The times., 1901-03-24
miscellaneous Books.

miscellaneous Books.
In and Around the Grand Canyon" b
George Wharton James is a copously i
lustrated volume describing the Gran
Canyon of the Colorado. The author sim
ply deals with his own personal edven
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:
1T is a popular idea that the canyon
is through country OF mountains
This is a mistake. Instead, il 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
eDce of this vast waterway as he
journeys northward or southwark
until he is on its very brink. Hence,
the treT0 endOuS and startling surprise
that awaits every visitor. The canyon
springs upon him with the leap of a
panther. and, suggesting "a deserted
world. yawns at his feet before he IS
aware that he is within miles of il. It
overwhelms him by its suddenness,
and renders him speechless with its
grandeur and magnifcence.
No readings, no descriptions, no
pictures. no warnings can prepare the
mind for that one first Stupendous,
overwhelming impression. Here is the
impression Of 4 traveller:
9 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 stupendous 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 a colossal scale. No matter how
many descriptions of the Grand Cam
yon may have been previously read by
him who sees 1t for the first time, it's
profound depths, its colossal heights,
its myriad and matchless colors,
its brilliant hues. it's striking
lights and shades, its mighty
sinuosities, and its altogether
grand ensemble win fill the beholder
with a mingled sense of awe, wonder,
admiration, and reverence.
- j can well believe that the river
took its name, Colorado Ged) from the
prevailing hue of its walls, rather
than from the color OF the water.
which is not red
Here is 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, un-
conscious Of the existence of this spot
until too late to save themselves from
being swallowed up in It's abysmal
depths; imagine all these vast bodies
of men. with all the guns all the
horses-infantry, cavalry artillery, sap
pers miners. and pontoniers-all the
transportation trains, and all the imped-
fmenta OF an army, together with all
the buildings of ali the cities of the
woTld-imagine all this vast aggrega-
ton Of men and material thrown into
THIS 1nmeasurable abyss, and the
Grand Canyon would still remain un-
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.
insatjable 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: Herbert S.
Stone &, Coz
A book calculated to be of considerable
use in its line is an Encyclopedia of Ell
luette," by Emily Holt. Under this some
what Dretentious title, in 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-
tions 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
he ground that there is. (New York:
Mcclure, Phillips & Coz
THE Monetary History of the United
States" by Charles J. Bullock, is the
atest volume in the series entitled THE
Citizens Library" 1t consists of three
Essays, entitled respectively. Three
Centuries of Cheap Money in the United
states" THE Paper Currency of North
Carolina and THE Paper Currency of
Sew Hampshire"
The object of the author in writing his
book is stated with sufficient clearness in
lis preface, in which he says:
1T is the purpose of this 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 II
is not claimed that this thesis is en-
tirely novel ii 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 to
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. S125)