The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-01-21


Cabe told this story in lecture. afte
his release, and thus the song gained
wider popularity. A facsimile OF the hrs
draft is given in the book.
Mrs. Howe's "reminiscences include an
ecdotes OF nearly all the brilliant people
the North at that time and many famous
mon and women whom she met in Europe
Boston; Houghton. Mifflin q Co. $500
Miscellaneous Books.
THE Iron Star" by John Preston True
is book for young people, and is intend
ed to teach history by means of fiction
always rather a doubtful experiment TO tr,
In Juvenile literature. in nine cases out Of
ten the youthful reader. discovering the
pill in the spoonful of jam. will become dis
gusted and refuse the dose altogether
This is the tenth case. Mr.. True has made
his book interesting because Of the his
tory, not in spite OF it. He has so inter
woven his facts with his fanciful details
that the interest of both is doubled. The
author of this unpreteDding little book Is
| TO be congratulated and SO are the girls
and boys who may have the good fortune
TO own it.
The story begins away back before the
days of written history, in the Stone Age
which fell in a forest and became God
send to two Cave children called
Umpl and Sptz. Out OF this stone
| in course of time spears. ar
rows and other utensils were made. and
| the descendants of Umpl and Sptz became
connected with the Vikings in their day
and the feudal barons of the Magma Charta
in theirs. The fortunes c. these bits OF iron
are followed through many centuries. down
| to the time of Miles Standish. How this is
done need not be explained here, for 1t would
be stealing Mr.. True's thunder. He man
| ages to introduce into his story, most
deity, certain historical, geological, and
sociological facts which are like nuts in
candy, enhancing the flavor OF the whole,
| and tasting much better for their sur
roundings. The heroes-for there are nee
essarily three or four in the course of the
story-are all fine. manly fellows, with con-
siderable individuality, and there is a great
deal of adventure of one sort and another.
/ II may be well 10 quote bit OF the first
! chapter as an example of the author s
/ style. He says Of his boy and girl who
/ lived in the Stone Age:
They both believed most firmly in hobgoblins.
! evil spirits, wicked elves that on
the watch for them in the dark; and when they
/ heard the long cre-aK Of a tree branch rubbing
on another branch IN the night as the wind arose,
] their told them that it branch, but
their fears said il was a goblin. and in the night
time they 5clieytd their fears the most II only
they had fire, with its light and warmth. ii
would be different! So they thought many DAY.
when the sunlight glinied through the tree
trunks and lay in spots upon the moss. Then
tho dark came down. and still they had hre.
Does this seem strange! Remember, then,
that matches were not made In those days.
Sometimes they got fire b. striking two bits Of
stone together Thee gerc men who knew how
10 make Ere by rubbing bits of wood together.
Some day you might try that. promise
you that you will get very warm; hut ! don't
think it will be because Of the FIRE which you
make by 1t unless some one frst shows you how;
and umpl and Sptz's father did not happen to be
one Of the men who knew how.
The book is cleverly illustrated by the
authors wife. Lillian Crawford True.
Boston: Little. Brown & Col
I'VE Win" by Herbert E Hamblen. is
a railroad story for boys. Mr.. Hamblen
Knows his ground thoroughly. and both
characters and local color are imbued
with realism. There is an immense
amount of romance and fascination in
railroad life for the author who knows
how TO picture II, but II does not yield to
the casual hand. The writer is well ac-
quainted with the scenes and people which
he portrays. and has managed his mate
rial most skillfully.
The hero is the son of an engineer. and
his boyhood is passed among his fathers
associates, from whom he hears many
stories OF peril and daring. He inherits
taste for mechanical pursuits and a lik-
ing for railroad life, and drifts naturally
into the position of fireman in due time.
interviewer with the story are many
sala Of vataran and
and some OF the minor characters. who
tell these yarns, are quite as interesting
in their way as the hero. The plot OF the
book is slight and simple concerning
lucky discovery which the hero makes,
and which causes the railroad to come to
the town in which he lives. thereby bring
ing fortune to his townfolk. There is a
pretty girl in the book good type Of
the American village maiden, spirited, a
little coquettsh yet sweetnatured and
affectionate The old engineer. Dave Will
loughby. who Is the hero's Mentor. is one
OF the best OF the characters. and the hero
himself is thoroughly real and likeable
Mr.. Hamblen has the faculty. which is
growing more and more common among
American writer's OF writing from the level
OF his material. In telling this story OF
railroad man he uses the language which
the narrator would naturally use. There
no writing down TO his readers. or up TO
them. His position is that OF the average
in .elligent American mechanic-the man
who knows his work and does IL well and
knows as much outside MS business as his
circumstances will allow. Frank Odell.
the hero has a style which is at times
rather like the stump speakers rhetoric,
but never by any chance that OF the train
ed writer or the cOllegebred man. This
- Vl.srs L.
is high art: and Il is kind Of art which
has appeared only within the last genera
ton.
In the middle of the story-which moves
in a leisurely fashiOn-we have the epi-
sode of a picnic, to which Frank wishes
to take his sweetheart; and this chapter
Is piece OF writing which would be pos
sIble only In American literature. II is
Sunday school picnic. in the first place;
all the young men are going except Frank;
and he fears to lose his job If he takes
a day off" for pleasuring. BY the kindness
OF Wiloughby his leave is secured: and
then arises new difficulty. His fathers !
buggy has a loose tire. and the head of
the family has decreed that the vehicle |
cannot be used until that tire is set. No
body in the village has carriage to lend |
on this important occasion; and 1t looks |
as II the youth would have to give up his |
plan after all. linen Nllloughby inter |
poses again as Providence. He and the |
young man. late at night. take the DIS
abled wheel down to a roughly equipped |
shop used for the mending of engines, a |
fire is made on the ground. the tire heated. |
an old kerosene can cut up into a sheet of |
tin. and the tire Skinned Herewith.
There is all the American mechanics creed |
in an epigram thrown out by the wayside
Just here
Dave said that a man who understood his liz |
- ....