The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-12
Books ofthe Hour
"The Philippine islands,"

"The Philippine Islands"
BY Ramon Reyes Lala. Cloth, PIP. 342. Price.
$2.50. Continental Publishing company,
New York. St. Paul Book and Stationery
Company.
History, romance, tragedy and COM
edy are all to be found in Mr.. Lala's
book. The author, being himself Fill
pino though a citizen of the United
States, speaks as one having authority.
His personal acquaintance with Agul-
naldo and other prominent F1llplnoS,
and his easy access to colonial records,
have enabled him to give his readers
valuable information, not only on sub
jects of earlier Philippine history, but
on matters of current discussion.
While Mr.. Lala, being much in love
with the United States himself, is hope
full of seeing American influence DOM
inant in the islands, yet he glories In
his peoples long struggle for liberty
and believes firmly that they would
have been far above their present
status had it not been for Spanish mis-
rule He does not approve OF all that
AguinaldO does, but says: Il admire
him and hope that the Americans will
cooperate with him to give us stable
Philippine government. At all events,
the mans strong personality and his
large following cannot, believe, well
be ignored by the American govern
ment"
authentic statement with reference to
that oft-told story of the generals in
fidelity to his cause. which he is said
to have sold to the Spaniards. In this
compact, which Aguinaldo and Rivera
signed Dec. IA. 1887, were the following
terms: The Punishment, or at least
the disbanding Of the religious orders;
Philippine representation in the cortes;
the same administration of justice for
the natives as for the Spaniards; unity
of laws between the Philippines and
Spain; the natives to share the chief
offices of the Philippine civil admins
tratioE; Encouragement of the property
of the friars and of the taxes in favor
of the natives; recognition of the in
dividual rights of the natives with lib
erty of public meeting and Of The press,
and a general amnesty
In return for these concessions Agut-
naldo was to leave the country for
three years, promising meantime not to
stir up any rebellion. Then the rebels
gave up their arms and their ammu-
milton. According to other provisions
of the treaty" adds the author, "Agut-
naldo received 400 900 pesetas, which
were deposited in the Hong Kong and
Shanghai bank at Hong Kong; not for
his own personal use, but as a fund,
the interest of which, if the Spaniards
carried out their part of the agree
ment was to be devoted to the edu-
cation of native youth in England. In
case the agreement was not carried out
by the Spaniards, the money was to
be used for arms and to renew the
revolution"
This. coming from a man in Lala's
position is sufficiently authentic.
In addition to the subject matter in
the volume, the fine illustrations, the
firm and heavy paper, the large type
and generous leading make the book
as attractive as it is instructive.
"Exotics and Retrospectives."
By Lafcadio Hearn. Little, Brown & Co.,
Boston.
"a Book of Shining Beginnings sug-
gests itself to one as an appropriate
title for Lafcadio Hearn's latest
book, "EXotics and Retrospective"
Mystic. suggestive, as tantalizing as
the Elusive experiences he seeks to
make tangible, these fragmentary eS-
says are left incomplete with deiiber-
ate art. Surely no one of the West en-
tiers into the mysteries of the East with
more understanding sympathy than
Mr.. Hearn, and in this volume of es-
says he seems, to come even closer than
before to the spirit of things Oriental,
and certainly his style is more than
ever influenced by his studies in East
ern literature. The very form of his
essays, subtly short, merely sugges-
tive reminds one of those .four-line
Japanese poemS-four lines of con-
densed beauty and far reaching pos
sibilities. The fantasies that he calls
''Retrospectives" he offers merely, to
quote himself, as intimations of a
truth incomparably less difficult to
recognize than to define, a truth that
he claims is held alike by Western ev-
olutionist and Eastern Buddhist, that
the experiences of life are but the
present result of millions Of experiences
in living and dying that have gone be-
fore" To quote with him an old Budd-
hist proverb. Only because of having
died does one enter into life
Far be it from us to suggest that Mr..
Hearn argues the much vexed ques-
tons of evolution. reincarnation and
heredity. Mr.. Hearn never argues-he
only offers suggestive bits of his own
and other peoples emotional expert
ences-eXperiences too subtle to ana
IyZe-and leaves them to suggest much
more than he says, to be denied or con-
hTmed, perhaps, when the heights that
the Japanese poet sings of are reached:
From the foot of the mountain many
are the paths ascending in shadow, but
from the cloudless summit all who
climb behold the selfsame moon"
The very appropriate cover design
for this volume of essays is a clever
adaptation of a color print of the
eighteenth century, a Japanese -punp-
kin vine drawn by the artist Utamaro.
"Short Rations"
By WHlston Fish. Cloth. pp. 1Sa. Price,
Sl25 Harper & Bros. New York St.
Paul Book and Stationery company
q Those who read Mr.. Fish's superb
and stately poem which appeared in
Harper's Monthly few years ago will
be glad to see an exhibition of his
prose power When he stepped for
ward in the literary world with that
music on his lips
Il think that Time delleth in some star
That on winter nights doth glimmer faint
and cold;
Lest in q mist of worlds affair."
Nherefrom he casts the spell that makes
old 4"
people stopped and listened as to new
and strange harmonies. When he I'm