The Washington times., 1901-12-15
BOOK REVIEWS.
CrceIman's Interviews.

II appears from his recently published
book ION the Great Highway" that Mr..
James Creelman has been almost every
where and known almost.cverybody worth
knowing. It also appears that he believes
in his business. and in his paper. both of
which articles Of belief are good.
The book is full Of interesting matter
handled in breezy and picturesque style
There are twenty chapters. containing
among other things. interviews with the
Pope. Tolstoy. Weyicr. KossI,h, Sitting
Bull. and ether people Of interest. and ad-
ventures in Korea, Cuba. China, Haiti the
Philippines. and elsewhere.
The chapter which describes the battle
Of Port Arthur, contains some of the best
writing in the book, though it is all good,
and the authors style is remarkably even.
However. this particular event concerned
things less familiar to the reading world
than these taken IN in some of the other
chapters. Here are one or two para
graphs Of it:
The little group OF saddle-weary foreign
correspondents stood around a heap of
blazing wood while their horses were be-
valley famed and roared with the camp
fires of the invading host, and thousands
of dust-covered coolies moved in the
darkness with the ammunition and food.
! anxiously watched n small man pacing
slowly before a smouldering fire. around
which were gathered a few whispering
staff officers. His head was bowed. and
his hands were locked behind his back as
he moved 1t was General Yamaji. the
terrible little division communicable
who deliberately plucked out his own eye
at school TO show his comrades that he
was not a coward. Our fate depended
upon this man. for he was the real gen.
eral of the attacking forces, the stout old |
field marshal being political rather than |
a military element in the situation.
"Yamaii turned away from the fire and |
with a surly nod Of the head TO his OH |
GERS mounted his horse. The staff fol- I
lowed his example. / swung myself into |
the saddle and Joined the general as he |
pushed forward with the right wing of the |
army across the head Of the valley and /
around the face OF the western hills in
preparation for the turning movement 4
which was to be the key of the battle.
We were carried along in the darkness 1
with horrible sense Of universal motion. |
on the edges OF giant earth seams and
steep preciplces, with the artillery clanE-
ing and grinding and the p5nderous siege
batteries groaning over the loose stones
in the dry river beds; horses plungiug and
stumbling. with mountain guns strapped
on their backs; the swift clatter of the
cavalry sweeping backward and forward
with news Of the enemy; the steady tramp
and murmur of the Infantry; the crawling
lines CT coolies attending the fighting |
men; now and then horse and rider roll
ing down over the rocks; frightened
steeds shying at oamphres; a procession
OF ammunition boxes carried along like
black collins; occasionally a glimpse Of a
ravine with rivers OF bayonets cleaning
at the bottom of 1t; anxious and hungry
skirmishers creeping on their bellies
along the ridges of the distant peaks
and yet curious hush over it all, the
sense of a secret to be kept
Not a sign of a Hag. the roll Of
drum, or the note OF bugle; nothing but
the rush of human feet, the beat Of hoofs.
the crunching OF wheels and the clank OF
cold steel.
1T made a man grow cold TO be near
Yamaji and see the CLEAN in that one eye.
There were sounds of voices around him
as the swift messengers came and went
in the gloom. but 1t was a strange babble
Of Asiatic accents. falling weirdly upon
the ears Of New York newspaper
writer, borne along atomlike in that hu-
man torrent.
IF ever a man can realize She insig-
niicance Of the individual compared with
the force Of organized society. If ever
there can be borne in upon his under
standing the fact that his true measure
in the world is the FIVE or six feet that
span the length of his grave, II ever he i
can be overwhelmed by a sense of Ioneli-
ness in the midst OF multitude, it should !
be in such scene as this"
And there are some 4O0 pages of this
sort of writing. tBoston: Lothrop Pub
fishing Compapvj