New-York tribune., 1902-02-07

dustry are often highly entertaining and some
| times suggestive to those who do not under
stand childish minds but would like TO do so.
| One English writer of our time now departed
| in peace and honor. set a standard Of SYM
! pathy, humor and Intellectual refinement in
| this work which one now approaches: but
we provided with much excellent. if less
distinguished writing in the second rank and
! this is well worth chronicing In the various
! stories Of The Imp and the Angel (Charles
! Scribners Sons) Miss Josephine D. Daskam
| introduces to rs very natural, naughty, hon
| est, lovable little boy Of most of these stories
! he is not so much the hero as a small god
! from the machine. who serves to hasten the
! crisis Of a romance, to bring relief to woful
| situations. and straighten out unnecessary
! crookcdness in divers human affairs. The Imp"
| is altogether fine little fellow of the manly
sort. and we glad to make his acquaint-
| ance
Another book which deals with children for
the pleasure of their elders is Mary ]. H
| Skrines collection of stories The Worlds De-
light CJohn Lane: The Bodley Head. The
British child of this book. as contrasted with the
American child of the other, is quite as naughty.
| but cleverer, more original, loving ard
less sophisticated. Ma Betty ana Ma Peggy
are fascinating children, and their quaint
ma gina bles' are described with intuitive skill.
DR.. William Cunningham Gray, Editor of a
Chicago religious journal, contributed to it
number of papers written largely in the North
ern woods. partly in the South partly in Alaska,
under the title of Musings by Campfire and
Wayside' Fleming H Reveu Company He
had selected them for publication just before his
death. In his preface he put them forward as
a plea for our own country" He regrets that
our deluded people pour in dizzy tide across
the sea in quest of pleasures which are only TO
be found al home; enjoyments and benefits in
ccmparably superior to any that be found
elsewhere left untasted and unaccepted" 1t IS
not necessary to yield adhesion to a belief so.
wrong and One-Sided as this in order to know
and acknowledge the charm OF intimate commun-
ion with Nature at home, in the vastly diverse (
aspects of her that be enjoyed within our
own limits. DIR. Gray was philosophic student /
OF nature of the type of Thoreau; and these /
rather voluminous musings contain much that |
will please devotees of an outdoor life and
those who delight in getting close to the earth !
and the woods and their denizens. Some Of his |
discourse is spread thin, and some of it is lack
ing in the charm of style and the depth of in
sight that alone can make such discursive in
telectual ramblings of potency or value. He
says many things of sound sense; but he must
frequently be taken with reservations Thus
there is. for instance, much truth In this for
the right people and at the right time:
We have beautiful rains here in this forest
coCntry-not long drizzles, but frequent sunny
showers 1t was not intended that people
should be injured by a wetting in a summer
rain. 1t spoils fine bonnets and silk hats and
starched frills and collars, and other inventions
OF the devil. but it does not hurt fannels and is
decidedly good for the human skin. This thing
OF making a drynurse of ones self for ones /
self Is miserably poor use TO make of life.
DR.. Gray is a great believer in the power of
Nature those who love her and resort to
her. Witness this:
The majestic pines have great loftiness and
does not stoop to US, but lifts us up to herself
We are as lofty as the trees as pleasing as the
lakes and as tranquil as the hills If one intel
ligently study Nature he will need no other
monitor in self-culture and refinement, and, as
it often appears to me, other priest in
religion.
The musings Of the South" are concerned
largely with Tuskegee and Booker T. Washing
TONS work there, which DR.. Gray went to OBJ
serve at one of the Tuskegee conferences; and
Of course he has much to say also on the ques-
ton Of the negro's rights and wrongs in the
South. He believed that the people Of the South
could do nothing better for themselves than to
give full recognition to merit by insisting upon
the civil rights of intelligent and worthy
negroes, thereby pItting forward an inducement
to rise