The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 14, 1904, Page 7

Lieutenant Bilse Now Accessible to English Readers C. BILSE, until in the German 1IEUT recently he world ch always f a piece v York glish 1 der that e world r Wil- writing t be con- l‘\Bl he feAl any high im to go forth like and cue his coun- ng ruin at the hands army. The debonair saw the , may- so he . If the t party in the r Office had not rage at the book ever have been regiment, not have ¢ the publishers qualities of the the absolutism of government. e of some of Because German in that the es. im- se lays the scene of t ook in a tle frontier garriso of Alsace-Lor- n y Forsbach, for there v The plot, not T ny means, centers s T the officers A very wn to be o of the r fellow instance other. he characters is a detestable her is brutish- From the “The D‘alr‘bsu against rican army organiza- 1 and may pass without mment. But the German « the main support of the er, shines with a reflected nctity. With its sanctity is the awesome reserve which 1gs to holy things. That this should have been broken and the inner se- crets of the temple spread broadcast to the unhallowed gaze of the world is an egregious sin. That these secrets, moreover. are mone too :potless adds to the weight of the crime. Speaking generally the skeletons in the army closet which Lieutenant Bilse discloses to view cannot be said to be #o much the property of the German army system itself as of, the officers who are enrolled in the army corps. Bllse does not inveigh strongly against theoretical lack of efficiency—absence of patriotism, tendency to demoraliza- tion and such—but it is the moral rot- tenness of the army officers, their ;== bling, thelr incontinence, their gron rruelty to subordinates, which he con- demns. He shows that the present army life breeds spendthrifts, fosters onerous bondage to usurers and en- courages marriage for fat dowrles. He drags forth the grossness of army revels. He exposes the petty system of tolls exacted by non-commissioned of- ficers of the rank and file. From his pen come many facts which make un- pleasant reading to the wearers of the King’s coat in the Kaiser's army,, Perhaps the speech of one of his characters, Sergeant Schmitz, may be taken to represent to some extent Lieutenant Bilse's opinions concerning the army of which he was a part. “Then 1 ask,” says Schmitz, ‘“of what blessing is the army to the cit- iz to the people as a whole? It takes away his children; it uses up the best v s in their lives—those vears in which the youth ripens into the man and in which his character matures. It is during those years Company, that our sons are often treated with injustice and brutality and, as a nat- ural consequence, they return from the wrmiy into workaday life as the bitter enemies of a government which dismisses many of them as helpless cripples or as physical wrecks with- out ever thinking of making suitable award.” (Frederick A. gtokes New York; price, $150.) Henry Harland’s Literary Pastel Painted in Italy PASTEL in literature. That is flperhaps the happiest character- ization of Henry Harland’s “My Friend Prospero.” A pastel, lightly sketched, delicately colored and spright- ly in its conception; a wholly artistic thing, created in the spirit of art only and with no purpose other than that of pleasing. Harland’s book may be likened to those fascinating drawings of Maxfield Parrish, wherein castellated walls, mythical gardens and shadowy palaces are made to stand out from the limbo of romance with all the clearness and boldness of line of an architectural biue-print. The secret of “The Cardinal's Snuff- box also that of “My Friend Pros- pero.” In the former story, as in this last creation of his, Harland has thrown all the charm of mediaeval ro- mance about a tale in modern setting, with the result that we find in the fin- ished product something which might be styled a conventionalized trouba- dour’s chanson. The romantic past is so artfully blended with an idyllic pres- ent; there is such a rare dash of im- probability, seeming ever probable. The sunshine of the story appears to be re- flected back from the monastery of Abelard or the bower of La Belle Dame Sans Merci. The people in the tale are those of any modern old- world draw- ing-room. Mr. Harland opens his narrative with the accidental meeting between the good old dowager, Lady Blanchemain of Belmore Gardens, Kensington, and her nephew of distant kin, John Blanchemain. They meet in an an- clent palace of the Sforzas, situated away up in a picturesque corner of Lombardy. John, it seems, is a happy- go-lucky young Englishman, lazy, poor, but brimming over with ideals, who is stopping with the resident chap- lain of the palace in order that he may live next to lovely nature and forget the humdrum world. Hardly has the relationship of the two been disclosed when the heroine of the story, Princess Maria Dolores of Zelt-Neuminster, is discovered, bending over a moss-grown gun dial in the garden. Before long John has occasion to learn that her name is Maria Dolores—the rest of the patronymic is not to be found out, and thereupon hinges the plot. Through ‘little Annunziata, the eleven-year-old niece of the -castle chaplain, the somewhat inconsequen- tial John Blanchemain contrives to meet Maria Dolores ;and straightway falls desperately in love with her. The tiny little Annunziata, a quaint little chit, is the unconscious god from the machine who continuously brings the two together. Follows the quick tierce and riposte of wit, for Harland could not unite two hearts save after the flerce refining which comes of the struggle of whetted minds. John is cer- tain that his goddess’ name must be ADVERTISEMENTS. N A _TRIUMPH OF ART AND SCIENCE Definitions concise and clear; Pronunciation carefully marked, key on every page; Irregular Plorals and Verb-forms spelied out; sclentific Etymology; Synonyms with cross references; Words requiring capital initials indiceted. Scbool and Ofice Bdition. side and back Stlesin ¢o12, panels, siz colored pl bkd chth. everyisy use—E. W. CAVINE, Ilitnois State Unis I have of your Webster"s and oflk:‘ ml‘t“ly wn-‘d‘ ,l:'—wm olas It is a splendid book, convenient (n size, easy of reference, reliabdls, and moderate im prise. — Sokesl Webster’s New Standard chtionary of the English Language NEW — ORICINAL — MODERN — 5> 746 Pages. SizeGxBlaches. 1¥inchtbiek. 32X pownds. ST Over 900 Illustrations. 30 Full-page Plates Hand Composition. Large Cloar Print. Both Editions Mbm G150 | oot g B0 ENDORSED BY EDUCATORS AND THE PRESS Webster's New Standard Dictionary is of ernvenjent RELIABLE — COMPREHENSIVE NEW S8 400 1CT708.4 05~ #ize and more desirable than tho unabridged fo should ha: e Northors. Tabtind, Lo Bove, Ve WEBSTER § NEW STANDARD DICTIONARY I8 OUR DIOTIONARY} THE HAME IS OURS--IT STANDS FOR ITSELF, WITHOUT A PEER sale everywhers, or sent postpaid on receipt of prics, by LAIRD & LEE, I‘lblhben, 263-265 Wabash Avemue, CHICAGO, U. S. A. THE " SAN ™ FRANCISCO * SUNDAY“ CALL. Schmidt and that her father is one of the bourgeoisie; equally assured is she that the young Englishman can be nothing but a Brown or a Jones, as are most Englishmen. By dwelling upon the details of a hypothetical love John allows Maria Dolores to divine his sentiments toward her, but he nearly spoils all by stoutly declaring that his poverty is an insurmountable Bar to all thought of wedded bliss. Just when all seems lost the Lady Blanchemain fills the breach by settling a generous provision of her wealth upon penniless John, and the two lovers are brought together over the !\l:k bed of little Annunziata. A bald cutline of the plot cannot be- gln to do justice to the subtle charm of “My Priend Prospero.” For the worth of Mr. Harland's story lies not only in the plot conception, but fn the careful building up of the plece. His power is essentially that of wit. Witly repartee and glinting dialogue, by the ready ex- change of sharp thrust and skillful parry and the expressions of quaint philosophical mots the story trips along to the end without ever a cessation from its cleverness. This sparkling quality of its word play and the salt of its clever concelts produces an effect as exhilarating as a play of Congreve's. With the excentlon of Annunziata there is no attempt to outline the char- acters of the personages in “My Friend Prospero,” Upon this odd little Itallan girl, part mystic, part religlonist, the author has done good work. By her love of the flowers, the river, the wood- ed hilly, she proves herself to be as true a “child of nature as any nymphs of Artemis. Indeed, her confusion of the old classic myths with some of the equally mythological conceptions of her church makes her seem a veritable lit- tle sprite of the woods herself. Such a sweet little child as Annunziata gives peculiar charm to the tale. The romantic coloring of the story is imparted throughout by suggestion rather than studied statements on the part of the author. The remoteness of the old castle and its seclusion amidst the wooded hills seems to shut the rest of. the world out of the story. The shaded walks, the cloisters of the chap- cl, the long gallery of old portraits, all serve to throw over the tale a thin gos- samer of the past which tinges the whole with the softened light of ro- mance. (McClure, Phillips & Co., New York; frontigplece by Louis Loeb; price $* 50.) Turkish Customs Are Revealed by a Clever Writer O the series of Our European Neighbors books, which Put- nams have been publishing, Lucy M. Garnett has added “Turkish Life in Town and Country.” Of its kind the work is as high class as any- thing published within recent years. Miss Garnett’s task has been no light one, for it is doubtful whether there is another country in the world where there is a population so mixed as in the domains of the Sultan, Few coun- tries llkewise are sealed to foreigners seeking information so effectually. The typical Turkish reticence, added to the equally characteristic Turkish duplic- ity, makes a true statement of facts concerning life and customs within the borders of the Grand Turk difficult to obtain and cbrrespondingly valuable when it has been acquired. It must be believed that the author's extended residence in the Ottoman empire and her influence in high places has given her the power to speak authoritatively. The greater part of Miss Garnett's book is devoted to a study of the Os- manll or true Turks, the descendants of the invading Ottomans of the Mid- dle Ages. Their homes, their social ' customs and the place which is theirs .people’ as rulers of the heterogenous popula- tion are by the author described faith- fully. She finds the Turks a hospit- able race, free to give to friends and relatives and' living very closely to the pure: teachings .of the Karan. Of the mooted question of the harem and harem life the author has this to say: “From the foregoing description of the homes of Osmanlis of all classes it should, I think, be apparent that the harem, far from being, as is often supposed, ‘a detestable prison,’ is the most cheerful and commodious divi- sion of an Osmanli’'s house. * * * Daily life in a Turkish harem is no doubt, as a rule, somewhat monoto- nous and in some ways the liberty of a Turkish lady is certainly more re- stricted than that of European women generally;®but in her own home she is absolutely mistress of her time as of her property.” The author discredits stories of murders by midnight and the immo- lation of the fair ones of the harem. The popular conception of the crafty Turk who will wring the last shekel out of a customer evidently does not apply to the Osmanli, for “the Turks, generally speaking, are not actlve and intelligent as business men,” says Miss Garnett, “and they venture little Into speculative com- .mercial transactions. * * * The Osmanlis, being naturally of a leth- argic disposition and finding the sub- ject nationalities; possessed of all the business qualitigs in which they are themselves deficlent, have, ever since the conquest, fallen into the habit of using their subjects as tools, who act- ed, worked and thought for them .in an irresponsible fashion.” (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, illustrated; price, $120.), Metric Fallacy Demands Writers’ Jevere Criticism SHE Metric Fallacy,” by Fred- erick A. Halsey, and “The Metric Failure in the Textile Industry,” by Samuel 8. Dale, are in- corporated into a volume bearing the caption of the former brochure, and designed, as the title shows, to com- bat the further acceptance of the metric system of weights and measures. The book is the outgrowth of a paper presented to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at its annual meeting in 1902 and, therefore, can be received bv those interested in the subject with this stamp of genu- ine merit upon it. The authors evidently take their subject with due seriousness. Every possible table of statistics and all ob- tainable records are adduced to dem- onstrate the fact that the systém as- sailed has wholly or in part, at least, falled to fulfill the requirements of an adequate institution in France, and that its adoption by English-speaking countries would be attended by whole- sale disorder and mercantile confusion. Mr. Halsey condemns the metric sys- tem upon the following counts: “1. That as shown by the experience of other*countries, the changing of a 3 system of weights and meas- ures is a task of enormous difficulty, and is attended with widespread con- fusion. ‘ “2. That the adoption of the metric systeni, meaning by that term the re- tirement .of the inch and the substitu- - tion therefor of the millimeter, involves the destruction of all mechanical stand- “3, That the prosperity. of foreign trade in nowise requires the adoption New York; 11 of the system as a basis of manue facture. “4. That the bill now before Congress is a compulsory measure, so far as it relates to those who do business with any ot the departments of the Govern- ment. 5. That the metric system has for industrial purposes no such superiority as is claimed, and that the claims for the saving of time. in calculations and in the school life of children are com- pletely negatived by the certainty that, here as elsewhere, the old units will spersist in use and must be learned. “g. That the confusion which is said to prevail in our weights and measures is a fiction, “7. That, measured by the number of units in common use, and by their uni- form value in all sections and all in- dustries, we have the simplest and the most uniform system of weights and measures of any country in the world.” (D. Van Nostrand Company, New York; price, $1 00.) New School Books of High Standard Being Published waH the opening of the new school year there has come from the American Book Company, the standard publishers of text books, a new output of books for use in schools and colleges. By their consistent policy of putting forth only that which is the product of the best minds in the educational world,. the American Book Company has succeeded in bringing to the eyes of American pedagogues text books which are remarkably well adapted to modern methods of teaching. Thelr winter's publishing is sufficlently note- worthy to demand extended considera- tion. Perhaps the most valuable of the new publications is the “Outlines of Greek History,” by William C. Morey of the University of Rochester. The present volume is designed to form, with the same author’s “Outlines of Roman His- tory,”” a complete elementary course in The first part of the anclent history. book comprises a brief sketch of the ancient Oriental peoples. Then the his- tory of Greece is taken up. The author has kept in mind the fundamental idea that the historical significance of a peo- ple is to be estimated by what it has contributed to the advance of civiliza- tion. “His treatment, therefore, gives special attention to the development of Greek culture and of political imstitu- tions. The topical method is employed, and each chapter is supplemented by selections for reading and a subject for special study. The book points out clearly the most essential and signifi- cant facts in Greek history, and shows the important influence which Greece, in art, in literature, and in philosophy, exercised upon the subsequent history of the-world. The work is sufficlent to meet the requirements for entrance of the leading colleges, and also the course ml':.flbad ‘by the New York State re- nt 2 ”!"or beginners in the history of old Greece as well as for general use in the primary classroom there is Fred- erick A. Hall's “Homeric Stories.”” The pure and highly imaginative tales of Homer are in this book adapted for elementary reading and presented as a connected narrative. They will prove both entertaining and profitable read- ing for the children and a fruitful seurce of material for teachers. They ‘will explain the numerous references and allusions to the characters and in. cidents of the Iliad and the Odyssey so often found both in classical and in cur- rent literature. The style of the narra- tive is clear and simple and will both arouse the pupil’s interest and hold his attention. The book is profusely illus- trated, largely from the works of cele- brated painters and sculptors. It isthe most recent addition to the well-known series of Eclectic School Readings, and is especjally intended for use in the sixth and seventh grades. To meet the entrance requirements in English literature demanded bv the la: colleges, Henry Van Dyke of Princeton University, the genefal edi- tor of the Gateway Series of English classics, has brought out Macaulay’s “Essay on Milton.” edited by E. S. Gulick; Carlyle’s “Essay on Burns,” Wwith notes by Edward Mims, and “Merchant of Venice,” revised and an- notated by Felix Schelling. The editing of thesé volumes is carefully and judi- - clpusly done, the books being treated JARRISON ™ as pleeés of literature, rather than as frameworks for erudite theories ' of criticism. The actual needs and capac- ities of the young people who are to read and study them have been borne in mind. The series should be wel- comed by all teachers of English liter- ature, for it incorporates the best that acknowledged experts can do to make the texts easier to understand, more attractive and more profitable to the young reader. It is doubtful if “Poets of the South,” by F. V. N. Painter, will find very general acceptance, for, with the exception of Poe, Southern bards have not been credited with very general recognition. A preliminary chapter treats of the minor poets of the South. followed by chapters devoted to the lives and works of Poe, Hayne, Timrod, Lanier and Father Ryan. A portrait of each of these authors is given, to- gether with typical selections from their works. References are included in a body of explanatory notes which make plain all allusions. Study of the modern languages has received especial attention from the publishers. In the French there are two elementary works for beginners by Victor E. Francois and L. C. Syms. For advanced readers there are Sandeau’s “Mlle. de la Seigliere,” edited by Eliz- abeth M. White; Moliere’s inimitable “Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme,” with notes by P. A. Roi and W. G. Guitteau; and Dumas’ “Les Trois Mousquetaires,™ annotated by C. Fontaine. Professor J. Henry Senger of the Uni- versity of California has edited Foque’s “Undine,” one of the most popular and touching of fairy tales in German, with its pathetic presentation of a woman to whom love has given a soul, and who deems henself happy In its possession, despite all the suffering that the divine gift entails. The story is simple, clear and effective, and has been translated into most of the European languages. Scheffel's “Der Trompeter von Sakkin- gen,” one of the strongest stories in modern German literature, has been published, with notes by Valentine Buehner. ‘The last addition to the American Book Company's series of modern Spanish readings is Larra’s “Partir a Tiempo,” edited by E. B. Nichols. The story is characterized by graceful hu- mor, keen observation and rare quall- ties of style. It affords ample oppor- tunity for the sutry of colloquial Span- 1sh and for the acquisition of a wide vocabulary and tHbugh slight in itself it is especially sulted for class reading. Paragraphs From the Gossip About Popular Writers RS. MARY AUSTIN, the Call- M fornian whose book, “The Land of Little Rain,” met with such a hearty reception all through the East last fall, believes that the,novel which will be her best is that which she hopes to write about San Francisco life In the near future. During a recent short visit to this city Mrs. Austin ex- pressed to the editor of these columns her views upon the literary possibilities which lie open to the writer here in San Francisco. “There is ne city in the United States,” said she, “wherein one can find such a wealth of local color and such a fund of tradition as right here in this cosmopalitan city by the Golden Gate. We have types of every people under the sun, we have the remnants of the past days of gold, we have a lite which is distinct in itself. I hope to do my best work t here.” Mrs. Austin's home fs at Inde- pendence, Inyo County—upon the very edge of the desert of which she writes so charmingly. “The Lounger,” who furnishes the delightful column of literary chit-chat for The Critic, has cleared a mystery of a nom de plume. He says: “Less than a year ago the readers of pop- ular magazines began to be startled and delighted by certain fantastic and ingenious tales, mainly dealing with Western life and bearing the strange device ‘O. Henry’ as a signature. In a short time people began to talk to each other about the stories, and very soon they began to ask who the author was. It was then that a new problem fell upon this over-puzzled age—who is ‘O. Henry?" No one seemed to know the author’s real name, and ifamedi- ately vague and weird rumors began to be afloat and the nom de plume was soon invested with as much curi- osity as surrounds an author after his decease. But, like most mysteries, when it was probed there was no mys- tery about it. ‘O. Henry's’ real name is Sydney Porter, a gentleman from Texas, who, having seen a great deal of the world with the naked eye, hap- pened to find himself in New York about two years ago, and there dis- covered a market where people would buy stories of his experiences. The editor of the New York Times’ Saturday review of books comments editorially upon the recent sale of Mil- ton MSS. in London. Says-he: “Some- body has been learning something in London about the danger of overrating literary rarities, simply as such. He had what we may assume to have been authentically proved to have been part of the original printer’s copy of “Par- adise Lost,” and he thought {f was worth a good deal of money. Doubt~ less it was worth momey. As to ‘a good deal,” that depends on what you call a good deal. His arbitrary notion was that $25,000 was about the at- tainable maximum and he fixed his price accordingly. But he fell short of realizing it by 31250, the highest bid belng $23,750, and that bid, there is reason to suspect, ‘being collusive. * B. Marriott-Watson, literary critio for the London Mail, has sume- thing to sav about Thomas Hardy's “The Dynasts.” He thinks that the only dramatic comparison with Har- dy’s play, “The Dynasts,” with {ts nineteen acts, must be sought in “Ce- lestial” literature. “I do not mean the literature of the spirits and phantoms, of which the author writes,” says the critie, “but of the Chineses A Chi- ness play will ramble on for a weelk, and clearly Hardy's oanorama might be taken in that way. Hasdy's davo- tion to poetry In his later years s touching. Like Meredith, he began his career by writing verse, but he confesses that he destroyed those early efforts. No doubt the reception given to ‘Jude the Obscure,” a remarkable novel, discouraged him greatly, and that is possibly the reason he turned his back on fiction and is woolng his first lov: Henry C. Rowland, the author of “Sea Scamps,” has consorted with a great many people of varied moral stripes during a life of ad- venture that has carrfed him all over the Gulf of Mexico and the Philippin But few people would dare to go, as he did, on a hunting trip into the swamps of Florida, with a bad man and acknowledged murderer. In 1894, he wanted a guide to take him hunting on the west coast of Florida. He found one and after being out with him for some days awoks to the fact that he was alone in the wilds with the prize criminal of the country. Most men would probably have made tracks immediately for home, but Rowland continued his hunting for several months and declared that Mr. Mur- derer-Thief-and-Burglar was quite an agreeable companion when you could get it out of your mind that he might kill you In yqur sleep. The central figure (Maria Dolores of Zelt-Newminster) of Henry Bl.rhnd's new. novel, “My Friend which McClure, Phillips & Co. are [N suing, is sald to have been.drawn, with her permission, from the Prin- cess Christina of Lahn and Dyck, whe resides at Schloss Wischenau, in Ba- varfa. It is stated that in her youth she was just such a sprightly, -witty, and unconventional person as M Harland has depicted In his book. Sh. is noted for her beauty. The frontis- plece portrait in the book is said very much to resemble Princess Christina. New Books Received MY FRIEND PROSPERO, Henry Harland; McClure, Phillips & Co., New York; price $1 50. A LITTLE GARRISON, Lieutsnant Bllse; Frederick A. Stokes Company. New York; price $1 50. SYLVIA'S HUSBAND, Mrs. Burton Harrison; D. Appleton & Co., New York. TURKISH LIFE IN TOWN AND COUNTRY, Lucy M. Garnett; G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York; {llustrated; price $1 20. WHAT'S THE ODDS? Joe Ullman, Metropolitan Printing Company, New York; illustrated; price $L POEMS, Henry J. McKay; Wausau Pilot Print, Wausau, Wis. ROCKY MOUNTAIN EXPLORA- TION, Reuben G. Thwaites; D. Apple- ton & Co., New York; {llustrated; price $1 25. CALIFORNIA ADDRESSES BY PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT:; Califor- nia Promotion Company, San Fran- cisco. THE METRIC FALLACY, F. A. Halsey and S. S, Dale; D. Van Nos- trand Company, New York; price $i. PSYCHIC LIGHT, Mrs. Maud Lord- Drakey Frank T. Riley Company, Kan- -sas City, Mo. RECUEIL DE LOCUTIONS FRAN- CAISES. Armand-Georges Billaudeau; Boyveau & Chevillet, FParis; price $2 50.