The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-08

AusHaiia, ana SOUTH Africa, into three federal
groups. II we measure South Africa by this test
OF uhiy We can see at once how far 1t has fallen
pehmu Inc other two groups in that course OF
orderly development which has marked their pro-
eress during the nineteenth century; and the CUES
tlon at once presents itself: why is the condition
OF South Africa today so different from that OF
canada or Australia?
He finds that the difference lies in the
co-existenec of the native question and
the alien question; in other words, the
presence OF powerful native races side By
side with early colons:s of alien blood ard
traditions. These difficulties are aggra-
waited by the character OF the country, Tor
the most part barren and waterless.
The disposition of the English to solva
the race problem on something like the
lines of justice and equality, and e5tab-
| fish respect for law, as law, throughout
the European colony, was stubbornly OPP
posed by the Boer, who was essentially sew
enteenth century inhabitant dealing with
| nineteenth century invader. As early as
! 1928 it became evident that though tie
English Government had made all sorts OF
concessions to Boer prejudice. Its ideas on
the treatment of the Hottentots were abso-
lutely irreconcilable with tho=e of the
Dutch, because the latter were disposed TO
allow no interference with their holding OF
| these people as slaves. The whole thing.
Boer was in the position of that indignant
cockney who, coming into conf ct with the
law in similar fashion. declared that
thlngs had come to pretty pass when
man could not wallop his own donkey.
This is, in the main, the contention
which other English authors have made in
dealing with this question. But Mr.. Wors-
ford is little more outspoken than som.
OF them are in condemning the vacillating
ba in dpea
Bartle Frere. an able and faithful public
servant, whose knowledge of affairs in the
Transvaal is shown in letter quoted at
! this point, in which he practically fore
tells the whole present difficulty. Mr..
Gladstone was also guilty, at one time. OF
involving his country in difficulties which
| must lead in time to a serious war, and
then backing adroitly out of the tangle and
leaving it for this generation to settle. Dis
raeii, as the author remarks. was opposed
to the condemnation Of Frere. but was
forced into it by the rest of the cabinet.
OF the character of Rhodes Mr.. Wors'
| ford has discreetly little TO say. The South
African Sphinx is an unsoived riddle, ap-
parently, to most writer's on current az
| fairs. (New York: The Macmillan Com
pany. 40 cents.)
Letters to a Farm Boy by Henry Wal
| lace, has appeared in new edition. The
book is a sensible little compendium of ad
| vice on various subjects in which boys are
or should be interested, and it is sailed
with considerable shrewd humor. New
York: The Macmillan Company. $1,000
Minor Fiction.
From Sand-Hill to Pine" is new book
of short stories by Bret Harte. 1t is I'M
| likely that these stories will seem, even to
Mr.. Harte's admirers. equal to his earlier
| tales OF love and adventure, but that is due
partly to causes In no way detrimental 10
his genius. When THE Luck of Roaring
Camp and its fellows appeared, the pub
lie was startled by new type Of fiction,
| by story-teller who not only had very
| original style of telling things, but some
quite remarkable places and people as ma
terial for his romanees. In time the at-
mosphere of early California and of the
West generally became more familiar to
the reading world. and other writers APP
peared telling of the same places and peo-
pie. and taking the uniqueness out of Mr..
Harte's later tales Then he went to Eng
land TO live, and a good many OF his feI
lowAmericans gave him up for lost at
that time.
1t is really true, however, that in some
way this talented author seems to have
lost touch with his people. There is a
subtle difference between the author of
All Sin and The creator Of Enriquez, and
the difference is not in favor of the latter
The present volume of Stories six in num-
Der, is interesting but not startling. The
style is clever, workmanlike. and finished
nothing of Bret Hartes could be otherwise.
But there Is more woman in these stories
than in former books. and perhaps that is
what Is the matter. Woman, in the days
Of the Vigilantes, was an episode or trag-
edy; in these tales she is a matter of-fact
human being, with all the glamour left out.
There is no Miggles here, nor is there a
Miss. "A Niece of Snapshot Harry's" and
"a Belle of Canada City are simply Amer
lean girls, with the free, vigorous fresh
ness of the Californian. The uncanny
Spanish maiden in what Happened al the
Fonda" comes nearest to having distinct
individuality, but even here the mustang
is more of a person than the girl is. The
character of the latter is q sort of indie
Unable. weird cloud of a personality. like
the witch maidens Of old time spook sto
ries.
"A Treasure of the Redwoods," "Mr.
Bilson's Housekeeper." and "A Jack and
jill of the Sierras" are all pretty much
Of the same type-mere ,ucideIts Of mod
ern California. When all is said and done,
the fact remains that the only creation IN
fiction which Mr.. HaTte has affected iI
the last ten years Is En,iqucz, the way
ward. whimsical, lovlble Mexican-Spanish
adventurer, with his accent and his slang,
and there liz no EnriGueZ In this book. nor
anything like him. tDostoa: Houghton.
MiTin Co. s1.25.j
"Pabo the Priest" by S. Barring Gould,
is a tale Of oppression. love. intrigue. and
violence in the DAYS of Henry | OF Eng
land. and the scene is laid in Wales
The book is calculated to give one a vivid
idea OF what the peasant people OF that
country endured at the hands of the invad-
ing Norman and Saxon. and the histori-
cal color is thoroughly worked into the
story No one can fail to be interested
in It, and to appreciate the fine hardi
hood and loyalty of the Welsh character
Perhaps the finest chapter in the book
is that In which the peasants readily agreed
to die by hanging. one each day rather
than surrender their beloved priest to the
vengeance Of the Norman. The characters
of the priest. his wife. his neighbors, and
the dissolute and ignorant clergy sent
by Henry Beauclerc to assist in the sub
DUNG of Wales, are all brought out
clearly and strongly.
The weak point OF the romance is the
plot There is no sustained love- interest
to begin with: the priest and his wife en-
dure many trials, but the reader fees
certain that the end of the story will be
happy. Then. the various Incidents seem
rather strung together careleSs!y than ar
ranged in due order with view TO making
plain some central idea. Finally, the in