The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-10-04


evolution of character than any OF her
previous work had exhibited. The I'M
holy heroine Of that story was drawn
with a truly mastery touch, although
she was such q repulsive character
that most people were fain to pass her
by with as little attention as possible
q fact which did not rebound to her
creators fame and decidedly detracted
from the credit Mrs. Craigie should
have received for such powerful piece
of work. THE Herb Moon" is still an
experiment, and Is In a different vein
from any OF it's predecessors. The
scenes are chiefly rural; the people are
quiet souls, whose emotions are very
much compressed; the book is written
with great reserve and Is on the whole
as great a contrast to its immediate
predecessor as can well be imagined.
1t is hardly necessary to say that what
ever Mrs. Craigie writes is abundantly
well worth reading. While the restraint
of the story extends to a limited degree
even to the authors use of her own
cleverness, there are two characters,
one an invalided woman of the world,
and the other the farmers wife who
let's lodgings to Rose Arden, her brother
and her lover, in whom Mrs. Craigie
permits her native wit to sparkle Mrs
narrowly and Susan Wrestle, in their
very diverse ways, are extremely hui
man and remarkably brilliant, and
furnish vivacity which is quite lack
Ing in the sad heroine and her sober
lover. AS a whole, the book accom-
plishes all it undertakes. The at
tempt is not a large one, being by no
means up to the limit of the writer's
capacity, but the result has the willful
charm which invests everything from
the pen of John Oliver Hobbies and
will be gladly read by her admirers.
t''The Herb Moon" by John Oliver Hobbies.
New York. The F.. A. Stokes Company.
$1.25. For sale by the st. Paul Book and
Stationery company
Mrs. Margaret E. Sangster. the editor
of Harper's' Bazaar has collected a
little volume of essays on homely
themes which were originally con-
tributed to the 'Congregationlist and
the Christian Intelligencer,' and pub
lished them under the title with My
Neighbors." They are talks with the
average woman on themes that come
near her life, and there is a great deal
of good advice and good sense between
the lids Of the little book, which, by
the way, Is bound in one Of the most
attractive and artistic of the seasons
covers. The scope of Mrs. Sangster's
essays and the character of the read
ers for whom they are designed is well
of which are, 'Tuckered OUT Sunday
Reading" Planning for Pleasure; p
1.-THE Moral Effect Of Pretty Gowns; -
''The Trials Of the Over-Sensitive;
'The Unrest of Our Girls" There is
a certain old-time flavor to the essays,
q taking for granted Of the value of a
great many things which the modern
woman questions or casts away. which
is truly refreshing and healthfu1.
('With My Neighbors," by Margaret q.
Sangster. New York. Harper & Bros. 81 25.
For sale by the st. Paul Book and Stationery
company
'The Violet Is q novel which Is al
ready known to several hundreds of
thousands of readers through it's pub
LEGATION as serial in the Ladies' Home
Journal. In fact nearly all the readers
in the United States must already have
become acquainted with Miss Mag
ruder's pleasant romance Of New York
life. We say romance advisedly. There
is nothing in the least realistic about
this authors treatment of existence
She occupies a unique position among
American writers, being the only
lineal descendant Of the author Of
"Rutledge" and kindred volumes which
narrowed the souls of young readers a
generation ago. Miss Magruder's
heroines are very much up-to-date. are
we'll dressed and Well-mannered and
generally superior In a social way to
any of their predecessors. but their woes
are the same woes which afflicted the
heroines Of Mrs. Harris, and even Of
Mrs. Mary J. Holmes and Mrs. Aug
usta Evans. They suffer an amount
of misery and wrap themselves in an
amount of mystery which calculating
realist would consider distinctly dis
proportional to the cause. But girls Of
eighteen are not calculating realists,
and it is chiefly among them that The
Violet" will find it's audience. And we
are sure that they will suffer. immense
ly with the picturesque heroine, and
will rejoice with her rejoicing and will
pronounce the book too lovely for
anything" The volume is illustrated
with a dozen pictures by Gibson.
('The Violet" by Julia Magruder. New
York. Longmans, Green & Co. $1.25.)
Will Carleton's work both in prose and
verse has been familiar to the public
for a great many years, and has found
it's audience, which is of goodly proper
lions and sturdy quality, but which
will probably never be materially en-
larged, for nothing could be further
from the distinctive trend Of modern
literature than Mr.. Carleton's character
istic subjects and STYLE 1.-THE Old In
FAINT" is a collection Of short stories.
The themes are homely and the man
ner of treating them humorous. The
title-story, which relates the advent
ures of an old man who had never had
time to learn to read and write, and
who went to district school when past
sixty to remedy the deficiencies Of his
early training, Is the best Of the COL
lection both in matter and manner.
(''The Old Infant" by Will Carleton New
York. Harper & Bros. $1.25 For sale by
the st. Paul Book and Stationary COM
pany)
book which will find as much favor
in the eyes of "grown-ups" as Of chill
dren Is Eleanor Whitney Wizards COL
lection Of ''Children's Singing Games .
Mrs. Willard has taken a dozen of the
prettiest of the singing games, such as
London Bridge" and Little Sallie
Waters" most of which have come
down to us through countless genera
tons, arranged them with the appro-
pirate music and illustrated them with
simple but spirited and charming
drawings, making very attractive and
interesting little volume. These old
plays, which properly belong to the de-
partment Of folklore, are passing
away among US. They are by no
means as familiar to the child of today
as to his father and mother. On gen.
erl principles, it is probably better thar
little people should be more familiae
with the kindergarten songs and plays
which have an educational intent and
civilizing influence than with the
traditional games of our ancestors,
which have no such purpose to recon-
mend them. 1t would be pity, how
sever, IL the. latter were allowed to pass
wholly out of life and into the folk
lore dictionaries. and such gracious at
tempts as this to rescue them from
their impending fate cannot be too
warmly commended