Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-07
"REMINISCENCES OFF SIXTY YEARS IN PUBLIC
AFFAIRS By George S. Boutwell,. New
York: Mcclure, Phillips Co. Washington:
Woodward & Intllrr,n


Terms of service as governor of Massa-
chusetts, representative in Congress, Sec
rotary of the Treasury and member Of
the national Senate, together with many
years of active interest in American poll
tics, give the venerable author of this work
a wide range for reflection. He is today
one of the most highly respected and char
acteristic figures In the life of the old bay
state, typically active in the support of alb.
stract principles, typicaily conservative in
the support of everything else and typically
enthusiastic in reading history to support
both attitudes. His book Is fairly reflective
of all these considerations. 1t abounds in
interesting and valuable history, particular
ly in the political history of New England
which has been hitherto only half known
or half authenticated. 1t comprehends
singularly intimate view of the reconstruc-
ton period and the Grant administ, atoms
with all that both periods involved. 1t
brings the reader close to figures like Blaine
and Conklng. And In its every page it ex-
hales the spirit of the most earnest and
least compromising modern "anti-imperial-
ISM.
MYRA OF THE PINES By Herman Knicker
Knickerboc Gie "u' ec. New York Mcclure
Phillips & Co. Washington: Woodward n
Lothrop.
In some unidentified spot among pine
woods, presumably not very far from
New York, perhaps in New Jersey, dwells
a remarkable family, once in comfortable
circumstances, but now reduced to the
verge of penury. The father is an inventor
and a corresponding astrologer, casting
horoscopes by mail The mother writes
weird romances for a periodical with
miscellaneous assortment of illustration
cuts to which she must accommodate her
text which furthermore mnSt he ShaOed
to suit certain advertising ends. The
daughter, best balanced and of course most
attractive of the trfb-it is ''of course be-
cause she is young and pretty and loved by
two mems smart and philosophical. She
enjoys the woods, even though they spell
poverty. Out of them comes her happiness,
and finally her great peril. In them she
finds two small children, offspring of a
couple of "pinelanders" squatters of the
lowest order maintained by an illegal agri-
cultural occupation. There is plenty of at
mosphere in the book, strong suggestion
of romantic tenderness and much action as
the story rises to IT'S climax. Mr.. Niele is
epigrammatic and amusing in every chap
ter, even to the Point of suggesting that his
whole conception is satircal bit of pleas
antry. LJ5EE
BYLOW HILL. By George w. Cable. Tustra-
tions by f. c. Yshn. New York: Charles Scrib-
Sons.
Mr.. Cable writes at last of the north,
leaving his old-time field with which he
has been so long identified in American fc-
ton. His story calls for no particular
demonstration Of geographical identity,
however. It's human nature is unmarked
by the compass Jealousy RACES in human
breasts in all parts of the world, and while
the setting of Bylow Hill, with it's turmoil
of suspicion and murderous malevolence,
calls for some formal statements of scenes
very slight change might have placed it
comfortably in New Orleans. This is the
story of a clergyman-husband who unwar-
rantably cOnceiVeS an intense jealousy of
his closest friend, once the acknowledged
lover of the woman before her marriage,
but honest in his remuneration. The novel
is little more than study of the growth
Of this passion eliminating in plot to
| murder frustrated by a somewhat comph
Gated chance. Mr.. Gable touches the heart
strings with all of his artistic skill He
weaves two love stories deity together,
one serving as placid background for the
other. His people are alive, their moods
rational and normal, even that of the
unfortunate young clergyman in the earlier
stages of his jealousy. Bylow Hill will
never rank with his best early work, and
testing of a new atmosphere a tentative
entrance into a new field, rather than as a
broad stroke Of literature.
TWEEN YOU AND I; Some Little Problems Of
Life. BY Max 0Rell, author of Jonathan and
His Continent" etc. Boston: Lothrop Pub
fishing Company
Ever since M Paul Blouet began writing
about men. women and matters in an inter
national spirit whatever he has had to ut
ter has commanded certain vogue, attrib-
utable in chief, no doubt, to the daring
freshness of his criticisms, the sparkle of
his style, and the evidence he has afforded
Of keen analysis of human nature. Ger
tainly other essayist has been needed
with greater consideration, even when 9TH
ers may have had more pleasant things to
write In this volume he addresses himself
to nothing in particular and everything in
general. He pours out his philosophy, cyni-
cism, pleasantly and common sense inds-
criminately upon all sorts and conditions of
men, without regard for national bounda-
ries or racial limitations If taken alto
gether seriously, M. Blouet appears to be
more or less Of a pedant, when he Is not
merely flippant scribbler. When accepted
at what is probably his valuation he
is an amusing commentator upon life and
it's variations without pretense of any func-
ton as solvent of problems. The title Of
this book is confessedly ungrammatical
deliberately chosen because of it's more in
innate suggestion of close relationship be-
tween author and reader. 1t is a pardona-
BILE colloquialism in view of the unusual
attitude of this particular writer toward his
readers
THE GOD OF THINGS Novel of Modern
Egypt. By florence Brooks Whitehouse Illus
trated by the author. Boston: Little, Brown
& Co.
1t had been better If the author con-
fined herself to the writing of the story and
relegated the task of it's illustration to
other hands For her drawings lack life
and character and she has perhaps given to
them time which might profitably have
been expended in Icompacting this some
what bulky romance 1t is the story of
problem an IN matr9noniat complications mp, with
the thought Of 4marrying divorced
The atmosphere "of modern Egypt is well
utilized to form background. though the
| story might have oceurred in almost any
other gathering place, Of cosmopolitan as
semblage Of people: s There is rather too
much Egypt, in fiahct' and much too much of
PRINCE OF GOOD FELLOWS, By Robert
Barr, author Of In the Midst Of Alarms :" etc
illustrated by EdAandeJ. Sullivan. New York:
Mcclure, Phillips 4 Go. Washington: Wood
ward & Lothrops.~ p
King James the Fifth Of Scotland must