The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-12-05
THREE GOOD BOOKS

The first of them, of course, is a
Kansas book, which through the au-
thor's Kindness, lies on our table. 1t
is called "Old Wine in New Bottles, I"
was written by Brinton w. Woodland,
of Lawrence, Kansas, and published
by the Journal company of that place.
Thousands of men in Kansas know b.
w. Woodward by reputation as bus
mess man, the head of the firm OF
Woodward, Faxon & Co., of Kansas
City. A few scores, perhaps, know
him personally, as modest, cultured
gentleman, a connoisseur in art and
literature, a charming conversation
alist, an entertaining and felicitous
writer of both prose and verse. This
book, with its deprecatory title, so far
as it goes, is a transcription of the
man,-filled with discriminating criti-
cism of pictures and books and men,
with happy description of rambles in
foreign lands, with wise and witty re-
Elections on life and manners, with
occasional poems that are, some OF
them, actually poetical. 1t might be
called a book of essays; and such
books are going out of fashion. 1t is
written in the most leisurely style
Imaginable; and such writing is going
out of fashion. Nevertheless the man
who thinks he detests essays will read
this book from beginning to end. And
the man who thinks he wants writer
to "tell his story and quit" will fol-
low the polished Addisonian sentences
and paragraphs through all their
graceful meanderings and forget to
complain. 1t is indeed rare "old
wine" that this book gives US, and 1t
is put up in most fascinating "new
bottles" 1t is a Kansas book that
richly deserves preservation.
~
Another good book that came the
other day, through the courtesy of the
publishers, Belford- Clarke Co., Chi
cago, is "My Own Story" by Joaquin
Miller. No other one of our authors
has so unique and interesting a per-
sonality as Joaquin Miller, no other
one has led so adventurous and un-
conventional life, and few others
have command of such graphic and
original English, in which to tell their
story. Born in Indiana, taken when
a boy to Oregon, afterwards gold
hunter-wel known, by the way, at
that time by gentleman who is now
a resident of lola and who tells strange
stories about HMM California. after.
wards living, an Indian among In
dams, with the Modocs, it goes with
out saying that his story is an inter
esting one. The scope of the book,
and something of the fascination, may
be guessed from the following extracts
from its preface.
This book is the story of my life
among the Indians; and yet it is not
the story, nor the half of it-hardly
the hundredth part of it-for each day
of those four years was of itself a vol
ume. 1t is marvel that the writer,
with his impetuosity want of common
sensel, survived even a portion OF
those days. For example, returning
weary and half-blinded by the snow
from an unsuccessful hunt, a chasm
was encountered. His companions
picked their way cautiously around;
but he audaciously tried to leap it,
By the sheerest chance he struck a
narrow ledge some twenty feet below,
and was tished out by his Indian COM
panions. Similar incidents by flood
and flame, to say nothing of wild
beasts and wilder men, both white
and red, dot ne arly every one of those
eventfuI and most glorious days.
This will give the reader some fore.
taste of what is in store for him. A
tale of wild adventure and yet, the
author assures us, nothing but the
"rold, frozen truth"
~
The third book is Abraham Lin
coins Pen and Voice." by G. NJ. Var
Buren,, Robert Clark & Co., Cincinnati
publishers. This is altogether the
most interesting and valuable contri
button to the Lincoln literature thai
the year has seen, for it collects il
chronological order and in convenient
form all the impromtu addresses al
well as the set speeches, messages t.
Congress, proclamations and important
letters of the great President, from thu
time he was first nominated until hi!
tragic death. One thing the reader o
this volume cannot helpnoticing: Ant
that is the steady growth in readiness
and felicity of speech made by Lincoln
during this period. The called up
speeches that he made at various
places where his train stopped en- rouot'
to Washington in 1861, were in thu
main commonplace and some of then
almost awkward. But there is ,
steady improvement, month by month
I'm form as we'll as substance
until the sublime heighth of the Get
tysburg Grafton is reached. The bool
brings between two covers materia
that must otherwise be sought TO
through whole libraries, and mus
therefore find a warm welcome.
-4$e
THE DECEMBER MAGAZINES.
Hdrper's Magazine for December il
a superb Christmas number. 1t "opens
with aAs Won Like Tt - the third a