The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 25, 1901, Page 4

DEVLIN—BOSS” is a book that 4 soon take its place among best sellers of the day. It has all that goes to make a popu- n originality of popular novels do is Williams glves le 6f “A Romance The title of Mr. further tit » Politics.” in amount of ver anything. * however, is rat eral reader and bock may not be dr names or titles, f s to that cl until down Tt every sense a “Romance of n Pa h just enough of low againa which rongly the romance of two retty love stories as it has been my pleasu read for many a day. In general works of fiction that cover a from boyhood to middle age t of the best. ‘s life m: are no This § n exception. holds his friends for from his first boyish aper kid to his last polit inal retirement. “Jimmy" “Jimmy"” from the be- - end that one must praise hor for that consistency of writing ng. He develops his *Jimm gradually that the transitions from boyhood to manhood are perfectly natural and the reader unconsciously stops his laughter at the odd tricks of the ow with breathless interest the schemes of the man. Jimmy unequaled and he hes reached the top rung \ that most peculiar of all Jimmy serious — is —he has a heart, a great big heart roves too much even for heming politician clever as the very beginning you can see of the ordinary. roduced to the reader while in ing at the hands of the Even- knows how to loze as it is not often that ne de as a small boy with the Jimmy He fir paper. a scheme for the invest- ment of the other small b funds that P smal dend to Mr. J. Devlin: an he levies trib mild form of bl to the editors by a il process; he goes inventing a brilliant u proves his undoing. for he a runaway In which he is the victim and then dramatically poses #s 2 hero by seeing that the copy he had excuse 2t the time is sent 40 the paper. The Evenin s prints a glowing account of his heroism. Unfortunately the assist- ant city editor happens to be at the circus nd recognizes Jimmy there, hale and d He reports the “fake” to his chier soon Jimmy recel an intimation that he is about to be discharged. immy is equal even to this emergency. cides not to be retired n disgrace ymptly hands in his resig- This resig n is characteristic of the boy and of the man as well. Many a time before his final political downfall his enemies think that they have done for Jimmy only to find that he has merely dropped that line of attack for a time and them with some new scheme harder than ever. Here is what he had to say to the city te Mr. W. S p Esq., City Editor. of the Evening News—Dear Sir: 1 am thinkin of o fession soon and 1 find gnatio, from the staft We have bin in this news paper bisness fur over a year and f monthe and I am sorry T'e must part, ve have passed many plesant hours in e uthers soclerty. But you know bisness work makes us part sometimes with our frens so 1 will say good by to you with kind wishes that you m seed and sum day purbaps get a go0d post s very truly J. D P. £ X. B.—Im sorry if my goln aw you jus mow makes it hard to get out News but T have to leave tonight sure. The the new boy mite do fur my place. try the assistant City place. You dont mew boys place. If you do tha Zditor in the mew boys have to know much in the Your J. DEVLIN. Bill Brady, a political “Boss,” is with the city editor at the time of this oc- currence and is so taken with Jimmy's craft that he hires him on the spot. That is Jimmy's start in the life polit- feal. Jimmy proves himself a great help to Brady, for by a little ;eavesdropping he finds out about one of the opposition’s schemes just in time for Brady to check- mate them—much to Brady’s advantage. For this Jimmy gets $3 in cash and a rise in the estimation of his boss. In time Jimmy finds himself stronz enough to break away from Brady and finally takes a standard of his own. His rise is not rapid, but it is sure, and event- vally he finds himself at the top and in a position justly to be called “THE BOSS.” This is the career of “J. Devlin—Boss.” A gradual rise and then a quick fall. The political side of the book, with all the scheming men and their unprincipled acts, is well written. 4. Devlin in politics is as bad as any. He toils and plans and bribes, does everything, in fact, that an up-to-date Boss must do, and yet you cannot help liking him—that is because Mr. Churchill shows us the man as well as the politl- clan. In the first place, with Jimmy his word is everything. His worst enemies admit this. He may switch around the truth, but he will not tell a downright lie and what- ever he says he will do he does, no mat- ter what the cost to himself. The reader sees him clearly in this pleasant light of a kind and big-hearted man though few of his political world know him a= such. This is the main " charm of Mr. Williams’ book. You follow Jimmy through the political mire simply hecause you have had a glimpse of the true man beneath his armor. Jimmy is generally too busy to take 2 time for himself. For his friends in dis- tress he cannot do enough, but when it comes to self, even where his own heart and feelings are concerned, it is only at the last that he is willing to leaye the pursuit of his ambitious goal foria domes- tic life. As T said before, in “J. Deviin—Boss™ there are two love stories that will take their places among the very sweetest in modern fiction. You cannot tell until the very last page how either of them will turn out, so to say #nything more about them in a revi wrath of the reader on my head. Mr. Churchill tells the romantic part of his too well to have it spoiled by and “extra There are some fine strong scenes of Aramatie interest in “J. Devlin—Boss™” and one of the best points of the book is that * it is full of story—not a bit of padding. but all story. good. wholesome and attractive. Mr. Willlams is deserving of the highest praise, for * Devlin—Boss” is one of THE best of the BEST. (Published by the Lothrop Publishing Company, Boston, Price $150.) B. G. LATHROP. Masters of Musie. An admirable book for music lovers is ‘Masters of Music.” by Anna Alice Chapin. Tt cannot fail to appeal to all interested in musical literature. far it is so0 concise and yet so full of facts. In brief Miss Chapin gives biographies of all the great composers and a characteriz: tion of their work. Naturally the first name to rank with the “masters” is that of Giovanni Pier- luigi da Palest “the Raphael of music.” who possessed the inspired genfus of music in sunny Ttaly of the latter part of the sixteenth century. He was, and ts, justly considered the master of church music. Then came Alessandro Scarlatti, 1649, of whom comparatively little is known—the man who was one of the founders of symphonic and of operatic music and also the forerunner of Gluck and Moz . Next to carve his name as one of genius was George Friedrich Handel, whose music and name are both more familiar to us to the present day., The: Miss Chapin s the lifebof John Sehastian Bach, who, as che says, is justly entitled to be®called “the greatest of all masters one of the musieal heroes before whom we bow our heads In homage.” Next she tells us the story of Bene- detto Marcello, who “has been called the Titian and Veronese of music. for what they have done with visible colors in representing the vast Venetian spirit he has done with subtle and expressive shades of sound.” Pergolese. Gluck and Haydn all receive due space and then she tells us'in an interesting way of the life and work of Mozart. that musical marvel who accomplished so much in the brief period of a life of 55 years. All the great masters receive due con- sideration in ehronological order—Beeth- oven. Webher, Meyerbeer. Rossini, Schu- bhert. Berlioz. Chopin. Mendelssohn.. Bar- tholdy. Schumann. Liszt and Wagner. After every biography is given a list of the composer’s most famous compositions eresting notes concerning them. Miss Chapin’s book will doubtless find a place in the library of every one who has a regard for good musical literature. She writes in perfect sympathy with her sub- ject and with a knowledge only acauired by close and careful study. (Published by Dodd, Mead & Co., New York. Price $1.50.) A Daughter of New France. Mary Catherine Crowley has taken an interesting epoch of history as a setting story. “A Daughter of New Quebec and later the foundinz of the American city of Detroit at the end of the seventeenth and the beginning of the eighteenth centuries. The book Is not of the red-handed melodramatic or- der. but is written with a care for exIst- ing facts of that time and a careful re- gard for consistency of plot. The greater part of the story dea's with the early French setffament of Detroit by the gallant Sleur Cadillac. There is enough of Tndian warfare, fizhts with the British and local consviracles to give the reauisite dash for a mild up-to-date his- torical novel. To further heighten the dramatic coloring. the author introdu a seeress and a erious red dwarf. who play no insignificant part in the destinies of the principal characters. The main interest centers in the love of Normand and Barbe. The vonnz man has the usval stupidity of a certain class of lovers in fiction. for he loves and vet cannot believe that he is loved in return. The author even has to marry Barbe off, ther kill her husband immediately aff the wedding. and then bring up two or three more lovers as a menace to the faithful though slow Normand before he finally realizes that Barbe has ever been his at heart. The book is well written and several strong scenes are laid out. but not brought to skillful consummation —they seem lackirg in climax. “A Daughter of New France” is of more value as a pretty picture of those early éays in French-Canadian history than it is as a romance. consequently its sales are apt to be limited. Tt lacks just those points which have put “The Crisis,” “The Puppet Crown.” “The Helmet of X varre” and “The Heritage of Unrest” among the best selling books of the year. (Published by Little, Brown & Co., Bos- ton. Price $1350.) Frolics of the A B C. This dainty nursery book from the press d & Lee is the joint effort of Fan- nie . Ostrander, the children’s favorite poet, and. R. W. Hirchert, the talented illustrator. the author and designer of “Baby Goose: His Adventures,” the great success of last year's Christmas season, whose popularity has been growing ever gince. The “Frolics of the A B C” is ot course an alphabet book, but in scope, contents and make-up it is radically dif- ferent from the hackneved works of the kind. Every letter is represented here as a tiny sprite, whose adventures are told in clever, witty and easily remembered jingles. The special merit of the book is its simplicity and its purity of dlction which renders it so guickly understood, and at the same time fills the child's “mind with just that class of words which ought to be known first. It is a rare treat to meet with a baby book that is not silly, but, on the contrary, so attractive and sure to please mothers and children altke The Letter-sprites created by the author will soen be as popular as the old-time falrles and brownles. The sige is royal quarto and each page is colored. There are ten colors used through the book. Binding, paper and cover designs are just Jovely, and the little tots have truly an exceptional treat .in store for (Boards cloth back, illustrated in colors, fancy wrappers, 75 cents.) Cram’s Atlas. Probably the best atlas now published is the latest edition of “Cram's Atlas of the World—New Census Edition.” It not only covers all matters of geographical interest in anclent history, but is also absolutely modern and up to date in every particular. It glves a geographical, his- torfeal and statistical presentation of the world in all its divisions. The maps are remarkable for their completeness, clear- ness and-accuracy—not only are they geo- graphically perfect but they cover the world's wvarious political divisions fully. The world's progress and development is shown by an elaborate series of historical maps from the carliest times to the pres- ent. The diagrams, charts and half- tone reproductions of photographs taken in various countries add greatly to the life of the work. Altogether this editlon, with its handsome binding and serviceable paper, makes a volume that cannot be spared from the shelves of any library. It is published by George F. Cram, 130 Fulton street, New York. Literary Notes. General Francis V. Greene, whose nar- rative history of “The” United States Arm begins in the September Scrib- ner's, was, it will be recalled. the gen- eral who received the surrender of Ma- nila. Members of his family have taken rart in every war of this country. One of his collateral ancestors was General Nathaniel Greene of the Revolution and his father was General George S. Greene of the Civil War. e himself is a West Pointer of the class of '70. The Century Company will fssue In the Aautum: ‘Memories of a2 Musical Life.” by Dr. Willlam Mason, the dean of his pro- fession in America. Dr. Mason's musical exnerienges began over fifty yvears ago. nd his book contains reminiseences of Meyerbeer. Schumann. Moschelles. Wag- ner and Liszt (with whom he studied). as well as of the moderns, Rubinstein, Von Pulow. Paderewski. and many others. The basis of the book anpeared in the Century Magazine; but Dr. Mason has made many additions, rounding out ‘the story of his interesting life. The illustra- tions will include notable repraoductions from an antogranh boak which Dr. Mason has kept for many ““The’ Making of a Marchlaness.” by tractine attention In the Century Maga- 7ine, i= to be illustrated and decorated in a dainty and appronriate manner by €. D. Willlams and A. K. Womrath, and to be offered to the’ public in book in September next. There are to be several full-page iMus- trations. in two colors. after drawings by Mr. Williams, while Mr. Womrath is preparing the title page, contents, head pieces and tail nieces, ornamentai in- cover linings, ete. as well as the &n for the cover. Tt will be publish- Frederick A. Stokes Company. fo Amonz the several hnoks of fiction which Messrs. A.-C. .McClurg & Co. an- nounce for the fall season are a new story by George Horton. the scene of which is 1aid, as was that of his “Like Another Helen.” in Greece: a stirring his- torical romance hv a new writer. Charlton Andrews. entitled. Parfit Gentil Knight,” Aealineg with life in the reign of Charles TX of France: and “Lady Tee” a remarkable collection of storfes of horses and other domestic animals, writ- ten from the same standpoint as was “Black Beauty,” and giving a new insieht into the character and mental attributes of our dumb companiohs. Readers of that fascinating story. “The Puppet Crown.” will he ,interested in learning that the little town-of Blefberg is real. Tt is not on the map under the name Mr. MacGrath has chosen to give it. Anoldstein fs there, and it is in this ancient and picturesque city, masquer- ading under another name. that Fitzger- aid stepped from a second-class carriage one fine September morning. The hero, Maurice Carew, has his counterpart in MacGrath's list of friends. and many of the incidents that contribute to the lively action of the story are said to be based on fact. One of these is the unfought battle where two great armies are drawn in fighting line. The soldiers of one, ng to obey the commands of their officers, surrender to the enemy. Profeszor Joscph Le Conte was one of the earliest American stpdents under Agassiz, and he became one of the most conspicuous figures among the many emi- them.. THE SUNDAY ““'TRE _ JEWISH HE first volume of the Jewish Ency- clopedia from the publishing house of the Funk & Wagnalls Company, New York, will be found fully equal to all that was prophesied for it. This se- ries of twelve volumes has been in active preparation for over three years and will now be distributed as rapidly as they can be published. It will certainly take a place on the shelves of every library large enough to contain cyclopedias of any kind. There is not 4 walk in life that the Jews . have not trodden, and wherever the tem- pests of time have cast them they have with characteristic persistence invariably borne with them their Torah, the emblem of their faith, their traditions, their liter- ature, their language, their very customs —in fact, all that could keep alive their national spirit. The records of their achievements are scattered through many ancient manuscripts. The history of their times is to be found chiefly in the con- gregational archives of the cities wherein they dwelt. Not until to-day has any de- termined effort been made to collect this mass of interesting data and present it In comprehensive book form. rances Hodgson Burnett. which fs- at- h‘\.grg prajector of the work, Dr. Isidore Singer,‘spent tén years of his life tn .col- lecting material, but could find no pub- lisher in Europe willing to embark in so great an undertaking. Finally he suc- ceeded in Interesting Funk & Wegnalls and they announced themselves as willing to risk the capital necessary to launch such a stupendous enterprise. Dr. Singer is an Austrian by birth and is a linguist of exceptional ability. He began his pub- lic career ‘as secretary and librarian to the French Embassador at the court of Vienna. the Jate Count Foucher de Careil, whom he followed to Paris. Tt i =aid that the cost of bringing this work to completion will closely approxi- mate three-quarters of a million dollars. OrrFicens oF T Funx & Waexarns Coupaxys Istvore SINGER. Pr.D ging Editor : Chief Departmént of Mdern Biography’ 3 rpm 1:30 (o 101 President didoe in chief of WE STANDARD DiCTIONARY, iThis first volume can safely be taken as an Index of the rest that are to fol- low. Tt presents in an attractive form a deseriptive record of the history. religion, literature and customs of the Jewish peo- ple from the earliest times to the present day. The work i to be the joint product of more than four hundred scholars and speciali Among them are such well known writers and students as Solomon Schechter, William Racher, David Gunz- burg.: A. Moritz ‘Lazarus, Lud- wig Ste Abrahamg and I. Zang- te as well as to expedite “ha work of preparation several boar's of ed- itore have been formed. and unde® the Ji- 2o L - A 2 nent seientists of the later nineteenth cen- tury. Like Huxley, Darwin, Tyndall and Spencer, Professor Le Conte gave his im- portant books tn the world through the publishing ho of D. Appleton & Co.. who bave issued his “Ilements of Geology.” “Evolution and Its Relaticn to Religious Thought,”' “Religion and Secience,” “Sight”” and his “Comparati Physiology and Morpholo=y of Anima ANl these books, especially the author's brilliant discussions of the relations of sclence and religlon. have attracted wide attention. and they remain in constant demand. Professor Le Conte's Aevotion to scienre was happi'y accompan'ed hv a singularly lueld manner of expression which has imparted a peculiar valne to the literary results of his scientific la- bors. As an investigator and an expositor he gained exceptional distinction. General W. W. H. Davis in his article. “Jackson at New Orleans.” in the August Literary Era, quotes Alexander Walker's deseription of Jackson's appearance when be arrived at New Orleans: ““His complexion was sallow and healthy, his halr fron gray. his emaclated, like one just recovering from a lingering and rainful sickness. But the fierce glare of his bright and hawk like eve. betrayed a soul and spirit that triumphed ovet the infirmities of . the body. His dress was simple and nearly threadsare. A small leather cap protected his nead, . Spanish biue cloak his body, while his feet and legs were encased in high Aragoon Loots. long Iznar- ant of polish or hlacking, and which reached to his knees.” Lisle de Vaux Matthewman, the anthor of “Crankisi published by Honrv T. Coates & Co.. has for the past vear heen enraged as literarv editor of the Phiia- éelnhia Evening Telegraph. for which paper he has also condncted a uopular eattmn under the title “The Whirl of the Warld " Leader writing and dramatic criticism have a'so come with'n his scope. He: is infarmed. he says, that he was born in 18F7. but thinks that the -ecords have been tampcred with. for. as a man is as old as he feels, and he feels fifty-five, it follows that he must have besn horn about 1846. He ncknowledges that he first saw the lizht in Fngland. although most of the past fourteen yvears have been spent in cther countries. He is a jack of ~many trades. having been school teacher. lecturer, free lance journalist. etc.—the ete. covering a multitude of oc- cupations. As newspaperman he feels that he has sunk to his natural. normal level. Writing came easily to him after he had. as he puts It. “sweat blood for fifteen years” in studying style and in training himself to write what he meant. zvhat the Romans jMave to Jay of Fall Caine’s Beet Laiest Novel, “The Eternal City.” speaking of Hall Caine’s novel “The ternal City,” which the Appletons > to publish early in September, Nuova Antologia, published in Rome, (—— “Hall Caine, the great English novelist, author of ‘The Christian,’ has begun the publication of his new romance, ‘The Eternal City.’ inspired by Rome, in ‘wo magazines, one English and one Ameri- can. “The open letter which Mr. Calne ad- dressed to the American public explains his new romance, the title he has giver it, the way in which it was developed and in- spired. The third Ttaly seems every day to attract more attention from foreigners, and Hall Caine has dedicated his new romance to Rome, ‘The Eternal City,’ and has animated it with a vast civil and social conception. The force which in the past century has most vigorously as- serted itself is the power of the peoples, wide, liberal, democratic, in contrast with the absolyte power of the kings: but over the new power that has destroyed the reality of absolutism continues the pomp and ostentation of the oid order of things, and not only continues, but daily attempts to gain new vigor, a resurrection, by three systems, in which Hall Caine recog- nizes the reincarnation of the Philistines against that modern Samson which is ths right of the people—imperialism, militar- ism, and the question of the temporal power. “The struggle is a hard one, but Hall Caine is sure that the struggle which be- £an in the last century will go on and end in this century—in the ultimate triumph of the will of the people over ths absolute wills that until now have restrained and dominated it. We must remember that in the letter addressed to the American pub- lic the invective against imperialism is not without immediate reasons, although in the republican system the monopoly of capital and the concentration of riches hold, in opposition to the rights of the people, the place which in old Europe the right of monarchs and absolute sever- eignty held. Against this state of thinws Christian ‘democracy ought to oppose it- self, and with that democracy ought to come to a compact with the church. be- cause it is certain that if the church will not go with th# people the people will go on without the church. Rome Is the metropolis of the Christian world, not only by reason of its religious connections but also by reason of its geographical po- sitlon, its history, its glorious traditions, ‘the fascination of its art. and the mystery of eternal life that pervades and sur- rounds it. Rome seems to Mr. Hall Caine the only city worthy, in the dawn of an immense social revolution, to be the heart and soul of humanity. renewing itself in hopes and aspirations mow. and promis- ing in the future pacific civil and moral glory. “Rome, therefore, is the scene of the new novel; in Rome is the interest of the problem and of the narration, doubly ac- centuated. Roma is alsa the name of the heroine of the love story, one of those fatal women who in all great ages and great countries seem to he the truest in- carnation of a great symbolical name. “The analysis of the letters of the hero and herolne (letters of friendship as well as of love, for Roma says ‘friendship Is the surest part of love’) ought to be very interesting. vThose of Roma mingle the sweet womanliness of the Italian with the strength, and perhaps a little of the flerceness and austerity of expression and sentiment of the North. Rossi's letters might be called ‘magisterial’ but it is ‘no excessive praise to say that they are profoundly felt. “In rapid touches, sharp lines, short paragraphs, we find. all Rome in Mr. Cafne's work—the well-known streets, the delightful color effects, the dark nights, the brown outline of the buildings against the azure sky or in the twilight: the can- non of St. Angelo, the joyful chorus of the bells that animate and brighten the midday; Piazza Navona, strange and magnificent. with its papal relics: the roses on the Piazza di Spagna, the sweet music of the Benediction at Trinita de Monti: the shiver that passes over the desolate Campagna at sunset: the Via Appia shining in the sun; Tivoli and Pal- estrina shrouded in a purple haze in the distance; the vapors rising in the evening from the grass and herbs of the plain slumbering in silence; the cupolas and towers, crowned by the flame that in the evening surrounds the great city. All this Hall Caine, the foreign author, has known and - loved just as we who are Romans know and love it.” rect supervision of ¢ne oI 1nese tuw eu- cyclopedia is being prepared. This board comprises some of the leading scholars of the United States canversant with Jewish matters; and each one of them Is in charge of a specific department; thus (under the chairmanship of Dr. I K. Funk, editor in chief of the Standard Dic- tionary), Dr. Cyrus Adler supervises the work that pertains to post-Biblical an- tiquities and to the history of the Jews of America; Dr. Gotthard Deutsch controls the department of history from 1492 to 1901; Dr. Louls Ginzberg takes care of Lhe department of Rabbinical literature; Pro- fessor Richard Gottheil presides over the section of history that dates from Ezra to 1492 as well as over the history of the greater part of the Jewish literature in the middle ages; to Joseph Jacobs' care have been intrusted the revision of man- uscripts and the departments of the Jews of England and anthropology. The selection of Dr. Marcus Jastrow for the department of the Talmud is eminent- 1y fitting, since the years of labor and re- search that this remarkable scholar has devoted to the study of Talmudic lore have placed him in the forefront of the Talmudic seholars of his time. To Yroressor Morris Jastrow Jr. has Been assigned the department of the Bi- ble, a subject to which he has made valu- able contributions. Dr. Kaufmann Koh- ler. the eminent rabbl of Tempie Beth-El, is in charge of the departments of the- “ology and philoscphy. Professor Crawford H. Toy of Harvard University, whose studies on the religion of Israel and the relations of Judaism to Christianity are well known, superintends the departments of Hebrew philology and Hellenistic liter- ature. Dr. Singer, who, as has been said above, Is the originator of this enterprise, is managing editor and also has charge of the department of modern biography. Dr. F. de Sola Mendes conducts the work of Ongof the Greatest Undertakings of the New Qentury, ENQYQLOPEDIR.™ e \aamacng Dureay, created on account of the large number of manuseripts re- celved in foreign tongues, and jointly with the secretary of the board, Frank H. Vizetelly, controls the reviston of all proofs. A few hints may serve to show its en- cyclopedic character. On the one hand is the story of “Aaron’s Rod” told from a point of view hitherto not presented, and a description of the marvelous power of on the other. the explanation of and the uses of amulets. Any one Interested in the various forms of ablutions pre- scribed by rabbinical law can find them detailed and explained in an exhaustive article by the Rev. Bernard Drachman. If you wish to know who was the “Jew- ish Cervantes,” all you need do is to con- suit this volume under “Abramowitseh.” Elsewhere in the book are told the stories of “Staryation Farm” and its eccentric owner, Baron a'Aguilar; of “Aggei.”, the proud king of Jewish folklore; of “Aaron. Son of the Devil”; of medleval English annals, each quaint and interesting. Those interested In the academies of Babylon or those of Palestine will be rewarded by perusing the articles on these subject: Topics of more general interest abound this volume, and one turns reluctantly from the interesting theme of agriculture to the more tragic history of Alsace. trusting for new light on the sad events of 1794. In which hope he is not disap- pointed. One of the most interesting features of this work is the mass of blographical ma- terial that has been collected and is here presented for ths first time. This mate- rial, embracing as it does the storfes of the careers of prominent living and of famous deceased Jews, affords many sur- prises: but above all it shows what a thoroughly versatile people the Jews real- 1y are. Ministers of all schools of theology will find a unique feature of this encyclopedia in the manner of treatment accorded to Biblical subjects. These are treated from thres or sometimes four points of view, the first being always a purely Biblical presentation. This is followed by a dis- sertation on the topic from the standpoint of rabbinical literature. that vast collec- tion of commentaries, responsa and trea- tises which in this fleld has specially en- riched Jewish literature: and this in turn is followed by the views held by modern scholars of the critical school. By these means the trend of thought on Biblical subjects, from Talmudic times to the present day, has been preserved and '3 printed here for the first time. This tem also embraces all such toples as have special Interest for Juaalsm from the Mo- hammedan side. A noteworthy characteristic of this work is the fair and outspoken vet un- biased presentation of matters affecting the Jews. This may be observed especial- lv under Anti-Semitism and L’Anti-Juif. Evidently the effort has been to give facts and not opinions on such subjects. The typographical appearance of tha first volume is as near perfection as it is mechanically possible for it to be, and the paper used is of superfine auality. The colored plates are not only pictorially at- tractive, but sclentifically accurate, and redound credit on those concerned In their production. The “Animals of the Bibl a plate that was prevared under the di- rection of Professor Theodore N. Gill of the TUnited States National Museum, Smithsonian Tnstitution, Washington. D. C.—is a truly artistic representation of more than twenty animals of Bible lands. The illustrations accompanying the text may be sald to be well chosen. and their printing has evidently been done with great care. In anticipation of its publication this work was declared by a prominent Ameri can rabbi to be the greatest Jewish un- dertaking since the Talmud was pro- duced, and certainly t..e initial volume of the serles goes far toward proving the truth of this statement. It may be truly sald that if the stand- ard of excellence of the first volume i maintained throughout the entire series this encyclopedia will be considered a 13- erary monument which the Jewish scho!- arship of the whole world has created and of which it may be justly proud. Tt is ta be published in twelve volumes—cloth, §7; half morocco, $9; full morocco, $11 per vol ume. Tn addition to his regular work Mr. Matthewman' is a contributor to the Literary Era, the Smart Set, the Pitts- burg Dispatch and other journals and magazines. As a composer of songs and hymn tunes he is also well known. His setting of Rudyard Kipling's ‘“Reces- sional,”” which is shortly to be published, bhas been highly spoken of by musicians to whom it was submitted. His Inttmate friends. as well as some of his critics. refuse to believe that he is #= cynical as his “Crankisms™ would give the impression. one of the sald friends having informed him that he is “a delicious fraud.” The September number‘of the Smart Set opens with an amusing novelette by Caro- Tme Duer. entitled “A New Bonnet for Mary.” The adventures of the ingenuous and unconventional heroine, a soclety helress. who assumes to be a dressmak- er's assistant for sweet charity's sake and dramatically assists in the recovervy of a large quantity of stolen gems, are di- verting to a degree. Mrs. M. E. W. Sherwood writes enter- tainingly on the subject of divorce under the title of “Untying the Kno! Mrs. Flora Bigelow Dodge. a sister of Poultney Bigelow, Is the author of a brilliant and humorous society satire entitled ‘“Mrs. Mack's Example.” while Edgar Saltus writes another of his pyrotechnic essays entitied “The Pomps of Satan.”” One of the strongest stories in the number Is “The Price of Honor,"” by Lloyd Osbourne, and Prince Vladimir Vaniatsky contrib- utes a strange tale called “The Queen of the Far Country.” Other features of this jssue are: “Underbrush,” a mystery of the woods. by Julien Gordon (Mrs. Van Rensselaer Cruger): “His Prophylactic the wooing of a delightful by Guy Somerville: “The Trans- mogrification of Dan,” a San Francisco story. by H. J. W. Dam: “Brocton Mott, Realist.”” a $100 prize story. by Kate Jor- dan; “The Companion to Virtue,” by Ger- trude F. Lynch. and “The Picture Over the Mantel,” an idyllic love story of Paris, Yy Justus Miles Forman. The leading poems are: “The Wish That Came True,” by Guy Wetmore Carryl; “Twilight in the City,” by Clinton Scollard: “Mario- nettes.”” by Theodosia Garrison; “Com- pensation,” by Paul Laurence Dunbar; “The -Supreme Hour,” by Madison Ca- wein, and “Fulfillment,” by Duffield Os- borne. “Nbo, I will not be interviewed about my book, or, indeed, at all,” sald Bret Harte to a correspondent; “but I don't mind telling you why I object to being interviewed.” = And he stood up—a medium-sized, broad-shouldered figure of a man, with gray mustache and volumin- ous gray hair framing a healthy, red- brown complexion. “I will tell you why I do not care to be interviewed. I was interviewed once’” (and the usually reflective hazel eyes took on a more fiery look) “in America. and the result nearly ruined my health as well as my teputation. But here I feel safer and naturally T don’t mind a jar or two— butsno interview. If I did my writing drunk, or wrote standing on my head, that would no doubt interest an interviewer. But T have mo peculiarity of the kind,” he sald, in English, which had no trace _— of an American accent. “T write bacause I like It; that's about all T can say. “You see, my father was a professor of Greek. so that my atmosphere was more or less literary right from the be- ginning. T had from my earliest boyhood a love of reading. which. as T grew e.der, led to a love of study of varfous subjects This presently developed into a fondness for writing. And T wrote. as evervbody with literary instincts writes, because ha is Impelled to do so. My first success was with ‘The Luck of Roaring Camp.’ Never was such a sensation. “T couldn’t get it published In America, not even In California; it was thought to be too realistic by the intellectual Purt- tans. So (as I was never worrled, as so many poor authors are. by want of means) T published ‘'t on my own aceount. The success was unprecedented. T had forced my way against all prejudice.” and a look of prides illuminated Bret Harte's sensitive features. “And now that T am getting old T feel that T am doing my best work. T have more skill and confidence than when I was in callow vouth: I have now a command over my instrument which T had not then. To say that a man's best work Is done in vouth is the greatest mistake; does it not seem obvious that the more you practice a trade ths more you must know about it?"—London Mainly About People. Books Received. FROLICS OF THE A B. C—By Fannie O. Ostrander and R. W. Hirchert. Laird & Lee, Chicago. T5 cents. SISTER TERESA—By George Moore. J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia. $1 59, SHE STANDS ALONE—By Mark Ashton. L. C. Page & Co., Boston. $150. MANASSEH—By Maurus Jokal. L. C. Page & Co.. Boston. $1 50, SUNNY SOUTHERNER—By Julia Magruder. L. C. Page & Co., Boston. $1 25. THE CORSAIR KING—By Maurus Jokal. Bs C. Page & Co.. Boston. $L ANTONIA—By Jessie Van Zile Belden. Wb C. Page & Co., Boston. $150. THE COST OF HER PRIDE—By Mrs. Alese ander. J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadel- phia. In paper, 50 cents. “£19,000"—By Burford Delannoy. no & Co., New York. $125. WHEN A WITCH IS YOUNG—By 4-19-6. R. F. Fenno & Co., New York. $150. THE CRYSTAL SCEPTER—By Philip Verril Mighels. R. F. Fenno & Co., New York. §150. The Books Reviewed ON THIS PAGE Can Be Obtained at ROBERTSON'S, | | 126 POST STREET, ‘ R. F. Fen- SAN FRANCISCO. Prices are always in the Reading Notices. i 0 yi