The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-11-29
NEWEST THINGS ON THE BOOK

formers proceeded to change the character
Of the environment. Many old tenement
houses, STEPPED in sin and misery, have
been pulled down and others have been !
substituted of modern and inviting as j
pect Working girls clubs have been or
ganized. Benefcent changes have been
wrought. The authors experience leads
her to conclude that "the city is what the
good, active people of the city want it to
be--no better, no worse" s..
STUDY OF PROSE FICTION. BY Bliss Perry.
BOSTON,; Houghton, A1ifdin & Co. Minneapo-
lis: N. Mccarthy. e.,
The author has in this book embodied
material derived from his lectures to
Princeton students on the subject. His
discussions are exceedingly interesting
Commencing the study of fiction, which
| innparts more less enjoyment to the
student. he lays down what he considers
the best form in plot and setting, with
due consideration of the realistic and ro-
manifest schools. Speaking Of the ten
denotes Of American fiction, Mr.. Terry
says:
1--WE need have no fear that the future
American novelist will fail in power of
expression. The technical finish of his
work is assured by the standard which
has been already reached. Decade by
decade one can mark the steady develop
ment Of the American novelist in all that
pertains to mere craftsmanship. But the
value of his work will not turn primarily
upon it's technical excellence on the side
of form. Cleverness of hand he will GER
tainly possess; but as I have said more
than once already cleverness of hand is
not enough. If his work is to have any
significant place in the literature Of the
world, he must learn to see and feel and
think, and what he sees and feels and
thinks will depend solely upon what he
Is himself
Manifestly wholesome suggestion. The
book is full of interesting points and the
author is we'll qualified to make them for
the benefit Of aspirants for distinction in
the art of writing fiction.
EDGES. By Alice Woods. Illustrated by the
company. Il
The author of this book is the daughterl
of the late Judge w. w Woods of Indian
apolis. She has the art of telling her
story more by suggestion than in direct
words. Her artist, living hermit like,
Thoreaulike, on the seashore, drawing in
SEPARATION from land and sea, finds one day
pretty girl with red hair asleep on the
sand near his hut, with copies of Whitman
and pessimistic Schopenhauer tucked in
the folds of her skirt. She woke up, as
he was reading from Whitman. This
began the acquaintance oddly made,
which advanced to one of the oldest court
heroine had her charming eccentricities
and when two eccentric people and artists,
too, get in propinquity, and gravitate to
one another, something interesting is
bound to happen. y Miss Allen was some
what inprudeint in visiting the hermit in
his seaside hut. Then she goes to Europe
and writes to the hermit of art and her ad-
mirers and the hermit is impeled to go
after her in Europe. He conquered, and
tho author mingles the love-making with
art so effectively that the reader is apt
to bow to the invisible author and say:
''Here's to your woman's genius, Miss
Woods
THE BLUE FLOWER. By Henry Van Dyke.
Illustrated. New York: Charles Scribner's
Sons. Price, $1.50
The name of Henry Van Dyke is the
guaranty of reading of the wisest. read
ing of the tenderest and strongest, read
ing intrinsically attractive; reading which
compels attention. Taking a passage
from Novalis, embodying the sweet
legend of 1.-THE Blue Flower" he intro
duces the suggestion,-the unceasing
search of men for happiness-the blue
Flower 81 in lsas several charming stories.
instinctsa and power Of literary construc-
ton. There is in 1.-The Source phase
of the search for the blue Flower pre-
sented,. which shows the futility of look
ing no further than ones own little sur
roundings for happiness and digging in
empty pools for water when paths lead
upward to the heights where the foun-
tain and the blue Flower may be
found. The didactic is concealed in the
most exquisite language and is revealed
Ito the thoughtful.
THE SEA LADY. BY H. G. Wells. Illus
trated. New York: D. Appleton & Co.
Price, $780,
From Mr.. Wells we may always expect
a story of something marvellous and to
mortal vision impossible. In this story
he tells of the strong love of beautiful
golden haired mermaid for Harry. Chat
teris, son of English earl who, al
though committed to an English girl fell
in love with the golden haired sea lady, |
who came ashore with her fishy tail and
was wheeled about in a chair. Ultimately
where he must choose the sea lady or the
English girl, yielded to the white arms
Chatteris having arrived at the point
of the golden-h haired woman with tail |
and was borne by her out to sea and the
people on shore say they never came back
Poor Chatteris not being fish, of course.
succumbed to the fatal deficiency of air
and the superabundance of water. The |
story of the sea lady'S Sojourn ashore to
capture Harry is tremendously humorous.
MASTERPIECES OF GREEK L1TERATuRE,
With Biographical Sketches and Notes. Su- |
pervising Editor, John H. Wright, Professor
+ of Greek in Harvard University. Boston: |
Houghton, AIifdin & Co. Minneapolis: n
Mccarthy.
DR.. Wright has made an admirable Sc
lection from the surviving writings of
Homer, Sappho, Anacreon, Pindar, Ferod- |
otus, Thucidides, Xenephon, Plato, Lu-
clan, Theocritus and the three great writ
ers of tragedy and others. Thus we have
in this volume specimens of the vinous
verse of Anacreon, the sharp satire Of the
humorous Aristophanes, the fine historic
style of Thucydides, the deep, tragic tones
of Euripides Aeschylus and Sophocles,
etc. The best available TRANSACTIONS have
been used and the biographical sketches
and notes are valuable feature
AMONG THE GREAT MASTERS OF WAR.
FARE. BY Walter f. Rowlands. Boston:
Dana f. Estes, PIP Summer street. Price,
$1.20.
Mr.. Rowlands gives thirty-two BIZ
ographical sketches of distinguished war
riors, from Alexander to Grant, and there
are as many reproductions of famous
paintings representing the most famous
scenes in their careers, as Hannibal cross
ing the Rhone, Caesars death, Godfrey de
Bouillon at the siege of Jerusalem Gus
tavus Adolphus before. the battle Of I.ut-
zen, Turenne's death. Wa shington meet
ing Lafayette, Moltke at Sedan, Farragut,