The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-21

We nave read the book through. "Ele-
mertary Jane" Is the primitive woman,
and, according to Mr.. Pryce's convinc-
Ing way OF putting 1T, the Elementary
James Of even this nineteenth century
are numbered by their tens of thou
sands In more ways than one does
the author show the elementariness
OF his heroine-the woman whose de-
Nelopment has been of the heart and
really the heart Of the flesh at that.
Even elevating love is not always
spiritual, and though Jane is admirable
In her soulless devotion to her soulless
husband, and in real life would recon-
mend herself to all lovers Of womanly
women. the primitiveness of her love is
very evident in the story BUT it is
on THIS very elementary basis that the
highest Anglo-Saxon domestic virtues
are founded, and, half pittable as 1t
seems in the story, 1t makes a fortu-
nate ground work for the building of
the domestic ediflce. 'If I marry YOU
shall love you," says Elementary Jane
to the youth she does not yet really
care for.
''She thought she was speaking for
herself when she told Curly that mar
riage for her would mean love, and did
not dream that she spoke for ten thou
sand of her sisters, and touched the
Little Jane. like each one Of us, thought
her case unique"
Elem entary Jane was plain Jane
Smith In ordinary life, and Miss Jenny
Tandem on the music hall boards. Her
story is a sad little tale withal, and
common one. She is good little
girl and a very simple one, though she
does sing and dance for her living un-
der rather sporty stage Name She
has the merest germ of a soul in her
beautiful, innocent little body, and it
responds. while he Is near her, to a
man more richly endowed in this direc-
ton. Afterwards. when he drops out
of her life, she marries Curly, of the
very beautiful form and face. Curly
the beautiful, Is really more elementary
than Jane, and. could he have he'd
the readers sympathy, might as we'll
have given his name to the book, but
then such men as he have had their
pictures painted by nove1ists before
The pathos of the story Is strong, be-
cause SO little assuming, and it's in
terest human and true. It is something
to be able to take such commonpdac ace
material and make Of it 80 interesting
a book.
Elementary Jane" by Richard Pryce The
Hudson Library. Paper 50 cents. G.
P. Putnam's Sons New York For sale
by the St. Paul Book and Stationery COM
pany.
"Word for Word"
"Word for Word and Letter for Let
| ter" Is a story with it's own peculiari-
| ties by Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, a
young man with apparently more than
one string to his bow, for he Is writ
! ten down on the title page Of this ro-
nance as: Fellow Of the American
Hor Nh, al
| on the Madeira Islands; writer of
short stories and more ambitious TO
mances, and the head Of a publishing
| house; who most fortunately is thus
| saved the annoyance that attends
many a young author of finding a firm
willing to give to the world his writ
ings. Elsewhere we find the versatile
| Mr. Anthony J. Drexel Biddle as the
author Of at least two fairy story
| books.
''Word for Word and Letter for Let
ter" is queer combination of the
encyclopedia and the penny dread
full" It is true that, in a way, a dis
tinction is made-the two elements,
even in Mr.. Biddle's hands, mixing
no better than oil and water-and the
encyclopedia information La usually
blood-curdling and brain-swaying
sway in the text proper
To indicate without loss of time the
| style of literature this ia 1t Is only nee
essary to mention that the hero Is
addressed by his beneficiary as ezra
cious gentleman" His characters are
not as elegant in all cases as Mr.. Bid
die evidently expects his readers to be.
and at times their dialect-or rather
| Mr.. Biddles literary rendering of it
Is peculiar enough to startle the Or
binary reader: still it seems almost
unnecessary to add such explanatory
footnotes as "Cops, slang for police"
| ~Swing, slang term, meaning to hang
or be executed" and in the next note
to be informed that to be 'tput behind
! the bars" Is to be taken into custody.
| Tactfully complimentary to his read
ers as Is Mr.. Biddle In thus delicately
recognizing their probable ignorance
| of the commonest criminal Technology,
| he shows an almost criminal brutality
| in assuring the same elevated public
in another footnote that Lisbon is in
| Portugal.
"Word for Word and Letter for Letter. by
| Anthony J. Drexel Bfddle. Drexel Biddle
| publisher Philadelphia. For sale by the
| St. Paul Book and Stationery company.
| "The Second Froggy Fairy Book"
Anthony j. Drexel Biddle, the author
Of 'The Froggy Fairy Book has writ
ten sequel to 1t. Little Elsie Is again
the heroine, and the stories continue
her subsequent experiences among the
frogs, grasshoppers, butterflies, and all
the other departments of the animal
and insect world usually brought into
requisition by the writer Of fairy
stories. The illustrations are by Annie
Pennock and are In color and black
and white.
'The Second Froggy FAIRY Book" by
Anthony ]. Drexel Biddle. Drexel Biddle,