Evening star., 1901-08-10
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

| uonal History OF the United States, etc.
| Chicago; A. O. McClurg & Company.
| Many histories Of this country excell In
size; some Of them are superior in the mat
ter OF references to special topics; others
| are noted for the scholarly manner in
| which problems are analysed; this work Is
| distinguished for its brevity, its precision
| OF touch and its readable character. It
| tells the story of the nation in excellent
style. In such narrative form as the na-
ture OF the subject allows. and with a stern
determination to exclude minutiae and in
| concentrate the readers attention upon the
| primal workings Of the law Of cause and
| effect in republic building. The work is
| likewise notable for the fact that although
| OF recent construction it does not cover
| the subject Of the territorial expansion OF
| the United States, leaving that theme for
| future historians to discuss when events
have more accurately indicated the future
of the new possessions. A chapter on
| America in Our Own Times does indeed
give the authors views upon some topics
| of current interest, notably the vast trade
| expansion Of the country, the suffrage, the
rise Of labor problems and the question OF
| trusts. His concluding words bear upon
| conditions which are agitating the public
| mind today:
'In the fundamental laws Of the COM
| monwealths admitted since 1876 the indus
| trial Interpretation of the doctrine Of the
Declaration is unmistakable. Thus North
Dakota in it's bill of rights defines the nat
ural rights Of man to be industrial az well
I as political. His is the right to labor and
| it Is the function OF the state to secure
him both occupation and the fruits OF his
labor Between him and monopoly the
viewed today in an entirely different light
| from that of a century ago. The individ-
ualism of 1916 complained Of too much gov
ernment: today it complains Of too little.
Then the state was not conceived as an
organism functfoned to promote the gen
eral welfare; now the state Is conceived as
| the source and fountain of justice, pro-
| lection and authority. No one in Jeffer-
| sons time conceived Of the state as the
| true and exclusive owner Of rights and
| privileges in our day exercised by common
| carriers, such railroad, steamship, tele-
graph and traction companies. State own
| ership, county ownership, city ownership
Of such properties is no longer an unfa-
| miliar thought. The later constitutions
are full of the latent socialism of which
those of the eighteenth century contain no
hint Nor are these later instruments un-
| supported A various and voluminous body
| Of legislation embodies an approving pub
| lie opinion There is evidence here Of a
discomfort which turns with confidence to
government as the common protector and
| to the national government as supreme.
The confidence bred by prosperity Is
strengthened by the hope bred amid adver-
sity. The specialization Of government has
begun.
MEN AND LETTERS. By Herbert Paul. New
York: John Lane.
Thirteen essays which have heretofore
found expression in some measure In the
| pages of the Nineteenth Century have been
given permanent form in this volume,
| which is in it's final effect an appeal for
scholasticism in these days Of hasty edu-
cation and workmanship. The author re-
veals his own strong leanings toward
classical themes. He shows his love for
the stylists of the days Of Greek and Ro-
man culture. He pleads for the devotion
Of more thought to the fundamental works
| Of literature than to the ephemeral prod
ucts of the more or less commercial minds
Of today, which GEEK the market rather
His topics are the classical poems Of Ten
| nyson. Matthew Arnolds letters, the
decay Of classical quotation, Sterne,
Gibbons life and letters, the Vic
art Of letter writing. the great tractarian
Lord Halifax; the father Of letters, Cicero;
the prince of journalists, Dean Swift; Ma
caulay and his critics and the autocrat Of
the dinner table, John Selden. These
themes are discussed in a style itself a
strong argument for study Of the forms
and doctrines Of the classics, so pure and
| refreshing is It In its devotion to high lit
erary ideals.
GEOFFREY STRONG. By Laura e. Richards, au-
LANA
Estes 4 Co..
Few stories of such proportions as this
little tale Of village life contain so many
interesting people. They are natural, too,
which Is more than can be said of some
freaks OF literary creation. The expert
! ences Of young physician substituting in
New England town concentrate, as is in
evitable In the novel world, around ro-
| nance which closes In approved manner,
but in an exceptional style Of telling. Geof-
frey Strong may have been an intensely
disagreeable person in some surroundings
but he seemed to fit neatly and harmoni-
ously into his surroundings in this in
stance. It would be interesting for the au-
thor to attempt the rather dangerous task
Of transplanting this energetic and original
young man to a broader field.
A DRoNE AND DREAMER By Nelson Lloyd,
author Of 1.-The Chronic Loafer." New York:
]. NJ Taylor Company.
I The disposition to get close to nature
which inspires a school Of novelists who
are crowding the romancers for popularity
forms the handspring Of the story, a rather
interesting tale Of Pennsylvania which In
wolves three city men in their first real
contact with rural life. The love motive
sends these men galloping across country
on Quixotic mission and affords chance
for the most interesting character in the
book, Cousin Joe," to express himself at
length upon some or the current Soci0lOg-
ical problems. AS long as readers wish
merely to be entertained this story will
serve the first function Of the modern
novel,
THE LIBRARY OF USEFUL STORIEsTHE
STORY OF KING ALFRED. BY Walter Bes-
ant. New York. d. Appleton Company.
% Gord. author % Of "A % Flash Of H Summer" @ etc. &C.
New York: d. Appleton Company.
CASTING OF NETS; Novel. By Richard Bayot
author Of "a Roman Mystery" etc. New York;
John Lane.
The German Coast Sinking.
From the London Standard.
The much-discussed question whether the
coast of the North sea is in a perpetual
state of rising or sinking has just been
answered in the latter sense, at least SO
far as Germany is concerned
The latest levels taken in the district
near Hamburg have aroused the keenest
interest of biologists and topographers. as
In large number Of cases they differ from
the accurate record Of levels made fifty
years ago. The difference Is sometimes as
oyrlp - ~,