The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 31, 1904, Page 7

—— A~AUTHOR TTHE SIS TRIVUNMP Unapprec (Gireshsm— ated Hero inspiring book title e righteousness nd the circie e is a mar 2g his head rtunity er it, because he ¥'s sacred honqr isement. chard but be- d with the him to his tan god, opy story of the boy reared family es- instance it is s tolen the a Under the fan- atical tutelage of his uncle young Rich- ard is ma he rarefied alr of se with the rest by the payment of 1 n of a cool ater n r and at le wife, even, e . t s comes near 1 horns, finds that, he he need make for his father's Gresham casts le of high justice— if—and the reader 1 a high white light words and the work- s his dramatic pe- t altogether hap- arelessness or lack of t permits him to make some his paragraphs. jess U following, taken from a climactic uplift in the story: ‘Papting and breathless, he plunged the piazza steps and through the He saw no one, but he heard ne one sobbing—his mother. In the nt hall he fell over a suit case packed and strapped. As he recovered himself the sobbing became a great and then silence. There were heavy steps above and he heard his father’s voice calling Mrs. Jones.” Gracious! After that terrible ery, that sobbing, that silence, his father called of SEPPaArRIS STEVENS, ¥ The sublime{and ridicu- eed in close vicinage here. illan Company, New Yor Philip Payne Fal's Short in Latest M = Duc of Few Clothes" l Phi the yours Chicago newspaper man, has tried to live up t at he establizhed with his Men"tried and failed. ler wiork impressed with 1cention and ¥ ‘ot seecond novel falls ggerated use of the ties. of style. drew aspects life and sc of A his{ hig latest story, the npted ‘to bring out the stes through the.me- igably impassible situ- an. atmosphere palpably stilted and unnatural; herence is the “great lacking Duchess of Few -Clothes"—coherence and ue ring of Adelity to_ the tual probabilitiés of .'huthan' aéti Possessed h-the determimation exhibit some of the anomalies of the present ¢ ial order, Mr. Payne has strung together into a story, su dreary, a series of incidents, balapced, which have to center about the persgmality of no individual in particular and which Jead to nothing worthy of being denom In his inad of t the ed a definite coneclusion. One of th persona; of his story, Alonzo . Farsen, is a caricature, pure and sim- a transla atmosy the of Mr.. Pecksniff into of windy Chicago, and idents, the dialogue 1 racter has a part e real to thé limit of rest of his people, d to-instill the exalted tuality into a lady ver k ated Bohemiar ommonplace fiddler or ‘'of chivairy into meat on the hoof. conjuring ref ations. (}:,,. h dbeard. Ir. Payne the premi that dome of the Pan- theon Hotel in Chicago Te may be life worthy pf study and reflection in a novel. Frank N found a ring epic in a dentist’s parlor h. San Francisco. If the author belie that in a “Cinderelia of Cigars” th is the worth for a story, nobud say him n: Only let him endow his “Duchess” with sensibilities and ap- preclations commensurate with her mental caliber, In keeping with the sphere of life settled upon her by the accident of birth, and then go ahead in the weaving of a story that may have the stamp of the natural about it. In nder the Duchess of Few Clot " Payne fails to write from the respect social levels of his characters. All are re- flected through the single stereoscope of the author's narrow perception. (Rand, McNally & Co., Chicago.) Therapeutics of Electric Currents MPORTANT to the literature of l edicine In this country is the re- ent addition made to it by the translation from the German of Dr. ¥ Cohn's “Electro-Diagnosis and ro-Therapeutics,” a standard ref- erence among German specialists upon the curative properties of electricity since its Lrst appearance. As Dr. Cohn explains, in his preface, the appeal of this work is to students and practicing physicians, who are al- most wholly ignorant of the subjects of which it treats, owing to the method ia which these have hitherto been pre- sented. “Students and physicians,” says Dr. Cohn, “have in general an aversion to all mathematical explana- tions and technical discussions with which text books of electro-therapeu- tics génerally begin.” Therefore he be- gins with an object lesson, the de- scription of a single apparatus, a sta- tionary apparatus for galvanic and faradic currents. Having presented in the simpiest and briefest fashion the physical principles, a statement of which is demanded of any discussjon, the author at once introduces the read- er to the subject proper, actual diag- nosis. In setting forth the physiologi- cal and pathological conditions to be considered, Dr. Cohn rigidly confines ‘THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL. himself at the start to those types that ¢an be easily comprehended and re- tained by the beginpér. This schematic methed is gradually ‘modified and ren- dered practical by the addition of those variatio: which' will be found in reg- ular practice. In his discussion of gléctro-therapeu- ties the rthor: is less pedagogic and more adviory. It is @ subjeet in which the student who has mastered and is g ‘electro-diagnosis can form Judgments for himself. Dr. Cohn its but insists upon the attitude to be as 10t skepticism eniy p as med In such mooted questions as the cyrative power of ti ro-therapeu- tic currents, whether it is purely psycholog the r it of sugges- tion, or physiological in its nature. The character of ihe as an “‘ob- Ject lesson™ text ! greatiy en- nced by the eight with €overings of n_svhich are i puints of application of the electric current. The book is thoroughly in- dexed. The « Dr. Cohn's work thus summarized by Francis A. Scratchley of New York, the editor “It_ gives conc is im- rortant in electro-d and . in electro-therapeutics of posi- tive value. It places electricity exactly where it b in a physiclan's armamentarium a curative agent It will commend itself because of its precise .and very 1 of the method of @ how to make an elec- and the . careful s for the proper a theérapeutic agent. good features in manner that it in this countr: e filied in Germa —e When Children Went on a Crusade >se masculine nom-de- 1eppard - Stevens, has peared on the title us in “The Sign of Tr wph"” . another story of the same genr In nearly every essential her new book fills every requirement of the ror tale; some of the weakn so glaring in the typlcal buskin-and-longsword ro- mance are herein avoided, and for that sincere thanks are due Sheppard Ste- vens. The children’s erusade, that pitiful phenomenon of thirteenth century ac- tivity, gives the background to Stevens' book. Truly does the author state in her brief introduction that it is remark- able that such a marvelous event as the march of three armies of children for the relief of Jerusalem should have rassed into the limbo of forgotten 1hings unheralded in fiction. The field, then, is & new one for the writer, the material is rich and the opportunities for a strong tale manifold. But, unfor- tunately, Sheppard Stevens has onfy skimmed the possibilities. Instead of following further the fortunes of that forlorn band of infants that sailed from Marseilles to oblivion under the crazed youth Simon, the author has contented herself with picturing only the initial phases of this strangest of all crusades in France. With the devoted iittle en- thusiasts sailing away from their na- tive shore to foulest treachery and sub- sequent slavery under the yoke of the very Infidels they had set forth to con- quer, the teller of this tale confesses her Inability to rise to the opportunity by breaking off the thread of her his- tory here. The tragedy that might be evoked from a further pursuit of the subject she docs not attempt. From the sin of too much blood-let- ting—that gory specter which makes of so many historical novels a mere liter- ary shambles—the writer has so suc- cesgfully held herself secure that her story suffers somewhat from a lack of any action at all. ‘The whole recountal cf the march of the chlldren fromn St, Denys to the sea sags through its own weight for want of the props of liven- ing incident. Again, suffering her piot to become unruly, Stevens has let the action become detached. Throughout the major portion of the story the two centers of interest are widely apart; and a conmnective only conjectured by the astute reader exists, ““The Sign of Triumph” is better than commonplace withal, and written with == e O AT HOR a tender delicacy of npathy which makes the reading of it.a matter close to the heart. (L. trated; & Co.,; Bosten: Tilus- 50.) Trop ¢ Vers: By One Reincarnated H RALDED by the fulsoms praise: of none other thafi EHa ‘Wheelér Wilcox comes the book of love poems, “Dezire % frgm: the . threbbing quill of one Chatlotle. Bafod, ‘The feminine reincgroation of Walt Whit- man” rings Bl Wheeler's “announce- ment of this new light in the field of poems of passion; “one of the new sing- ers whe has come to stay.” Good for the syndicate noetess, say we, for if anybody is calculated to fiid the gem of rav serene in the breatlings of the erotic lyre Mrs. Wilcox is, indeed, 1hat one, Now, to take exception to the dictum of one so Insnired with the divine fire of poesy as Ella Wheeler Wilcox would be to display a temerity bo ng upan rashness. The passive reviewer can only venture. the opinion, then, that until posterity is decided upon the mer- its of Walt Whitman's outbursts it is extremely complicating, not to say dele- terious, to the interests of his name and fame that any reincarnation mani- ting itself In verse such as -Char- lotte Eaton's should come to us out of astral reaches. The shade of Whitman shoyld have a voice in the matter, at en 1 kiss vour lips! m as a ripening nectarine, that fs warmed through and through by the sun's ravs. Decoming more delectable both to the eye and to the palate. Now, is that Whitman or Mary Mac- Lane? Kiss my hand again with rap Holding my fingers clc y a breathin, eetly upon therm: For in this, more than in precious gift feal the love of your st v And know myself to he happler than who, lacking such homage, Have worn upon t'mir fingers the kem of Crient Is it effusions .ike this that touch the sentient soul ot Mrs. Wilcox? The re- viewer dares not pursue his quest far- ther. He feels that those delectable isles of poesy— TWhere burning Sappho loved and sung, must pale into gray oblivion before the tropic loveland of this reincarnated W altman. (G. W. Dillizgham, New York; price $1) white rge Siray Notes and Random Jottings % § a Chinaman Saw Us“ a fl little book, sans parent but sturdily independent in the gorgeous ‘ochre of its cover, would be none the less diverting and much more interesting if it indeed ré- flected what & real Chinaman did see in us. It is not the work of a China- man, however—that is patent upon any cloge reading of it—but it is another of those velled satires, posed under the gulse of a gentle barbarian's cogita- tions, which have ever caught the fancy since rare old Montesquieu stirred up France of the old regime with his “Per- sian Letters.” . Though & foreword by Henry Pearson Gratton of San Francisco avers that to hiin has fallen only the task of editing this breezy correspondence be- tween a Chinese, late of the embassy at Washington, and his curious friend at home, and that the real author de- sires to conceal his identity for reasons sufficiently obvious, a gentle exception must be registered to Mr. Gratton’s in- genious disclaimer. If he did not pro- N 1L AN Y fRICHARD CGRESHAM D duce the letters himself he knows in his secret conscience that the one who did does not wear his fingernails a la Chinoise. ' Now, for example, does Mr. Gratton wish us to believe that a member of the diplomatic corps at Washington, be he ever so Chinese-smart, would write to a correspondent “who had seen few foreigners’—as Mr. Gratton explains— the following, taken presumably from the lips of a political boss? *‘Smart h——!" retorted the ‘boss.’ ‘Why. we've got smart men. Look at our school teachers. Them guys is crammed with guff and passing exam- inations all the time: but there ain’t one in a thousand that's got sense enough to run a tamale convention.’ " Despite the gauzy attempt at decep- tion, “As a Chinaman Saw Us” con- tains some good things. There are some digs in it which leave the smart be- hind them. too. (D. Appleton & Co., price $1 25.) New York; in her story of “The e of Old Saint Louis,” gives us a historical romance which i{s what we tritely term timely, for it fits in with the St. Louls Exposition by being a novel of the period of the Louisiana purchase. Tt is built up out of a close study of the best historical records of these days, and brings before us the important men of the time—Napoleon, Jefferson, Talleyrand, Marbois and Lewis and Clark, also the famous In- dian‘chief Black Hawk, to add a touch of picturesqueness. There is, of course, the usual pretty love story to make the history part more appetiz- arly strong chap- ter in the book with the captjon, “Bo- naparte Gives England a Rival,” in which the author interweaves with her story an acecount of the manner and bearing of the First Consul when mak- ing the momentous decision that by the transfer of Louisiana to us he would make us great enough to keep England’'s pride in check. The romance gives us a glimpse of the social life of old Saint Louls, and has some pretty illustrations, which are interesting specially at this time when the period of the empire-deciding purchase is being celebrated. (The Century Company, New York; price §1 50.) A it booklet called “The Coast Country” has just been issued by the Southern Pacific Company, dealing with points of interest along the coast from San Francisco to Santa Barbara. It is the second in a series descriptive of California’s resorts, the first being “California South of Tehachapl." The publication is profusely illustrated and the.text is unique in being written for the most part by the railrodd agents at the points described, on account of their intimate knowledge of. the re- sources of their localities. The work is a welcome addition to the advertising literature of this State American wit is the best wit in the world. That's not forgetting Irish wit, for there are enough Irish over here to leaven the whole lump, and they are part of us. The finest samples of our wit, that find their way to published pages, in word_and picture, appear in the New York Life. The latest of the series of book compilations from that brilliant-staffed periodical is a little selection’ of verse by Tom Masson, called “In Merry Measure.” It is am- ply illustrated by those masters of the crayon, Charles Dana Gibson, C. Allan Gilbert and others following close to prime in pencil craft. A sample or two, short enough to quote, may serve DOING 2z ROBT.W.RITCHIE to show what Masson's hand can do Fican movels when be has more room to turn a j or make a pathes melting 4 as been She was @ maid of hi And . quite severely Kach ‘man she Wouli love, despat: But there remained When all est forsock 1 P art An teur photographer = v et And fnally he tovk her SOV 1 \ A th ¥ s n And this: » Fame bt heart 1 en k e And snd s Tace Not room for us b The years draggeq b haggard face Of Fame looks out through the g (You may ge» him yet it you know the pla Still walting for love to (Life Publishing . ( York: price h . The August number unset of its usual potpourri of good things, sa ed by one or two features of especi: merit. “Bill Magee of* Pine Nut," story In rugged verse by S: the Nevada bard, suits the powerfully. A story by Juliet W Tompkins and a sketch by Mary Aus- tin, both of the writers high in the ranks of magazine contributions, give a literary touch to the periodical. “The Building Laws of Human Char- acter,” well called by its author, Wil- liam H. McCarthy, “every man's m itor,” is a healthful liftle cornpendiu of the precepts of great minds upon human conduct. Under the headin “Character,” “Hea and Temper- ance,” “Thoughts, Words and D ete., the compiler has arranged for ready reference the collected wisdom of has brought out mense body epic bard ‘and newspaper scrivener alike. It has ¢ (W. H. San Francisco; Joseph Conrad and McCarthy, price 35 cents, The Authors— What They Are Doing S reported by Paul the authors Ips) Hueffer M Elder & Co. t selling works of fiction for the m past are as fol- lows: “In the Bishop's Car- riage,” Michelsc “The Crossin r's tenant. Churchill “Memoirs of ‘a nee,” was pla: skam; “The Yoke,” Miller; of Kings,” Atherton; “The Castaway, Rives; ention of th Idiot,” Bangs. In general literature the fol- lowing been the most scught “Lord Acton's Let “The Simp Home,” K borate on jt. racy,” Burne-Jones; “Japanese Ph “Romance,” cal Training Hancock. another The Globe edit occa r of the London on to draw a very on between Ame; can literature an marked paragraph: “A firm of American addres letter to a Londo complaining of the n W American books are treated by En, reviewers. The 2 whole subj Mark Twain's daughter, “lemens, made a s cessfu h article in the followi fash st to a very is strong and tention portant ture. It mus servers how erable is the Amerjcan the eternal things saving inventions, mercial any is doing the genuine service by covers ( nts the best novels pub- by that yntributi of ‘art. In I and in all the com- ster; “The Ck Lane“Alle Marion Craw T " by Agnes apd by their art and their not yet made any s the worid. It ry Jar but he ous impr true that Mr. American by bi nieo, cated in Franc n England; and this is a qualif g atement which alse applies to those few bril- liant painters who w born in Ameri- excellent ca. There is probably so servedly con the atmosphere of the A : 3 tinent which is antagonistic to art. News Books RCCEIVed There is no sense of age, very little ook veneration, and an entire absence of WOMAN ERRANT“Harbars restfulness throughout the United e States. It is quite certain t e America does produce a work of gen A MUSICIAN— it will need no vice of the re Henry Hol€ oduce it into Europe.” Americs then, who ST. LOUIS— y Company, ice $ OLD judging from the works th over h Marg Horton Potter, “The Flame-Gathe: author of in private YND C. Pige MRS WHITTAKEF Wag married a F & Althcugh only 23, X has al- ready written five , all of which have attaine ess. She a her husband are cago socie friends. A Potter s graduate lish, histor vate tutor, and she is deeply ve the philosophy of most of and modern nations. Perhaps the est distinction of her books their power to recreate the color atmosphere and life of vanished ilization. rise: senbach, M. D.; Company, “Who is the most popular American novelist to-day?” asks C. K. Sho in the London Sphere, and proceeds to answer his own question. “T bel it pany, to be Miss Mary Johnsten, whose works THE have ‘caught on’' in this country as I Volume ENCY as on the other side. * * * [ under- r stand in reading her last book ('Sir . Mortimer’) why it is that America does not want English romantic novels any IS THE WORLD IN A more—they are quite ag Wwell written on NEW RE . the other side 6f the Atlantic as they »‘l»m-*\vr‘ A are here.” If an English critic of Mr. Shorter's authority-has this faith in the merit of American romances, why is it TH The that the British publ‘u cannot fmm THE F JENNICO—Agnes them . their due place in the literature aud Ca The Macmillan of the day? That the publi¢ does not company, New paper; price 25 is evident in the still comparatively cents.