Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-13
ABOUT BOOKS AND BOOKMAKERS,
Some Strange Corners OF Our
Country, by Mr.. Lummis.
Our Country-A Book Which All
Patriotic Citizens Should Re- a..
A Study of Supposed Perf.s which
Confront the Nation =. Some
Stories of Colonial fines.
Book TALL.
lBY l.. H.

Annually maDy VI our DeSG eQp lC&fo0,
most observing an d wealthy inhs .bitents
90 abroad for recreation, Sightseeing
and travel. On. their return they speak
of the beautiful sights they have wit
messed, the wonderful mount ain passes
and gorges ehey have passed through, OF
the peculiar dress and costume of the
natives, their speech, Implements of
agriculture and the animsils trained to
assist them. Ask them concerning our
own continent, and they know compara-
lively nothing of its wonders outside of
few cities. We live in the most won
derful of lands, and the most wonderful
thing is that we, f.s Americans find 30
little to wonder at. Charles F. Lummis,
at one time connected with the
daily press of this city, but now
in the employ OF The Century company,
tells us in his new book; Some Strange
Corners of 0ur Country, the wonder
land of the southwest, OF the grandest
gorge in the world, the grand canon of
the Colorado. 1t lies mostly in Arizona,
but touches Utah. Nevada and Califor-
mia. In his description he gives us
accounts cf this canon, in which all of
the worlds most famous gorges could be
lost forever; in which flows river if
on which we were sailing, and if the
statue of Liberty could be removed and
placed or the dome of one of the cliffs
of this wonderful de6le, it would look to
us like the tiniest of dolls, and if it were
across the canon from you, you would
need q strong glass to see it at all. OF
the Pueblo Indians, who kill thousands
of small animals yearly with
boomerang similar to those used
by the Australian bushmen, and who
are 90 expert with the magic club as
any ,ei their antipodean brothers. OF
Indian jugglers who can teach the Jug
glers of India more astounding tricks
than they have ever attempted. We
read of the curious Passion Play OF
Oberammergau, but each year sees in
this wonderful country more dramatic
passion reality-a flesh and blood cruci-
fxion-wherein an Ignorant fanatic
represents in fact the death of the
Savior. We read in American history
of Salem witchcraft and imagine that
the last witch did 60 up in the cruel
smoke of old Salen; but he tells us
that within our borders vast domain
wherein witchcraft is as fully believed
in as yesterday is, and where somebody
is executed every year for the strange
crime of being witch. OF forest
hundreds OF miles in extent whose
trunks are translucent and some of it
quite transparent. Where the wonderful
chips hewn by Times patient ak are
red moss agate, and amethyst, and
smoky topaz, and agate OF every hue.
This is Chalcedony park of the wonder
full petrified forest of Arizona. OF The
American Sahara, where giant cacti
grow 60 feet high and as large around as
barrel, and where herd of camels
roam today wild as deers and apparently
prospering; of the pueblo "rattlesnake
dance" which takes place in the Moqui
towns in the month of August. He
tells us that there are magicians and
wizards with whom Professor Hermann
and his predecessors bear no compari
son, whose tricks if placed upon the
stage would prove an eighth wonder of
the world of the ancient cliff dwellers,
whose homes are in houses six stories
high, cut out of the solid rock and evil
dently at one time used as forte, and
now the most interesting of these pre-
historic ruins; tells of Montezuma's
well and Montezuma's castle, and the
greatest natural bridge on earth; of the
stone autograph album; the rivers of
stone, and the wonderful weaving of the
Navajo blankets. 1t will prove to be
one OF the most interesting books of. the
season and eagerly read by both young
and old--a wonderful story of more
wonderful people.
We have Just voted in this last presi-
dental struggle for an amendment
which contains the educational qualif-
cation, requiring every voter to be able
to write his name and read the constitu-
amendment which should have been a
written by Rev. Josiah Strong, D. D.,
entitled Our Country. Its possible fu-
ture and its present crisis. Over $50 900
copies have been sold, but living issues
have changing aspects, and 80 the sta
tistical treatment of these living issues
renders revision, after six years, quite
essential to the further usefulness of the
book. Moreover, the census OF 1890
marks the present az a favorable time
for such revision. The work, now thor
oughly rewritten and revised, is an at
tempt to present some of the perils
which threaten our future and to point
out the magnitude of the issues which
hang on the present. 1t is work
which all thinkers and students of polit-
ical economy should study and ali peo-
pie interested in the future welfare of
our nation-its public institutions and
pure government should read. II is
powerful book; it's great strength lies in
it's facts. 1t teaches that every day is a
day of crisis, every hour is an hour
of splendid destiny and every
moment is the mick of time"
which, ii seized upon at the right time.
leads on to victory and triumph that
as America goee, so goes the world, in
all that is vital to its moral welfare.
Some of the principal chapters, and
most interesting ones. are devoted to
discussing and explaining national re-
sources, with maps and statistics; ;
western supremacy, in which the west
is today an infant. but shall one day be
giant, in each of whose limbs shall
unite the strength of many nations.
Perils-Immigration, discussing France,
Germany, Austria, Italy, Russia, Great
Britain, ETC., with special reference to
the west, whether this in-sweeping i'm
migration is to foreignize US, or we are to
Americanize it. Perils-Romanism also
q second chapter on Perils-Religion
and the Public Schools, all treating in a
scientific and analytical manner the
educational system of this great nation.
He also classifies under the head of
National Perils, Mormonism in it's past
and present state; and devotes much
space to the perils of intemperance and
the liquor power. Follows with a
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