St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-17

A DOOMED CITY, or THE COUNCIL OF
FIVE. BY George l.. Baker; 16mO,
900 pages. Minneapolis: Babb, Guile
& Co.
"a Doomed City" is an allegorical story
of the work of the Minneapolis police
commission. 1t is an interesting and
important work. as giving the inside
history of body that in the darkness
of secret sessions concocted schemes for
retaining and perpetuating a despotic
power over huge city; but the attempt
to make hero and philanthropist OF
Puritanical fanatic is strained and un-
natural. and far from pleasing to the
ordinary reader. The book is much
longer, too. than the subject matter
two days reading.
BROKEN PLEDGES. BvA. R. Alderman,
12mo, 3O6 pages. Minneapolis: Geesa-
man Il Murphy (city printers).
"Broken Pledges" is an historical
novel, dealing with the campaign of
1888 and events after the election. 1t is
a book of absorbing interest, and is very
accurate in the matter of the events
treated of, but lacks something in style.
seeming rather to be the confessions
critique and comment of thinking
spectator. The real interest of the
work has been largely lost sight of in
the heat of popular excitement and
query concerning the identity of the
author, who has seen fit to conceal his
personality beneath the somewhat sug-
gestive non de plume, GA. r. Alder
man." There seems to be small ground.
however, for any doubt that Thomas
Downs penned many of the remOrseful
lines which the book contains. The
publication has excited much interest,
and is now in its tenth thousand.
THE SALE OF THE HENNEPIN AVENUE
THEATER-(Sackett d Wiggins' Little
Histories). BY Charles N. Hunt; Svo.,
1877 pages.
Of all this charming series of histories
this is the most valuable. 1t is written
in peculiarly terse, almost abrupt
style, that is welcome relief from the
studied periods and learned phrases SO
common in contemporary history. 1t
deals with the subject in hand without
gloves, and turns up many new and in
teresting features of the series of events
attending the vicissitudeS of the exist
ence of this beautiful playhouse, and
throws new light on the actions of some
DTOIllllcllt poOplC. 1to lSlOlCiiSOc w ehO
veracitY of Gen. Hahn are far from conf
plimentary, while some other people
come in for mild rOasts.
The GURGL1NG GRowLER AND OTHER
POEMS. BY Patrick Is Per Cent
Fitz Gibbons; 12mo., 200 pages, illus
trated. Minneapolis: Wallace &
Dunn.
A perfect gem. The one spot of
greenery in all the dreary vast of lame
and halting rhyme that has been fOisted
upon weary public during the past
year. "The Gurgling Growler," the brill
liant centerpiece around which cluster
the lesser gems of this collection, is
poem full of true inWardness and latent
force. 1t was originally composed to
be read at banquet of the Secret
Sons of Rest" but won such nnstinted
praise from the few favored ones who
heard it that the author felt compelled
to give the reading public at large the
benefit of his muse. The health and
good spirits, the conviviality and fell
lowship, and the visions of beaded beer
that shine out from these rollcking
verses would rejuvenate bearded an
chorite, and drive beardlesS youth to
drink.
The shorter poems contained in the
volume are mostly love ballads, drink
ing songs and epistolary poems, all
possessing some merit, and many of
them worthy of preservation.
The illustrations by Oscar the Tailor
are triumphs of art, and add not little
to the value and beauty OF the volume.