The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-24
NEW hooks.
Brief Reviews of Important and Interesting
New Publications.

ing thing. that can occur. IL rises TO vex W..
like the ghost OF f%dnQuo. so distinguished an
authority as Capt. Mahan has declared that
military aud naval proceedings are an art
rather than a science. Still he shows his belief
that sclenco largely enters into them. In mill
tary operations we should do certain things
II must 10 that everybody Is familiar with
our obligations. We must have the most mon
earliest on the spot: we must be- cohesive,
reaching out US opportunity presents itself to
strike the divided enemy and We must look
out. above all things. for the efficiency OF our
transport and the integrity Of our con-
uection with our base OF supply. All these
things hayo been perceived by Mr.. Al
bert Stickney in THE Trausvaal Outlook"
jDodd. Mead 4 CO..; and he has been able TO
show. from what must DO considered as con-
elusive evidence. that the Beers are quite Sc
cure against tho British Invaders. Into this
incontestable proposition enter particularly all
those questions which relate to the provisiono OF
an army with its ~supplies. An army NAV have
n place - It must necessarily have a place. be-
ing a body OF size and consequence - but Il
must also have a base. and a line OF transport
and supply. 1t being necessary to have these
things, and It being impossible TO maintain
them. how can Lord Roberts hope to add to his
reputation lie himself knows. We may add
this from MIR. Stickney's book: 1T cannot be
inferred from the fact that the Beers have not
seen At to interfere with the British railway
communications down to this date that they
have not considered this feature Of the MILL
tary problem or that they are not prepared to
, handle It with skill. Any such idea would 90
upon q radical MISUNDERSTANDING OF the mill
tary situation. It is hardly possible that
Eonarol. - tha aAroitnaaa and favtilifv of
resource that the Boer commanders have
thus far displayed could have omitted from
their catalogue Of military operations the cut
ting Of the British communications to tho
rear. Already they have shown that they know
enough to have destroyed the railway at COL
enso. -. But we must bear In mind that
the policy OF the Beers has been thus far. and
wissly, 10 exercise the most careful economy
in the loss Of men. = II IL probable that
they have intended to allow the British Gem
erals to collect large number OF troops at q
great distance from the sea with the express
purpose OF penning them afterward In posi-
tons such as Gen. White now OCCUPIES at
Ladysmlth. = II this be- their policy, II
Is easy to see that the concentration OF any
large force by the Beers In front OF
Lord Roberts's advance would have been
a great military mistake. II was much better
for their purposes that Lord Roberts should be
led TO collect a large army on that line OF ad.
vance at a great distance from Cape Town.
with the Orange and Modder rivers In his rear.
where his railroad Communication can be cut
with the utmost ease. whereby the capture OF
his entire army may we'll be brought within
the range Of military possibilities" We pre-
sumo to speak only in the light OF history. and
we feel It safe TO say that II the communica-
tons OF Lord Roberts are 10 be cut of they
will not be cut OIL by Gen. Cronje. Moreover.
If the collection Of a large army by Lord
Roberts. with any rivers In his rear. has been
disastrous to the chances of that commander.
the fact has not yet been revealed.
In Smith College Stories" lScribnersl. by
Miss Josephine Dodge Daskam. We have a
series Of ten short tales Illustrative OF several
phases OF life In an interesting and pictur-
esque community. And a highly interesting
and picturesque young person the Smith COL
lege girl. as the author presents her. seems to
be. She MAY have a curious taste for the in
diligence In what. In her " vernacular. she
calls ~'footless stunts" and be prone to the ex-
ercise OF somewhat emotional enthusiasts
which lead her to describe some seemingly
trivial things as perfectly darling: and in her
ideals and her attempts to realize them she may
somewhat fatuously initiate her brother and her
cousin but underneath all this she seems to be
lust simply girl. And she could certainly be
nothing nicer. In the first OF the stories. The
Emotions OF a Sub Guard" we see her In the
feverish excitement OF a game Of basketball
between the freshmen and the sophomores.
Theodore Root was on the freshmen sub-team.
and when Harriet Foster sprained her ankle
Theodore took her place. The freshmen had
III l. .-.- 0 "a MI 0,ttA at1tara an tka
sophomore side. were great players. And there
was also Alison Greer. She was a rusher and
she was also described by one impartial on.
locker as a sluGger, and by another as "a per.
feet tiger Apart from the possession
Of these rather alarming attributes. she
was a pleasant and prepossessing per-
son. as the author pictures her. Her
soft, dark hair was coiled lightly into . Greek
knott seemed that the slightest hasty move
ment must shake 1t over her sloping shoulders.
ItArew into a clean-cut widows peak low on
her smooth. white forehead; below straight.
fine brows two great. sad eyes. vida apart.
wondered at life: her oval face was absolutely
~colorless and threw out the little scarlet mouth
that drooped softly at tho corners. Her hands
lightly folded before her. she swayed a little
and looked dreamily over the heads Of the
others: she seemed as homogeneous as a
Madonna at a bullnght." Az one OF the tensest
moments Of the game she charged down
the centre. The lavender shadows under
her eyes were deep violet now. her
mouth was pressed to a scarlet line.
her eyes were A1ed on the ball
like gray stars. But in spite Of the sad. Won
dering eyes and the Madonna-like look she
used her elbows viciously, Mr.. Robbins. one
Of tho professors. was moved tn enthusiasm.
Lord what a full back she'd make" said he.
These professors. by the way. seem to be
rather emotional themselves. We are told that
one Of them. at an interesting point In the
game. laughed himself almost into a state OF
hystcrla and giggled weakly at intervals. Per-
haps the most astonishing thing about these
tales Is that In them the young women are
represented rs being rather more masculine
than their male instructors.
II was n great game and the freshmen made
agallant fight. The n%on-players OF the class
yelled themselves hoarse and stamped and
kicked the platform and generally made noise
enough to be heard "a far away as the state oil
PENNSYLVANIA. Barring the unfortunate acci'
dent to Harriet Fosters ankle there were nc
serious casualties. though Grace Farwell. who
seems to have been a fine, well-developed
broad sort Of girl, sat down suddenly and
created some momentary alarm. As the author
puts II. she fell back ward with a bang that
sickencl tina visiting mothers and brought the
Sa-Aa,,aha - -. fpt thntr p,A,gha urAaI