The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-30
NkW hooks.
Brief Reviews Of Importsnt and interesting
New Publications.

lected and edited bv Andrew Lang Longmans.
Green q COL we ind doubt cast upon the
phoenix. the grimm and the Demon OF Cathay;
still the book affords portraits OF these several
remarkable creatures. and II Is hard ~ sec
how portraits could have come out OF the mere
air. The Demon OF Cathay is here represented
as sitting In bower and felicitating himself
upon the approach Of q traveller. He IL pro-
vded with the Jaws OF a crocodile and the
shrewd facial expression OF q fox. In his
general aspect and proportions he Ia an ape
as tall as the Eifel Tower and as expansive as
the chief Of the Pyramids. Horrible antloi-
patton shines In his relentless eyes and
he clasps his horned and formidable
toes In manifest alee. The traveller comes on.
fat and complacent. leading an unsuspecting
and richly laden jaokass. A jewelled scimitar
and jowelled dagger are thrust In his ample
Rirdle. Little will they avail him against the
mighty toenails OF the Demon OF Cathay. Mr..
Lang says OF this eminent demon that he
could talk tho language Of man and initiate
any voice he chose. so that II he found soil
tary traveller walking through q forest he
would call to him by his name in the tone OF
some OF his friends The traveller would leave
the path and 60 In the direction OF the voice,
when the Demon would spring out and devour
him. Or. he would mimic the roll OF drums or
the blast OF trumpets. and the poor man In sur
prise would think that he must be drawing
near city or. at any rate, approaching an
army. so he would go in search OF
the sounds. only to and. when II was too late.
that II was trick Of his deadly enemy's" The
mermaids were very different creatures from
the Demon OF Cathay. There ia a picture OF
one here who was cast up on tho Dutch coast
most attractive creature. from the landman's
point OF view. from the waist up. and otherwise
attractive. It may be. from the point OF view OF
fishermen. Mr.. Lang relates tho history OF
this mermaid. Once some Dutch women. he
says, going down to the shore after gale to
see what they could pick up. were startled at
finding beautiful girl with hsh's tail. lying
among the shells and seaweeds. beyond high
water mark. This. he adds. was mermaid. q
gentle creature, but without soul. II may be
that she had no soul. but she was capable. OF
taking an intelligent part In the human indus
tries and abe armed the forms OF devotion. The
Dutch women took her home and taught her
TO spin and weave and to kneel before oruci-
NJ. but she was not happy and always tried to
escape into the sea The Dutch women did
not mean to DO cruel. but they liked to have
her there. and she was useful to them. SO they
kept close watch upon her. and she fingered
on in their house for fifteen years. fading
gradually away. and dying In the year 1+18"
This anecdote brinRs the mermaid within 800
years OF u.s. and We do not doubt that there are
histories, moro or less authentic. which have
brought her much nearer. We are told In Mr..
Langs book how to catch unicorn. The proper
way Is to dress Q young lady In her boat
clothes and cover her with jewels and scat her
In q forest, In . place whore the unicorn II
likely TO pass By. When the unicorn happens
along he sees the young lady and 10
at once overcome by an Irresistible desire to
lay his head In her lap and 90 to sleep. This
he does tsee illustration. page o.. and the
hunters come up and secure him with ropes
and carry him OF to the Kings palace. Hero
We ind the story OF Ring Ragnar Shaggy
Brooches. who slew the two pct snakes OF King
Herodd OF Sweden. monsters who devoursd an
OK daily and filled the whole Kingdom with
fear and a most offensive odor Ragnar
jumped into the water. and. coming out, froze
his breaches and the rest OF his apparel into a
highly effective coat OF mail. Tho teeth OF the
monstrous snakes slipped upon It, they were
unable to bite him. and he slew them with
his spear. IL Is to be noticed that the
text speaks Of those snakes a. poison
ous. Science to-day does not acknowl-
edge poison In snakes OF o large size:
but nobody can deny that immense snakes
may have been poisonous once upon time.
and King Shaggy Brooches should have the
right to all his honors until II 10 proved that
all the animals are celebrated In those stories.
We find here what Capt Mayns Reid had to say
| about Iaguars and peccaries and what Dumas
| had to say about French lions The book is
| copiously illustrated. 1t 10 highly entertain
| ing book.
Roy Devsreux."it seems. 10 the pen nAms OF
Mrs. Devsreux Pember. who publishes under
| It book called Side Lights on South Africa"
| Charles scribner's sonsI. Mrs. Pember was
troubled with insomnia in the spring OF 1893
and took q SEQ voyage TO the Cape as cure She
| was also special correspondent for the Morning
| Post. After Q short stay. during which she
travelled about seeing sights at lightning
speed, she returned to England and published
| her Impressions. As . matter OF course she
went to Pretoria and saw Paul Kruger. The
description OF the interview will give the meas
ure OF Mrs. Pembsr's powers OF observation
and OF her delicate tact.
A the end OF the room II the pondsrous form Of
an old man seated In . chair his eyes obscursd by
huge blue spsciselss. He roso TO greet with the
| conventional hAndshaks, motioned me 70 the hard
| couch by his side. and the conversation amblsd
| ciumsily along through the medium Of an inter
prefer Evoy now and then the President. who
manifested . disinonaton TO discuss politics. eI-
Dept vague parAbolio phrases. bent over his spit
| toon while visitors DESTROYS OF audience fro
quentiy pushed open the door. and seeing passed
out ssain. I remarked that Mr. Rhodes had told me
personally that he could prove the transfsrsncs Of
money in Jam tins to lady relative Of Bond Nom.
ber In answer to this the President smiled sardon.
icaly, and expressed conviction that the voice Of
| the people would contradict it, statement which
| made up in emphasis what II lacked In logic Re.
ceiving no signal TO retire. rose ct last. and took
| my leave.
Short though the interview was It sufflced to
give Mrs. Pember decided opinion about