The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 11, 1901, Page 4

THE SUNDAY CALL OULTNEY BIGELOW as a writer on colonization possesses the double of being a student and a reveler. His latest book, “The Children of the Nations—a Study of Its Problem: is re- two ways; first, for the care th which its author has culled from the authorities on the subject, and second, for what he ng s seen with his own eves and has derived therefrom a les- gelow writes his history of early ion from the fifteenth century in forward and purposeful idering thg possible len: reatise, he piits the matter in a Of colonizing at the present ich to say from his own rvations and exper! that does mot in n object lesson of value. is very apropos of both time As we are a nation governed ight that the people inform itself before it tries ction to others than Mr. Bigelow even hment of a colonial earnest people may ulti- establich a na- ss to for the st ersity dy of subjects in colonial official shi be proficient spectes of Colonial West Point; wa we it-to fellowmen, .whether they be g, Chinese or Malay, Papist @t Indian, that we give fovernment based on business pri g 21l that Mr. Bigelow has careful research and years of in the matter. the serious- ization cannot fail to be ap- colonial r t the earliest time nder VI, dividing the rts of East and West, 2 ard the other to Portu as in 1443—one year after Co- overed America to estab- that seem ever owed Spanish rule. Spain’s ex 3 to the world some s for what not to do. of the Western world was the lifetime of & single man. had her powér been effectively n she commenced to govern in a makes ue marvel, not €0 much ities of colonies she has lost, but hat there remained in 1898 any S8 The of S plunder and a short- ooking only at the ben- and not at those of to- to have been the cause of h failure. Treachery and misrule followed close in the wake of the nish flag abroad. The comparison be- tween the English as colonizers on the one he Spanish on the other affords lesson. It is one fhat we as axons can appreciate. Looking at one here is an example: he left it sighted poliey of rov seem have eplendid = entered India as a scourge; = of grateful natives. rd entersd Mexico as a guest; he and he Jeft it after misrule amid the curses of a scourge, worked her ecolony schemes principle of killing at once the goose that laid the golden eggs, lest some one else might ge: a few. England has simply fed the goose and kept a close eye out for the eggs—that is all. England has ways made a study of her colonies and tried to adapt the Government to the requirements of the people, conditions and on imate: Spain has looked upon her out- side possessions simply in the light of slaves to the mother country. In his first chapters Mr. Bigelow draws a strong and vivid picture of these Span- ish fniquities. The slaying of the mild- mannered natives through the pretext of false religious belief that they might be despoiied of their possessions, the enslave- ment of the miserable savages who were not killed—all this was done without the raising of a single voice, with the excep- tion of the Jesuits, who were learned in government and foresaw the ultimate ruin that must necessarily follow the exter- mination of a race where no more could be sent to fill their places. For Spain’ was not a country of vast population nor great manufactures seeking an outlet. It is curious, but with all Spain’s ha- tred for the Anglo-Saxon her only com- mereial prosperity has been through these enemies with whom she has been almost continuously at war. At no time in her history has she been able to hold her island possessions free from depreda- tion, while England on the other hand has ever been attracted by colonies surround- ed by the sea. The Germans as colonists seem to have had their best success under the flag of some other country. Their own flag, ac- cording to Bigelow, has brought too much officialism and red tape for the best ad- vantage. A German official who had been stationed In Africa once described to me the panic created among his colleagues when resulations and forme were received from Berlin calling for de- tatled information regarding the native capac- ity for taxation. Column after column was to be filied in with certificates of birth. charac- ter of occupation, nature of dwelling and the many sources of income known to a Prussian policeman. The panic in the Government Bu- reau was as nothing to the blank amazement of a native Kaffir, whose worldly inventory comprises a war club and a hut of reeds The Germans themselves realize all this, judging from a conversation that Mr. Bigelow had with one of them: A wealthy German planter who had larze plantaticns in Sumatra got off at Singapore T tonk him one day greatly to tasi for not assisting in the development of German Bast Africa instead of bringing his capital and in- telligence to the advancement of a rival col- ory. Sald my German friend: “I aid try to settle in German East Africa but T was not made welcome. I was chokel by red tape. 1 was not regarded as an in- telligent member of the community. but as one to be ordered about by officlals—as though T were a peasant recruit “No! Tt is impossible vet to dc anything in a German colony—thers is too much govern- ment. Instead of getting the best man ani paving him a high salary. they pay a dozen men shabbily and get but the commen run of officiale. and you ean’t ask for anything worse than that. at least in the tropics. Why, the German Government does not pay the Gov ernor of a colony as much as I pav an over- seer! My manager would rot change places with the Governor of East Africa!” The author's ohservations in the Ger- man colony of Kianchau are not without their lesson. He found on his first visit about 1500 soldiers or officials as agalnst five merchants and the Governor in a frame of mind that could not understand why these merchants would persist in bethering him with questions about the place. TWhen in 1890 the Pilsrim Fathers reache Massachusetts in a ship not bigger than a Gloucester fishing schooner of to-day they fell on their knees, thanked God fer their safety, and then <et to work bnflding—first homes, then churchez, then schools. When I happened to be in Kiaocheu not even the soldiers had barracks fit to keep out the rain: two bulldings of mvd fit for cow stables represented the hotel accommodation. There was no wharf for landing general stores, no storehouses for the Custom-house. There was no water fit to drink and no means of procuring any. Labor was almost impossible to vrocure, even for the Government, and 1 found the head of a great German manufac- turing house painting the shutters of hut becavse he could find no one to do the job for him. Yet in such an hour officlal Germany was emploving a long train of cooles for the pur- Poe of erecting—what do ¥ou suppose? A dis tilling plant? A recreation ground for the men? A church? % Nore of these! These precious coolies were emploved in erecting a monument to Admiral Diedrichs, who had seized the place twelve months be- fore! The Portugueee, too, seem to have been urfortunate in their ideas of colonial gov- ernment. In this connection the author gives.some interesting examples of affairs at Delagoa Bay. He says that this port 4= naturally situated to the best advan- tage, but through the lack of sanitary measures it is little better than a pest hole; and further, that the customs regu- lations are such as to frighten away all commercial enterprise. On the other hand, the port of Durban, which once look- ed upon very unfavorably, is now actually regarded as a health resort—this under British rule. There is much hard sense in all that Mr. Bigelow has to say, and T regret that limited space prevents more liberal quo- tation from “‘The Childven of the Na- tions.” He has made a close study of his subject and his words are entitled to carry weight. One point of Latin failure as con- trasted with Anglo-Saxon success is prob- ably as Mr. Bigelow says: “Spain has solved much of her negro question by in- termarriage with Africans. The French- man in Martinique and Guadelupe has also produced a bountiful bastard breed. The Anglo-Saxon and the Boer of South Africa are the only peoples that have kept their blood untainted—and this iz one se- cret of their power over native races.” He thinks that the ability of the Fili- pino is, as a general rule, underestimated in America. for he says: ““The FHlipino. of all the natives of the Far East, has a character which endears him to me. He has In his blopd a sugges- tion of the chivalrous Japanese, the dig- nity and hospitality of the unspoiled Spaniard, the ferocity of the Malay and the secretiveness of the Chinaman. In America we have been pleased to carica- ture him as a man half negro, half monkey. That is far from the truth. Filipinos are highly intelligent creatures, and our fault has been to suppose that we can rule such people by force alone. Other nations have falled at this game, and it is for us to profit by their ex- ample.” Two sections of the book are deserving of especial mention, for they deal with subjects materfally affecting our own colonial aspirations. These are, “The Negro as an FElement in Colonial Ex- pansion” and ““The Chinaman as a Colon- ist.” Volumes upon volumes could be written upon these problems alone, but as far as he goes Mr. Bigelow is complete in his analysis and apparently fair. He de- cides that the Chinaman makes the best colonist that the world has to offer, for he is industrious, can stand any climate and hard work, and always lives to his agreements. He thinks that one serious mistake made by Americans is a popular tendency to consider inferior races the equals of the Caucasian. He asserts that the negro in the capacity of a soldier or a servant is loval, stanch and useful. 2nd that he needs the restraining and governing hand of the superior mind. From Herodotns to Uncle Remvs, we find the same helpless darkies. the delight of chil- dren, inconsequent, shiftlese, loyal, melodious. fond of color, delighting in sunshine, and shy of consecutive labor. * * * Our law should recopnize the rezroes as minors, as wards of the nation. * * * Our former slave States have been compelled by military force to sub- seribe 10 & mongtrous lle as the. price of politi- cal existence, and the result has been that in more than one of our black States the law is ified. and young men are demoralized by seeing the law daily set aside by respect- able white people. * * * The negro needs guidance, for he is an imitator; sympathy, for he lacks the power to stand alome. and. like most children, he needs at times parental cer- rection to remind him that authority is lodged in superior intellizence. n his closing chapters Mr. Bigelow does not hesitate to express his mind freely on our own requirements at the present pe- ricd. He writes: At this moment we are repeating. in Cuba and Philippines the same political faults which have made Spanish adminjstration a by- word throughcut the world. Qur first task shonld he, therefore, to reorganize our own ad- ministration on e business bas’s. so that In the conrse of time we may attract to our colonial service not the political riffraff, the professicnal failures, the social tramne, put draw to the Government service the flower of our well-educated young men, who should look forward to political Mfe of this nature with as puch confidence and enthuslasm as the voung Wast Pointer looks forward to a commisston at the end of his four years at the national academy. The Unitel States needs a colonial West Poirt—a school n which young men shall be prepared for administrative positions in far 2way countries—a school n which promotion shall follow upon gord work and not political influence alone. With such a school and an honest desire for the welfare of the colonfes under cur care we may hope for a bright fu- ture In the West Indles. A book that makes exceilent reading in connection with this work is one that was published last year by Scott, Foresman & Co. of Chicago. ‘“The Expansion of the American People—Social and Territorial,” by Edwin Erle Sparks, Ph. D., assistant professor of American history in the Uni- versity of Chicago. This book tells of the American people and their gradual ad- vance to the West in building up this great United States, just as Mr. Bigelow's book makes a study of the scattering over the globe of all “The Children of the Na- tions.” 3 “The Children of the' Naflons” Poultney Bigelow, M. A, F. R. G. S. published by MecClure, Phillips & C New York. Price $2. B. G. LATHROP. Camp Venture. The hoys who enfoyed George Cary Eg- gleston’s book of last year, ‘“The Last of the Flathoats,”” wherein is related the ad- ventures of five boys who sailed a flatboat for pleasure and profit on the Mississippl, will be glad to learn that he has a new one for them to read this season. Mr. Eg- ®leston is a good story-teller and “Camp Venture” will not prove a disappointment. This time his boys are in the mountains, ‘way up-in the “high mountains” of Vir- ginia, and hard at work-to fill a railroad ccentract for supplying a large number of loge for ties. A young doctor joins their party for his health and proves himself the right sort of a fellow in more ways than one. This little party not only have all the dangers of a mountain life to brave, such as snowstorms, floods and wild beasts, but they have the more formidable difficulty of marauding moonshiners with whom by is - CHRISTIAN BRINTON RELRTES FURTRER DETAILS % CF THE CAREER OF MAXIME GORKY, THE FAMOUS RUSSIAN WRITER ERE is more about Maxime Gorky, Russian, the latest comet in the 14 literary heavens, whose sudden advent and brilllant flight are the sensation of Russla and France, and whese fiction is to be introduced to Amar- jean readers this coming autumn by Charles Scribner's Sons. The following is from an articl the current number of the Critic by Christian Brinton: With little €ave an instinct for expression, 2 desire that his cry might be heard, a hope that when he knocked some door might swing axime Gorky, vagahond and outcast, air to capture the attention of man- He asked but a crust, vet asked with guch sincerity, such infinite self-pity, that he has been given not alone bread but wine. By crudely and implacably, the story of nderjngs he strayed into paths of This obscure nainter of fkone. peddler of kvass, scullery boy, gardener, watchman and baker's apprentice, is the pet of St. Peters- burg and the particular ido! of the Marxists. This tattered proletarian, who slept aften in roadside ditehex. who worked and begzed his way over the parched or snow-swept face of Rusria, Is read throughout Germany, and is even known on the boulevards, where they sip scks inconsequenily and fancy themselves the of the universe was not. as many suppose, the first of Russian p life: he is merely its chief painter and apolozist. He began by wiiting of the gypsy, the meshchanin, the bo- slak, or barefooted, because he was himself of their number, because like them he had been forced from the soclal groove by poverty, by the moral and economic disorganization of Russia. A persistent thirst for knowledge led him always to keep a,book or two in the belt of his blouse during those lean, errant years. The poblication in a provincial paper of his first story was but a gesture which brought some hint of the relief hie lopged for. Then came his friendship *with Korolenko .and' the as- tounding success of ‘“‘Chelkash.”” At one bound the vagrant became an author. He bad entered upon the path of glory, had left behind the flelds of pain. Sketches and tales followed in rapid succes- ceasion, most of them appearing In the Zhizn, though sometimes the Russkoye Bogatetvo con- descended to admit him. They were masterly, vibrant transcriptions of the life he had known: many were autobiographical, and all were illumined by pity and darkened by pes- simism. the dumb pessimism of the submerged, of those who suffer and can see no end to sufferinz At times, as in the ‘Song of the Falcon,” the note became piercing in its lvric beauty: or proud in its defance, as in th: “‘Song of the Petrel”” More often, though, he showed the interior of some foul kabak. where bitter words were spoken and fierce blows struck. where women were beaten for mere relaxa- tion, and vodka at length brought sullen ob- livion. Now and again the plcture was relieved by some primal being who added a flash of radi- ance or lent a moment of savage fervor, but she usually left the sufferer more troubled, more disheartened than ever—witness ‘Mal- va,” or ““Twenty-six and One’'—left him often for some one more forlorn, more abandoned than himself. Those early tales chanted the Odyssey of the outcast, the petty wage-earner, the itiner- ant cobbler or tinsmith, the navvy or the fish- erman on the bleak headland. All the rest- lessness of soul, the scorn of convention, the blind craving for something different, some- thing better, perhaps, which characterize these creatures, Gorky mirrored with insistent power and precision. His heroes were always victims, and the victims were, as in Russian fiation, usually heroes. Yet there was something deflant, almost ma- Jestic about them. Instead of being repudi- ated, it was they who repudiated—often with pathetic bravado. Told in grim, ruthless ac- cents, their story caused a shudder of pity and of terror to shoot from the Black Sea to Arch- angel. It was a triumph not of bald realism, but of neo-romanticism stronger, mere color- ful snd more human than any yet known to lterature. Those passlonate words spoken at the grave of Nekrassov had proven true; the next prophet had come from the people, and had spoken of the people, and to the people. The fact that he had become the center of enthusiasm seems to have proven too much for Gorky. Dostoyevsky, shattered and tri- umphant, understood when they _bore him above lhelr‘he.flsv Not_so is this boy of two and thirty. " He seems cazed. like a bewilder- ed child, not knowing where to turn. there are frequent scrimmages. They alse have their share of adventures with the revenue officers and soldlers. The book has a good, healthy tone and vet will hold the interest of any young reader who delights in adventure. The boys are all good, honest fellows and by their pluck and effort meet with even greater success than they had at first anticipated. (Published by the Lothrop Publishing Company, Boston. Price $§150.) .~ Bridge Whist. The latest manual on bridge whist i3 one by Lennard Leigh, the editor of ‘Whist Opinion. Mr. Lelgh has already established a reputation in this line by his contributions to numerous journals. The present book gives a concise and lu- cid description of the game, as well as a comprehensive enunclation of its prinéi- ples. Many parts of the book are illus- trated by examples and specimen deals. The need for special leads adapted to the peculiar and varying conditions of briGge is supplied in a new system which has been subjected to the test of analysis and experiment. The book presents for the first time to the general public a code of laws for bridge whist, the need for which has hith- erto been the chief drawback to the prac- tice of the game. (Published by Henry T. Coates & Co., Philadelphia. Price $1.) Benson could never write 446 pages without introducing plenty of well- groomed conversation, which is often more entertaining and always more true to life than is genuine wit. The dialogue of this book is not up to the standard which he set for himself in “Dodo,"” but it is easy, natural and well-bred. Benson displays his unusual talent of introducing few cHaracters and keeping them busy enough to cause the reader to forget how few they are. Four men and two women play almost the whole of the little drama. These all have distinct per- sonality. (Pubiished by D. Appleton & Co., New York. Price $1 50.) Shells and Sea Life. Josiah Keep, A. M., professor of natural sclence, Mills College, is the author of an excellent little book on “Shells and Sea Life.” His book is intended for the use of young people, and here on the Pacific Coast, where we have the wonders of the ocean Tight at our command, it cannst fa'l to be of direct service. It makes an ex- cellent book to take with you to the sea- shore, for, though it is written for youth, it 1s filled with facts that are well worth the knowing znd lose nothing by their simple statement. (Published by the ‘Whitaker & Ray Company, San Francis- co. Price 50 cents.) e MRS. REGINRALD DE KOVEN This is said to be an excellent likeness of Mrs. Reginald De Ko- ven, wife of the composer, and one of the well-known society women of Washington. Her book, “By tue Waters of Babylon,” has just been published by Herbert S. Stone & Co. and is said to be creating consid- erable discussion. The descriptions deal with the wild, licentious life in ancient Babylon at that time, when Artaxerxes ruled with free hand, " and the story tells of the immoral lcve of the beautiful Amytis, the King’s pnsalonnge sister. b The Luck of the Vails. Two French Books. E. 'F. Benson, the young Englishman The American Book Company, New who called attention to himself by writ- York, has recently published two new ing the smart portraiture of “Dodo.” has struck out in a new direction. In “The Tuck of the Valls” hc has revived old- time romance, rutting it forth in modern coloring, and the result is several thrills. The trouble is that the thrills begin so late in the book. In fact, the first chap- ters are so unattractive that it iz to be feared that only the paid reviewer will ever read far enough to reach the intense part of the narrative. In the first part of the story the author fails of suspense, which is the primary secret of success in a tale that depends for its interest upon event. “The Luck” is an hefiloom in the form of a wonderful. gem-set cup, which has Dbelonged for generations to the family of Vail and about which clings a supersti- tion founded upon the lines engraved around it: * When the Luck of the Valls is lost, Fear not fire nor rain nor frost: When_the Luck is found again, Fear both fire and frost and rain.” The Luck, together with the supersti- tion, is fallen heir to by young Harry Vail, the hero of the novel. He suffers a number of accidents, all attributable to fire, frost or rain, and thus the supersti- tion becomes firmly rooted in his mind. Benson cleverly winds up by pointing cut that not the danger is hereditary, but the fear of it, and thus the luck is, indeed, an evil Influence for the possessor. There are some delicious secret passages in the old Vail house copnected with an ingenious murder plot. From the time this plot gets well under way until the epilogue the story grips vou, but the first chapter, which deal with a tame love affair, lack interest. Moreover, Harry Vail, the hero, is not half the man that is Geoffrey Langham, his friend, and our sympathy s constantly thrown in the wrong channel. additions to its series of Modern French Readings. One of these Is “L'Enfant Es plon and Other Storles,” edited by Regi- nald R. Goodell, M. A., instructor in mad- €rn languages, University of Maine; and the other is “La Neuvaine de Colette,” by Jeanne Schultz, edited by Florence I. C. Lye. St. Mary's Hall, Faribault, Mian. The first of these new additions to the American Book Company's series of Mod- ern French Readings contains, in addi- tion to the title story by Alphonse Daudct. the same author’s “‘Les Vieux,” Coppee" “La Medaille” and “Mon Ami Meurtrier, De Maupassant's “Le Loup” and “L’Ap- arition,”” and Merimee's “Vision da Charles XI” gnd “I'Enlevement de la Redoute.” They are all simple in style and construction, and in- teresting and attractive in subject matter. Brief blographical accounts of the authors precede the text, and the notes explain all historical and other al- lusions. Exercises are given in French composition based on each story, and a full vocabulary is also included. The other volume, from the idiomatic vet easy French in which its little siory s written, together with its charmmgz portrayal of the home and school life of a typical French girl, is especially suita- ble for class reading. The notes give all needed assistance to the pupil, and the very copious materials for French com- position furnish a thorough drill in the principles of syntax and construction. Tha story is well suited for exercises in con- versation, in which the words learned from the reading of the text can be hcip- fully used. The vocabulary is complete. (Price, 45 cents each). God’s Puppets. Launched on the high tide of the his- torical novel and steered by a first class publisher, such a book as this must float. T EAROLD IHE GREAT — M e ROMANTIC “The ordinary wading through words to get into the deep water of interest is \ N happily absent in ¢The Puppet Crown,’ for the first page plunges you headlong into a story that is so inter- esting, so _exciting, so full of dramatic incident, so abso- lutely absorbing, that there is never a moment in the *The book that takes all one’s adjectives to tell about.” THE BOWEN-MERRILL CO., Pusuisnens It may find itself washed ashore and left stranded when the tide goes down, but that day Is not yet come. “God’s Puppets,” by Miss Imogen Clark, is a pleasant story, full of charming his- torical coloring. It deals with the old Dutch element in New York, twe of the principal characters.being a Dominte of the Dutch church and his daughter An- netje. The portrait of the girl is clearly drawn and appears to be the favorite of the author. She is gentle, clinging. duti- ful, affectionate. She Is sharply contrast- ed with the other girl of the story. This is Peggy, a belle among the Eng- lish and nominally the heroine of the story. She is a dashing, independent young lady, with a deal of spirit and agreeable wit. One of the principal events of the tale is her riding and winning a race in the gulse of a jockey when her finan«ially embarrassed brother could find no one else whom hne could trust to ride and so win the much-needed cash. The young lady’s escapade leads to many com- plications through her own and her friends’ efforts to keep it secret and its inevitable discovery. The story deals with soldiers. but not with war. Its time Is prerevolutionary. It finds itself, however, in the outskirts of the “Washington atmospher and ought to satisfy the popular demand for that same climate. Many of its pictures are exquisitely col- ored, such as that of the Domine’'s home and his old garden with the little back gate, where the gay young officer .paid many a visit to the Dutch girl: Jan, the old gardener, Is a good study, and Larry, the excitable, impetuous and frresolute brother of Peggy, is true to life. The char- acter sketches all have merit in a some- what superficlal way. The title is taken from Browning’s line, “God's puppets, best and worst, are we,” and indicates the widely divergent types in the story. The fashionable English. the simple and devout Dutch, are far apart, with a great gulf fixed between them. The skill of the novelist has bridged this gulf. ‘The author is a resident of New York City 2nd an enthusiastic student of New York history. Her earller book, *“Will Shakespeare’s Little Lad.” was also care- fully historical. (Published by Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. Price §130.) Winslow’s Natural Arithmetic. The American Book Company of New York has just placed on the market some- thing in the way of an arithmetic. Tt is called “Winslow's Natural Arithmetic.” by Isaac O. Winslow, M. A., principal of the Thayer-street Grammar School. Provi- dencs, R. 1., ard is in three volumes. The purposes of this serfes, as set forth by the author, are: 1—To present the subjects in a spiral order, treating together the easfer principles of the varicus topics and re- gerving tte more diffienlt until the child has gained the power to compreherd them easilv. 2—To make the work easy. rhe pupll being kept busy with a varied appli- cation of the principles already mastered, instead of being too rapidly crowded for- wara into greater difficulties. 3—To give the subject variety and interest by basing the problems upon facts and principles gathered from the different studies, and thus correlating arithmetic with the other branches, while adding distinctly to its vividness and attractiveness. 4—To de- velop genuine mathematical thought by promoting originality in *he pupil's work and by developing fully each new princi- ple before it Is put into practice. 5—To give prominence to the idea of magnitude, recognizing the psychological fact that all mathematical knowledge is a system of relations, or ratios. (Price, Book I 30 cents, Book IT 40 cents, Book IIT 3 cents.) P R H R Literary Notes. Bird-Lore for August continues the helpful =eries of papers on ‘“‘Birds and Seasons.” in which the student is told just what birds he may expect to find, what he should study and what he should read during the month. Harold MacGrath's handsome facs and Harold. MacGrath's clever pen furnish the portrait and autobiography for August Book New There is a dramatic story by A. E. W, Mason, called “The Coward,” and a fine description of a horse race agalnst time, taken from John Trotwood Moore's “Summer Hymnal.” St. Julien Grimke reviews a couple of important novels, and Marie Louise contributes a characteristic poem and writes as cleverly about many books. Messrs. A. C. McClurg & Co. mae xhe interesting announcement that their pub- lishing department will hereafter be un- der the full management of F. G. Browne. for the past twelve years business man- ager of The Dial. Mr. Browne comes to his task well fitted by temperament, training and business experience to under- take the responsibilities of his position. The department was from its besinning and up to the date of his death in April last under the immediat personal charge of General McClurg. and the high stand- ards which he set will be aealously guard- ed and maintained. The American edition of Clive Holland's “Mousme,” a sequel to ‘“My Japanese Wife" by this author, has been the sub- ject of comment upon the very remark- able beauty of the Japanese girl shown in the frontisplece of the book. This frontisplece is printed in colors as an ac- curate reproduction of a photograph taken from life, and it is, therefore, not an ideal pleture, as many have supposed beeause of the almost western perfection of beauty shown in the face. A slight part of the charm of the original photo- graph was lost in the reproduction, but nevertheless this colored frontispiece shows one who may, perhaps. be regarded as the most beautiful Japanese who has ever stood before the camera. George Kennan's unceremonious expul- sion from the Russian Empire has direct- ed public attention to his book, “Siberfa and the Exile System.”” which startled the world ten years ago by its revelation of the way political offenders were treated by the Czar. As a serial in The Century the same material had caused a veritable sensation. Copies of the magazine circu- lated in the Czar's dominions reached their destination with whole pages blocked out by the Censor. The book has not lost its interest in the past decade and even before Mr. Kennan’s summary ejectment from St. Petersburg it had been selling better than for several years past. It is understood that certain reforms have been effected in the Siberian penal system, the necessity of which was pointed out in this work. The Irish litérary element is strongly represented in J. B. Lippincott Company's new list of fiction. Mr. George Moore. whose “Sister Teresa” has just been pub- lished. and who recently proclaimed his Irish convictions by fleeing from London to the green shores: Mrs. E. L. Voynich, who has Irish blood in her, and whose novel, “Jack Raymond.” has set the lit- erary world by the ears; Cyrus Townsend Brady, the appearance of whose Revolu- tionary novel, “When Blades Are Out and Love's Afield,” was followed by his tem porary, retirement from the pulpit. in or- der to obtaln more time for his writing; and now Mr. James O. G. Duffy, whose novel, “Glass and Gold,” will be published this autumn. These are but four of the copspicuous names on the list of the Philadclphia house which represent Ire- land by inheritance at least. In his dedication of “Blennerhassett,” Charles Felton Pidgin's Aaron Burr ro- mance, which will be out in September, the author uniquely nscribes the volume to the memory of Theodosia Burr-Alston, the daughter of Aaron Burr, and at the same time expresses his sentiments re- garding the man by quoting these lincs from a letter written by Theodosia to her father: R “T witness your extraordinary fortitude with new wonder at every new misfor- tune. Often, after reflecting on this sub- Ject, you appear to me sq superior, so ele- vated above all other nen, I contemplate you with such a strange mixture of Bu- mility, admiration. reverence. love and pride that very littie superstition would be necessary to make me worship yuu as a superfor being. stich enthusfasm Adoes your character incite in me. When I aft- erward revert to myself, how insignificant do my best qualities appear. My vanity would be greater If T had not been places] €0 near vou, and yet my pride is our re- Jationship. I had rather not live than not to be the daughter of such a man — “Which words,” adds the author, “have re1dered her conspicuous amons the Wo- men of America for filial devotion.” Egerton Castle's dra of Paris, with a descendant of uarts as one of the ¢ f chavr- with his wife—an Ameriean— as the heroine. is now running serially m the Cosmopolitan Magazine, and will be rublished in book form in the autumn. Mr. acters and Cas ’ writes to his publishers that the story has been dramatized most cessfully in Great RBritain, and that £uccess on the stage there has been very remarkable. The Kendals will probably rresent the play In this country later on. The publication of “The Secret Orchard™ In book form Is likely to be one of tha most notable events in the world of fle- tion during the autumn of 191. The pub- lishers are using their best efforts to make the dress of the volume worthy of its con- tents and are preparing a very large first edition. Without alming at variety for the mers sake of variety the August Critie never- theless covers a wide and diverse fleld Perhaps the most serfous and scholarly and at the same time absorbing contri- butfon is Joseph McCabe's paper on “The Most Famous Love Letters in the World —the Letters of Abelard and Helolse. ™ The author, who is himself an apostate from the Roman Cathollc Church, brings to bear upon his subject a learning and an insight which are indeed unusual. He is, as well, a first-hand authority on all that concerns the abbot lover, all of which is reflected in the present paper. Another article of serious nature Is George L. Beer's tribute to the memory of the late Professor Fiske. Mr. Beer finds many admirable and appreciative things to say of Professor Fiske, but does not in his admiration for the student and popularizer fail, to record the fact that Professor Fiske was not, strictly speak- ing. an original or creative force. The illustrated articles, which com- monly form such a feature of the Critic, are not In this issue in any way lacking. The most engaging of these are Clive Holland's “A Pilgrimage to Wessex" and series of portraits by the Marchioness Granby with introductory note by Chri tian Brinton. Mr. Holland knows the Thomas Hardy country from end to end, and his article. which describes the scenes of “Tess of the D' Urbervilles, '‘ar from the Madding Crowd,” “Two on a Tower," “The Mayor of Casterbridge” and other novels, is not only {llustrated by many photographs, but bears the further in- dorsement of Mr. Hardy's personal ap- proval. An article entitled “The Aim of Balzac's Comedie Humai: by Mrs. Ella Stry Mapes, together with the many portrai‘s and drawings which enliven “The Loung- complete the pictorial features of the current issue. Of varied interest and moment are papers by Gerald Stank Lee on “Lit erary Drill in College,” by Mrs. Loul Betts Edwards on “The Literary Cult oh the Child,” and by Mrs. Mary J. Serrano cn the late Roman de Campoamer, the most famous of modeg~ Spanish poets. Soribner’'s Magazine for August is the annual fiction number, and it contains seven complete short stories, the beginning of a new serial, and special illustrated articles and poems. The color-printing is shown at its best in the exquisite work of Maxfleld Parrish, who has found a very congental subject in Quiller-Couch's story of the Cornish coast, which has to do with a classical legend. These drawings are the most remarkable in color which have been yet attempted. There is also a beautiful cover design by Albert Herter, which it has taken ten printings to repro- duce. The leading fiction is a novelette by Richard Harding Davis, entitled “A Derelict,” which depicts the character of a brilliant but erratic mewspaper corre- spondent, who writes the best story of the destruction of the Spanish fleet at San- tiago. It is a thrilling narrative. and the illustrations by Walter Appleton Clark are the most effective vet achleved by this artist. Another sea story by James B. Connolly, the new writer, is filled with that vigor of description and rapidity of movement which distinguish all his work. This one describes a race between a Gloucester fishing schooner and an Englishman’'s yacht from Iceland to Gloucester. It is fully {llustrated by Burns, who Is familiar with every detail of the fishing fleet. A Mississippi River story. entitled “The Memphis Packet,” by Willis Gibson, reveals a charming char- acter and an original situation: llustrated by F. C. Yohn. What women's clubs meant to one woman is told by Octave Thanet in “The Object of the Federation,” a story full of humor and sentiment, illus- trated with drawings by Christy. Mrs. Isobel Strong tells the true story of “A Little Savage Gentleman,” who was for a time a member of Stevenson's household. J. A. Mitchell, the author of “Amos Juda,” begins a short serfal to run through the fall months, entitled “The Pines of Lory.” This is in the author's romantie and whimsical vein, and is a sort of up- to-date “Paul and Virginia,” the scene belng a promontory in the St. Lawrence River. “Zack,” the popular young Eng- lish writer. contributes a humorous story of Devonshire, entitfed “Benjamin Par- rot's Faney.” Jesse Lynch Willlams, who has written for Scribner's a number of articles about aspects of New York City, describes “Rural New York City.” show- ing how one may go shooting and fishing, see Chinese farmers at work, visit a typical country store and get lost in the woods, all within the city limit: The illustrations for these unusual places ars by such artists as Child. Glackens. Shinn and McCarter. An elaborate Breton poem by Florence Wilkinson is illustrated by Henry McCarter. S a8 Books Received. THE SOUTH AMERICAN REPUBLICS —By Markwick and Smith. Silver, Bur- dett & Co.. New York. 60 cents. AN AERTAL RUNAWAY—By Wilttam P. and Charles P. Chipman. Lothrop Publishing Company, Boston. $1 50. J. DEVLIN—BOSS—By Francis Church- il Willlams. Lothrop Publishing Com- pany. Boston. $1 30. CAMP VENTURE—-By George Cary Eggleston. Lothrop Publishing Company, Boston. _$1 50. THE DEAD CALYPSO AND OTHER VERSES—By Louis Alexander Robertson. A. M. Robertson, San Franeisco. $1 MASTERS OF MUSIC—By Alice Chep- man. Dodd. Mead & Co.. New York. $i 3 GEOFFREY STRONG—By Laura Richards. Dana, Estes & Co., Bostdh. cents. The Books Reviewed ON THIS PAGE Can Be Obtained at ERBBERTSUN"S,! 126 POST STREET, SAN FRANCISCO. Prices are always in the Reading Notices. A. M. ROBERT3ON. —_ a1