Evening star., 1900-12-15

= THE GREAT BOER WAR. By A. Conan Doyle.
With six maps In colors. New York: NC
Clure, Phillips and Co. Washington: Wood
ward and Lothrop.
This is one of the most satisfactory books
on the Boer war which has yet appeared.
1t tells the whole story up to the time OF
the occupati tioE of Pretoria and the virtual
collapse of the organized Boer opposition,
without any intrusion of the personal equa-
ton. Dr. Doyle was on the ground, serving
as a surgeon. He saw the situation at first
hand, received his impressions personally.
and yet in his account he eliminates him
self and acts the part of the historian with
refreshing directnesS and modesty. war
books which little else than personal
diaries have been produced in numbers.
more or less to the point of comprenen-
sLve narration of events, but none so far
appears 10 have given the account in the
compete deliberate and balanced manner
of this work. The most interesting chapter
of all comprises DIR. Doyle cone uIing III n
mary of the lessons of the war. He hnds the
British army in need of radical reforms.
he would have the officers take their pro-
fessIon more seriously, and read more
deeply IN the literature of war making. He
would have the arulely officers depart
from their rigid rule about close formation
and the preservation of the battery as
unit He would like to the army skel-
etonized as whole-that is, reduced N
numbers and increased in Individual effl-
cheney by the employment of highly framed
sold4ers at a better pay. He uIges more
dnlgent practice rifle shooting. He dep
recates the custom of officers exposing
themselves. and derides the lance as an OBJ
solete weaponn. Indeed, he has a poor
opinion OF tIairy in general and prefers
the nIantryman who Is also trained TO ride
horse upon OCCASION These and uthei Cd
servationS as 10 me neeuS OI lnc e. -te ..e
presents forcefully, without effr ntery. and
upon the authority of an intelligent OBJ
ssrver who has for months Witnessed the
SPlorabie results OF the prevailing system
The whole book is written N a sty4e such
as might we'll be expected from SO gifted an
author
eler in New ZesIsai with some Aus ralian
Gompalisons BY henry Dsmarest Loyd; sd;n,>an New
VIM Ballantyne and Ds.
New Zealand haa become the center OF
erest of socio;ogists during recent years
through Its daring experiments in various
directions. 1t has demonstrated many
principles which were hitherto thought to
be visionary. 1t has created od-age pen
sions, engaged in government life insur-
>arce, granted land subsidies and under
taken other enterprises from which older
governments have shrunk. Thus far the
results have justified the effort. New Zea-
land is prospecting beyond the dreams of
the first white settlers. 1t is asserted that
Australasia produces more wealth and spends
more for every man, woman and enid tnan
any other country, and that New Ledland
is the most prosperous of al! the seven
. colonies of Australia. The resources are
as yet only partly exposed Immigrants
are steadily fJwing into the land, and there
is a possibility of the richness of the colony
be ng scountgd beyond the econ-mic point
A ibeI al discussion of the facts and possi-
b1it es in connection with this rema TkaDLe
experiment in government IS undertaken by
MIR. Lloyd, VINO has studied the situation
on the ground and writes from both 1uli
knowledge of the immediate subject and an
acquaintance with the science OF economy.
He finds much to critic.se as we'll as TO
praise.
TIE SIEGE IN PEKIN; China against the World:
By W A. 7. Martin, ID, LID. president Of
the Chinese Imperial University: autnor "J
Fleming II. Rere!i Company.
Dr. Martin served in China as missionary
and educator for very nearly half CEN
tIlry His career there closed, for the pres
ent, with the siege in Pekin, where he par
ticipated in the fighting along with the lay
men and the soldiers He landed in this
country from China under arms, so to
speak, having come to his home in the gear
which he wore during the terrible days of
June. July and August. His story Of the
0ieee and the conditions leading up to it is
graphic His knowledge of the Chinese
Character resulting from long service
among the people as their instructor ana
frierd enables him to draw just conclu-
siOns He spares adjectiveS In describ-
ing the ferocty Of the natives during the
Boxer troubles and he is radical IN his rec
ommenda tions for reform. The reorgan Ia
ton. he says, TO be effective must be thor
ough. He is not gloomy as to the future,
though he sees the enormous difficulties
!. civpzation must conquer in order TO save
China from utter disintesration and the
world from the spectacle of triumphant ret
repression.
ELEMENTS OF AMERICAN JURISPRUDENCE.
BY William C. Robinson, LID Wht ord no
of America: sometime n,orosSor of Iay in ysle
University; author of Elementary Law" .Fo-
ton: Little, Brown and Co.
Prof Robinson's standing student
And teacher of Jurisprudence commends his
latest volume to the very highest considera-
ton. He has propounded the principles of
the law for many years. and has produced
several text books which are now among
the leading authorities on their subjects.
In this volume he embraces the broad prin-
ciples of Jurisprudence as applied to the
laws of the United States as whole and Of
the several states He addresses his work
to three classes. to the citizen who aspires
to the intelligent discharge of his political
duties. to the lawyer and the Judge who
participate in the administration of the
INV and to the jurist and legislator. In his
presentation of The subject he has framed
IL in terms TO be appreciated by the stu
dent without technical knowledge. while
both the immediate text and the suggested
collateral readings serve the purposes of
the more advanced reader and explorer.
A HISTORY OF POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE
>UAITED STATES: Being an Account of the
Political Parties since the Foundation Of the
Government. together with Cons drratiOn q
the Conditions Attending tbei: Fcrmaio and
Development. AMI with R.prin: Of Several
Party Platforms. Ey james II. Hopk Ms for
merly Representative i'll Congress fIom Penn
sylyania. New York: g.. T.. Putnam's Sons.
Washington WoodWa ard and LotLrup
The second defeat of Mr.. Bryan for the
presidency has turned the thought of poll