The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-25

is the true reality-a conviction which
many share with him. Just in passing
one may remark that when Mr.. Gar
land writes for ladies' domestic jour-
nails and brings his books out in vol
umes that can only be called petite"
or dainty" one is somehow reminded
of Hercules and the distaff. But that,
too, must have been a pretty sight, so
why should one find fault? If women
have taken to philosophy and statistics,
men must take to chiffons and cookery
books, for nothing is more certain than
that the world cannot get along with
out the kind of literature which the
domestic journals provide.
land Doubleday & Mcclure company, New
York so cents. For sale by the st. Paul
Book and Stationery company.
Songs of Action"
Tt would be very interesting to know
what A. Conan Doyle himself thinks of
the little volume Of poems just
published under this title If.
as the saying goes, artists al
ways love best their worst work,
then Songs Of Action is prob
ably Dr.. DOyle's favorite production.
There are something like thirty short
poems in the book. They are about
war and hunting and sailing the deep
sea, and while they have a certain
sturdiness Of fiber Inherent in their SUBJ
jects and a certain ease Of expression
inseparable from the work of a prac-
ticed writer, they have nothing else to
recommend them to the reading public
except their authors name. The Ian
guage is commonplace and lacking i'll
force. They are l0ose-grained, unintar-
i
knows that they would never have been
written if "Barrack Room Ballads" had
not been written first, but DR.. Doyle's
acquaintance with that classic has not
greatly prOfited him, for the quality of
his verse as compared to that of Kip
ling's is the quality of a pumpkin be.
side that of a peach.
There is one incident in verse, THE
Groom's Story of the thoroughbred
horse which never could be made to do
it's best until the day it was hitched to
the masters automobile, which had
refused to go. that is amusing and
holds the readers attention to the end.
But one good set OF verses among thir
ty is not high percentage for the man
who wrote "A Gentleman OF France"
and "Sherlcck Holmes" It is not a
bad saying, that about letting the cob
bier stick to his last.
AS a sample OF DR.. D0yle's notions OF
poetry here is part of an address OF
welcome made by dead g,rl to her
lover who has killed himself in tbs
hope of rejOiring Ee~:
And are you trembling til, tea:?
Then let me take your hand;
Ard | will lead oUtv
To a sweet and restful Lend
'Ycu know low once in Lond n
l put my griefS On you;
But l can carry yOuIs now
Most sweet it is to do!
Do15,cday 6 Mcclure company, New York.
$1.25. Fer s3ie by the St. Paul Book and
Stationery company.
"Jnder tllc stars"
The authors Of Chis modest paper
bound booklet have not DR.. DCyle's
reputation to float their venture, but
Of poetic merit they have at least as
much, ard in the critics estimation,
probably more The verses Of Wallace
Rice and Barrett Eastman which are
contained in Under the Stars" have
also the great virtue Of time,iness.
They are songs of the American navy
and it's deeds Of grace and daring, ard
To have been cut off by the yard. Of
course it is easily possible to OVer-eSti-
mate the literary value of this kind Of
thing just at this time and we do not
mean to maintain that the authors are
twin Kiplings, or that their poems will
outiive The Charge Of the Light
Brigade" But the fact remains that
their hearts are in the right place,
though their metres sometimes go
astray, and that their verse is spirited
and fresh. Here is a fair sample Of
the kind of thing they do:
THE FLAG WITH FIFTEEN STRIPES
Our navy's name was writ in flame
When fifteen stripes we few
That flags bright fame We kept from blame
Wherever the seas were blue;
For under it-by all the Powersi
When the dogs of war let sip,
If we met the enemy he was ours
And we didn't give UP the ship!
'Then, hip! hip hip!
From every lip.
Hurrah! The boatswain pipes
The tune to the tars
Under Forty-f1ve Stars
OF the Flag with the Fifteen Stripesl
when Fifteen Stripes raced Ger the b,ue
Our navy was but small;
We had to do with frigate or two
No ships of-the-line at all:
Our guns blew up our powder was weak
Our cannon balls under weight.
Yet the flag at our peak through the battle
reek
Sped many fiery fate
when Fifteen Stripes snapped in the gale
II cannon could not reach,
We ciapped on sail till we Rugged his rail
And left his hopes a-breach;
over his side we'd gaily climb
Through pistols, pixies and hell
To the ringing rhyme the cutlasses chime
And the bully boarders yell.
when Fifteen Stripes sailed in the van,
Although our ships were few.
Both fleet and man were from one plan
Staunch and tried and true;
There weren't so many mechanical arts
When our men-o'war were oak,
But we armored their ports with American
hearts
And the battle fame and smoke.