The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-03-28
new BOOKS.
ANTIcIPATIoNs. by III. @. Wells:
(Harper and Brothers. For sale by Pre-


(Harper and Brothers For sale by Pres
ton a Rounds. sl.so.)
Taking a diversion from his uncommon
romances like THE war OF the Worlds"
or when the Sleeper Wakes" Mr.. Wells
in "Anticipations' settles himself to
serious study of the luminous prospects
of the twentieth century. pursuing the
same logically and yet with that equality
of imagination the absence OF which. more
often than not. makes logical reasoning
faulty I'm its conclusions as IL is bound
10 be lacking I'm interest to the average
student
Mr.. Wells Is by no means extreme In
"Anticipations." He does not begin to be
so extreme, for instance, as Jules Verne
I'm his old romances, the anticipations or
which have actually been so largely re-
allied. Perhaps the venturesomeness OF
his own romanccs tended to dispose him
10 restraint I'm this serious study. We
suspect, too, that proverblal British con-
servatism has been contributed TO by ac-
tual British facts to restrain the author.
where an American would have had good
ground or greater, boldness OF antici-
patton. For example. on page i20 OF this
interesting work. we read with reference
10 certain social reactions" that 'our
coming house will have no lamps to need
filing, "and that "the lack OF ingenuity IN
sanitary fittings at present forbids the
obvious convenience of hot and cold wat
er supply to the bed room. and there Is a
mighty fetching and carrying OF water
and slops 10 be got through daily. And
that will cease I'm the coming era pros
pected by 'Anticipations."
We should say as much. For Amer
lean readers. Mr.. Wells might as well
foretold that some day writing would be
n ~ n nnhf inn ff.ef ..f l.xv
pen and ink. or that by checking your
baggage at Providence you could travel
thousands OF miles and find the same.
without further concern, waiting in your
room at a distant city, when you reached
the end of your travel That would have
been scarcely less sensational as a proph-
eCy, a peep into the imaginative future.
The landlord In America today has
hard time letting his house II his tenants
must go without hot and cold water and
must further fetch aud carry water and
sops." And as for filling lamps--why
we are getting To complain at the unnec-
essary trouble of striking n match every
time we want a light and insist on cleo
trical arrangements 10 simply turn it on.
IL seems queer II English readers are
properly startled by this moderate out
look.
This seems only to illustrate Mr.. Wells
restraint in the extreme. As a rule. there
are prophecies that will stimulate even
the most imaginative Yankee TO be
found in "Anticipations." The prospects
as to war, locomotion. and many phases
of social and political life are entertain
ingly discussed. Best of all perhaps, the
most profound and the most generally i'm
teresting are the authors views as to
the prospective world language and the
diffusion OF great cities, Future transpor-
tation he finds will tend to greater lat
itude in residence places, already fore
shadowed, In this country at least, by
suburban dwelling made possible by the
trolley. AS 10 the survival of languages,
Mr. Wells treats this subject most inter-
estingly, on the whole concluding that
the English language promises to be pre-
dominant though the French tongue. re-
duced though the French nation seems
to be just now In respect TO geoexaphy
and political influence, will be in the van
with a chance for permanency the wide
world over not possessed by any other
save the English. Surely the present po-
sition of the French language in the uni
versal discourse and, despite all set backs
TO the French nation and people, prom
ises encouragingly.
The retrospect in "Anticipations" is on
the whole quite as interesting and in
forming TO the reviewer as the antici-
pations themselves. The logic OF many
factors in the worlds development as
n
way 10 appeal TO a popular audience and
contribute in entertaining fashion To his
fund of information. The whole book,
indeed, is written In delightfully."- readable
style.
ACCORDING TO SEASON, by Frances
Theodore Parsons:
(Charles Scribner's Sons. For sale by
Preston 4 Rounds. sl.75)
Here is an exquisite book for the stu
dent and lover OF our common flowers of
woods and fields, for general reading and
for ready reference. IT is a new and much
enlarged edition OF work that is already
widely popular and in its new dress will
win many new readers. Through this
book, and. such other OF her works as
How to Know the Ferns How TO
Know the Wild Flowers" the author has
become a highly popular authority along
these lines.
Love of nature is on the increase as
people acquire leisure to cultivate the de-
sirabe acquaintance. Occasionally a fad
Is made of such studies and no harm
comes from that. Perhaps IL is only in
recent years that the growing city popu-
lation thet. in so many ways, has come
tos divorce itself from the earlier life.
when at ones door there were likely TO
be stretches OF field or little remnants OF
wood. has been brought to realize that
il is quite unnecessary to abandon
entirely association with natures delights.
So we are gradually being brought back
TO them and book like this is bound 10
be exceedingly helpful to us.
The new edition contains a number OF
new chapters and much enjoyable reading
that was not in the work as formerly
published. Besides there are 32 beautiful
ly coored and highly effective illustra-
tons. the work of Elsie Louise Shaw.
The arrangement according to season"
whereby the interesting and informing
talks are about the flowers In the order
of their appearance Is a capital idea.
IRRIGATION IN THE UNITED
STATES. by Frederick Haynes New
ell:
(Thomas Y. Crowell & Co. For sale by
Gregory 80