The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-19
BOOK REVIEWS And NEWS.

PUSHING TO THE FRoSr, OF success Under
Difficulties, etc. by Orson :. Marden'
illustrated with portraits. Boston: hough-
ton, Aif1lin & Co.
A great deal can be done to help boys
who want to help themselves; very little
TO help boys who have not amDltions,
who have not the ambitious spirit.
am not persuaded OF the wisdom OF
many attempts to inspire boys
with great ambitions. 1t is often
easier 10 plant desire than to stimulate
fulfilling power. To certain point the
influence OF great examples, OF the per-
Torrance of tremsndous enorgy pushing
On phenomenal capacity and acute intel
ligence, IL the best possible influence. BE-
yond that point It discourages, deadens,
clogs. This writer has brought to his
task exceptional devotion. He tells in
his preface that he spent ten years coll
lecting material, which was all consumed
in FIRE. Then he began again, re-writing
what he could remember, and spent sew
eral years more on the work. The book,
therefore, represents the best thought and
the devoted work OF man very much In
earnest. "The authors aim," the preface
tells us, s'has been to spur the psrplexed
youth to act the Columbus to his own un-
discovered possibilities" ETC., all admira-
Bile and admirably set forth. 1t Is SAID In
the preface also that the author "believed
that the power of an ideal book for youth
should lie in its richness of concrete ex-
amples.n So we find here pictures (good
pictures) of many remarkable men; not
all great men, but all notable examples OF
what boys have done for themselves, and
along with these concrete examples there
il some of the best kind OF talk TO and for
boys that has ever been printed. 1t is
wholesome and good and strong and
helpful. / don't know how old boy
must be not TO profit by this book. i am
sure it prompted me TO resolves that
ought to be of some use to me,
help boy to find himself out
it will do very great work. That is
the most grievous thing about boys; they
do not succeed in finding themselves out
until they have let years run to waste.
Often the parents and teachers are at
fault. The older heads that study boys
ought to recognize the real boy sooner
than the boy himself does. Mr.. Marden
might have added very valuable chapter
on this point--the desirability OF fitting
parents hopes and plans to the boys
capacity and bent, rather than trying to
mold the boy to the preconceived hopes
and plans OF the parents.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN and the Downfall Of
American Slavery, by Noah Brooks. New
York; @. p. putnams Sons.
Mr.. Brooks knew Lincoln and closely
associated with him, and much of what
he writes is drawn from personal knowl-
edge and from Lincoln's own mouth.
This new edition Of book issued six
years ago is entirely justifAblc, as 1t Ia
very important to preserve q tru~'
portrait Of q man about whose MEM
Ory there are new traditions being
yearly woven. This man was great and
unique enough to deserve to be kept
wholly free from the influence of popular
myths. Mr.. Brooks has written straight
forward account of Lincoln's life, bring
= ing the man to the front constantly, and
always striving to show him as he was.~'It
is in many senses an ideal biography,
though lacking in such exhaustive COM
prehepsiveness "a gives, at all times, the
exactly right atmosphere.
VENICE. BY Alethea Wiel. New York: G.
p. Putnam's Sons.
The story of Venice, this author says,
in its entirety has yet to be written. Yet
the reader OF her entertaining and valuable
book will be very much inclined to the
opinion that she has very worthily COW
cred one Of the most fascinating histori-
cal fields. sac seems to have employed
tho true historical method, and been
moved by the true historical spirit;
yet she has employed the narrative
form to such good purpose that tho reader
Is carried along quite unconscious Of te-
nium or hesviness OF detail. 1t Is actually
Ilrx< - Sd "A.
in the valuable series the publishers are
bringing out under the title "The Story
of the Nations" upward of fcrty volumes
having now appeared. 1t is story only
in form, however, the substance being an
acute and luminous study of Venice as an
independent power, from its foundation
to its absorption into Italy, only about
generation ago.
"Dollars and Sensen IL little pamphlet
intended to be OF use to advertisers. 1t is
written by Nathaniel 9. Fowler, Jr., who
calls himself "doctor OF publicity" This
writer Is disinclined to express his honest
conviction regarding this publication, be-
cause 1t does not appeal to the general
public and there Is no necessity to warn
the said general public.
Holiday Books.
The Holiday list OF the Messrs. Scribner
covers a wide field, and its ramifcations
penetrate into every literary preserve.
The handsome "list" issued for the benefit
Of holiday buyers of books needs no more
than mention, as ii is at the service OF
whoever wishes to examine il. 1t
may be said with more truth OF
the Scribners than OF any other American
house. that their books possess N charac-
ter OF their own. This could have been
said of the Harpers with most truth up TO
few years baclx-up TO within about two
years. In fact, as the matter recurs to me
now. But latterly the Harpers have become
hnbituated to a new regime that has not
yet defined itself, but has shaken of
great deal that was traditional and dis
tinctive, SO that now the Harper books are
like all other book individuslities; they
are Houghton books, Little, Brown & Co.
books, Scribner books, Appleton books,