sug- mested Judge Prendersast. in the deferential the greater part the collection is made up of sketches, poems and short prose, which have no connection, but range from one topie to another with the proverbial latitude of dafly newspaper matter. A readér by turning the pages can find for every day and moment something just suited to his mood. It would be a mis- take to commence at page 1 of volume [ and read conscientiousiy through to the last page of volume I1; dip into the books as your humor dictates, and you have many a bright hour in_ store for yo (Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. In two volumes, price $2 50.) Love of Comrades. “Love of Comrades,” by Frank Mathew, Is a pretty little tale reciting the adv tures of Miss Margery Talbot in the year 1540, T.ord Strafford figures in the story, but not 1o an extent sufficient to warrant the term “historical novel,” which has comeé to be regarded rather with disfavor by a number of fiction lovers, whose tastes in that line have been satiated by the great number of works of this charac- ter which of late have been flooding the market. Miss Margery is really a notable young lady for any period of the world's his- tory, and as a young lady of quality and of but 16 years performs acts certainly remarkable, to say the least. In fact, the reader’s credulity is apt to be so strained that finally he will stop weighing the chances of probability in his mind and give himself up wholly to believe all that the author teils him without question. In order to carry a message of impor- tance which has already caused the death of her brother, who endeavored to exe- cute the commission, Miss Margery dons the gay garb of a cavalier. Fitted out Wwith sword and a knowledze of feace learned from a male cousin, she sets forth on her perilous task and encounters more adventures to the page than any othe: hercine whom it has ever been 2ur pleasure to meet. One excitement is hardly over ere another is well on its heels, and the reader will find that he has all that he can do to keep the different points in mind without caviling at Baron Munchausen effects. Miss Talbot hides her identity well. but - is ever quick to take offense that she is not treated as a woman. The lady tells the story herself, s0 the reader from the very beginning’ can rest certain that the heroine at least will come out with a whole skin despite the extraordinary amount of blood, which gives a crimson dash to every page. The best work in the story lles in the constant surprises which greet the heroine when thus as a man among men she finds none of the courtesy she has been accustomed to. but is treated as an undersized womanish youth. This point is very well worked out by the author, for he places as a traveling com- panion for the mald a man toward whom her heart has had a leaning. This bold blade gives her opinion of men many a hard rap by the unceremonious way in which he criticizes her anpearance and actions. but later redeems hii If by sav- ing her life several tfmes. And she in turn rises in his estimation as a man when, by clever sword play, she succeeds 1n killing one of the best swordsmen of the day. . The book has enough of letting of blood by sword and pistol, deaths from the plague, haunted glens, wicked men, plot- ting schemers and general rattle of arms of the middle ages to furnish material for a whole library of romantic fiction. It is trash, but very good reading to the con- trary, notwithstanding. (Published by John Lane, New York.) Deeds of Valor. The Perrien-Keydel Company of Detroit, Mich.. announces a very interesting serfes of publications to be known as “Deeds of Valor,” of which one number will appear each week. Part 1 has just been issued and promises well for the other numbers which are to follow. - Briefly qutlined, this work is a serles of stories of the most thrilling acts 6f heroism performed dnr- ing the war of the Rebellion, the Indian wars and the war with Snain. The medal of honor, like the Victoria Cross of England, is familiar to every one.fbut little has been written of the heroes and their heroic deeds. for which the medal of honor was awarded by Con- gress. In the thirtv-five vears since the close of the war of the Rebellion no thor- ough and comvlete work of this kind has been published. This serfes is intended to cover exactly this point, and the stories are to be historically correct. for they are in the most cases to be related by the heroes themselves. All are substantiated by the War Department records. An im- portant feature of the work will be a short history of our several warg laving particular stress upon the battles, their fnception and their outcome. Judging from part 1 as a sample. the work should nrove popular, for it is well fllustrated with half-tone, color cuts and numerous photographs. Evidently the publishers are taking special pains to se- cura the photographs of the medal of honor men. The edition will be comnlete in two sections. Each section consists of twenty parts, thirty-two pages (size Sx12 irches) to the part. The price will be $10 the set of forty parts, or 2 cents the part —issued weekly. Moore's Meteorological Almanac. A book that will appeal to farmers, safl-* ors and all students of the art of weather forecasting is one. recently nublished by Rand, McNally & Co., New York, under the title of “Moore's Meteorological Almanac and Weather Guide.” This baok comes from the pen of one who should be best informed in such matters, its author belng none other than Willis L. Moore, Chief of the United States Weather Bureau, Washington, D. C. Tt is the first guide to weather in the form of a popular almanac which has as vet made its appearance. The contents include: A cajendar for each month: with tables showing the highest and lowest tempera- tures for each month at every Weather Bureau station in the United States; the time of rising and setting of the sun: moon signs and changes; a Thistorical sketch of the Weather Burean and the men who have developed it: the wonder- ful phenomena of the air and an account of curious scientific facts: the construc- tion and ude of the weather map and how to read it intelligently to make it of practical value; the uses and errors of storm warnings. tornadoes: long-range forecasts: a complete account of the Gal- veston hurricane, the great floods of the United States: protection from frosts, and numerous hints to the fruit raiser and farmer on temperatures injurious to food products.—in which the question of the preservation of fruit, etc., in hot and cold climates is discussed. Besides all this there is considerable information given regarding the use of the Weather Bureau kite and other experiments. It is pub- lished in two forms; paper cover 25 cents, in cloth 50 cents. The War in South Africa. A narrative of the Anglo-Boer War from the beginning of hostilities to tha fall of Pretoria has just been issued in rather bulky though interesting form by Peter Fenelon Collier & Son of New York. Captain A. T. Mahan, the author. is aiready widely known and favorably considered as a writer of history. He writes vividly, although from the pro- Englich standpoint, and it is evident that his matter has been taken almost entirely from English sources. In consequence of this, some of the conclusions drawn have not heen sebstantiated by subsequent hap- peninks and later authentlc news. I narrative inciudes the first operations ir. Natal; takes the reader through the trou- ble in Cape Colony and the fighting in the southern part of the Free State and so on up to the time of the occupancy of Bloemfontein by the British. The ditfer- ent sieges and battles are given in deta The main feature of the work lles in the fllustrations, which are large. numerous and well done. There are some 45 sketches and photographs, thirty-four full-page (size 8x12), in black and whiie, eighteen full-page, and sixteen of smaller size in color. These are made from origi- nal work by Klepper. Wenzell, Reuter- dahl and Herring. The pictures cover all possible fields of illustration from battles to camp scenes and individual photo- graphs. Pictorially considered the present work is the best of (he kind which has made its -appearance. 4 #An introduction of value has been writ- ten by Sir John G. Bourinot. K. C. M. G., LL.D., Litt. D., in which he brieily gives the causes which led up to the struggle and much data of interest concerning the development of mimng and the general condition of the country. (Price $5.) The Soul of the Street. 4 The Syrian quarter of New York is one so little known to fiction that Norman Duncan had a broad fleld lying open be- fore him when he began his sketches. Sketches they are. no more, these littie charasteristic studies: but they are vivid enough to leave a deeper impression than many a three-volume novel. They are pictures of the tenement lite among the gentle, simple-mindec folk who hail from far away Bible lands. They are now humorous, now serious, always pathetic. “The Absence of Mrs. Halloran™ tells the story of the old Syrian who heard Mrs. Halloran beating her erippled son and visited him sneakingly in the moth- ar's absence. The friendship that grow un ) between the old man and the little Irish cripple is turned into a pastel by. Mr. Duncan's delicate brush. The stories are pictures rather than nar- ratives. What they lack in event they make up in description and character de- lineation. (Published by McClure, Phil- lips & Co. Price $125.) Kodaks. “Kodaks” s the title of a little bool recentiy published by Guy Alby Buell of Stockton. Its contents are made u prose supposed to be philosophical or fun- ny and verse in the same varying vein. There is one thing that Mr. Buell deserves the highest compliment for and .oat is being willlng to place his name in large letters on the front page of such a coliec- tion of twenty-year-ago junk as its pages offer. It takes real ccurage for a man to thus assume the responsibility of his acts Tt is sald that newspaper book revie of the present day are prone to misiead their readers by praleing every volums which comes to hand. Let this be example. Do not waste your time loc ing for a copy of “Kodaks.”. I poor! The Art of Writing English. J. M. D. Meiklejohn, M. A.. professor of theory, history and practice of education In the University of St. Andrews, has just written a manual for students on “The Art of Writing English.” His book in- cludes chapters on paraphrasing. essay writing, precise writing, punctuation, idi- omatic phrases, letter writing. common errors, sentence structure, figures of speech, style and other matters. He gives numerous examples to {llustrate rules and his treatment of the different subjects is clear and interesting. The book should prove an ald to all who wish to write £ood, clear and firm English. (Published by D. Appleton & Co., New York. Price $150.) Donegal Fairy Stories. “Tales as old the curlew's call are to-day listened to around the hearths of Donegal with the same keen and credu- lous eagerness with which they were harkened to hundreds of years ago." After you have read the “Donegal Fairy Stories,” which Seumas MacManus has written. vou will the bettér appreciate this opening remark of his preface and thank him for prolonging the life of these same old Irish tales by introducing them to your own fireside. This old Irish folk lore has a pe r ring about it that clings to the memory and tickles the fancy. The wild imaginations and odd conceits will be found good reading alike for young and old. The book is fllustrat- ed by Verbeck and the artist has succeed- ed well In earrying out the sentiment of the tales and endowing his pen sketches with the real old flavor of the soil. (Pub- lished by MecClure, Phillips & Co., New York. Price $1.) A Anfang und Ende. Seldom has a more charming lttle s been published for use in school “Anfang and Ende.” by Paul Heyse. Like his Arragbbiata.” pu house a short time ago, it Is unsurpassed, both in its poatical idea and in its form of expre jon. The present story has been selected not only on account of Its excep- tionally large voeabulary and the great number of idloms presented in the text, but especially hacause it offers a charac- teristic specimen of refined and animated German conversation. The needful sug- gestions and helps will be found In the foot notes and vocabulary. Few stories ecan ordinarily be read to so great an ad- vantage In the latter part of the second vear's German. (Published by the Amer- ican Book Company, New York. Price 20 cents.) Ballads of American Bravery. Clinton Secollard deserves great praise for his work in collecting poems that com- memorate some signal act of jor bis- torically accurate. It should appeal to every student of American history and to any one who has a lave for herolfm. The work of many prominent men is included. but the field for such work is so wide that it has been necessary to admit some bal- lads of lesser literary value. The notes contain a short biographical notice of each author, with explanations of every historical and local reference and of the event which the poem describes. They are adequate and concise and add materially to the interest of the book. (Published by Sliver, Burdett & Co., New York. Price 50 cents.) Short Rails. Cy Warman, who has aiready written same very acceptable stories of rallroad life. briags out a new collection of shory stories, which has enough adventure anfi romance to satisfy the most exacting lcver of realistic fietion. Mr. Warman shows a thorough knowl- edge of his subject. from the “wiper” In the “roundhou t® the division super- intendent. There are nearly twenty of these tales in his book, “Short Rails.” and although they are of varving merit the author de- serves great credit for his work. (Pub- lished bv Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Price, $1'2%.) John Wesley. Frank Banfleld bas contributed to the “Westminater Biographies” a brief but well-considered sketch of John Wesley. As the author says. no new facts about John Wesley are likelv to be brought to light. He left abundant materials for his blographers, which have been thoroughly utilized. Wesley was, according to Mr. Panfleld, In a speclally manifest way an instrument of Providence. Hée helped ma- tertally in the gradual lifting of Anglo- Saxondom out of the paganism In which it was wallowing part of the way back toward a perfect Christianity. (Published by Small, Maynard & Co., Boston. Price 5 cents.) On to Peking. A thoroughly up to date book. full of incidentis famibiar to us, is “On to Pe- king.” by Edward Stracemeyer. The style of the book, which is the last of the Old Glory series, will suit boys as we!l as be of interest to their parents. All of the familiar incidents are noted. "such as the murder of Baron von Kette- ler, the scaling of the wall by the bugler, Calvin Titus, the heroic death of Colonel Liscum and others. The hero, Glibert Pennington, is a young lieutenant In the regular.army, who goes to China with the Ninth Regiment. (Published by Lee & Shepard, Boston. Price $1 25.) The Story of Cyrus. In the “Story of Cyrus.” adapted from Xenophon's Cvropaedia by Clarence w. Gleason, A. M., and which has just been published, teachers will find a book which will solve one of the greatest difficulties which presents itself. It furnishes an jn- teresting and at the same time instructive text for use during the last half of the first year of Greek and the beginning of the second. It will supplement the work in the beginner's book and will fill happily the Interval between that and the “Ana- basis” or the “Cyropaedia.” The text re. lates mainly to the most interesting per- sonal history of Cyrus the Great. been somewhat simplified from the oriz- tnal. English sentences to be turn , QGreek and designed to carry the pu through a complete course of grammatic training are included. together with notes giving all needful help the stud (Published by the American B pany, New York. Price 75 cents.) College Entrance Requirements. From the well-known eclectic English classics-there have been collected Burk “Conciliation With the American ( nies,”” Shakespeare's Milt “Minor Poems. Ma and Macaulay's “Milton.” tute the college entrance requirements English for study and practice, 1901-1% and have been bound together for tha convenience of students who are prepar#l ing themselves for these examinations. (Published by the American Book Com- pany, New York. Price $1.) - Literary Notes. In a recent interview Mrs. Florence Finch Kelly, who wrote “With Hoops of Steel,” is reported to have sald that at least two of the “three tall Texans” who dash with such vigor through the pages of her latest story were drawn from life, and she added: “They are just as handy with a rifle, in fact, as they are i fic- tion.” The of “Mrs, Clyde, which D. Apple €o. will publish, next week, is said to be founded on certain facts in the career of a nguished woman who was equally well known in Beston York, in Philadelphia and on the Conti- nent. It is brilliantly written and gives authentic pictures of soclety in its high- est grades. Soclety will soon be occupled in guessing who Mrs. Clyde was. Several newspapers have recently at- tributed to Mr. Gribayedoff the vigmetta portraits which adorn the seven volumes of the “Cyeclopedia of American Blogra- phy,” pub by D. Appleton & ( Mr. Gribayedoff made several of the full- page portraits, but it is only fair to make public that all of the hundreds of vignetts illustrations were engraved by Jacques Relch. A notable serfes of articles covering the sallent features of that trying epoch—the reconstruction perfod—begins in the Jan- The authors are men of ptation., and although repre- ser & various narties and actions, have written in a spirit of genuine patriotism. Their review of the reconstruction policy and their judgme: upon the vexed ques- tion of 1| ss are full of interest to every Americar national re Withe the auestion the main feature of current number of the Critic is George Murray Smith’s recollections the Early fes.”” which contain side- lghts upon such figures as R. H. Horne, Leigh Hunt. and chiefly Charlotts Bronia and her sisters. Miss Bronte's first visit to London, the disclosure of her en and her relations with Thackeray other literary men of the day furn George with material for several piqua stories, observations and episodes. Mrs. Gilbert, who is $) years of age, and now acting with the Lyceum Com- pany, begins her “Stage Reminiscences™ in the February number of Serfbner's. These are set down just as she told them to her friend, Mrs. Charlotte M. Martin, and reveal all the vivacity, humor and kindliness which peqple have so long asso- ciated with that actress. The first ¢ ter has to do principally with Mrs. bert's early life in America, in ploneer theaters of Western citfes. The Poultry and Belgian Hare Stand- ard, published in Kansas City, is to the fore with the new century. Poultrymen and Belgian hare raisers will ind much of interest in the January number, for the greater part of the matter published comes first hand from some of the most ncted breeders in the country and com- tains excerpts of their actual experfence in breeding the Belgian. The magazins is not limited to pen and Ink sketches of the unsatisfactory sort, but contains half- tone reproductions of some of the finest individual specimens. In Camera Craft for January there are some hints for amateurs, which will doubtless find an appreciate audience, and also some formulas given by “‘he Demon- strator” of use to the professic 1al as well as the experimenter. The excellent half- tone work and fine paper and brinting of this magazine cannot be too Highly com- mended. Some of the reproductions in the current number are well' worth the trouble of mounting on appropriate mats and even good enough to put under glass. Amherst Webber Is the author of a bright and entertaining article in the January number of the North Amertcan Review on “Some Interpretsrs of Wag- ner.” Mr. Webber relates a number of very interesting anecdotes and reminis- cences of Wagner himself. and of some of the leading artists who have sung to the public the music of the great master—the De Reszke brothers, Lilli Lehmann, Marte Brema, Van Rooy and others. He con- trasts the method of presentation of the ‘Wagnerian operas at Bayreuth and on other stages, and gives an account of the exacting work required by Mme. Wagner from those who aspire to take part In the Bayreuth performances. Of ome of the advantages of the Bayreuth Theater he Bayreuth is the last place to go to for the ideal artist; and yet, though the Bay- reuth performances are far from perfect, those given elsewhere are always some. thing of ¢ compromise in comparison. For. in .the Bayreuth Theater, the singer's chief difficulty was solved by Wagmer himself. By sinking the orchestra In a pit he made it possible for the singer to whisper If he wants to (and that is not too often), and yet be heard above tha orchestra. The éffect of this device Is astounding: the orchestration of “Tristan,’ which elsewhere may seem an unwleldy mass of sound that forces the singer to shout or stand agape, is at Bayreuth a fine lacewark accompaniment, full of won- derful detail and capable of the mimutest shades. It seems to be the most difficult of a conductor's many difficult duties to obtain a real piano from a full Wagnerian orchestra: for it is not until every mem- ber of the band has got his part thor- oughly into his head and on his fingers or lips, as the case may be, that anything approaching a plano Is to be hoped for. In ‘Tristan,’ which is very fully seored. there are passages In which it is well nigh impossible not to cover the voice. How seldom, outside Bayreuth, does Isolde succeed in making self heard all through the Liebestod e Books Received. DERELICTS OF DESTINY By Batter- man Lindsay. The Neely Company, New York. DEEDS OF VALOR--Compiled by Wal- ter F. Beyer and Oscar F. Keydel. The Perrien-Keydel Publishing Co., Detroit. Part No. 1, % cents. THE NEW ENGLAND PRIMER— Twentieth Century Reprint. Ginn & Co, and has Beston.