The times., 1900-12-30

| this class of musicians has had compare :
lively little chance to become educated
| in the technicalities of music. II. In the
several forms of plantation Groom, jubi-
| lee song. and ragtime ditty, the negro
| melody has proved it's popular qualities,
there is no telling what may happen after
| one or two generations OF negro COM
posers have been thoroughly trained as
whiter composers are. The success of
Coleridge Taylor in England proves that
| another Taylor this side of the water is
not at all an impossibilty.
The volume on Famous Pianists" by
Mr.. Lahee, deals with artists of all ma
tionalities. There are portraits of Gle
menti. List, Thalberg. De Pachmann, Jo-
sefy Paderewski Rosenthal Clara Schu-
mann, and others. The biograph Of each
pianist is accompanied by scholarly and
| careful analysis of his or her particular
characteristics, and the book is inter-
esting from beginning to end. There is
also a brief sketch of the development
of the pianoforte as an instrument. Be-
sides the sketches of the more important
pianists Of musical history, there is men,
| tion of various lesser lights. and chap
| ter is devoted to women as pianists. Ow-
ing to the severe practice and physical
strength necessary TO attain proficiency
upon the piano, there have been few wo-
men who have achieved any great emf
nence in this line. 1t is rather odd that
more space has not been given tn Adele
Aus der 0he in this chapter.
''Prima Donnas and Soubrettes,'' by
Lewis Strang, deals with all the popular
light opera stars of the day, and while the
general tone of the book is complimentary.
as is likely to be the case with a work
of this kind the author does not hesitate
to express adverse opinions when he has
any. Lulu Glaser comes in for the severest
of nd ic for win foIia inf
the habit of "guying'' on the stage. The
author has brought his work up to date.
giving as much space to Mabeile Gilman
and Edna May. the recent Casino stars. as
to Lillian Russell and Della, Fox. One Of
the most charming chapters is that on AL
ice Nielsen, but possibly nobody could help
being charming in discussing such a sub
ject. (Boston: L. c. Page & Co. $1.50
per volume)
''The Days Work Series" is collection
of slender volumes containing essays by
various more or less eminent authors on
ethical subjects. A few are reprints Of
well-known writings; there is Emersons
"Self-Reliance'' and ''If Ye Love Me-"
which is a compilation of commandments
from the New Testament. made by Lucia
NJ. Knowles. Why Go to Church," is u
brief Discourse by Lyman Abbott. '"The
Man Who Kept Himself in Repair" is a
quaint little story by an anonymous
writer. apparently English. Charles F.
Thwing contributes two essays, '.God in
His World" and "The Youths Dream Of
Life" which are not so pleasing as some
OF the other books of the series. 1t is
difficult to see how any man with any per-
spicacity could hold Ruskin up to con-
demnation as a pessimist in his old age,
considering that his melancholy was
largely physical and induced by the sacri-
fee which he made of his own happiness
for the good OF others. Noble Woman
hood" by Charles F. Dole, and Every
Day Living" by Sarah X. Bolton are in
tended for girls reading. Sowing and
Reaping" is one of the best of the collec-
tion, being two or three brief talks
crammed with common sense, by Booker
T. Washington. They are full of the de-
termined optimism which is Mr. Washing |
tons salient characteristic and of the |
shrewd sagacity which is no less prom |
inent in his character. "The Strength Of |
Being Clean" is an outspoken and whole |
some address by d. S. Jordan. Our Com |
mon Christianity" is about the sort of |
essay on that subject which one would |
expect from Dean Stanley, and Done |
Every Day is a whimsical but sensible |
little talk on everyday matters, by Amos |
R. Wells. (Boston: L. C. Page C Co. SOC |
per volume.)
Famous American Bellies of the Nine |
teenth Century" by Virginia Tatnall Pea |
cock, is a daintily-bound volume of con- |
siderable size, which should be of particu- |
lar interest to Washington people. 1t |
contains biographies and portraits of |
score or more of the famous bellies OF |
most of whom at one time or an
other figured in the society of the Capt. |
tai. Among them are Elizabeth Patter- |
son, Cora Livingston, Emily Marshall, |
Jessie Benton Fremont Sallie Ward, |
Harriet Lane Johnston, Kate Chase
Sprague, Matte Ould, Lady Randolph |
Churchill. and Baroness Curzon.
The biographies are cfeverly written |
and full OF anecdotes, of which this, which |
Is told of Sallie Ward, the famous Ken |
lucky beauty, is an example. A little |
girl was listening to her mothers ac- |
count of the Creation. the mother tell
ing how God made the sun, the moon, the |
flowers, the birds, and all beautiful |
things. The child piped up:
Yes, mother, and don't forget, he made sallie |
Ward too.
The portraits are well executed some |
being from miniatures and others from
philadelphia: ]. B. Lip
pincott & Coz