The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-23
NOTES OF NEW BOOKS.

A sumptuous edition of the 'Rubaiyat G
r Omar khayyam" comes from THE Sign
the Lark (Doxey's). The Fitzgerald
translation is, of course. the one used
1 and the volume contains life of Fitzger
l aid as well as of Omar There are man.
| critical notes and countless beautiful
illustrations by Florence LundboTg encir
cling the text. 1t is a book for booi
lovers.
"a Garden of Simples," by Marthf
; Bockee Flint is most charming book %
essays on plants. principally oid-fash-
Toned garden herbs Tie origin of theii
} names. the ancient uses to which they
we're dedicated. and legends connected
with some of them. are given. as also the
illusions to them made by old poets and
cssayists. ANY lover of flowers will find
the volume delight, and it is printed and
bound in a quaint old-fashioned style
which adds, much to its charm. Ore chap
ter is given up to Indian Plant Names.
few of which, unfortunately. are in COM
mon use. Among them are cataipa. ca
tawba. chinquapin. cohosh, cushaw, hack
matack. hickory, maize. pecan. persim-
mon toriginaily puchamin), puccoon. Soup
pernong. squash. tamarack. tupelo. and
yucca. 1t is interesting to find that the
word squash was used by the Indians for
the vegetable now known by that name,
while there was an English word squash.
meaning something soft and pulpy. This
! seems to be one of those words which
prove the onomatopoetic origin of human
| speech.
Another pretty bit of learning is found
| in the chapter on "Paas-Blumtje and
Pingster acknowledgement and azalea. 1t
is herein recorded that on Easter Sunday
| the good little Dutch maidens of New
| Amsterdam carried to church purple. pink.
| and white handfuls of hepatica. with its
! furry capyx and fairy flowers, sweetest of
spring wild blossoms except. perhaps. the
arbutus The pingster or pinxter blooms
| got their name from the festival of Whit
sunday, when the slaves had their>day of
| freedom and the Dutch youths and their
sweethearts went out to gather pink aza-
leas. The rose-pink flowers must have
been wonderfully becoming to the blonde
Jacquemyntje or Tanneke. who came home
crowned with them in the sweet spring
evening. New York: Charles Scribner's
| Sons. $1.50.)
LAS 1t Is to Be-. by Cora Linn Daniels
| is, as the title suggests, a book which
| deals with the problems of spiritualism.
| The general tone of it is deeply religious.
| and it is likely to find many readers in
| the orthodox churches. There is an ut -er
| absence of conventional orthodoxy
f! throughout, but there is no attempt to
| combine with Western thought the specu-
| lations of Oriental religions, in many
| books of this nature. To those who are
| in the position of rejecting the old fash
Toned creeds while hesitating to accept
| the new. the work cannot fail to be N e.
| estirg, but 1t is to be doubted who hSr it
adds anything to the sum of religious phi
losOphy. The argument hardly goes eo
enough, and the thought is not suffioi entity
comprehensive to meet all the needs OF
this questioning age. 1t is Of value SIM
ply as one more of the speculations viii III
are rife regarding future existence now
that it is no longer heresy to doubt the
literal truth of the Book of Revelations
Boston: Little. Brown G. Co. sl.00.)
The Transyaal Trouble by John Hays
Hammond is remarkably clear and rse-
full summary Of the situation in South
Africa, put into very compact form. It's
original form was that of an address
made by the author during the progress
of the war. (New York: The Abbey
Press)
THE Banker and the Bear by Henry
kitcheli Webster. has as it's sub-titl,
The Story Of a Corner in Lard" Lard is
rather an upromantic thing to introduce
into fiction. but Mr.. Webster seems, to
have put it in without spelling the effect
OF his story. :. Like his first novel. The
Short Line War it deals entirely with
the problems of the commercial world.
and is evidently the result of the percep-
ticn that the stock market as well as the
battle field has its wars. it's thrills. and
its adventures. New York: The Mac
milan Company. s1.5o)
II Go A Marketing" by Henrietta ..owle.
is Gossipy book of hints for household
catering. having chapter for every month |
in the year. CIr is book witch will. as |
rule, prove useful to the housekeeper Who
has had some experience ratnsr than to the |
young matrOn, for most of the suggestions |
presuppose considerable kno y.e1g, of cook |
ing and catering in the reader. Bat there |
many useful hints in the work, ani 1t |
would be valuable addition to the library |
of any housekeeper anxious to 60 things
artistically. and to have her table present |
Il beautiful as well as appetiEiUS appear
ance to the world There is no U.s.. in am
ing this book, for she will roI know what
TO do with it, but 1t is oftea economy D |
use the best materials. and &c the cock !
who holds this view the au,hor's ideas will !
be most delightful and practical. Boston
Little, Brown & Co. Sl.5Ol
Passengers" is the odd title OF a little
book by Myles Hemenway. containing two
stories 'DoOmsday' and "AnriI tt ey |
are weird curious tales, with much ar
tistic beauty of certain kind. but no
-eaiism at ALL The writer seems 20 see |
human life through some sort of fairy spec
aclos. tBoston: Small Maynard .v Co. | I
i. 30 IL
The Bandit Mouse. and Other Tales" is
gorgeous picture book. the text of which
S supplied by W. A. Frlsbie. while the
pictures are by Bart" the well-anown
of the Minneapolis Times
rhe title is aliuring. and the contents of !.
he book do it credit. The first few pages =
ire swarming with mice, and look like a | ,
granary. or the famous exodus | 4;
rom Hamelu: but there are plenty of =
,ther animals in the book and they are
PRESENTED in all conceivable funny com .
,inations The coloring is especially -
rorthy of mention, especially that OF the | !
over which is brilliant red with a
mouse strutting across 1t in a green and .
ed uniform. II is a book to delight the ,,
,eart of any small child. Chicago: Rand
icNally & Coz n
THE Wild Animal Play" by Ernest I
seton Thompson, is little operetta in a
ended to be acted by children. who i'm n