Evening star., 1901-04-27


of tears" She was never queen in royal
| right. but passed the period during which
| she should have been consort on the throne
| of England as a lonely prisoner in the
castle of Ahlden, in Hanover. Her nelan-
choly story has been shrouded with con-
| siderable mystery. owing to the determined
| ekertions of the royal families Of Hanover,
| Prussia and England to conceal the true
! reason for the divorce of George Louis, af
tcrward George | of England, from his
wife. The part played by Konigsmarck in
| the romance was vaguely understood at
| the time, but his fate shrouded In
| mystery for many years, although there
| were suspicious, gradually growing to
| conviction, that he. was killed in the ducal
palace at Hanover while leaving the prin-
| cess apartments. The precise relations be-
/ tween him and Sophia Dorothea have been
| a matter of contention. Prof Wilkins who
| has a special fondness for unearthing the
| romances of history. has at last succeed
| ed in tracing authoritatively the preserved
! portions of the correspondence Of the lovers
| and his translation of them is presented
with an interesting account of the cir
| cumstances surrounding the tragedy Of
Dorothea's 8 life.
| queen consort at London. had not her un-
! happy affection for Konigsmarck run to its
disastrous crisis, was daughter Of Duke OF
| Celle and French woman of rank. She
| Inherited her mothers beauty and vivacity,
| and her fathers combined StubbornneSS
and weakness. Her husband, her first
| cousin, George Louis, son of her fathers
brother, the Duke of Hanover. was lout-
| iSh, duh man, with marital fidelity
whatever and hatred for his wife inherit
| ed from his mother, the ambitious Duchess
| (afterward Electress) Sophia. The marriage
was forced by state reasons and was
fp1 of wi
Konigsmarck was a gay, handsome young
| Swedish soldier of fortune-in a double
sense. he preferring the service of other
! governments than his own and possessing
| abundant wealth. He was colonel in the
| Hanoverian army when he became infat-
uated with Sophie Dorothea, and the in
| timacy grew rapidly when once the unhap-
py wife permitted her longing for admira-
tion to center upon this gallant officer.
| The letters which have been preserved tell
an exceptionally interesting story. The in
trigue was finally disclosed through the
| unremitting vigilance of the Countess Pla-
ten, the Madame Maintenon of the Hano-'
verian court, who loved Kongsmarck ana
despised Sophie Dorothea. and was event
Tally the immediate agent of the formers
death.
The history Of the prisoner of Ahlden in
timately concerns that of the Hanoverian
succession to the crown of England and
has melancholy, remote bearing upon the
recent change in the sovereignty. 1t is
unfortunate that more scrupulous care was
not taken in the preparation Of the book
itself in view of its literary and historical
importance. Several typographical err
rors appear, the more glaring in view of the
handsome setting which has been given to
these royal love letters, now first published
from the originals.
JOURNEY TO NATURE. BY ]. P. Mowbray
cJ. p. M. Illustrated by Charles Edward
Hooper. New York: Doubleday. Page & Co.
Washington: VIM. Ballantyne Sons.
A Wall street broker is suddenly warned
by physical reaction that his life is in
danger as a result of the tremendous strain
of his occupation, and upon the insistent
advice Of his physician he seeks COM
piete rest in the comparative wilderness.
So he and his eight-year-old son bury
themselves in the country and for months
lead secluded lives. In that time the world
worn man is rejuvenated. He finds
ture "a kind of friend and restorer. Incl
dentally he finds a young woman who ap-
peals to his emotions, and it is not until
he has declared his affection that he learns
she is engaged to marry the village wheel
wright. The love story is only an incident
and does not obstruct the real charm of
the book, which lies in its freshness of ex-
preston, its delightful surprises and its
atmosphere of rurality. AS the man is
not learned in botany or any of the ologies,
the book has no scientific phases. 1t is
filled, however, with charming descriptions
and some philosophical relaxations.
QUINCY ADAMS SAWYER AND MASoN-s COR
HHiK MEX toi,hs: a Novel. BY Charles FELTON,
pany.
There is a distinct tendency In domestic
literature just at present toward the pre-
sentation of folk life, neighborhood charac-
teristics, local celebrities as central figures
in homely dramas. Quincy Adams Saw
YER is pronounced by the author to be a
composite type, and he stands for this dis
position Of the bookmakers to immortalize
the village leader. He has certain quail
ties which draw the readers sympathies
The story is rather a series of pictures
than developed plot, although there is a
thread OF cause and effect discernible A
map of Masons Corners aids the reader TO
form his geographical picture though II
rather dispels some Of the Illusion which
1t Is the function of conventional novel
to create.
THROUGH LUZON on HIGHWAYS AND BY
WAYS By Wills Bliss Wilcox paymaster,
u ;. n. Philadelphia: Franklin Book Com
pany.
Paymaster Wilcox studied Luzon pretty
thoroughly some months ago at first hand
learned considerable about the people
their manners, prejudices and resources,
and formed clear opinion Of the prospect
for bringing them to higher stage of CIV
ilization. His observations are reproduced
in an optimistic spirit. He holds that |
the chief need In the island today Is high |
ways and railroads. to bring the people
into closer contact with each other and |
with their new governors. Schools and i'm
proved processes of agriculture will greatly
help. The Chinese problem he considers a
serious factor.
THE NIAGARA BOOK. BY W. D. Howells Mail
Twain. Prof. Nathaniel S. ShaIer and otbers
New and Revised Edition. Illustrated New
York: Doubleday, Page Co. Washington:
VIM. Ballantyne Sons.
Niagara Is here studied from a great va
riety Of viewpoints. that of the humorist. |
Of the lover Of scenery, Of the scientist. OF |
the historian. Its remarkable story is told |
by the geologist, and it's great future as a |
power producer is foreteld by the engineer
The illustrations are exceptional, being re- |
produced from series of especially fine
photographs The volume constitutes one of |
the most readable guides" to the world
famous cataract which has ever appeared
FOUNDING AND ORGANIZATION OF THE |
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN AND