The herald., 1893-08-06

'
Harvard Stories, Sketches of the Under
graduates, by Waldron Knitting Post
The book is dedicated to the class O
1890. The intention was to bring bacl
recollections of the days when they wer,
all chums together. The stories sr'
only yarns and pictures of college boys
the higher traditions OF the old place ii
approached in only one instance. Ths
stories are all founded on actual occur
rences that either come under the
authors personal observation, or that O.
the undergraduates before him. There
has been many changes and develop
ments in the later days, and some Har'
ward men may not recognize some of the
stories; many old institutions have
passed away and new ones have taken
their places, but in the main, Alma
Mater is etill the same. Holworthy,
with all its memories, still gazes con-
templatively down on the green leafy
yard; the same old buildings flank it on
either hand. The white walls of I'M
versity still look across to the aged psi
Massachusetts, and her partner,
head of the family. The latter !
rears his sonorous Greet (in spite OF Ill
the students' histronic efforts to silence
it,; and is it not Jones who rings the
bell? The river is there, the elms are
there; above all, the undergraduates
are there, and from these tales, opine
that the undergraduate is still the same.
II you were ever a student at this venef-
able old place you will recall him in
these sketches, and they will make you
stT'kot sa 1i1yo 01A Eaoh
story is go arranged as an independent
whole, but they are arranged in GER
tain sequence, and the same characters
figure in each. The book begins with q
story of the university football game in
November, and ends with the boat race
in June. Most of the other incidents
and scenes OF a year at Harvard are
touched upon, including class day, the
examinations, a college evening, the
mess-table, etc. The most of the sto-
ries are OF the present day. but there is
one relating to the war. The collection
contains one farce, the scene of which is
in q college room.
G. P. Putnam's Sons have also new
book in their Story of the Native series,
entitled The Story of Poland, by w. r.
Morrill,, M. A., Reader in Russian and
Other Slavonic Languages in the Uni
versitv of Oxford. This volume is the
thirty sixth in this series. The series
has met with remarkable success.
Manyof the volumes are the work of
writer's who are recognized as authorities
on the subjects treated, and for all the
narrS I've it may safely be claimed that
they are not only interesting as stories,
but sound as histories. The books are
handsomely printed, and are abundant
ly furnished with illustrations and
maps. Mr.. Morrill, has written the
Story of Poland on the same lines as his
previous volume in the series, The Story
of Russia. The plan of the work is to
give readable history of the country
by bringing into prominence the more
stirring episodes and salient character
istics. and putting in the background
the details which must prove less inter-
esting. The history of Poland is very
mournful one. She is no longer a ma
tion. The country is divided between
Russia, Austria and Germany, and, as
Mr.. Morrill, says, Nothing now remains
but her language as bond Of union to
her children" In the sixteenth cen.
tury. however, Poland was the great
power of Eastern Europe. On the east
it was bounded by Russia, on the west
by what is now the Austrian empire and
the Danubian principalities.s In the
north she extended to the Baltic, and in
the south she touched the Black sea at
Akerman.' Among other misfortunes,
Poland suffered from the want of men of
talent and energy among her SOW
ereigns. She had come rigorous
rnlers, such as Boleslas the Brave.
Casimir the Great and Stephen
Batory. but the majority of her kings
were wanting in capacity and energy.
When, in addition to these elements of
weakness in the country, it is borne in
mind that it had no natural frontiers
being, in fact, vast plain open to in
curBions on all sides-and powerful ene-
mics on those artificial frontiers, which
were the only ones it had, we cannot
wonder that it was ready to fall to pieces.
But" says Mr.. Morrill,, sit is impossi-
BILE to read the record OF it's death
struggles without pain and sympathy.
Nor does it become a native of pros
porous country to coldly dis
sect the half-living frame of Poland,
stretched upon the table of the anato-
mist. The blotting out of her name
from the register OF existing nationali-
ties has a thousand times more than
atoned for the errors she may have COM
mitted while independent.
"Men are we, and must grieve when even the
shade
OF that which once was great is passed away"
%*x
One of Baker and Taylor Co.'s new
books, which will prove to be one of the
strongest written volumes lately issued,
is by Rev. Josiah Strong, d. d., general
secretary of the Evangelical Alliance of
the United States. His fame is already
known through his previous volume,
Our Country. This new book is entitled
The New Era, or The Coming Kingdom.
1t is common observation that we are
living in period of transition. Such
periods are always characterized by un-
certainty and anxiety, by difficult prob
lems and by great opportunities. OF
these we hear much; but no author be-
fore this time has attempted to show
why this is a period of transition, or to
point out its relations to the past and fu-
ture and thus interpret its mean
ing. This volume is such an
attempt The author has tried
to lay hold of fundamental laws and
laws and principles and to apply them
to the explanation of existing conditions
and to the solution OF the great prob
lens of the age. The reader will see
that the treatment of subjects has been
suggestive rather than exhaustive; to
have done them full justice each chap