Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-10-31
rryr RICHMOND DISPATCH SUNDAY. OCTOBER 50. 1897.


THE EVOLUTION OF FRANCE UN-
DER THE THIRD REPUBLIC. by
Baron Pierre de Ccurbetin. Transia'ea
from the French by Isabel f. Hapgood.
Authorized Edition, with Special Pre-
face and Additions and Introduction
by Or. Albert Shaw. Editor OF Ine
Review OF Reviews" New York ana
Boston: Thomas Y. Crowell &c co. 1871.
Cloth and Gilt. Pages, 49,
| We are glad that the title gives such
| full information, as we cannot unner-
take at present anything like an aoe-
| quate notice OF so large and Important
| a work NJ. de Courbetin is favorably
known by other productions also, ana
has twice visited the United States
where he has established annual prizes
In the two California universities, AT
Princeton and at Tulane, to the best stu
dent debater in each upon some SUD
| ject relating to French politics or po-
litical history. He is also trying 10 re-
vive the Olympic games. He represent
| ed his government at the world ar
in Chicago. The frontispiece OF this
work is a fine portrait of Felix Faure'
the present and sixth President OF the
| Third Republic There are also por-
traits of the first President, Adolpn
Theirs; OF the second. Marshal Mac
Mahon, Due de Magenta: of Jules Grevy'
| the third; of NJ. Sadi-Carnot, the fourth;
| of Jean Casimir-Perier, the hfth' ana
| OF nearly dozen other men highly DIS
| tinguished in late French annals, IN
Guiding the unfortunate and misguided
General Boulanger.
AMERICAN LANDS AND LETTERS
The Mayhower to Rip Van Wrinkle. BY
Donald G. Mitchell. New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons. 1851. The J. w. Ran
dolph Company, Richmond Va. Pages
400. Cloth and gilt. Price, $3.50.
The author says that he does not in
tend this TO be a complete literary his
tory of the period embraced by it. But
as an elegant publication it is complete.
1t is admirably gotten up and out; is
fully and excellently illustrated. and has
an index and a chart of the chronology
and sequence of events having relation
to the development of American Lands
and Letters.
The contents are highly instructive and
entertaining, being historical, biographi-
cal, critical, pictorial, and reminiscent.
They also include some very sulphurous
Puritanic theology.
The work is eminently Northeastern.
but a few tubs are thrown to the little
southern whale. John Smith and
Sandys, the translator, in Virginia, of
ovid, are honored, as is also Colonel Will
liam Byrd, in his visit to Colonel Spots
wood. There is portrait of Byrd, from
the copy by Sheppard, and a picture Of
. Westoyer, and a mention of the West
over MSS. There is also a picture of
William and Mary College, as restored
after the fire of 1905. He might have
added to his fac-similes of early news
papers one Of the old Virginia Gazette"
which comes within his period, and had
some serial contributors who displayed
good deal of classic culture.
The authors scheme is not to take note
of any author who was born after the
year 1900. But he may have lived and
written after that date. Hence, he gets
in tho chief members of his literary gall
lery, such as Irving, Bryant, Cooper,
Prescott, Peter Farley, Halleck, Drake.
Sigourney, Sedgwick, Claiming, Paul
ding Audubon, Wilson, and a number
of others. Our author mentions Ro.
Beverley and Rev. Hugh Jones as Vir-
ginia writer's, but strangely omlts Rev.
William Stith. AS TX Marvel, we suppose
that Mr.. Mitchell has pleasant recollec-
tions of Virginia.
PLAIN TALKS TO YOUNG MEN ON
VITAL ISSUES. BY Peter Ainslee. edi-
tor of the Christian Tribune, &C. Chris |
tan Publishing Company. 1897. George |
VI. West, Richmond. Va. Price GO cents. |
The author Of this small volume is also |
pastor Of a Church Of Disciples" in Bal |
timore. 1t contains, in the main, what |
he had delivered orally, and embraces |
gambling the theatre, dancing, swearing |
and cursing, lying, and Christian SER
vice. He does not take up intemperance, |
because that is well attended to by others. |
He gives some rather startling statistics: |
There are 70 young men out of every 100 |
who never go to church; 50 out of every |
100 who are not members of any church,
and 81 out Of every 100 who make no pre-
tensions TO live Christian lives" Here,
then, he has a wide field for usefulness,
and, as young men are the hope Of the
world, may he do them much good, and
induce them TO move on the world in the
best directions.
BOYHOOD OF FAMOUS AUTHORS.
William H. Rideing. Square Svo., w. X.
211 pages; portraits and autograph fac
SMILES. Cloth, $l.25.
1t is just ten years since Mr.. Rideing
collected into a volume his sketches of
the boyhood Of living authors. Since then
Holmes, Lowell, Whittier, and Boyesen
have passed away, and the title was no
longer accurate. He has accordingly
made II more comprehensive, and by SUBJ
stituting chapters on Robert Louis Ste
venson and Rudyard Kipling for others
deemed of less interest he has considera-
bly, wdened it's scope. Every chapter was
prepared with the approval, If not the
assistance, OF the seventeen authors rep
resented and the work has the great
merit OF being trustworthy. Mr. Ride
ing's work cannot help being stimulus
toward literary study and ambition, and
the autograph letters reproduced add
greatly TO its interest.
SELF-CULTIVATION IN ENGLISH. By
George Herbert Palmer, Ii. D., Afford
Professor of Philosophy in Harvard
University. One volume, 12mo., 80 pages.
80 cents.
The study of English, according TO Pro-
fessor Palmer has four aims-"The mas
terry of our language as a science, as
history, as a joy, and as tool" In his
essay he treats of II as a tool, and in
tends his words TO serve as a sort OF In
PRODUCTION 10 the many books on rhetoric ]
already existing. He says: Every hour
our language is an engine for communi-
eating with others; every instant for
the thoughts Of our own
minds. / want to call attention to the
means of mastering this curious and es-
sential tool" He addresses himself TO
those who have little time and little ac-
cess to the great apparatus Of Libraries.
The style is clear and convincing, and
the Illustrations admirable. 1t Is a most |
inspiring little manual.
A WOMAN'S PART IN A REVOLT ]
TION. BY Mrs. john Hays Hammond. {
New York. London and Bombay: Long {
mans, Green & Co. 1881. Pages l4l. j