The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-24

miscellaneous Books.
''In and Around the Grand Canyon" b
George Wharton James, is a copously i
Illustrated volume describing the Gran
Canyon of the Colorado. The author sim
ply deals with his own personal adven
lures and impressions while travelin
| through that country, and with the gen
eral geological and geographical feature
of the region. Perhaps the most quotabl
thing in the book is a paragraph whic
the author himself quotes from the worl
of Harrison Gray Otis on the subject, an
introduces in this wise:
ut is a popular idea that the canyon
is through a country of mountains
This is a mistake. Instead, it cuts
through series of great plateaux,
known on the north as the kaibab,
Powell, and Knab Plateaux, and on
the south as the Colorado Plateau. The
singularity of this formation is such
that one does not discover the exist
ence of this vast waterway as he
journeys northward or southwark
until he is on its very brink. Hence,
the tremendous and startling surprise
that awaits every visitor. The canyon
springs upon him with the leap of
panther. and, suggesting a deserted
world. yawns at his feet before he is
aware that he is within miles of it, 1t
overwhelms him by It's suddenness,
and renders him speechless with its
grandeur and magnifcence.
mo readings, no descriptions, no
pictures, no warnings, can prepare the
mind for that one first stupendous,
overwhelming impression. Here is the
impression of a traveller:
Suddenly the awful majesty of the
Grand Canyon is revealed to his
startled vision. There before him lies
the mighty red rift in the earth, the
most CtnnGndOnG gorge within the
knowledge of man The mind is spell
bound by the spectacle, the voice is
silent; the heart is subdued; the soul
turns in profound reverence to the Al
mighty, whose handiwork is here seen
on colossal scale. No matter how
many descriptions of the Grand Can
yon may have been previously read by
him who sees 1t for the first time, its
profound depths, its colossal heights.
its myriad and matchless co'ors,
its brilliant hues. it's stn6ing
lights and shades its atd mighty
grand ensemble win fill the beholder
with Il mingled sense of awe, wonder,
admiration, and reverence.
3" i can well believe that the river
took its name, Colorado (red) from the
prevailing hue of its walls, rather
than from the color of the water.
which is not red.
Here is a mighty opening in the
earth, whose capacity in cubic feet
must be measured by some mathema-
tician not yet born upon the earth.
for the man does not live who can
make the figures. Imagine, if You can.
all the armies of all the nations of the
earth. marching in solid columns from
opposite sides of this appalling gorge
to meet each other in battle array, I'M
conscious Of the existence of this spot
until too late to save themselves from
being swallowed up in its abysmal
depths; imagine all these vast bodies
of men, with all the. guns, all the
horses-infantry, cavalry. artillery, sap
pers, miners, and pontoniers-ail the
transportation trains, and all the imped-
imenta of an army, together with all
the buildings of all the cities of the
world-imagine all this vast aggrega-
ton Of men and material thrown into
this Unreasonable abyss, and the
Grand Canyon would still remain I'M
filled for its entire length, and the Col
orado River would continue To flow
uninterrupted on its reckless course
to the sea. In its measureless. cruel
Unsuitable nav all would be swallowed
up
Besides the pictures of scenery there
are some pictures, evidently from photo
graphs, of the Indians inhabiting that
region. Boston: Little, Brown & CO,
$500
Mexico City: An Idler's Notebook"
Is little book Of travel by Olive PercivaI
1t is precisely what the subtitle indicates
"a notebook. The style is exceedingly
informal, not to say sketchy, and the
book is simply a series of pictures of
Mexico, the scenery, the people, the
and the street scenes. There is
a good deal of the first personal pronoun
in it, but if one does not object to that it
Is quite charming. Chicago: HerLert S.
Stone &, Coz
A book calculated to be of considerable
use in its line is an Encyclopedia of Ell
quette," by Emily Holt. Under this some
what pretentious title, in a book not so
very large for its name, the author has
collected information as to the proper
way to behave at dinners, balls, we'd
1ings, luncheons. and all the other func-
tons of fashionable society. 1t will be
most valuable to bewildered people who
are not familiar with the little usages of
social life, and it covers practically all
The ground that there is. (New York:
Mcclure, Phillips e. Coz
THE Monetary History of the United
States" by Charles J. Bullock, is the
attest volume in the series entitled THE
Citizens Library" 1t consists of three
-SSayS, enllllsu, respectively. nree
Centuries of Cheap Money in the United
States" THE Paper Currency of North
Carolina and THE Paper Currency Of
New Hampshire"
The object of the author in writing his
book is stated with sufficient clearness In
his preface, in which he says:
at is the purpose of tins first essay
to show that all the varied
currency experiments with which our
people have been vexed for nearly
three centuries have been, first and
fundamentally, efforts TO secure a
cheap medium of exchange. While IL
is not claimed shat this thesis Is en-
tirely novel, it is believed that the
essay is the first systematic effort to
supply unitary Interpretation of the
leading facts in the history of Amer
lean currency. The second and third
essays contained in this volume are
primarily Investigations into subjects
about which little has been known
hitherto. But, since North Carolina
and New Hampshire remained, up To
the very close of the Colonial period
sparsely settled farming communities
in which manufactures and commerce
were of slight Importance, they offer
a favorable field in which to test the
thesis which the first essay seeks Ia
establish.
There is no attempt TO prove any no.
itical theory In the book; IT is a history.
,ure and simple. (New York: The Mac
MILAN Company. $3.50