Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-30
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE PROBLEM OF ASIA: and Its Effect up
Internatio Policies By A. +. Mahan II. CT
LID, Captain I. s Navy, retired. Bostor
Little Brown 4 Co

1
TIE p 9F as b and M.h Esci
| Little, Brown 4 Co.
| Captain Mahan writes solely from the
point Of view of the political philosopher
and not from that of an immediate partici-
| pant in observer of the events which
| have given rise to the problem of Asia
He seeks rather the broad causes and eff
| fects than those Immediately at hand. and
consequently he sees in the Chinese troubles
the sign of a great and significant world
| movement, which may lead to grave
| changes in the political adjustments of the
nations. The conflict in China is between
! the land power and the sea power. Russia
representing the former and the "Teutonic
| states'-England, Germany and the United
States-the latter. Russia is advancing
| eastward by the TANKS in Siberia and Man
| churia in the north and Asia Minor in the
south. She is seeking outlet to the sea.
which the writer believes should be granted
! to her. AT the same time he holds that the
! command of the Yangtse valley is of vital
! Importance to the sea power in its CONNER
| cial effort to penetrate the land. He holds
| the land power 10 be the greater menace,
! the sea power being essentially commercial
! and therefor pacii.. Thus thna'S hope
| lies il. the dominance of the latter, and
| Captain Mahan hopes to see what he terms
| crisis
! In his incidental discussion Captain Ma
| han strongly indnrs,s the expansion move
ment of the United States as being natural
and necessary. in response to the demand
! of the natural law of self-preservatIo ton and
! growth He advocates a modification of the
| Monroe doctrine, in view of the construc
ton of the isthmisE canal. That end ac-
Cnmplsh ed, he believes it will be proper and
desirable hat the United States reiaQuish
its claim to the right 10 exclude European
! powers rDum the regions south OF the ANA
ION. 1t will suffice for our present ana
prospective needs, under such circum-
stances, to caDtrol the direct approaches TO
the canal. To thus end Captain Nathan
would have he United States protest the
ACQUISITION by Germany for instance of
Curacao in case Holland were to become
part of the German empire, a contingency
expected by some
The book comprises three parts. that on
the Asiatic problem, which originally APP
peared in the March. April and May issues
of IIarpers Magazine: dissertation on the
effect Of Asiatic conditions upon world poll
tics, printed in the North American Re-
view for November. and an estimate of the
Merits Of the Transvaal Dispute" from
the March North American Review. in
which he strongly favors the British posi-
ticn.
SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN: Life Story, Letters and
"reminiscences. BY Arthur Lawrence Nv, With
WIlfrid Kendall Chicago: Herbert s. Stone K
20. Washington: Woodward Il I0thrOp.
A sad chance has given an unexpected
value to this biography Of England's fore
most composer, who was in full health
when 1t was prepared and published. His
sudden death a few days ago at the age
of ffty-eight, shocked his hosts of friends
in this country. and it is fortunate that
so authentic an account Of his life should
have been written, so that his work may
ha fully l,,t I,a
exercise of memory. The material for this
biography extracted from Sir Arthur
Sullivan by the author with some diff
Guilty, for he was naturally a modest man,
with an inclination to place slight valu-
alton upon himself, and he shrank from
interviewers and would-be writer's of his
career. After being rounded into the mood,
however he dealt generously with his biog
rapher, and gave him access to records.
scores and letters which shed flood of
light upon one Of the most entertaining
of lives.
The early struggles for recognition. the
gradual Acknowledgements by the public that
man of genius was within reach The
partnership with Gilbert. the remarkable
success of the "Pinafore operas, the dis
solution OF partnership through a misun-
Outstanding. the years of unremitting labor
in composing all forms Of music, the dill
gent study of everything musical, Tie
steadfast endeavors to elevate the British
all are told with good taste and in a spirit
Of keen appreciation. In part at times the
narrative becomes Sullivans own, for his
letters, judc;ously edited, form a consl.l-
cradle part of the whole book. Fac-Simile
letters to the composer from such celebri-
ties as Gladstone, Tennyson, Ellen Terry
and Kiplng, subjects pertinent to iha
period, lend an additional charm to the
book. Portraits of the composer at various
ages and in groups aid the reader in form
ing clear impression of the personality
of the man. An appendix giving com
plete list Of all Sullivans musical works
appropriately concludes the volume.
GREAT BATTLES OF THE WORLD BY Stephen
Crane. author of The Red Badge Of Courage,
etc Illustrated. Philadelphia: ]. B. Lippin-
colt Company.
Stephen Crane was forced in his last few
years Of work to do considerable literary
pot boiling" and these papers clearly he
long to this period. They were, indeed.
among his very last work. His choice of
battles with which to form the series
entirely individual They follows:
Bunker Hill, Vittoria Plevna. Burkersdorf
Heights, Leipsig, Lutzen, Badajos, New Or
leans and Solferino. In some cases the ac-
tual battle story Is preceded by a very
long historical or biographical sketch which
somewhat mars the proportion. he reader
Is forced to regret that Crane not
able, in the stress Of SPACE and time, to
write more particularly of the fights them
selves IN some instances. but III esicH case
the mans rare quality of dramatic force
appears and he chooses his elements with
skill.
THE STICKrT MINISTER'S WOOING. BY S. Il.
Crockett New York Doubleday Mcclure
Co. Washington: VIM. Ballanyne Sons.
Scotch dialect has perhaps passed some
what out Of vogue. Yet there are charms
in the tales of the land Of oatmeal which
do not depend for appreciation upon a
tickle fashion. Mr.. Crockett has revealed
these charms before in more than one vol
ume. His "Stickit Minister of seven years
ago was an immediate success, and so
should be this latest book of Scottish
stories two of which relate to the Stickit
Minister. One sketches his love tale and
the other chronicles his death. The others
are occasionally related to each other, some
being distinct. The type of the parson who
scores victory over circumstances
through the Intervention of some local dis
aster recurs a little too frequently. Other
wise, and considering the tales separately
they are delightful
LONG LIVE THE KING: a Novel. BY Guy Booth