The sun., 1899-12-09
NEW BOOKS
Brief Reviews Of Important and interesting
New Publications.

his criticism In his book, America To-Day:
Observations and Reflections" tCharles
scrlbners Sons.) There ia nothing here OF the
rudeness and the studied inability OF Capt.
Andrew HaRgard. who declared that he walked
up Broadway looking for pretty woman and
was unable 10 find one. Mr.. Archer finds the
American women very pretty: in theatre. he
says. nearly all Of them are nice TO look at,
and We may add. without fear Of important
contradiction, that the came Is true OF those
who are to be met with In a church. In the
chapter entitled THE American Language"
We come. o. course. upon an exhaustless
theme. We find. for instance. that Mr. Archer
finds that Americans habitualy give the
full long sound to the article In saying
"A man" This We have never noticed.
and we should have said that the Ameri-
cans pronounced the article as tri-Dingly
and with as little insistance upon the fulfl-
ment OF it's warranted sound as an Englishman
would do. Again We come upon the PROPOSE
ton that Americans say doc" aud "constitoo-
tional" Tor dew" and CONSTITUTIONAL Surely
not all Americans are to be so charged. South
Carolina people call dew lew: and yet they
preserve the 90" sound very scrupulously In
its proper place. as anybody knows who has
ever heard them say. "Oh. do don't" Mr..
Archer notes that Mr.. Howells In one Of his
farces has somebody touch the snnun nciator."
In England. he says. one would ring the bell.
So would one here. But there is Mr.. Alfred
Jingle, the EnGlishman. What did he say7
Bang the held piece. twang the lyre" That
was his extraordinary expression. An Ameri-
can would put II I'VE have no wish to appear
superior). discharge the fold piece. play
upon the Tyre" Mr.. Lang 10 cited by
Mr. Archer as caustic critic Of the
language that Americans use. Mr.. Lang has
had practice In the English language nobody
moro. He ought to know. and yet II Ia hard to
nnd him taking the time to turn his face
against such an expression as "all the time"
The structure hurts US. As We read II We are
sensible that we are poorly" As for 'stocky."
we do not eay that 30 much now: We say Of
one. wishing 10 convey q similar idea, that one
Il husky" It 10 to 10 observed gratefully
that the meaning Of the word ing" has been
correctly aprrehended by MIR. Archer. A ior-
mer English authority read In an American
newspaper that somebody had got into the
house through the coal hole. taking his
Jag with him. and leaped tn the eonclu-
sion that iag sgnihed umbrella. As q
basis for criticism II Is reassurine to
know that one IL right In regard to
the facts. Mr.. Archer was pleased with
America. and we believe that it 10 safe to say
that America Ia In frame OF mind to he pleased
with him. He j d not penetrate into the Dfs-
trict Attorneys ONCE. he discovered no new
Demosthenes In City Hall Square. but he has
made a good book about New York and about
America. and u Mr. Clement Scott desires to
get ahead OF him he will have to try hard. As
for the word bully" that Mr.. Archer heard
from the mouth OF girl. we can assure him
that Il was mere excurton OF force. deliber-
ate wickedness Americans generally hardly
know what 1t means. Shakespeare knew. but
he was no American.
Bob: the story of Our Mocking Bird" by
Sidney Lanier. IL published. with sixteen Illus
trations IN color. by Charles Scribner's Sons.
Bob. as he appears on the cover. is a hungry
young bird. Sinbad the Sailor. as we remem-
ber. encountered In his remarkable travels
somebody whose mouth ran quite around his
head. He was held together. II our memory
serves US correctly. by the device OF hinge al
the back OF his neck. and when he dined II was
his hahit TO tilt back his head and de poslt the
meal. without the non sense OF detail or the waste
OF valuable time. In his needy interior. The
fedRling mocking bird on the cover Of this
book IL plainly as competent. as regards his
powers and means OF comprehensive receptive
ity. as he fortunate person celebrated By the
veracious sinbad He should be a tre-
mendous singer, II the magnitude Of
his mouth Is any indication OF his powers OF
song. He is feathered catch-all. q wide-open
bag. with a little round eye which plainly I'm
perfumes the beholder to throw In something
at the same time plainly he Is an instru N ent
Of sound and melody. naring trumpet. an
organ with generous pipe. The book Is very
charming We see Bob IN his infancy. In the
wildwood. where he was discovered: In Gilded
cage. where 1t was no less than a mercy to put
him. hghting his image In the looking glass. q
foolish but not the less gallant com hat: In his
Aa,k rhAr IL .nk III
at loss to determine whether he
likes Tubing or detests It; and In 9TH
er circumstances. all OF undeniable and
great interest. As long as there are cats In the
world. birds are bound to have adventures.
Mr.. Lanier records: Several OF these animals
In tho neighborhood had longed unspeakably
for Bob ever since his arrival. We had seen
them eyenc him from behind bushes and
through windows. and had once rescued him
from one who had thrust paw between the
very bars OF his cage. That cat was going to
eat him. art and all. with NO compunction In
the world. His music seemed to make no moro
impression on cats than Kea's's made on
critics. II only some discriminating person
had been by with a shotgun when the Quarterly
thrust its paw into Endymion's cnRs" Alas
for poetic justice. a cat killed the poets mock
ing bird at last. Mr.. Lanier sings:
All me. though never an ear for song, thou hast
treless tooth for songstersi thus Of late
Thou oamest. Death thou Cat and isap'st my gate.
And long ers Love could follow. thou hAdst passed
within and snstchsd away. how fast. how fist,
Ny bird-wit, sonss. and alI-thy richest freight
Since that fell time when In wink Of fate
Thy yellow claws unsheathed and stretched, and
cast
Sharp hold on Keats. and dragged him slow away.
And carried him With hope and horrd play
Ay. him. the worlds best woodbird wise with song