The sun., 1898-03-12
NEK BOOKS.
nrief Reviews or Important and Interesting
New Publications.

hrtef Reviews OF Important and Interesting
New Publications.
Mr.. James Barnes 10 good story teller. He
knows how 10 spin yarn. He keeps the picture
In view and allows tho style to take care OF
itself. This 10 something that style 10 capable
OF doing. 1t resents coddlinR, and plays tricks
on those who favor 1t with too much attention.
1t behaves best when It is let alone There are
plenty Of people who havo road only the first
sentence Of Rasseles." whereas everybody has
read the whole OF the important part OF Rob
inson Crusoo." In Yankee Ships and Yankee
Sailors; Talos Of the War of 1912" Macmillan
Company, Mr.. Barnes illustrates the fact that
style 10 gifted with the feminine disposition, and
that II rewards those who do not poster 1t. These
tales are In admirable style, style not having
been In any measure courted. We will not say of
them that they arc "crisp" and breezy" for
they are not tea biscuits and not days in March;
but we are FREQ to declare of these yarns that
they are natural, and that they reel easily of
tho spindle. Hero is a tale OF the frigato Chesa.
peake. which stuck In the ways when they tried
to launch her. and was finally got into the water
on q Friday. or course, she was an unlucky
ship ever afterward, and we know what tho
British Shannon finally did with her off Boston
harbor., This is o story of humiliatinR things
that happened to us at meeting between the
Chesapeake and the British ship Leopard in
1907. We corrected 1t all later on sea and on
land. The British packet service. and tho Brit
ish navy as we'll. became aware OF our impor-
tance en- the sea; and jackson, in Cooper's
phrase, taught 'em the Law" at New Orleans.
The story Of Reuben James, the sailor who
interposed his generous head between Dcca.
tur and o hostile scimiter at Tripoli. is Wig
orously told here; and there is a very amusing
account of the experience Of tho Blazing Star,
Yankee whaler. which was not aware that
there was a war, which expedition from
British man-of-war essayed to capture.
and which captured tho expedition instead.
The Coward is q story of a man who was un-
doubtedly coward ordinarily, but who proved
to be hero when 1t came to pinch; "The
Scapegoat involves the tragic story of Capt.
Lawrence and the loss OF the Chesapeake; there
10 an account of Fighting Stewart" and GER
tain incidents connected with him during his
command OF the Constitutions; two dues, ono
between Bainbridge and a British officer at
Malta, the other the duel between Decatur and
Barron. afford the basis of another tale: and
there are stories besides. The book is founded
In history. and does not ignore tradition. 1t 10
well done. and very interesting.
The Principles Of Grammar; an Introduction
to the Study of the Laws Of Language by the
Inductive Method" by Herbert J. Davenport
and Anna M. Emerson tMacmillan Company,
illustrates and emphasizes ut least ono inn
portant point In a chapter on the Mature of
the Subject" page 1s1, it is declared: I'm tho
sentence, James struck John, it is clear that
James is the something thought of in the SEN
tence. the person whose activity is made promi-
nent." This is perfectly true. not to say OBJ
vious It is probable that to nobody was the ac-
tivity of James more prominent than it was
to John. John at least must have thought of
James, and SO it is not to be controvertcd that
James was something thought of. The authors go
on to point out possible variation in the aspect
Of the matter between James and John. But
take the sentence John was struck by James: the
Same fact Is expressed by different order of
werds. but here we call different word, John.
the subject. This is not because John is the first
word of the sentence but because our thought
Is not quito tho same; we are looking al the ac-
tion from q different point of view.' This also Is
not to be gainsaid. By the change in form John
10 raised here into greater prominence; he
becomes moro distinctly and emphatically what
tho French call the piece Of resistance. The
authors kindly illustrate the difference "Sup-
pose the tive boys to be playing. and their re-
spectivo fathers looking on; then. when the
quarrel occurs, James's father would say,
'Jamss strikes John,' while Jehns would say.
John was struck by James The former looks
at the fact from the point Of view of his greater
interest In James, and so his thought begins
with James; while the latter. from his
greater interest in John, makes him the
mere important, and therefore the subject"
Here the question arises what the sentence
would be in case John and James were brothers.
having only one father between them. We sup
peso he would say az rapidly as possible:
james strikes John and John is struck by
James; John IL struck by James and James
strikes John" Still it Is possible that he would
say merely: Boys. IL you don't stop fighting
will horsewhip you." English grammar is won
derfully flexible and permissive. The possibili-
ties of it are hardly to bo estimated.
For PHYS Sake" by Sarah Nelson Carter
(Andover Press, Andover. Mass.), considers ami
mails and their need of kindness. Binders for
horses. the book says arc simply q relic OF
barbarous age. and do moro harm than good.
Gen. Grant in his memoirs tells of how he
swapped horses once In town some miles from
his home and records that his new horse was
frightened at everything and that it was possi-
bio to drive him only after no had been
most effectually blinded. Left to look
about at things. he was in constant terror
and trenbl0d in way that it was pitt
full to see; but blinded he was quito at case. and
went on with every appearance OF happiness.
Possibly the case Of Gen. Grants horse is COW
cred by remark In the book before US. Great
care should bs taken. however" it Is said. e. in
removing blinders from horse that has been
accustomed to them. Seeing the carriage be-
hind him for the first time might give him such
q fright that an accident would follow" This
would seem to show at least that tho horse was
satisfied with his acquired habit of binders
and had no wish to relinquish 1t. New
ertheless, the book says that we ought
to be ashamed every time we look
blinded hOrsS In the face. The book also makes
. question as to whether horse should be shod,
and tells Of horse that died in terrible agony
of q long.pointed nail in his foot. "Oh, the
horror of itl'' the book very vehemently and
synpathetically says. There are many anec-
dotes Of dogs, and the author is opposed to the
use Of the plumage OF birds for the decoration of
hats and for other ornamentation.
"Ths Copy Maker" by William Farquhar
Payson lNew Amsterdam Book Company, is the
story of New York reporter 1t offers no con.
cealment of the fact that 1t is intended to be a
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