The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 4, 1902, Page 12

- 2 Condlgted by B. G. Lathrop. | ] | e T e e ow “onan Doyle has brought St Holmes n ! ry, just Hour of the Baskervilles s only one more thing for him to dc a riety to the life of that ective and that story and this ion. If Mr. Hern- e could arrange a trial shou eir two heroes wi and rint would at both of the » hardship gen ely ne their to the many Te delight the adventures of orded in the past stories “The Sign of Sherlock Memoirs of Sherlock of the Baskervilles” is the longest one of the Sherlock Holmes series that ¥ s yet appeared. It is complete in itself; so those readers who have not made the acquaintance of the redoubta- ble Holmes need not hesitate to read this tale under the mistaken impression that it hinges for its proper understanding upon eny of the stories that have gone before it It finds its motif in an old west country legend concerning the house of the Bas- kervilles and tells of the battle of super- stition avith the power and understanding of up-to-date sclence. Of course, science in the person of Bherlock Holmes wins out in the end, but it is a hard tussle and one that puts even the great detective on his mettle, The curse of the Baskervilles lies in the @deed of old Hugo Baskerville over a cen- tury before the time of the present story It seems that he was one of the worst of the very worst and his wickedncss, as 4s recited in an anclent manuscript of the time, brought about the persecution of the hell-hound that is supposed to blast the fortunes of every succeeding male Baskerville who attempts to live on the old estate. Part of this manuscript reads in this wise: “It chanced that this Hugo came to love (if, indeed, sc dark a passion may be known under o bright a name) the daughter of a yeoman who held lands near the Baskerville estate. But the young maiden, being discreet and of good repute, would ever avoid him, for she feared his evil name. So it came to pass that one Michaelmas this Hugo, with five or six of his idle and wicked companions, stole down upon the farm and carried off the maiden, her father and brothers be- ing from home, as he well knew. When they had brought her to the Hall the jden was placed in an upper chamber, Hugo and his friends sat down to 2 long carouse, as was their nightly cus- o The girl managed to make her escape by climbing down the vy on the side of the house. This fact was soon discovered by the drink-maddened Hugo, and in erazy mood he swore tnat he would that ni his. soul to the powers of d but overtake the girl. One of the men more drunken than the rest ried out to put the hounds upon her, and forthwith out went the drunken band in hot haste on their hellish hunt. The re t of it that Hugo distanced rers. nad gone a mile or two when they of the night shepherds wupon the nds. and they cried to him to know if he had seen the bunt. And the man, as the story goes, was so crazed with fear that he could scarce speak, but at last he the unhapy sald that he bad indeed seen den, with the hounds upon her track. “But 1 have seen more than that, said he, ‘for Hugo Basker- i me upon his black mare, and e behind him such a hound = God forbid should ever be at 1 ~ majority of the revelers turned almost frightened out of their wits, back but three of the boldest and most drunken of the party rode o The moon was shining bright upon ciearing, and there in the center lay the u; Pl maid, where she had fallen dead of fear and of fatigue. But it was not the the sight of her body, nor yet was it that of the body of Hugo Baskerville lying near her. which raised the hair upon the heads ¢ jevil roysterers, but of these t f tw plue thing houn H and . 1 a foul shaped like a that over the ck beast, n an eye* has rest looked the of Hugo upon. And ng tore the Hon which even throat ou t turned its blazing eyes : three life them, the dear shrie still s » warning to “for- in those evil are crossing when moor the powers of innins walled in sulting detec story Sherlock capacity of con- thom the' mystery harles Baskerville. lost for- cessful specula- ned to his name of 1 He is found Sir Charle: presented to to the end of the Yew ed the moor w id so dearl bad seem as ¥ t e no ma t have he out running house tiv iy s ret make men butler evidence to him a Jorror, was horne v the evi- 1 his the and 1d finally falling dead the end of the alley. = fl‘( -, ————— B S hast) way cht at that seemed to bear out his death had come curse of the Basker- fact that near his body were to be plainly seen the footprints of a gigantic houn Of course, this evi- dence of such a material nature, while at old legend, dealt rather a blow to the possibility of a super- natural agency entering in as a factor in the investigation of the case. Mr. Doyle puts the superstition to good account, and at times the reader is not sure whether after all the affair will not turn out to be a “true” ghost story; it is only thefaith that we have in the cold, keen and practical mind of Holmes that keeps us confident that in the end the weird happenings at Baskerville Hall will be explained. After the death of Sir Charles the estate goes to his next of kin, a nephew who is living in America and who comes to Bas- kerville Hall to take charge as Sir Henry Baskerville. He receives a warning in mysterious manner that living at Baske ville Hall will prove his doom, but he is a man of courage and decides to take the risk. Thus it is that Holmes has the dou- ble task of protecting the living as well as solving the mystery of the death of Sir Charles. He on finds that he has at last mét point Another about through villes was i his hands full ahd that he ha a foeman worthy of his steel. The fascinating and puzzling uncertain- ty of the case s weli sustained until the last page of the book, and “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is a novel that once begun will not bé put aside until it has been finished. Books From the Abbey Press. Here follow some brief notes of recent publications from the Abbey Press of New York: “Josephine Graham, by Jeannette Wheeler, is @& book of short stories by the author of “Lady Estabrook.” Besides the initial story that gives its name to the volume four other tales go to make the contents of the book—"Guy’s Choice “Gertrude Dean,” “Lessie’s Old Home, hat Paupe and ‘“‘Marguerite's Trial.” Price §1 50. “Where Magnolias Bloom,” by F. B. Cullens, gives a brief peep into Southern life_in some of its phases prior to and during the Civil War. The author has striven to soften somewhat the hatred of Little human slavery by owing " it i its brighter lights. Price 50 cents. “The Phantom Caravan,” by Cordelia Powell Odenheimer, takes us into the great unknown, and there we hear from the lips of those who are in the spirit land their life stories. Many of the char- acters given are taken from prominent personages of secular and profane hie- tory. Price $i. “Fairview's MyMtery,” by George H. Marquis, is a story of Dakota by a Da- kota lawyer. There is a mysterious dis- appearance, an arrest of one. suspected of murder, An examination ina committing magistrate’s court, a discharge of the de- fendant, an appeal to Judge Lynch, a thrifiing scene when the prosecuting at- torney appears and saves an innocent man from the fury of the mob, and final- ly a solution of the mystery attending the disappearance of Harry Vernon from the village of Fairview. Price 7 cents. “Har Lampkins,” by abel H. Patton, is @ narrative of mountain life on the borders of the two Virginias. The book is full of adventure and has a love story to add further interest. Price $i. “A Golden Way,” By Albert Leroy Bart- lett, is a remarkably well {llustrated vol- ume containing brief notes and impres- y through Ireland, Scot- 1. The phs, were . The ts of life, ind ther with s 3 hapter headings will « the extent of the work: *Eri to Blarney Castle, Bay to Lar with a Brief ¢ Trish Histor “Auld Ayr to Hawthornden,” Lake Region,” . “The Devon tory. by Winifred Sack- E book of rhym: evident- vy written in spirit that nothing can be so poor tk a printer will refuse to set it if he is paid for so doing. Here is VLU TRATION. 7% FROM HE, "'0’-”':17 T a sample of two ver s a called “The Charge of ‘Nation’ a league, gem’ shelf, . more Bottles to the right of her, Bottles to the left of her, Bottles in front , fell; > broke, Sk “The Harri a3,”" by Henry E. is a story in which the author in- vents a land as the scene for his little drama; in which figure a Frenchman, an Englishman, two Ame , an English woman, and two nati untry. There are plots and counterplots: the re- public becomes a monarchy: hard blows are , and done; a duel and a battle scene. 2. “Behind the Grill,” Duncan ¥ Young, is a little book giving some points on the banking business, as they appear s Price 50 cents. to a country T, 5 “Bobtail " by Abbie N. nith, ated dog story in the nature ce by n ilius A biography, that contains some Jes- and entertainment for children. s pricties of Noah, and Other by Harold V. Smedberg, is a hort love stories, six in number, varying in intenzity from flirtations un- der’ the nose of a ch one to unexpected encounters with a desperate burglar and suddenly L thrust face to f ith 2 jilted lover at the top of the Washing ton monument, with ne third person pr the less difficult. BEdwin of ani- position Mrs. James by nd wild. v questions regarding traits that liar to every ope but not gener- ally dmderstood. Price b0 cents. History of Greek Literature. D. Appleton & Co. of New York issue “A History of Anclent Greek Literature,” by Harold N. Fowler. While intended prima for students in school and col lege, the book is also meant to furnish the general reader with a handy refer- ¢ hook. The volume opens with an ac- count of Homer's poems, and a discussio of the Homeric question. Then follows a history of Greek literature up to the time of the Alexandrian period. This accupies the major portion of the work. The re- mainder contains a brief summary of the works of the Graeco-Roman, and the Christian writers, as these serve to rate the period of transition from classic Greek literature to the literature of later times, which it has so largely in- fluenced. The history is written in a clear, terse style. 1t prosents a brief but succinet ac- count of the life, works and style of the minor writers, The great writers of the classic period are given a more extended notice, which includes quotations from the principal works. At the end of the volume there is a bibliography, in which are enumerated the standard works on Greek literature, and the principal cditions and translations of the works of the authors cited. Hand of God in American History. Robert Ellis Thompson, 8. T. D., is the author of a book under the following rather startling caption, “The Hand of God in American Histor: “Why is it that the Bible account of a nation’s history is so different from that tions in modern times? The Bible speaks of God as having a great deal to do with what was going on, and of his will as a controlling force in the movements of his- tory. The modern history traces every- thing to secondary causes, mostly to the characters a wills of leading peo- . to the external circumstances of the tion's existence, ta the influence of great movements of public opinion, or to the influence one country exercises upon another.” After propounding this query, the author gives thresapossible explanations of the difference, .and then proceeds to the in- quiry as to whether God has had any other ‘“chosen’people” since he directed the mundane affairs of the Jews. Divine providence has been clearly manifest- in the history of more than one nation, and not least—according to the author—in that . of the United State interesting one, be: upon which The .theory is an rding a4 new our past na- not made in a eligious cant o ctarian nar- t is prosecuted along the line their effects. to_stuay This study is causes and T »f the discovery of this conti- 1 regarded as the first significant factor; it was withheld from the peoples of the earth until a moedern civilization had begun to reur its head. £ 1t was pre- par as a safe refuge for the persecuted of every country and every creed, who suffered for religlon's or ' comscience's sake. Thus were sown from the first the s of freedom. es and effects of each war and step in colonial and national exist- e traced out in g similar diseern- way. (Published by Thomas Y. ell & Co., New York. Price $L) Hester Blair. fllizm Henry Carson, calls b The Romance of a Country But in reuding the novel one some- how feels that the story, or rather the character of the country girl and heroine, Hester Blair, is rather subordinate in in- terest and strength to that of Slack Dor- kins, the country villager, who follows her fortunes and person with all the faithful- ness of an old-time retainer. He is real to the reader, a personage that one might mcet in any New England fishing port on a sumnier Jjaunt, rough and unpolished a3 the ba on a tree, but full of strong, sym- pathetic human fature. He does not hy tate to use ingenuity of the Yankee brand to outwit those who are conspiring against Hester, the daugfiur of his old- timc employer, 'and he uses the same & to win the querulous spimster m he had wooed In vain t bool is a prime mover in the cter of Hester Blair, a standard of r- > belonging to her from much trouble and unhappiness. Forsaking the lover of her village home for a secret mar- riage with a rich city man who loves her through a gummer's acquaintance, but father by adoption, on account of n unhappy marriage, lives in dread m taking the same step, she has of his much to bear in keeping the fact of her marriage a secret, as she has vowed to do. fer marriage certificate is lost on the night of her wedding, and picked up by a litle village child, who keeps it. unaware of the importance of the document. After some months in New York city. where Hester has been living ostensibly as a mu- sic teacher, but really as the wife of Ralph Featherly, spied upon and slandered by the rather stagey had man of the story. Glenn Fenton, her husband dies of heart disease just as he is framing the words to confess his marriage with Hester to his father. this trouble both her old Through all lover, John Cary and Slack Dorkins, the country villager of her old home, have ching over her, and later, when urns to her old home, John Cary renews his suit ard asks hef to be his V. In view of the many slanders that have been scattered widely by Glenn Fen- she hesitate: The arrival of her former hushand's father with the news that he has discovered the records of his n's marriage, but failed to find* the wife's name, and the somewhat dramatic appearance of little Sally Pitts with the lost marriage certificate, releases Hester from her predicament and makes John Cary happy. Tn stvle the book is not pol- ished. but it has touches that give nromise of much better things on the part of the author. (C. M, Clark Publishing Com- pany, Boston. $1 50.) Dorothy South. In. spite of his foot notes and a ten- dency to give too accurately historical data rather uninteresting in a novel, George Cary Eggleston's work in ““Doro- thy South,” his latest book, appeals to the reader as far above the average. He certainly stands well at the top in this, his own peculiar fleld. His book of last year, “A Carolina Cavalier,” will be re- mémbered by many with pleasure. “Dorothy South” gives us a stirring picture of Virginia life before the war. ‘'he author paints with a strong hand and the verity of truth is stamped on his pages. His character drawing is more than well done and the incidents are worked up with thrilling effect. The story opens with the arrival at the fine estate of Wyanoke of its new heir, a young physician, Dr. Arthur Brent, Vir- ginia born, but North and foreign bred. At Wyanoke he finds Aunt Polly, a dis-~ tant relative, and Dorothy South, a girl of 16, left as an orphan in Aunt Polly's care. And in the neighboring society he also meets Edmonia Bannister. rever breaks out among the negroes/of Wyanoke, and the doctor attacks it with heroic measures. Dorothy lends herself as Arthur's head nurse. The doctor now discovers that he loves Dorothy, and in this perplexity he seeks the counsel of his friend ¥dmonia, who loves him, but not selfishly, as she proves. From the beginning of the story there rests a mystery over Dorothy. She is a high-born, lovely girl, but she has never kind of history which is written abput na-. been outside her own home. Her father had left her future bound by peculiar in- Junctions. She was in a way betrothed to the son of a planter, Madison Peyton. Arthur, at Dorothy’s request, becomes her guardian, to the consternation of Madison Peyton; and then he gives her the chance to see the world. He sends her away to travel with Edmonia. Meanwhile the war clouds of '61 gathered over Virginia. On the voyage to Europe Dorothy meets a woman, who, strange to say, is her mother. She tells a most wonderful story and the mystery is explained. It was this on which Madison Peyton was going to compel Dorothy’s marriage with his worthless son. ) Dorothy hastens home to Virginia just as the war begins. She meets Dr. Arthur first with girlish impulsiveness and the. with reserve, which mystifies and pains him exceedingly; but in the familiar o pVE’,"""U,‘CE; o% ;’:’;ERLOC = LMES B A CON LN =7 Desy w5 romance ends— scenes of Wyanoke the and very happily, too. “Dorothy South” is published by the Lothron Publishing Company, Boston. Price $150. Cingq Mars. Little, Brown & Co. of Boston have re- cently brought out a new edition of that splendid old French romance, ‘‘Cing Mars,” by Alfred de Vigny. It still well deserves, and will hold, the same higt position that it took when first published in 1826, when it went through four editions within three years. It iz a story that tells of deeds and men during the time of Richelieu—that period that Dumas has, made so familiar to us. Beyond the time and people, the similarity between the writings of Dumas and de Vigny ceases. M. de Vigny's work is strong in character drawing and in absolute fidelity to historical facts. In *“Cing Mars,” his portraitures of Richelieu, Louis XIil and Anne of Austria, are splendidly done. The book is rather lacking in the passages of lighter vein that add so much to the writings of Dumas, but as a romance it cally most powerful. 'The translation has been done by William Hazlitt, with scholarly exactness and care. As a his- torical novel of the highest typé “Cing Mars” stands well in the lead. The Fickle Wheel. “The Fickle Wheel,” by Henry Thew Stephenson, is a story of England at the beginning of the reign of James I. The book takes its title from a line of Shake- speare's “‘Fortune's furious. fickle wheel.” Shakespeare's own presence lends dignity to the romance. It is a story of two lov- ers born within the sound of Bow Bells, fated to run dangerously near to the tragedy line, and then take thelr rescue from the hand of the King himself. The heroine is a merchant's daughter, with gallants at her beck and call, and a stern old father to scare them away; and the hero is a worthy lad of a better house, who wins sword and title before the tale ends. Kings and Queens, Earls, procla- nations, pageants and royal murders take their places in a story in which lengthy descriptions have been avoided to make place for plenty of action. The romance portrays a period in which lovers of lit- erature are particularly interested, while in addition to the charm of its scenery there is added that due to a quickly un- folding plot. (Published by the Bowen- Merrill Company, Indianapolis.) The Master of Caxton. Charles Scribner's Sons of New York have just issued “The Master of Caxton by Hildegarde Brooks, whose first novel won recognition last spring. The new book is mainly a love story, of a sympa- thetic quality. In the background thd \beautiful old Southern places, Caxton and The Terraces, are full of the atmosphere of the South, and a delicately suggested flaver of romance, an ideal setting for the group of attractive human beings in whose piquant fortunes Miss Brooks so thorou% ly arouses our interest. But the best news of it is really a love story of the good old-fashioned sort, which people seem lately to have forgot- ten how to write. From Miss Brooks one looks for sympathetic characterization, and. Cassandra Dalie, the girl who aban- dons a fortune in the North to live with her ‘“poor white” brothers in Georgia; Peyton Call, the reck.ess . and distin- guished master of Caxton; Virgie Fanton, a_Southern girl, exquisitely drawn, and “Bud" Dale, Cassandra’s handsome brother, are easily the equals of IHarry Tarr and Kate Harlowe. Miss Brooks writes in explanation of her story: “I have in ‘Caxton, as nearly as I could get it, a composition of the romantic imgrelnlun- of our South. There is no Rolfe County, not under any name. oor whites are mot taken from life; the dialect is no part of the interest of the My story. ters of Southern color, and I am not lowing them. “What 1 have hoped. in pitching my story in the South was that the mere In- structive writings abaut the South have at last made a field for my kind of story— that the reader has learned from Mr. Harris and Miss Stewart and Mr. Page and a dozen more enough about that country to feel at home in its almmghen and to enjoy it in perfect idleness. am something of a geologist, and I have built my Rolfe County from the bottom rocks. to be entirely different from the coastal plain country.” Price $1 50. The Political Freshman. “The Political Freshman,” by Bushrod Washington James, is not, as its title might suggest, a text-book. It s Mr. James’ first novel. The story concerns a young collegian, Frank Freeman, a man who makes his watchword ‘‘reform. The romantic interest in the story c ters in the love of Amy Highe and of Kthel Joyce for the hero. Although Amy is already engaged to a very estimable young man she decides to win Freeman and then give her lrst lover his dismissal. She stoops_to much in her effort to carry out her schemes, but as Freeman really loves the other girl her plans fall short of the mark. These three are the more important characters of the book. (Pub- lished by the Bushrod Library, 1717 Green street, Philadelphia.) In White and Black. “In White and Black,” by W. W. Pinson, is a story of the South laid in that period immediately following the civil war. The bool has a good wholesome tone through- out and is filled with the healthy atmcs- phere of outdoor life. The character drawing of the old Southern dar<ies is I am not competing with our m!fi: very arustically and convincingly done, and forms no small part in the general in- terest of the book. The love story that forms the motif is by no means lacking in interest, although the author’s proneness to moralize often gives the reader that im- patient feeling which frequently results in unread pages and a skipping to catch the thread of the story. It is published by the Saalfield Publishing Company, Akron, O. Price $1 50. The Road to Frontenac. A rattling good story of adventures among the Indians and of life in the New France is Samuel Merwin's story. “The Road to Frontenac,” published by Doubleday, Page & Co., New York. The action of the book takes place in the latter half of the seventeenth century and tells of Captain Daniel Menard, a French afficer, who travels the road to Frontenac as a messenger for the Royal Governor. He goes to the Long House to win their support for the French. His task is a difficult one, for, though he had been adopted into the tribe of the Onan- dagas, he was also in charge of the party that kidnaped a band of the Indians and placed them in servile bondage. The dif- ficulty of his mission is further enhan.ed by the addition to his party of a maiden and a priest. His trials are many and his escapes rival those of the hero of any other Indian story. The end of the story lfi unlooked for and quite romantic. Price Hasty Pudding. “‘Hasty Pudding Poems,” compiled and edited by Rodney Blake, is just the book to pick up for a half hour of fun and amusement. As is indicated by the sub- title, it is a “collection of impulsive and impromptu verses containing repartee in verse, poems on panes, rhyming wills, old tavern signs, envelope poetry,” and a host of other kinds of rhyme and dog- erel to ease life’s sorrows and add to its joys. These funnyisms have been picked % from here, there and everywhere, and T. Blake is to be complimented for the wisdom of his selections. The book is published by the New Amsterdam Book Company, New York. Tfaining the Church of the Future. Funk & Wagnalls Company of New York has just published the lectures de- livered by Francis E. Clark, D.D., before the students of the Auburn Theological Seminary. The Rev. Mr. Clark was the founder of the Young People’'s Society of Christlan Endeavor, and what he has to say of that society as a training school for the church will be found of helpful interest to Christian Endeavor members. Price 75 cents. Literary Notes. T. Y. Crowell & Co. have in press for immediate publication the authoriged edi- tion of Count Tolstoi's new book, en- titled “What Is Religion?" / Miss Margaret Lee will soon issue from the press of . M. Buckles & Co. a new novel called “‘Separation.” It will be re- membered that Miss Lee is the author of “Divorce,” the book which had such a large sale a few years ago, and was so highly commented updn by the late Mr. Gladstone. The Century Company will publish early in May a new “Chimmie Fadden' book by FEdward W. Townsend. 1t is to be called “Chimmije Fadden and Mr. Paul,” and re- counts the further adventures of these in- teresting personages h “his Whisk- ers,” ‘“the Duchess,” and other of Mr. Townsend's widely known creations. Speckled trout really photographed alive in the water, with the beauty of their natural surroundings, by the artist- ghnwfrapher. A. Radclyffe Dugmore, will e a feature of the May Country Life in America. One picture is reproduced life size on two ample pages and is said to be the first photograph ever taken of’ a brook trout at home. Doubleday. Page & Co. are just now publishing two novels of distinctive char- acter—one “The Misdemeanors of Nan- i b Eleanor Hoyt, . dainty volume about a typical American girl, with many fllustrations in tint by Pearhyn Stan- laws; and the other “The Coast of Free- dom,” -by Adele Marie Shaw, a story of Captain Phipps, the first self-made Amer- ican, and the witcheraft trials before Cotton Mather. “Love-Story Masterpieces,” selected by Raiph A. Lyon of the Associated Press of Baltimore, is the title of a volume soon to be issued by William S. Ldrd of Evans- ton. The book will contain stories by George Meredith, Ik Marvel, Robert Louis Stevenson and Oliver Wendell Holmes. To give these masterpieces a choice_and worthy setting has been the aim of the publisher. Something unique is promised. The May issue of the Overland Monthly comes to hand with a cover design by the eminent Western sculptor, Mr. Robert I Altken. “The True History of the Found- ing of the University of California,” by Samuel L. Lupton, is an article that should appeal to everybody interested m educational subjects. Mr. Orrin Peck’s famous portrait of Dr. Benjamin Ide Wheeler is reproduced as a frontispiece to the magazine. Pictorially the feature of the May Critic will be a series of etchings by Mor- timer Menpes of Mr. Whistler in various moods and attitudes. These etchings have never before been published, and only a limited numiber of proofs were printed, and they offer characteristic ver- sions of an artist whose personality and accomplishments are truly unique. The etchings will be printed in tint and will be accompanied by an introductory paper by Christian Brinton entitled “Mr. Men- pes, Mr. Whistler and Certain Etchings.” The May.number of Everybody’s Maga- zine opens with an article by Dr. Henry Gannett on “Famous American Moun- taing}” illustrated with photographs of the notable peaks of the Rockies, tha Slerras and the Alaskan range. Especial- ly timely is T. P. O’Connor’s estimate of Napoleon of South Af- It is a skiliful character study, of Cecil Rhodes, the rica.” representing the curious admixture traits which made Mr. sthodes the gre: personality of his period. Another val able contribution Dr. H. W. Wiley's ‘Man as a Machine,” in which the func- tions of the human body are compared with mechanical processes. “The Anthology of Russian Litera- ture,” to be published by the Putnams in 1902, will meet a definite want. It wiil give extracts, but more often compiete productions from all writers who have had an important part in the development of Russian letters from the earliest times up to the present. These extracts will be accompanied by biographical and such critical and textual notes as will make each author comprehensible without erence to any other work. The introdu: tlon will be a resume of the whole his- tory of Russian literature, and will con- tain everything necessary to serve as a thorough guide to that study, from the historical, critical and bibliographijcal standpoints. Richard Harding Davis, llke most su cessful authors, had his days of grind a: uphill effort before he finaily found him self in ‘“Van Bibber,” “The Prince: Aline” and all the rest. He had the usual trials of a man who starts out to do newspaper work, and yet who has dis- tinct liter: aspirations. The editor who passed on Davis' reportorfal copy said that the hardest work he had was to re- move the “literary touch” from Davis’ reports, and he finally said, “For heaven's sake, Dick, remember that you are writ- in# for a newspaper agd not for Harper's Magazine.” Not long afterward Mr. Davis was writing considerably for the rs, and their editors then had to grapple with the roblem of how to get the journalistic idiom out of Mr. Davis’ extraordinarily clever lites work. All of which was rather wearing on the aspiring young author. The Theater for May, handsome in ap- pearance as usual, devotes considerable space to a discussion of the proposed en- dowed theater. The editor wrote to the leading players, dramatists and literary workers asking for their views on the subject, and he prints their replies. The fifty-odd answers include interesting let- ters from Joseph Jefferson, Julia Mar- lcwe, E. H. Sothern, E. M. Holland, Mrs. Leslie Carter, Reginald de Koven, Otis Skinner, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, De Wolf Hopper, Eugene W. Presbrey, Kyrle B leaw, Wilton Lackaye, John Malone, M: tha Morton and others. The general opin- ion seems to be that there is a great need in New York for an ideal theater, and the name of Heinrich Conried Is put forward by most as the man best fitted to con- duct such a theater. Another important feature in the issue is an article on “The Passion Play in America,” by a prom- inent clergyman. The writer, the Rev. Percy 8. Grant, rector of the Church of the Ascension, New York, takes the lib- eral view, which he thinks is that of many church members, that there would be no impropriety in Pmenun the sa- cred story on the local stage u‘ roperly done. does not think it would cheap- en the Christian religion, but says that, on the contrary, Christian people must not_shut their eves to anything which tends to give greater reality to the story of Christ through fear it will shake their faith. Cleveland Moffett contributes an interesting study, with striking portraits, of Mme. Segond-Weber, the Parisian stage celebrity of the hour. and an en- tertainingly written dual interview with the joint stars, Effle Shannon and Her- bert Kelcey, forms the subject of this month’s “Chat With Players.” The num- ber is profusely illustrated with scenes from the current plays and many fine pu;tll!-nl!s of the players now before the public. Elder and Shepacd sell \ The HOUND of the BASKERVILLES. The long-expected SHERLOCK HOLMES myslery slory. By A. CONAN DOYLE. The first appcarance of the great/delective in a complete novcl. A prolound and thrill- ing study of tangled ciues. llusPated by SIDNEY | AGET. $1.2% For $L00. Elder and Shepard, 238 Post Street, San Francisea ' for Catalogue of Publications.