The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 26, 1902, Page 12

12 THE SUNDAY OCALL. - — HOSE who made the acquaintance of Maxim Gorky through the Eng- h translation which was made last year of his novel, “Forma G will expect to find the collect short stori Orloft His of se st powerful ories reveal t in- All f fecling which has inspired the the best Slavonic writers. In Gorky describes the primeval in the Russian o th such t - are unchecked by th e of culture. For nearly ok are of the of whom his ow experien S life in Rusi The hyperse this book er ures of life s re drawn with that fid ch seeks ac- curacy of ne care for ator save the thing portrayed The man is fe spend all the day at “able room They love onotony of their existence at times leads them, instinctive craving for exc beast ht Orloff in particular is conscious of v together like wild but powerful yearnings for omething different from all that he has hitherto known. As far as externals go, his life has been but little removed from t an animal. He cannot find happine; or even contentment, in a life which, if sordid, is tranquil. Young and strong, he feels surge within him an energy which must have something upon which to ex- pend itself. Untrained in directing thi energy except in the insignificant require- ments of his trade, it escapes all his fee- ble efforts at control and finds an outlet in the tion of pk the person nearest at This mental or spiritual unrest is chief cause of the tragedies enacted in most of these stories. The rebellion of the soul against the narrow limits of its material environments finds its most ter- rible significance when it is felt by those whose hard fate it is to have no knowi- edge of the suggestion is offered by philos- ophers toward a solution of the problem of being. Into the life of Orloff, with its sordid- mess and lack of opportunity, comes a chamge. He and his wife are offered the position of attendants at a hospital. In the doctors and nurses of this institution Orloff and his wife, Matrena, for the first time meet with people who consider work a means of ennobling life rather than a cause of its degradation. Orloff and Ma- trena catch the enthusiasm of their new acquaintances and do their best to win approbation by a strict attention to duty. Gradually the two develop into something better than they have ever been. Thelr self-respect increases, and as a conse- guence thelr respect for each other is in- creased, while their love is lifted to a hand—his higher plane. Soon Orloff finds himself talking over with his w the ambitions esires which until now have not above the level of his consciousness. ote from the story itself With passing day, the world of his feel- der and wider, and along with this, or speech waxed greater. He narrate as a whole what within him, for the greater ms and thought were beyond grasp. * * ° A sense of loneliness laid its grasp then it seemed to him that Fate w ¥i him, had blown him t of his e and was now carrying hi rough the air like a feather. He began to feel sorry himself, and went to his wife Sometimes he did not wish to do this, consid- ering that frankness toward her would lower him in her eyes, but he went nevertheless. He mrrived gloomy. and mow in a viclous, again in & skeptical mood; he went away, almost al- every ings grew w his necessity could n: f ways, petted and composed. His wife had words of her own; they Were not many, they ‘were ple, but there was always a great deal ©of feeling In d¢hem, and he observed with as- tonishment, that Matrena was coming to occu- Py & larger and larger place in his life, that he had to think of her and talk with her “'a cording to the soul,” more and more frequently. She in her turn understood this very well, indeed, and endeavored in every way, to broad- en her growing significance in his life. Upon this time, with its promise of bet- ter t ings, breaks a renewal of Orloff’s He has felt fired to perform some I deed, which will testify to tk development in his characte: growing but now he feels steal upon him the b of a dissatisfaction @umbing influe: 1ce wiln any condition to which he may at- tain. In an outburst of fury toward him- self and all things, he cries: “I'm sick of #t! I'm so cramped here on earth! Is this life? Come, let's take the cholers patients—what are they? Are they a support to me? Some will die and others will get well * = * and I must go on living again. How am I to live? It's not life—only convulsions * * ° isn't that enough to make & man angry? I understand everything, you see, only it's @ifficult for me to say that Ican't hveso * * * but how I want to lve * * * I don’t kmow! They h those sick people yonder, and give them ev attention * * * my soul aches they? but I'm healthy, and it am I any the less valuable than ink of it—I'm worse off than a * * * I have gonvu that's what the trouble f N\ Just art By Howard V. Sutherland— igds’s Bar * * * And you shriek at me! ¢ ¢ Do you-think that I'm a wild beast? A drunk- and—that's the end of it? Eh, you * you woman! You wooden" =% flood of daring, of passionate long- ing to overturn everything, to tear the con- fus out of his hunted soul, overwhelmed Grishka (Orloff), in a burning tide. It seemed to him he would now do something unusual. the same time, deliver his dark soul from the entanglements which now held it in bond A fit of anger so Intense as to amount to temporary madness seizes upon Or- lofft. During it he abuses the officers of the hospital, who d him from the place. He leaves Matrena and goes ofl lone. Some years a! to pse before Orloff and Matrena aga ppear upon the scene. When the) Matrena is holding a position of trus loved and respected by her. Orloff has become a d a tramp. After a'l. aspirations toward a life of wider oppor- tunities of development, whick Orloff sup- posed Limself to feel, were but the false appea nce of what was In reality the soul that hated every- as little content with the < existitlg in the world as it wa own inherent evil. Of his state f mind Orloff says you xtm Cavvatievitch, it raised hed me down. So I mever deed. Even to this day, h myself in some way up the whole earth a ganz of comrac ,* * * down to last one! Or, in general, something ich would set me above all men, so that [ em from a height. * ¢ ¢ . you reptiles! Why do ou liv You're a pack of hynocritical rascais, t's what you are!’ And then, I'd kick up my heels from above or there below, and * * * they’'d smash o bits! Ye-s, so I would! Devil take it * * ¢ it's tiresome! And ah, how tire- some and narrow life to me! * o = ought, when I got rid of Matreshka: ‘Come now, Grinya, sail away into freedom, the an chor's weighe On the contrary, it didn’t come out that way—the channel was shallow! But 1 and med up, erf very is Stop! And I ran hground. * * * shan't dry up, never fear! I shall display my- self! How?—the devil only knows that! * ¢ * My wife? Well, I consicn her tg all the devils! Does a man like me want ¥ wife? * * * What should I do with he “ * e when 1 feel drawn in all fou quarters at . .. * * * I was born with uneasiness il my heart * ¢ * and it is my fate to be a tramp! The very best position in the world is free—and yet cramped! I've walked and ridden in all directions * * * and found no comsolation. * * * Do I drink? Of course, and what of that? Vodka extinguishes the heart, all the same. * * * And my _h t burns with a great fire * + + %vervthing is repulsive — towns villages, people of different calibers. * * Faugh! Can’t anything better be invented? They're all down on one another * * * T'd like to choke the whole lot of them! En, life, you're the devil's great wisdom!" * ‘“‘sonovaloff” is a pathetic story of a journeyman baker. This man is a hand- some, noble fellow, an adept at his trade. His character has one grave defect, which in the end proves fatal to him. He is subject to terrible fits of despond- ency against which he is powerless to struggle. During them he loses all care for his work and enters upon a season of dissipation, which is ended only when he has spent everything of which he is possessed. Then Konovaloff, for such is bis name, goek to work again. He re- mains sober and industrious until he feets himself once again in the grip of melan- cholia. Kanovanoff does not know how to read, yet he has a passion for books. He pays a fellow-workman to read to him certain stories which he has grown to love. The tales of the noble deeds of heroes fire his souyl, while the injustice with which some of them meet arouses in him rebellion against the harsh decrees of fate. Always a sensitive, thoughtful fellow, what Konovaloff learns from books serves to make him brood the more upon the inequalities of soclal con- ditions and the mystery of existence. 1n a moment of despondency Konovalot commits suicide. For some time before this he has led the life of a tramp. It is during his life as a wanderer that there takes place the scene in which Konova- loff himself g 2 hint of the reasor for the failure of such lives as his: “ Well it again,’ live in town. %0 far as you are concerned, I say continued Konovaloff. ‘Don’t you Wkat is there there? Noth ing but i1l health and disorder. Books Well, 1 think you must have read books enough by this time! You certainly weren't born for that * * * Yes, and books are trash! Well, buy one, and put it in your wal- let, and start out. Do you want to go to Tashkend with me? Or to Samarkand, wherez * * * Ana then ‘we'll try at the Amur—is it a bargain? have made up my mind to or have a 1, my boy, walk over the earth In various directions—that's the very best thing todo. * * * You walk along, and you're always seeing something new. * And you dom’t >l think of anything. The breeze blows in your face, and it seems to drive all sorts of dust out of your soul. You fecl light-hearted and free. * * = Nobody interferes with you; If you feel hungry, you come to a halt, and earn half a ruble by some sort of work; If there isn't any work, you ack for bread, and you'll get it. In that y you'll see a great deal of the world, at rate. * * ¢ All gorts of beauty. * * * ‘Ohol—the little Russian shook his head—'if we could only manage to get a fur coat, or a warm hut for the winter, we'd live like lor ¢ ¢ * He screwed up one eye and looked at Konovaloff with a laugh. ‘ ‘We-ell,’ said the latter, abashed, ‘winter s * * * g thrice-accursed time. Towns are really needed for the winter * * @ you can't get along without them, ¢ ¢ Of course, when you come to think of it, there's no room for a man either In the town, or in the steppe, or anywhere else. But it's better not to think of such things * o e you can’t think out anything, and you only Larrow your soul’ ¢ e e “Up to this point I had thought that Kono- valoff had been changed by his vagrant life, that the excrescences of “sadness which were on his heart during th® first period of our ac- quaintance had fallen away from him, like a husk, from the actions of the free alr which he had breathed during those years; but the tone of his last phrase rehabllitated before me my friend as still the same man, seeking a point of support for himself, whom I had known before. The rame ignorance in the face of life, and venom of thoughts about ft, were still corroding that powerful form, which had been born, to its misfortune, with a sensi- tive heart. There are many such ‘meditative’ people in Russian life, and they are all more unhappy than any one else, because the heavi- ness of their meditations is augmented by the blindnees of their minds. “Men With Pasts” is the history of a group of men whom the world has used ill, and who have used the world ll. An ex-soldier of unenviable repufation rents a miserable dwelling, which hé makes into a tavern for vagabonds. Th¢ story de- scribes the peope who coliect there until there comes a time when the proprietor is carried off to prison. Some of the dwell- ers in the hovel are clever men, but all have turned whatever promise was in them into a cunning which is exercised merely in supplying the means of prolong- ing a warthless existence. They spend much of their time in exchanging views upon subjects which interest them. These conversations are written with a skill which makes them revelations of the motives actuating the conduct of crea- tures who possess natures such as theirs. UTHERVAND OWARD V. SUTHERLAN poem, ‘“Jacinta,” met with such success on its publication last year, has written a book of verses illustrating certain experiences of D, whose himself and others in the Xlon- dike. In point of form apd lan- guage these verses display a free- dom from conventional rules which but accentuates.the humor of the incldents related. For these songs sing of the brighter side of life in the far north, or, if they happen to touch upon a darker side, it is done in a_way to make even that seem amusing. It is a matter of re- gret that Mr. Sutherland has deemed such a small volume sufficiently large to con- tain his impressions of the Klondike. The following poems will serve as an example of those which comprise the rest of the colec OUR STOVE When we bought our stove in Dawson We were jubilant, and thought That we owned the finest baker Two men had ever bought. Said my ner, “'Sh beauty.” a hummer, Jack,” said I, "Il burn all sorts of lumber, Whether wet w amp or dry."” Thirty dollars, she cost us lis enough to make one weep!) Yet we pitied the pcor devil Who would sell a stove so cheap. oAnd we packed it in our cabin On a scorcht mmer's day; Sixty pounds it weighed, plus stovepipe— Yet we sniggered all the way. So that evening we lit her, And we watched our beauty burn Till the heat within the cabin Gave my partner there a turn— Made him deathly sick at stomach— Ard I scorched my only shirt While T watched our beans and bacon Lest our victuals should be hurt. s You bet she was a hummer! But she hummed too much for us On those blazing days in summer, And we'd stand outside and cuss. And we'd take our grub and eat it On our porch, where likewise came But the stove, sir, made us game. ““When the winter comes, old chapple, Our stove,”” said Jack, e'll bless. Think of fifty below zero And 1 sadly murmured, ‘M’ Yes." So we cookell ‘our meals, and sweated While we ate them, for we knew In a month or so the weather Would be cold enough for two. When the winter came our hummer Looked a bit the worse for wear; Her top was sagging inward Which we couldn’t well repair. The damper, too, cranky, And the oven seemed to hold Some secret understanding With our enemy, the cold. ‘We could fill that stove with dry wood, We could cram it up with green, But the shavings wouldn't catch, sir; Such a stove we'd never seen. And our bacon wouldn't siz: And our coffee almost froze And we shivered up our backbones And we shivered in our toes. Our cabin was an ice chest, And we nearly froze to death While we blew upon the fire With a semi-frozen breath, And we crawled within our blankets, Sick at heart and fain to curse. Talk of suffering! No torture Man devised was ever worse. Now 'tis springtime; and we've purchased Another and we' trust It will act a little better, For, to tell the truth, we're bust. And 1t this won't cook our victuals— Beans and bacon, little more— We shall auction off our matches And eat our menu raw. Those who belong to the wide circle of Omar-FitzGerald worshipers may be in- terested in hearing’ how the quatrairs strike the pioneer of the Yukon: *“This Omar seems a decent chap,” said Flap- jack Dick one night, When he had read my copy through and then blown out the light. I ain’t much stuck on poetry, because I runs But I appreciates the man that loves his glass of booze. “‘And Omar here likes good red wine, although he's pretty mum On liquors, which is better yet, like whisky, gin or rum; Perhaps his missus won't allow him things like that to touch, And he doesn’t like to own it. blame Omar much, Well, I don’t “Then I likes 2 man what’s partial to the la- dies, young or old, And Omar seems to seek 'em much as me and you seek gold: I only hope for his sake that his wife don’t learn his game, Or she'll put a chain on Omar, and that would be a shame. “His language is some florid, but I guess it is the style Of them writer chaps that studies and burns the midnight ile; He tells us he's no chicken; o I guess he knows what's best, And can hold his own with Shakespeare, Wau- keen Miller, and the rest. “But T hope he ain't a thinkin’ of a trip to this yer camp, For our dancin’ girls is.anclent, quor’s somewhat damp By doctorin’ With water, and we ain't got wine at all, Though 1 had a drop of porter—but that was back last fall. and our li- “And he mightn't like our manners, mightn’t like the smell, Which is half the charm of Dawson; and he mightn't live to tell Of the acres of wild roses that grows on every street; And he mightn’t like the winter, or he mightn't like the heat. and he “So T guess it's best for Omar for to stay right where he is, And gallivant with Tottle, or with Flossie, or with Liz; And fill himself with claret, and, although It ain't like beer, I with he'd send a bottle—just one bottle—to us here.” (Published by Drexel Biddle, Philadelphla ana Gay mosquitoes singing anthems; to news, San Francisco, Price 75 cents.) L R B S S R B frobrimimivedricinieirininpriepieieeiei e @ The leading character in “The Insolent sénts the latest discoverles among the plan- situated about 10,000 miles from the outer edge Man” is a printer who has a quarrel with cts of the solar system, and shows their bear- ayg about 1600 miles in width. Inside of this one of his editors. The editor writes pas- slonate denunciations of the wrongs in- flicted upon the workingman.. In his deal- ings with his own men, however, he fails to put his ideas into practice. When he is called to account for it by the printer, the latter is rebuked for his insolence, and made to see that however much some per- sons may prate of social equality, for them the difference between classes must always remain the same. “Varenka Olesoff” is an unpleasant story of a university instructor who mis- understands the kindness shown him by a young girl, a friend of his sister. He thinks this girl looks upon him as a de- sirable party, whom it would be good pol- icy to marry, while in reality she I8 moved by disinterested admiration for his cleverness. There are three other storles which though short, present each a graphic de- scription of some phase of character. The last story is the only one which leaves the reader with an unmixed feeling of pleas- ure. All present wonderfully clever sketches of life, but they help to destroy the illusions which some entertain in re- gard to human nature, for they picture it as something very weak and pitiful. (Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Price $1.) ——— Other Worlds. . The latest popular work on astronomy ‘which Professor Garrett P. Serviss has written is “Other Worlds.” It contalns nine short chapters, in which are described the chief physical peculiarities of the different planets of our solar system. The work is In no sense a text book on astronomy. Written for an audience of persons who have not necessarily a tech- nical knowledge of that sclence, it ex- plains in simple language the leading ‘wonders of those worlds which lie near- est our own. The purpose of the book may be best explained in Mr. Serviss’ own words; The point of view of this book {s human in- terest in the other worlds sround us, It pre- ing upon the question of life in those planets. It points out the resemblances and the differ- ences between the earth and other worlds that share with it in the light of the sun. 1t shows what we should see and experience if we could Visit those worlds. While basing itself upon facts, it does not ex- clude the discussion of interesting probabilities and theories that have commanded wide pop- ular attention, It points out, for instancs, what 18 to be thought of the idea of Inter-planetary communication. It indlcates what must be the outlook of the possible inhabitants of some of the other planets toward the earth. As far as may be, it traces the origin and development of the other worlds of our system and presents a grand picture of their present condition as in- dividuals, and of their wonderful contrasts as members of a common family. The following selections from the chap- ter on Saturn will give an example of the contents of the work: “‘One of the first things that persons unac- customed to astronomical observations ask to see when they have an opportunity to look through & telescope is the planet Saturn. Many telescopic views in the heavens disappoint the beginner, but that of Saturn does not. Even though tho planet may not look as large as he expected to see it from what he has been told of the magnifylng power employed, the untrain- ed observer is sure to be greatly impressed by the wonderful rings, suspended around it as if by & miracle. No previous inspection of ple- tures of these rings can rob them of their effect upon the eye and the mind. They are over- Wwhelming in their inimitable singularity, and ,they leave every spectator truly amazed. ® * * If the reader will take & ball three inches in diameter to represent the globe of Baturn and out of the center of a circular plece of writing paper seven inches in dlameter will cut a round hole thres and three-quarter inches across, and will then place the ball in the middle of the hole in the paper, he will have a very falr representation of the relative proportions of Saturn and its rings. To repre- sent the main gap or division in the rings he might draw, a little more than thres-eighths of an inch from the outer edge of the paper disk, a pencil line about & sixteenth of an inch broad. ¢ * the rings have been detected from time to time, but there is only one such gap which is always clearly ta be seen, the one already mentloned, Several narrow gaps in- #ap the broadest and brightest ring appears, having a width of about 16,500 miles. For some reason this great ring is most brilliant near the gap, and its brightness gradually falls & toward its inner side. At a distance of something less than 20,000 mil s from the planet —or perhaps it would be mare correct to say above the planet, for the rings hang directly over Saturn's equator—the broad, bright ring merges into a mysterious gauzelike object, also in the form of a ring, which extends to within 9000 or 10,000 miles of the planet's surface, and therefore itself has a width of say 10,000 miles. * * * The bpacity of the rings is proved by the shadow which they cast upon the tall of the planet. b b - 4 The gauze ring. the detgction of which as a faintly lumin- ous phenomehon requires a powerful telescope, can be seen with slighter telescopic power In the form of a light shade projected against the planet at the inner edge of the broad bright ring, The explanation of the existence of this Ppecullar object depends upon the nature of the entire system, which instead of being, as the earllest observers thought It, a solld ring or serles of concentric rings, s composed of in- numerable small bodies, like meteorites. per- haps, in size, circulating independently but in comparatively close juxtaposition to one an- other about Saturn, and presenting to our eyes, Decause of their number and our enormous dis. tance, the appearange of solld, uniform rings. So a flock of ducks may look from afar like & continuous black lne or band, although it wa were near them we should perceive that a con. slderable space separates each individual from his nelghbor. * * * It might be saiq, then, that Saturn, instead of having nine satel- lites only, has untold milllons of them, travel- ing in orbits so closely contiguous that they form the appearance of a vast ring. As to thelr thelr component particles may to answer more closely to the definition In these rings of dust, or meteorites, ances are produced by the attraction of planet and that of the outer satellites, and it yot & guestion whether they are a stable of dust, permanent feature of Saturn, or will, in the course of time, be destroyed.” (Published by D. Appleton & Co., New York. Price, §120.) Thyra. » A region adjacent to the north pole 1s the scene of a romance called “Thyra,” b# Robert Ames Bennet. Several men belonging to a party of explorers which has started out to find the pole sail in a balloon to a land inhabited by the de- scendants of a Norseman who had made Fis way there hundreds of years before. These Runemen, as they call themselves, still exhibit the characteristics of their Norse ancestors. Then, too, they believe in the reality of the existence of Odin and the other divinities of the old m thology. Yet, in many respects, they live in a state of civilization somewhat ad- varced. The Runemen have as neighbors a flerce tribe of people descended from an old race origirally inhabiting the pole. p 4 These latter people are barbarians. ey worship a hideous idol to whom they of- fer sacrifices of human life. Between these creatures and the Runemen there is carried on a war, which ends In the victory of the Ruremen, and the absorp- tion of the ruder race by them. The trav- eiers arrive in time to take an active part in the war. They have all sorts of adventures with strange an stranger human beings before they down to a life of happiness with maldens of the north with whom they have fallen in love. (Published by Henry Holt & Co., New Yerk. Price §1350.) The Outlaws of Horseshoe Hole. “The Outlaws of Horseshoe Hole,” by Francis Hill, is a story of Montana in the early days, when the respectable settlers had to protect themselves by lynch law from the depredations of desperadoes. The young hero of the story, Allan Sayers, is a lad whose father owns a cattle ranch. ‘While guarding a part of his father's property, Allan is captured by a band of outlaws, who steal many of Mr. Sayers’ horses. Allan finally makes his escape and returns home with his tale of woe. A party of men from the ranch set out with Allan to recapture the horses. Both horses and outlaws are found, but the latter make thelr escape, after capturing Allan once again. . This time Allan is com- pelled to spend several months in the com- pany of these men, but at last he gains his freedom through the kindness of a daughter of the chief bandit. The end of the story contains the account of the final punishment of the outlaws. Although the book deals with the wild life of early days in the West, it is not sensa- tional. It gives a good idea of the diffi- culties which men of respectability had in maintaining law and order in communities where there was a strong lawless element. (Published by Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Price $1) The Lifting of a Finger. “The Lifting of a Finger,” by Ina Bre- voort Roberts, is a story of the result of the influence exerted by a good woman. The heroine, Margaret Winthrop, is & beautiful, noble girl, who belongs to a poor but aristocratic New York family. She 1s engaged to be married to a man who jilts her in a particularly heartless manner. Soon afterward she Is wooed by a young man of fortune, Francis Bel- lamy. Margaret accepts Bellamy in or- der to save her father from impending financial ruin. Bellamy does not pretend to love Margaret, but expects to find in her a suitable head to his household. He is a dissipated fellow, who has run un- hindered a wild career. When he mar- ries he stipulates that his wife is to leave him alone to follow his own inclinations. So Bellamy goes his way and his wife hers. Gradually the loveliness of Mar- garet's character exerts over Bellamy, in spite of himself, a_potent influence. He falls in love with Margaret and tries to lead a life which will meet with her ap- proval. He succeeds in winning not only his wife’'s esteem, but her love,as well. The story is short, but decidedly inter- esting. (Published by The J. B. Lippin- cott Company, Philadelphia.) The Art of Teaching. “The Art of Teaching,” by Emerson E. White, is a comprehensive Inquiry into the general principles which underlle the best methods of teaching. While not be- ing a special plea for the adoption of any particular method of instruction, it will prove a helpful guide to young teachers who have not learned from experience how to develop most successfully the tal- ents of the young, with the least waste of effort on the part of teacher and pupil. (Published by the American Book Com- pany ;\ew York. Price $L) Paper and Cardboard Work. The Whitaker & Ray Company (San Francisco) issues a school manual by Ar- thur H. Chamberlain entitled “Paper and Cardboard Construction.” It is designed for the use of young children either at sckool or at home. The materials sug- gested are cheap and easily obtained. The models are attractive and just the kind which a child enjoys copying, since they lead to the construction of articles which are pleasing in a child’s sight and yet which are within his ability to pro- duce. (Price 75 cents.) Camera Craft. The “Camera Craft” for January is the strongest number that has as yet ap- peared. The great feature is the repro- duction of many of the best exhibits of the recent San Francisco Photographic Salon—over fifty pictures are given and fifteen of them have been printed in col- ors. This color work is some of the finest that we have seen done on this coast and makes this particular number one that will appeal to the layman as well as to the photographer. The work of each exhibitor is touched upon in an alphabetically arranged article that de- scribes and kindly criticizes the different pictures hung in the exhibition. ————— Literarv Notes. The Dodge Publishing Company, recent- ly located at 40 West Thirteenth street, New York, announces for immediate pub- lication a collection of the world's best love poems in a choice edition limited to 975 copies. This collection will be en- titled “Favorite Songs of Love” and will be bound in cloth, ooze leather ands full English calf. “The Flash of an Emerald,” by Ethel ‘Watts Mumford, the novelette with which the February number of The Smart Set opens, is a notdble contribution to ltera- ture. It contains, in exquisite balance, realism, adventure and romance. The characters, most modern of the modern, are distinctive and drawn with charming _art. The love interest that permeates the plot Is at once rovel apd absorbing; while the scenes, varying m France to America, form an admirably worked out background to actior the most dramatic. A clear presentation of the isthmian canal question will appear in the Febru- Scribner’s/ from the pen of W. H. Burr, the eminent engineer and professor at Columbia College, who is a member of the United States Commission. The , &uthor presents tha advantages and dis- — advantages of both the Nicaragua and Panama routes and sums it all up in the sentence: “In view of the unr y high price put pon their ri property b; rama Canal Com- pany fhe ) 1ken as the most ‘pra the construction of a United States Gov Current & a graphic the career an¢ Vic ory for January opens with discriminating le on haracter of the great Chi- i Hung ¢ Richard Gleason Greene rait of Eerl LI serves as frontisplece. he usua careful review of the cour: d stat of the wor nted in a number that to be done the year to and the event$ presented wit Some of the s Situation in tration Camp: mises well for the work valuable compend tional proble! s are British Concen- ments in Europe,” sponsible?” “The Reciprocity,” “Exclu- -5 The February, Century is to contain two articles with illustratio the scheme for beautifying the city of Wash- ington, and another important feat the same issue i Vis Mou nop a Century Ago,” containing sations with General Washing corded in the diary of a Polis tached in this country to the Kosciusko. In one of their talks the ter of new buildings for the Government departments in the “Federal City” was brought up—the expense of the buildings was estimated at $96,000, and It was sug- gested that it would be difficult to sget quough ho to lodge all the memb “Very well,” the general said, jokingly; “they have only to camp out; the repre- sentatives will be placed in the first row, the Senate in the second, the President with his suite in the middle.” The present topographical arrangement of the city of Washington was designed under President Washington's supervision and the new plans contemplate an en- riching of this arrangement, the chief improvement being a superb avenue from the Capitol to the Washington monu- ment, the latter forming an axis from which other avenues and vistas will open. In the February number of the Delin- eator Ira D. Sankey continues the story of his tour, and his description the Holy Land is even more 1 sting his story of the journey through E 2 Professor Anthony Barker contributes the first series on athletics for women, the arficle dealing with physical culture at home. Dr. Grace Peckham Murray intro- duces a series of articles on child train- ing by describing the disposition and tendencies of every-day children. In the series of notable women Dr. 8. R. Elliott gives some interesting glimpses of Char- lotte Cushman. A finely illustrated arti- cle on “The Treasures of Jewish Cere- monial” is contributed by Waldon Faw- cett. The story by Helen Choate Prince, “Reflected Lights,” has all the delicate charm of that author’s work, and “The End of a Resolve,” by Margaret Whillans Beardsley, is full of dramatic interest. “A Disappearing Race” is a profusely illus- trated article treating of Poor Lo's squaw and the papoose. In the household de- partment Alice M. Kellogg deals In a practical way with floor coverings; Mar- garet Hall gives the first of her lessons in cookery; and Anna W. Morrison illus- trates a table attractively set for a Wash- ington lunch. The children’s pages main- tain their high standard. The other de- partmgnts of the magazine have thelr usual Interest. Writing to the Dial from Albany, Mo., J. Breckenridge Ellis tells of the method he adopted to ascertain the books pre- ferred by and for children. He took the vote of about 2000 young people, between the ages of 9 and 15, belonging to a so- clety organized for the encouragement of good reading, the members of which live in thirty-nine States and Canada. Each child was requested to send in & list of his or her ten favorite books, in the or- der of preference, and a list of the three authors found personally most enjoyable. About 80 per cent responded, and the thirty-five books oftenest named were headed by Louisa M. Alcott’s “Little Wo- men,” followed by ‘‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” “Robinson Crusce,” “Old-Fashioned Girl, “Black Beauty,” “Little Men, the Lilacs,” Longfellow’'s poems, Dick- en’s “Child’s History of England,” Halifax,” “Pligrim’s Progress,” *“Jo's Boys,” “Little Lord Fauntleroy,” “Da- vid Copperfleld’ and “Eight Cousins.” Not since the period immediately follow- ing Louisa M. Alcott's death has thers been so great a demand for the Alcott books as during the present season. The fact that a new illustrated edition of “Lit- tle Men,” with fifteen full page pictures by Reginald B. Birch, was {ssued and ex- tensively advertised undoubtedly stimu- lated the sale of the Alcott books, al- though the demand is always large dur- ing the holidays. It is interesting in this connection to note that one of the last checks for royalties pald Miss Alcott by Roberts Bros. (whose business was some time ago acquired by Littls, Brown & Co.) was $12,000. This covered a period of one year. . —_— Books Received. THE HERALD'S HISTORY OF LOS AN- GELES—By Charles Dwight Willard, Kings- ley-Barnes & Neuner Co., publishers, Los An- geles, Cal. ADVENTURES IN THIBET—By Willlam Carey. United Soclety of Christian Endeavor, Boston and Chicago. $1 50. . BRIGHT DAYS IN MERRIE ENGLAND— By A. Vandoren Honeyman. Honeyman & Co., Plainfleld, New Jersey. $1 50. FLOATING TREASURE—By Harry Castle- mon. Henry T. Coates & Co., Philadelphia. AS GOD MADE HER—By Sarah Murray Thrasher. Cooper & Co., San Francisco. In paper, 50 cents. NOW ISSUED. Charles Warren Stoddard’s “In the Footprints of the Padres.” Mr. Stoddard sets forth in this work his recollections of early days in California. Beautifully illustrated. Book collectors should place orders at once in or- tdjer to secure copies of first edi- on. PRICE $1.50 NET. A. M. ROBERTSON Pubiisher. 126 Post Street.