The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-12-10
THE WORLD OF LITERATURE

lower Broadway, for whom Judaism is
a race, not religion?
THE Idol of the Blind" BY Tom Gal
Ion, New York. Appleton & Co.
No lover of light fiction who has
once read a story by Mr.. Gallon will
ingly let's another pass him. They are
uniformly clever and well-sustained.
The novel in question is no exception
to the rule. Comethup Willis is the
Idol and his eccentric, profane, ty-
rannical, large-hearted and affectionate
aunt is the blind" A capitally drawn
figure she is, too. AS hero, Comethup
is perfection until near the end of the
book, when he turns into an intolerable
prig Altogether there is a sad degen-
Grafton apparent, for the lovable old
aunt loses her common sense-alwayS
one of strong points-and her love for
Comethup, which was about the only
religion she had. But we will not spoil
the interest of the reader in an excel
lent story.
1.-THE Log of a Sea-Waif" Being recol-
lections of the first four years of my
sea life. BY Frank T. Bullen, F. r.
G. S. Illustrated, New York. APP
pleton & Co.
E1NSn were MI. 6ullSIl d new lidllle
to American readers, it would be en-
tirely safe to predict success for this
profoundly interesting, picturesque and
unique book, which appears just in
season to be a favorite gift book for
the holidays. The romance of the sea
has clearly not had it's day, but writer's
like Clark Russell, Kipling, Ham
bin and Conrad are presenting the
public with a new series of nautical
stories which are not inferior to those
of any previous period. In 1.-The Log
of a Sea Wait" Mr. Bullen has under
taken to picture life on board British
ships of 40 years ago in much the same
way that Charles A. Dana handled the
American sea life of the time in 1.-TWO
Years Before the Mast" and with
much the same success. Graphically,
he tells the events of his voyages to
Melbourne, Bombay, Rangoon, South
Africa and the West Indies
II have written nothing but the truth,
and, in most cases, I have given the
real names of ships and individuals"
says Mr. Bullen in his preface. Moth
ing could be more absorbing than these
adventu IS upon the deep sea, in
faks'ls, and with strange peoples.
THE Poor Plutocrats," by Maurus
Jokai. Translated from the Hungarian
by r. Nisbet Balm, New York. Dou-
bleday & Mcclure Co. For sale by
Putnam, Davis & Co.
This is a romance of coiners and rob-
bers, the ''nouveau riches" and the law
less old aristocracy of Hungary The
translator, r. Nisbet Balm, says: IT
know of no more stirring incident in
contemporary fiction than the terrible
wrestling match between Strong Juan,
the goat herd, and the supple bandit
Fatia Negra, in the presence of the
two trembling women" Since the orig
inal 'Szegeny Gazdagok" appeared at
Budapest in 1860 there have been doz-
ems of versions in German, Swedish,
Danish, Dutch, Polish, ETC., but this is
the first English rendering.
In Hungary it is perhaps the most
widely known of all Jokai's MASTER
pieces, but it will hardly suit American
taste uniformly.
'Heronford." BY S. R. Keightley. New
York: Dodd Mead & Co.
The author of 1.-THE Crimson Sign. j"
The Cavaliers THE Silver Cross
etc, has given the public in Heron
ford capital romance of a proud old
house and a proud young scion of that
mouse Occasionally the romance Is
strained, as in the deathbed scene of
old Lord Heronford, and considerable
extraneous matter of a curious I'M
natural sort is introduced in connec-
ton with Sir Archie Weston. Love and
hate are leading factors in the story,
the interest of which is admirably sus-
tanned to the end. The style is rapid
and Vlvacious and the plot clean.
Blue Jackets of 1885," by Willis j.
Abbot. A history of the Spanish
American war. Published by Dodd,
Mead & Co.. New York.
Among the numerous histories of the
naval operations during the war last
year, none have gone into the details
as carefully. The Maine tragedy is WV
idly described. The facts that are so
fresh in the minds of the readers of
newspapers are presented here in we'll
digeste1 historical form. THE Blue
Jackets of '9S" will take a high place
in the literature of the Spanish war.
His Brothers Crime" By John r.
Musick. Cloth, $1OO. F. Tennyson
Nicely publisher, London and New
York
This deals to great extent with the
question most interesting to all Ameri-
cans-the social or labor question The
story opens with the end of a strike at
the great Burlington iron works, in
which most of the strikers are taken
back; but Alfred Grayson and his
young brother Willie, on account of the
personal feelings of the manager, are
rejected. For an insult to his wife, AL
fred Grayson kills the manager. His
young brother takes the crime on him
self and becomes a wandering fugitive
from justice. In the course Of his
wanderings he meets with some start
ling adventures. The profit sharing or
cooperative plan suggested at the close
of the story would prove effective and
remove many evils that exist today
TILE gnEAV