Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-05-17

charm of style. makes it specially interest
ing and valuable. The reader is made 70
Mr.. Carpenter on his travels,
taking ship with him at Vancouver, visit
ing first Japan, and then proceeding to the
several Asiatic countries in turn. Eacn
chapter is as entertaining as a story, pc
sides conveying a large amount OF NaLu-
able Information. Indeed, the book mlght
be appropriately called, "A Trip Through
Asia With the Children"
The work is. however, more than a rec
ord of travel. 1t is a close, intelligent, SYM
pathetic survey of the customs,
religions, government and surroundings OF
the various races of the Oldest and most
interesting countries in the world. Geogra-
ply is thus studied from its human side,
in accordance with the teachings OF the
best modern pedagogical thought.
The interest and effectiveness OF the
book is greatly enhanced by the lllustra-
TONS, which are found on almost every
| page. They are remarkably good halt-tone
reproductions from photographs taken by
the author on the ground. The WORK Is
also supplied with a number OF clear, well
executed maps of Asia and all us coun-
tries. American Book Company, New York
and Chicago.
Koheleth. A novel. By Lewis Austin
| Storrs. This story is, for the most part,
located in New London, Conn.,, in the de-
cadent days of the merchant marine and
the whaling service. and is odOrous OF
brine and longshore life. The antlthetcal
characters of Lemuel and Hugh are IN
tended to express the careers OF the two
sorts of men-one bold. aggressive conf
dent. successful; the other retrospective,
doubling. dissatisfied. hesitating to prove
and push himself in the battle for the de-
sirable things of life, until by sheer des-
peration and disappointment he is driven
to take issue with his rival. by Irene ana
little Susie the desire is not so much TO
contrast virtue and vice as virtue and
misfortune, and to show the overmaster-
ing power of real love. The UNEMPLOYED
mystery of Windham house throws a weird
spell over the story, and particularly over
Irene. its immured and maligned tenant.
There are introduced one or Two minor
stories. more or less independent of the
narrative, and there are also character
and descriptive sketches, sometimes of a
delicate humor, uniformly meritoriOus and
pleasing. The style is dignitied and the
language rhythmical and pure. TIL phil
osophy of the book is Epicurean. and is
suggested, as well as the name, by certain
parts of the Book of Ecclesiastes. c. W.
Dillingham; Company, New York. Fred
Harvey, Kansas City.
Captain Molly. A Love Story. BY Mary
A. Denison. Mrs. Denison is known
throughout this country and Great Brit
ain as the author of several successful
novels. among them being That Husband
of Mine Captain Molly is in a decid-
eddy different vein from her previous work.
it being "a strong story of the affections
with many ANA situations. 1t is now
being dramatized for early presentation in
New York. The scene is laid among the
East Siders of New York. but the charac-
tiers are not all drawn from that classic
locality. A leading New York daily says:
Mary Denison has written many pleas
ant tales that have been widely read, but
her Captain Molly is a surprise. 1t is a
love story of the Salvation Army-as sweet
a love story as ever was d-w must
have been written with every nerve Vibrat-
ing under the spell that impels men and
women to offer up their lives as daily sac
rifices to save the weak and erring. 1t does
not preach; it idealiZes only. as the true
artist should. But il will make every man
and woman better for the reading" Lee
q Shepard. Boston. Osborne & Pitrat,
Kansas City.
a Cheque for Three Thousand. BY
Arthur Henry Veysey. This is an unusu-
ally original novel. An eccentric million
are and philanthropist, wearied of sys-
tematic and sensible money giving to IN
situations of brick and mortar. resolves TO
indulge in the unique dissipation of going
on d spree by proxy. He finds an interest
ing young man in a cheap restaurant, and
conveys TO him a cheque for 5000, with
one stipulation only: in twelve months the
scapegoat of his fOllies is to report in per-
son how he has spent the money. The
hero, Norman Pennington, sails for Paris,
where he has a high old-time for three
months. Here, under an assumed name,
his identity becomes tangled up with tina
of an American senator who had become
famous because of his devotion to Ma
pcieon. Pennington, in supporting his as
sumed dignity, is plunged into absurd en-
penditures that ruin him, returns home
and resumes his former work at SIS a week,
but before his year is ended, turns discom-
future into final triumph by writing a sue
cessful play Of which his own adventures
furnish the plOt-all this is told in a story
OF amusing situations, condolences and
complications.
Il is bright and clever, vivaciousIy writ
ten in a style that is brusque and to the
point. There are no superfiuous words, no
descriptions to divert the attention of the
reader from the plot. Dramatic, full of
life and action, and it is a brilliant farce
pany, New York. Fred Harvey, Kansas
CITY.
The Day of Rests, by Lillian Frances
Mentor, is an improbable story, but a live
ly one. The writer has seen fit to trans
port a party of fin de steele Americans 70
the unexplored interior of Africa. They
have good reason to believe. from certain
strange that there exists in this
region a country cut off from the rest of
the world. called the Land of On. After
many days of danger and privation, they
discover IL. and are feted by the king and
natives. who suppose them to have fallen
from some other planet. The visitors re-
mark that there are no old persons among
these Onites. but that ali are young. large,
magnificent and healthy. This singular
fact is accounted for later in the book by
an explanation of the Day of Rests. of
which the Inhabitants speak in Subdued
whispers. Once a year all the Onites who
have reached the age of siXty-five march
before their king. who, with one slash of Il
ShGlB hdSStIr StNtIS lnt artery at the
wrist of each victim. The is &C.
companied by song and happiness, as il is
deemed a privilege to meet such a death.
Then there are marvellous excursions in
the Land of On, notably one to the field
of b~rilliants. whore the daring Americans
pick up diamonds of enormous size 20 take
home when they make their escape.
Beside these astonishing descriptions OF
customs and scenes. the book pulsates with
peril. Each chapter contains some weird,
uECanny and tragic catastrophe just es-
capped by the brave explorers. CT. w Dill
liEgham Company, New York. Fred Har-
vey, Kansas City.
Books ReceiN ed.
CAPTAIN MOLLY. By Mary A. Denison.
Cloth. 81 pages. Price 81. Lee & Shepard,