The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 16, 1901, Page 4

2y B. @fllnlhrq). e=—HE great dominant tone of “The Cri- 1 Abraham Lincoln. Every resc nt of him and his Americans certainly owe “hurchill gratitude for this last se~ond o prompted Jed A nism that literary talents presents to us must have been. human being distant im- as he «¢ e head, made a re- nb light stent part in m'ght do to choose the ab- great man's life and romance, but to boldiy me when ke was most ve of the public is indeed a daring has done more than this. has not orly tak Lincoin when he emerging from obscurity. but he owed him as he slowly but surely trough the storm to the stcering the country fearful tempest it has - fell 2t his post, the bullet. idncoln himself is not per- nce, £till you feel the per- of his benign spirit in I er characters; you st in the molding hear from afar his ate unity of his gainst itself. can thank his youth and that permitted him to about such a character. long line of American is birthplace for the intui- given nd ever pre: and you energy has him the power to propeciy present the best that s to offer. These things are Jities and a part of himself; redit must be given to the hard and rious rescarch he undoubtedly carried ake his movel historically accu- also to the painstaking care vith which he has given every detail of r and a phere. * may be looked upon with equal plezsure in two different lights:- As the grez inting that you stand off and the broadness of the concep- having admired, you walk r to find that under the magnifying ss it is perfect in every part and un- s detaiis that hold you for days of nt stud In the glance at it as a whole you see first this magnificent figure of Lincoln, mis- cerstcod at times, but standing there for good and all for the welfare of his people. You see the strong character of Grant and the wonderfully versatile and erergetic Sherman. You see in Stephen Brice and Judge Whipple the conservative North deploring the ruin of its Southern brothers, but firm in the maintenance of a unic In Clarence Colfax there is the dash and youth of the South that made 1t until it was all but shot to pleces. And in Eliphalet Hopper there is the dark blemish of the thrifty lover of money who hoards wealth from the sufferings of his fellow-men. On closer view the lights and shades make pictures in themselves. First and above all, Lincoln—the man. Let us see lim with the eves of Stephen Brice, who goes to Lincoln with a message at the lit- tle inn. Little does Brice dream that this ugly mortal is one day to be President of all the United States: He pushed op: the door, ahd as soon as his eyes became aceustomed to the tobacco smoke he surveyed the room. There was 2 bowl on the fioor, the chair where it belonged being oc- cupied. There was a very inhospitable-looking bed, two shaks ns and four Windsor chairs in more or less state of dilapidation—all oceu- pied likewise. A country glaes lamp was bal- anced on @ rough shelf, and under it a young absorbed in making notes and appar- vious 1o the noise around him. Every in the room was collarless, coat- tieless and vestless. Some were engaged ting gnats and June bugs, while others with mosquitoes—all save the young wrote, he being wholly indifferent. n picked out the homeliest man in the There was no mistaking him. And, in- #tead of a discussion of the campeign with a. Jess in f battled reom the other gentlemen, Mr. Lincoln was defend- ing—what do you think? Mr. Lincoln was de-* fending an occasional and judiclous use of £wear words. This is the night before the great de- bate in Freeport: the night before Lin- coln is to ask Stephen A. Douglas the “question”: “Can the people of a United States Ter- ritory, in any lawful way, against the wish of any citizen of the United States, exclude slavery from its limits prior to the formation of a State constitution?” “The crisis” comes when Lincoln puts this question despite the advice of his friends, and Douglas replies with the “Freeport Heresy,” which scattered his party and forever lost him the South. Here is a pen picture of Lincoln, the orator, on the platform at that crucial time: There was & hush, and the waves of that vast human sea were stilled. A man—jean, cngular, with coat tails flapping—unfolded ltke & grotesque figure at a side show. No confl- [He's Stooping forward, Abraham Lincoln began to speak, and Stephen Brice hung his head and shuddered. Could this shrill faleetto be the same voice to which he had listened only that morning? Could this awk- ward, vellow man with his hands behind his back be he whom he had worshiped? Ripples of derisive laughter rose here and there, on the stand and from the crowd. Thrice dis- tilled was the agony of those moments! But what was this feeling that gradually crept over him? Surprise? Cautiously he raised his eyes. The hands were coming around to the front. Suddenly one of them was thrown sharply back with a determined gesture, the head was raised—and—his shame was forgotten. in its stead wonder was come. But soon he lost even that, for his mind was gone on a journey. And when again he came to him- self and looked upon Abraham Lincoln this was a man transformed. The voice was no longer shrill. Nay, it was now a powerful in- strument which ed strangely on those Who heard. Now It rose, and again it fell into tones s0 low as to start a stir ‘which spread and spread, like a ripple in a pond, until it broke on the very edge of that vast audience. We see him again after the debate when the politicians find him playing the jews- harp to amuse a little child on his knee. And then he appears as the President, with all the heavy cares of the heart- rending of brother against brother that followed; still even nere he is the same rough Lincoln with the heart of gold, a memory of infinity, and with a care for every little mercy that may tend to bind the wounds of his bleeding nation. It may not be out of place to quote here a thought that comes to Stephen Brice: When we meet the truly great several things may happen. In the first place, we begin to believe fa their Inck or fate or whatever we choose to call it and to curse our own. We begin to respect ourselves the more and to realize that they are merely clay like us; that we are great men without Opportunity. Sometimes, if we live long enough near the creat, we begin to have misgivings. Then there is hope for vs Frcm the viewpoint of the novel reader, Stephen Brice is the hero. And a fine fellow he is. too. He isia voung Boston attorney. who comes to Si. Louls to try his fortunes with Judge Whipple, an old friend of his father. Brice has an upn- hill road, but he climbs it with the steadi- ness of Northern purpose and eventually wins the goal. Then there i= Virginia Carvel and her splendid old father, Colonel Carvel—both descendants of that Richard Carvel we have met before. Virginia is the perfect type of the best of Southern women. Tlow she hates Stephen Brice and would ar something bad about him, one of his sterling deeds come to her ears and yon feel all along that hi: love will eventually conquer her to un- conditional surrender. We see Captam Grant unloading wood 2t the back door of a St. Louis residence. We hear him spoken about as a carpet- bagger. When later there is some talk of his commanding a regiment, ne who knows" says: Gence was there. 1 spotted him by the El Sol cigar. He used to bring a load of Wod to the city once in a while and then he'd go over to the Planters' Honse or somewhere else and smoke ope of these long fellows and sit against the wall Indian. After that he me Up to the clty without his family and went into real estate one winter. Dut he V't make it go. Curious, it is just a year aco_this month that he went over to Illinois. an “onest fellow and hard working encugh, but he doesn’t know how. He's just a dead faflure. This is Grant in those days, but Mr. Churchill carries him through gloriously until he makes him “General Grant'— the Grant of Vicksburg, the Commander- in-Chief of the army of the United States; the Grant we know to-day" Sherman makes his appearance as presi- dent of a street car line, riding in one of his cars with his children beside him. But he lives in the novel to give Brice many a helping hand and himself the rank of general. A remarkable feature of Mr. Churchill's book is that it is a novel of the Civil War period, depending upon the causes and ef- fects of that struggle without using the clantrap, sensational cpportunities af- forded by such a subject. There are no accounts of personal struggles, thrilling fights by land and sea, blood, carnage, deaths and all that-sort of thing. Th is mnot even a single villain in the book- uniess exccption may be taken to Eli- phalet Hepper, but all villainy is bumped out of him by two knocks of his head on a wooden table when Stephen Brice finds him making love to Virginia Carvel. There are plenty of situations that make the blood flow fast in your veins and hurry your eves over the pages, but those who seek for dramatic heroes and heroines and melodramatic villains should better leave “The Cri: unread. The characters are too real and too busy to Fave time for posing to the gallery. (Published by the Macmillan Company, New York. Price §150.) A few years ago Mrs. E. L. Voynich created a sensation with her book “The Gadfly.” Even a greater one is promised by *“Jack Raymond,” which has just ap- peared from the press of J. B. Lippincott. 1t seems that Mrs. Voynich has had Jack in her mind for several years—even be- fore “The Gadfly” was given to the read- ing public. That it will create discussion is putting it mildly. In “Jack Raymond” Mrs. Voynich takes up certain moral issues that, handled by a less skillful hand, would appear coarse and vulgar in the extreme. She goes dan- gerously near the verge without going quite over. That ig her art. She writes well and with a forceful, sweeping touch. That is both art and education. When, in the first few pages, you meet Jack with his gang on a marauding ex- pedition that any crowd of boys are apt to take part in, vou think possibly the story will be of the “Tom Sawyer” order. But there is no humor in the pages of “Jack Raymond.” It is all hard, bitter fact and stern reality. The sympathy of the reader, of course, is with Jack. He is bad enough at times, but only in the frank, generous way of a boy filled with the exuberance of a young and healthy life. There are other char- acters not so pleasing and there are events that cannot be discussed in the limited space of a review without being misunderstood. It takes a mature mind to grapple with the social problems that Mrs. Voynich presents with such artistic reserve, and the work will undoubtedly raise a storm of approval and attack. The somber in- evitableness of the stqry is almost de- pressing. It is the real sadness of life as it exists and is lived. Jack makes a fine fellow in the end, but the ‘course of fire and scourging is presented so vividly that it proves rack- ing on the reader's feelings. Of course he does wrong—he is always doing wrong. But it is the kind of wrong that belongs in the category of white lies. He steals the Bishop's knife to anger his uncle and then he trades the knife to a boy for a worthless bird—simply that he may give it liberty and save the poor beast from having its eyes burned out. The figure of the puritanical uncle with his cannibalistic gloating = over human blood; his relentless and murderous at- tack on the boy, and then the religious vein that leads him to such excesses that he may crush the boy's body for the good of his spirit, is one of the most unpleas- ant though powerful pictures of fiction. “Jack Raymond” is a study of character and temperament such as we have not had for some time. The Wisdom of Esau. The wonderland of Australia—still a wonderland for all its marvelous advance in civilization—has a special fascination for Americans: for it has reproduced in a more intensive form some of the most romantic and exciting scenes and strug- gles of the fromtier days of the United States, now gone forever. ' “The Wisdom of Esau” is a story by two writers, R. L. Outhwaite and C. H. Chomlev, thor- oughly at home in the atmosbhere of Australian adventure and bush life, who have filled their work with the local co.or of the country and caught the character of the people as few have done. It is brimful of movement and action of the THE SUNDAY CALL ful. How the two girls go through vary- ing experiences, finding even their condi- tions and surroundings changed, Mrs. Al- den tells in her customary suggestive and attractive way. She points the moral and draws her conclusions forcibly, but not too apparently; for the story is brightly and entertainingly told. The boy of the story, Fred Ainsworth, is a fine follow, and the book is one that children—and older peo- ple, too—will read with pleasure. (Pub- lished by the Lothrop Publishing Com- pany, Boston. Price. $1 50.) Pan-American Exnosition Guide. “The Time-Saver and Souvenir Guide to the Pan-American Exposition” is a bound vest pocket diary issued by Laird & Lee of Chicago. Besides the diary proper, covering the six months of the fair (with memorandum and account pages) it con- tains full descriptions of all the buildings of the Rainbow City and of the midway. The world-famed Niagara Falls are illus- trated by pen and picture, while an official plan of the exposition grounds allows the visitor to find his way through the laby- rinth of superb edifices. To complete this useful and practical velume, the publish- ers have inserted a very well classified directory of Buffalo, furnishing one with information and addresses for every pos- sible emergency: Hotels, banks, parks, public buildings. etc., ete. (Navy blue leather, full gilt, 2 cents. Cloth-Hned paper, 15 cents.) The same firm has issued an edition of the “Souvenir Guide,” in the Spanish language, a grateful tribute to our many visitors from Mexico, Central and South America. Pocket German Dictionary. From the press of Laird & Lee of Chl-' cago comes an entirely new and original work of merit and completeness, entitled L. & L.’s Vest-Pocket “‘Kalser” dicticnary, German-English and English-German. The author is Dr. Ludwig von Zorn, a dis- tinguished Heidelberg University gradu- ate, residing in this country and an au- thority on both languages. His choice of words has proved most intelligent and his - + WINSTON QHURCHTLA. Academy at Annapolis, author of “The Celebrity,” of “Richard WINS’I‘ON CHURCHILL, the American, graduate of the Naval Carvel,” and now of “The Crisis,” is still a young man, for his years number but thirty. He comes from a blend of good English anl Americen stock and was born and 1aised in St. Louis. In 1888, at the age of 17, he réceived an appointment to Annapolis, but after gradua- tich folt so strongly drawn toward letters that he waived the bright prospects of a naval career to accept a position on the Army and Navy Journal. He spent about a year of editorial work on this journal and the Cosmopolitan Magazine, and then decided to turn his attention ex- clusively to the more pleasant field cf story writing. His first book, “The Celebrity,” went into the third edition within a month and was voted = literary hit. This was in 1897. Then Mr. Churchill took aim at higher things. He decided to write a serics of stories covering the dif- ferent phases of American social life, and of this series “Richard Car- vel” was the first. He.spent a great deal cof time, study and research on ° this book and has been rewarded by hearing its title in the mouth of every reader of fiction. It even went the way of other hits and took its place, with more or less success, on the dramatic boards. “Richard Car- vel” is a story of the Revolutionary period. “The Crisis” is of similar construction devoted to the time of the Civil War. Mr. Churchill has taken two steps down in our history—first in tho middle of the eigh- teenth century, next in the middle of the nineteenth century. Where will his next step in the contemplated series bring him? * most thrilling and yet realistic kind. Australia has had its Jand scandals even more notorious than any this country has produced. and the story hinges upon the manner in which the land law is evaded by corrupt officials and dummy appli¢ants for public favor. The hero is John Toland, a resolute but honorable man, who goes to settle in the remote parts of Victoria, and comes into sharp conflict with this corruption. The storv involves the passions and loves of the frontier people, with romantic episodes of cicpe- ment, the disappointed love of un unzcru- pulous villain for the hero's daughter, ruined lives and broken hearts—tragic enough, but true to life, and holding the reader’s attention fascinated by the cul- minating interest of the narrative and its forcible and dramatic quality. The de- scriptions of Australian life and scerery are picturesque and the incident of a ter- rible bush fire, its steady advance and the almost superhuman efforts of the hero's family and friends to escape from it to safety is one of the notable passages In recent fiction. The authors have shown as great skill in depicting the Adiverse strains of human character and the play of human passions and emotions as they have in leading the story to a iramatic climax; and they have made a book that few will be willing to lay down el it has been read through. (Published by Cassell & Co., New York. Price §125.) ' Mag and Margaret. We have here a new book for girls writ- ten by one who is always sure of an audi- ence—Mrs. G. R. Alden, more widely known under her pen-name, “Pansy.” The story is an entertaining one, and, as do all Pansy’s stories, conveys lessons of pa- tience under adverse circumstances, of faith in time of trial, and of modesty in the season of success. Mag Jessup is the small “hired girl” in Mrs. Perkins' board- ing house; Margaret Lancaster is a young lady of the same age as Mag, but llving as the petted child of a wealthy family. Circumstances bring the two together, and the rich girl finds a contemptuous pleas- ure in disregarding and humillating the poor one. But little Mag's spirit is a gentle and loving one; and when, by chance, the religious life of which she knew nothing is made possible to her, she tries to live the lessons it teaches her, and to be forgiving, loving, cheery, and help- 3 selection of English and German idioms is the best that has been attempted, even in much larger and more pretentious dic- tionarfes. The Puttkammer spelling has been followed throughout and an admira- ble system of pronunciation has mastered that difficulty for the students of either or both languages. The exact pronuncia- tlon is given after each word. Irregular verbs and principal rules of grammar complete the work. It will prove an indis- pensable companion to all our German- ¢ citizens, young and old, sistant to pupils in Ger- an in our schools and colleges. (Kull leather, full gilt, 50 cents; cloth 2 cents. * Both editions with double indexes,) The Woman’s Bm;l—: of Spnorts. “The Woman's Book J. Parmly Paret, &+ of Sports,” by is a practical guide by a practical writer for the amateur sports- woman. Golf, lawn tennis, sailing, swim- ming, bicycling and basket-ball have each their chapters, and the devotee of any of these sports will find here much that will be instructive. The book is an invaiuable guide for the feminine novice in sports, for each game is treated from the ele- mentary standpeint, the first rudiments of skill in all being explained in a simple and direct manner for practical use. Here will be found the condensed teachings of the best professiopal ‘nstructers. and Ao woman should quickly learn any of games by studying its coupters. Ab all, the reason for everything required is fully explained, so that many .who are already skillful can learn from this hook much of the underlying principles of the various amateur sports. A unique feature of this book is the chapter on men's sports from a woman's point of view—from the view-point of the spectator. Football, baseball, yacht rac- ing, rowing and athletics are all fully ex- plained. so that the uninitiated spectator. either man or woman, may learn enough of any of these sports in a half hour's reading of its chapters to appreciate the game to be seen. The yachting chapter has been specially prepared with an eye to the coming international races for the America’s cup. 5 It is thoroughly illustrated with half- tone reproductions (all full page size, With large figures) of instantaneous pho- tographs showing the correct and incor- rect methods in the different sports. It has been the aim of Mr. Parot to make the instruction in this book as sfm- ple, as direct, as elementary as possible, for its lessons are intended for the begin- ner in sports. (Published by D. Appleton & Co., New York. Price $150.) the A Textbook of Astronomy. The latest of the “Twentieth Century Textbooks” from the press of D. Appletoa & Co., New York, is “A Textbook of As- tronomy,” by George C. Comstock, direc- tor of the Washburn Observatory and professor of astronomy in the University of Wisconsin. The number, excellence and clearness of the half-tone reproduc- tions and maps make this book one of the most valuable of its kind which has been presented to our notice. The work has been prepared simply as a textbook and rot as a compendium of astronomy or an outline course of popular reading in that science; consequently matter which permits of exverimental treatment with simple apparatus is of peculiar value and is given prominence. The author says: “Teacher and student are alike urged to magnify the ooservational side of the subject and to strive to obtain in their work/ the maximum degree of precision of which their apparatus is capable. The instruments are few and easily obtained. With the exception of a watch and a pro- tractor, all of the apparatus needed may be built by any one of fair mechanical talent who will follow the illustrations and descriptions of the text.” This book should prove very popular in schools and classes of astronomy and should also appeal to the individual stu- dent who is seeking for some comprehen- sive work on the subject that he can study without the aid of a teacher. (Price $1.30.) In Deep Abyss. “In Deep Abyss,” by Georges Ohnet, translated from the French by Fred Roth- well, B. A., is a new novel by the author of “The Ironmaster” that can hardly fail of a welcome. This latest product of the celebrated French novelist is an absorbing story of love and intrigue. The scenes are laid in Parls, San Francisco, London and elsewhere. Most of the characters are typlcal of French life, gay and grave. A principle is enunciated at the beginning of the book: the fallibility of human judg- ment “even in those whose profession it is to pass sentence and who are conse- quently in a position to boast of special experience’—thus thé possibility of legal error. The plog of:the story reveals a sensational instance of such legal error, and the reader is taken through many stirring events and made to share in many strong emotions. The story of the un- happy victim suggests by the force of cir- cumstantial evidence the unscrupuious villainy of those who plot against. him, and the devotion of his friends the famous Dreyfus case, which aroused the interest of the whole world. (Published by Funk & Wagnalls Company, New York. Price $120.) ‘El Capitan Veneno. “El Capitan Venenc,” by D. Pedro A. de Alarcon, and edited by George Griffin Brownell, professor of Romance lan- guages, University of Alabama, is a charming novelette in the author's hap- piest vein. It humorously portrays the fate of the crabbed. woman-hating old soldler, nicknamed from his disposition, “The Choleric Captain.” The style in which it is written is simple and the story is admirably suited for cMss reading. A portrait of the author and a sketch of Lis life, with a brief historical preface, giving an account of political conditions in Spain at the time of the story, prepare the student for aporeciative readinsg. Fcot nctes throughout the volume explain difficult constructions and furnish refer- ences to similar instances in the text; be- sides giving all needful help for the un- derstasding of allusions to Spanish cus- toms and history. A complete vocabulary is included. We vnderstand that this is the first of a series of similar Spanish readings which the American Book Company has in prep- aration to meet the constantly increasing demand for texts in this language. (Price 59 cents.) The Dream of My Youth. “The Dream of My Youth” is a book of ideals from the pen of E. P. Tenne: Like Mr. Tenney's “Coronation,” this is an outdoor book, with a background of White Mountain life, and dealing with two coasts and with sea-going. Like “Coronation,” it is a conversational, or Socratic, story upon visions in sociology and literary dreams, having to do with the highest aims and those who go through life looking upward. The quotable things are many: “There Is no amount of self-sacrifice and high aiming, strong crylng and tears, that can make good any lack of practical wisdom in affairs.” *“The world's work is done by dray-horse power, not by spurt and spirit.” “The werld’s prophets were never bookworms.” “If the finite soul % By the author ¢f THE GADFLY ack Raymond A remarkable book. The strongest novel that the present season has produced.’' —2Pull Mall Gaselte, London, r—— J. B. L1PPINCOTT COMPANY, Philadelphia e s e e e e SRR hungers after the infinite, it is because it is made so0.” The descriptions are true to nature, whether hibernaging on Mount Rheumatiz or foundering off Cape Horn. The char- acter-sketching is by one who has studied life. More nearly than any other recent book it resembles “John Inglesant,” that had so large a sale. The book is daintily made, and will bring a real pleasure to the thinker, the stadent of life, and the sceker for truths beautifully framed. (i'ublished by the Lothrop Publishing Company, Boston. Price $1.) The Potter and the Clay. “The Potter and the Clay,” by Maud Howard Peterson, is a ong and de- lightful piece of work. The title is in itseif attractive, and Miss Peterson. with the verse from the Rubaiyat as a motive, has wrought out a rare and absorbing romance of conscience. A young American girl from a frontier fort finds herself in England with two British lads whom she had known in childhood, now grown to manhood, as officers in the British army and suiters for her hand. The contrasting natures of these two men, the characteristics and motives of the girl, are remarkably drawn; and the way in which love acts and reacts makes the stery indeed, as it has been called, a romance of conscience. But the strain, as well as the interest in the story, cen- ters upon Trevelyan—the clay that is thumped and molded and shaped and shattered, as the potter—destiny. provi- dence, will, call it what we may—tries and tests the clay that does not take the perfect shape it should. Opinions will vary as to Trevelyan's character. The question as to whether he was a hero or coward will be debated according as the sympathies of the reader are swayed; while the characters of Stewart and Cary, the hercine, show the well ryised man and the true-hearted woman as foils for Trevelvan's unsettied soul. The book is full of rich deseriptions: and the Ameri- can, English, Scottish and East Indian en- vironments and atmosphere unite in a realistic and picturesque setting for a strong and. absorbing story. The illustra- tions by Charlotte Harding enter into the very soul of the situations. (Published by the Lothrop Publishing Company, Boston. Price $1 50.) The Rubaiyat. Of the series of famous poems known as “Flowers of Parnassus,” published by John Lare of New York under the gen- eral editorship of F. B. Money-Coutts, volume IX has just appeared and is a translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Tt is the celebrated English version of Edward FitzGerald and has been well illustrated by Herbert Cole. Considering the lowness of the price, these books are a positive boon to the lovers of good verse. The price in cloth is 50 cents and in leather 75 cents. The Tower of Wye. Coming after a long succession of stories of early colonial life, “The Tower of Wye,” by Villlam Henry Babcock, has too little intr merit to com- mend it to gemeral notice. It is a ro- mantic history of the settlement. of a part of Maryland, and deals with the adventures of Richard Smith and Rat- cliffe Warren, young men sent from England to Claiborne’s colony on Kent Island, in Chesapeake Bay. The young Englishmen have many exciting experi- ences—first on the voyage to America, and afterward when they are drawn into the quarrels which arise between the adherents of Claiborne and those of Lord Baltimore; but these are described in an uninteresting . Which could be endured in a textbook or history, but which is not in keeping with the spirit of romance. (Published by Henry Coates & Co., Philadelphia. Price $1 50.) Edna May. R. H. Russeil, the New York publisher, has added another gem to his collection of. theatrical . Souvenirs—this time it is pretiy, dainty little Edna May. The pub- lication is given a very swell cover in silver and gray with a photo of Edna May by Marceau. The scenes and cos- tume photographs which go to make up the book are taken from “The Girl From Up There.” Archie Gunn is in evidence throughout with clever wash drawings done in poster effect of the charming little actress and of scenes and characters which go to make up the burlesque. The work is pub- lished with the authorization of Charles Frohman and cannot fail to receive a hearty welcome from lovers of art and the drama who have others of this series already on their library tables. The Mind and Its Machinery. “The Mind and Its Machinery” is the title of a series of books from the pen of V. P. English, M. D., the author of many works on different phases of medicine and surgery. Volume I is'devoted to a scientific basis for the reading of char- acter and a new and simplified descrip- tion of the temperaments. In the pres- ent book he explains how to estimate the powers, talents, tendencies and capabili- ties of man and other animals. He gives a description of body and mind, their in- ter-relations and the influence of each upon the other, together with a new phil- osopay regarding the operation of a part of the bodily crzans. (Published by the Onio State Pukblishing Company, Cleve- land, Ohio. Price, $1.) Philbrick Howell. “Philbrick Howel,” Ly Albert Kinross, is the story of the vouth and early man- hood of a writer of fiction. The hero, w..0 gives his name to the title of the book, is, judging from the author’s de- scription, a young man of ability so ordinary that it is difficult to credit him with the success with which he is sup- posed to meet. The plot of the story is not interesting; the characters are commonplace and crudely drawn. Altogether. the book is unworthy serfous consideratiéh. (Pub- lished by Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York.) . Literary Notes. Bird Lore (The Macmillan Company) for June may be called a Burroughs number. That popular literary naturalist con- tributes an interesting story of “A Be- wildered Phoebe” and Bird Lore’s editor, Frank M. Chapman, gives an illustrated account of a bird-nesting expedition with Mr. Burroughs, in which the theory and practice of bird-nesting are set forth with pen and camera. An article by Annie Trumbull Slossen, the fourth of a series of helpful papers on “Birds and Seasons, and numercus notes from birG students go to make an unusually valuable num- ber. Hamilton W. Mable begins In the June Bookman a remarkable char- acter sketch entitled “John Fos- ter.” It is a descriptive story of great beauty, dealing with the life of a man of poetic nature, with the gift of imagination, who ripens in close com- panicnship with nature into a beautiful and rare character but without the fac- uity of expression; whose genius is, in the end, interpreted and expressed by one ‘who enters into his experience and gives his thought form and shape for the world; a romance of the inner life in the vein of Mr. Mabie's “Forest of Arden”” and some of the chapters of his “Study Fire.” It is not long since President Jones of Hobart College, in a public address at New York, inveighed against the grow- ing luxury of American colleges. Yet in the June Century, which is a college num- Ler. President Hadley of Yale and Provost Harrison of the University of Pennsyl- vania declare their conviction that the prevalence of luxurious habits among un- dergraduates is not such as to warrant ziarm. President Hadley holds that ths danger becomes acute only “when the courses of study becomes widened and the interests of the students more special- ized.” He sounds a note of warning against the Increasing tendency to spe- cialization in certain universities. A novel by Frederick U. Adams is an- nounced for publication on June 17 by the Lothrop Publishing Company. The theme is the kidnaping of six New York millionaires by an irresponsible newspaper correspondent and treats of the various adventures of the marooned magnates, the Wall street panic caused by their mysterious disappearanee and their final rescue through the efforts of an enterpris- ‘ng newspaper. It forms a book ‘of 500 rages and those who have read the ad- vance sheets are generous in their pralses of Mr. Adams’ contribution to spirited fiction and adventure. In the days of the Ku Klux Klan terri- ble stories came up from the South of the attempts of the Scuthern whites to Intim- idate negro voters. The drastic outrages were given wide publicity, but not so much so the subtler methods of suppress- ing black votes, although these were equally effectiye.. In his recent novel, “Henry Bourland.” the writer has made a study of some of these means. One was very simple, yvet doubly advantageous to the opposite party. The negroes, unable to read, nad been instructed by their leaders to put their mark opposite Lin- coln’s nose, whose head was the emblem of their party. By trickery the opposite side got the ballots printed so that the head was reversed, and the negroes un- wittingly voted for the other candidate. pooudlooai The importarit topics of the month, tha world over, are pdpularly discussed in the current World’s Work. The financial boom’ and panics, the new politics of the South, educational matters in the South and else- where, the doings in Cuba, China, the Philippines, the President’s trip and the Pan-American Exposition are among a large number of subjects talked of in the “March of Events,” and in “Among the ‘World's Workers” are such varied topics as public land, postal statistics, English parcel delivery, bridges, automobiles, trade schools, music, the Y. M. C. A, en- gineering, butter-making. ‘machines, steamers and trains. Professor DuBois” description of the negro at home in the black belt of Georgia is of stirring inter- est, as is H. A. Stanley's story of the im- measurable unfolding possibilities of the Puget Sound country. Professor John Craig tells of the Cornell system of teach- ing farmers, Dr. McConnell of modern methods of teaching preachers and Dr. Burnham of the ideal school building. John Martin gives examples of successful municipal ownership in Europe, and Charles A. Conant figures interesting re- sults from statisties of wealth. Sir Hiram Maxim has some very interesting re- marks on British and American trade in an interview which Chalmers Roberts re- ports. Arthur Goodrich contributes a story of a “Traveling Man's Day's Work,” and the new University of Cali- fornia buildings are shown in_ handsome pictures and in text by Victor Henderson. George Horton, author of “Like Another Te- Helen,” the popular romance of the tan war, and ex-United States Con: Athens, knows a compliment when he ceives it and responds to it with an app ciation which has in it a touch of poetid justice. Shortly after he returned from Athens and became literary editor of the Chicago Times-Herald he began the publication in serial form of “Like Another Helen.” The author has a strong predilection for roast goose, and one Saturday provided an extra fine fowl of this kind for his Sunday dinner. His appetite was wel tuned to do justice to this favorite dish, and shortly before the fowl was to be served he was horrified to catch the odor of burning meat. Instantly there was a rush to the kitchen, where the cook was found in tears and the goose burned almost to cin- - ders. When the penitent domestic re- gained sufficlent control of herself to speak she confessed that she had become so engrossed in a story that she had en- tirely forgotten the roasting fowl. In proof of the extenuating circumstances she drew from under her apron a paper containing Mr. Horton's serial. A few quick questions established tha fact that she hatl not noticed the name of the author. Before this discovery the dismissal of the cook had been a sealed verdict, but, in justice to the force and delicacy of the compliment thus pald Mr. Horton's powers as a narrator, the ver- dict was set aside and the cook escaped with a warning that her literary tastes must thereafter be held in subjection un- til the family dinner was safe on the table. ERAE Skt Books Received. JACK RAYMOND—By E. L. Voynich. J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia. $1 THE HOME LIFE OF WILD BIRDS— By Fridncis H. Herrick. G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York. 3$250. A SOLDIER OF THE KING—-By, Dora M. Jones. Cassell & Co., New York. 1 25. LOVE-IN-A-MIST—By Post Wheeler. The Camelot Company, New York. THE ABANDONED FARMER-By Sydney H. Preston. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. $13%. CHINA AND THE ALLIES-By A. Henry Savage Landor. Charles Serib- ner's Sons, New York. Two vols., $750. INDIAN BASKETRY — By George Wharton James. Henry Malkan, New York. $2. - <+ The booK every- body is t.lhilix about. Y ADAMY- FAWYIR AND MASON'S CORNER FOLKS Clark Pub. Co. Boston. The Books Reviewed ON THIS PAGE Can Be Obtained at 'ROBERTSON'S, | 126 FOST STREET, SAN FRANCISCO. Prices are always in the Reading Notices. Postage is free. A. M. ROBERTSON.