davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1903-12-12

And foiled; and one lone sail, and over
The everlasting taeiturnity;
The august, inhospitable. inhuman
night
Gmttering magnificentIy unperturbed. -
The same boding melancholy. which is
not all sad. is found in this:
THE MEMORABLE LAW.
I'VE. too. shall pass; we, too. shall dis
Even as the mighty nations that have
And perished. Not more surely are or
dained
The crescence and the cadence Of the
High-hearted June. October spent and
sere,
Than this gray consummation. We have
reigned
Augustiy; let our part be so sustained
That Time. far hence. shall hold our
memory dear!
Let it be said: This Mistress of the
sword
And conquering prov. this empire
swoin with spoils
Yet served. the human cause, yet strove
Hers was the purest greatness we re-
We whose ungathered sheaves her filth
foreran,
Whose peace comes of her tempests and
her tolls
The poets ideal is voiced in this. a
fragment Of a much longer poem:
''The great achievement Of the human
mind
Is the idea of Justice. More than arts
And sciences. than faiths and rituals.
Lifts ali our life above the life of
Chiefly by this are we a nobler kind
The Earth's elect and separate: lost TO
this.
That snatch their meat one from an
others mouth
And without pain another-s pain be-
hold:
Though these are guiltless. knowing not
light or law"
The Poets Prophecies.
Opponents may call William Watson a
Cassandra and deride his prophecies OF
Engla1d's downfall. They may with
more Justice point out the fact that the
struggle between England and the Boer
republics was really not nearly as un-
equal as IL seemed. since only n part
Of England's resources could be brought
into play. They may state with reason
that the circumstance that the natu-
raj conformation Of South Africa helped
the inhabitants to maintain their de-
fense proves nothing whatever about
the right or wrong Of the contest. They
may also argue that England's increase
of empire has been made necessary by
the peculiar conformations OF her early
possessions. and that a power whose
colonies girdle the globe is not in so
easy a position as cne which is all in
one place. But, whether England could
in this particular case have followed
Mr. Watson's ideal course or not. il
IS not possible 10 regard that ideal as
anything but eminentiy desirable. or
the poetry itself as less than noble
GSew York: John Lane. The Bodley
Head)
The Washington times., 1903-12-12

may scout this view as foolish senti-
mentalism, and point to the fact that
pity is cheap luxury to the prosper
Gus. and that the verbose sympathy of
the Gladstonian era was not proven by
any sacrifice in the cause of freedom.
The Irish may answer II with scOrEful
reference TO the Irish famine, and the
Socialist may declare the condition of
the English laborer a proof that Eng
lands heart is not great enough to have
pity on her own. Still. the fact remains
that the passionate iGealism of these
lines expresses a noble longing for the
best in national life. a noble dissatis-
faction with low aims: and that with
out such leaven no country would be
worth praying for. At bottom 1t is one
with the "Recessional." and with the
solemn command Of the lines.
Keep ye the law; be swift In all ooedi-
ence;
Clear the land of evil. drive the road and
bridge the ford.
Make ye sure to each his own
That he reap where he hath sown;
BY the peace among our peoples let men
know we serve the Lord.
Thus from opposite poles two poets
of contrasting temoeraments come TO
one conclusion In their fervent wish for
their country's honor. Both recognize
unmistakabiy that this honor rests on
what Matthew Arnold used to call con-
duct: and in an age called materiaiistic
IL is not little remarkable that the two
leading English poets should both attune
their music TO this note OF idealIsm, Of
truth, of justice, In public action II
England goes TO wreck, IL will not be
because her poets have failed to be seers
as well
The perfect art of this poet will de-
light the student of rhythm and word
forms. Here, for example. is a brief
poem, hardly more than a fragment,
contrasting the days OF Elizabeth and
the days Of the Boer war:
When lofty Spain cams towering up the
This little stubborn land to daunt and
Quen,
The winds of heaven were our auxiliar-
les
And s.uote her that she fell.
"Ah. not today is nature on our side!
The mountains and the rivers are our
f5a,
And nature with the heart of man al
Is hard to overthrow"
The poem called "Melancholia" IL a
triumph of word handling:
''In the cold starlight, on the barren
beach,
Where to the stones the rent seatresses
ciave
1 heard the long hiss of the backward
wave
Down the steep shingle. and the hollow
OF murmurous cavern-lips. nor other
breach
OF ancient silence. None was with me.
save
Thoughts that were neither glad, nor
sweet nor brave.
But restless comrades. each the-foe Of
each,
And | beheld the waters in their might
Writhe as a dragon by some great spell
curbed
The Washington times., 1903-12-12

The book is ca-itally written, and It
weal0ens nowhere Every character is
clear-cut and satisfactory. The problem
of the story-the struggle between the
scholastic and commercial ideals in uni
versity life-is admirably worked out,
and the book ought to help clear away
some of the fog which surrounds the
struggle. The author evidently knows
his university. His President Babing-
ton is a flabby lay figure. blown up with
wind. as a good many public men in
college life unfortunately are. Plow,
the econoLAist: Nicholas Lee, the man
OF letters: Everett, the scholar; Stuart
the pressimist and pedant. and, above
all. Susanne Van SAINT. the keen-witted,
warm-hearted woman of the world, are
real people. So is the eccentric beaefac-
tress, Kate Tupper.
The book is dedicated to George Will
Hanson Smith. d. D.. president of Trim
ity College. Mr.. Hopkins may or may
not write more books containing such
keen analyses of the weaknesses of our
college system. and such wholesome and
vigorous advocacy of the true college
spirit; but IL is good thing that he
has written this one. Indianapolis:
The Bobt ts-Merrill Coz
The Washington times., 1903-12-12
Rhymes and Pictures.

Baby Days" large fat volume with
a red cover. is a collection OF rhymes,
stories. and pictures chosen from st
Nicholas, and arranged by Mary Mapes
Dodge. who has edited that magazine
from the first. The book is intended for
children too young to read. and will de-
light any circle of little folks fortunate
enough TO listen to it's bewitching jim
giles and look at the pictures. Some Of
the verses and pictures are reproduced
from the magazines OF twenty-five years
ago Little John BottlejOhn," for ex-
ample-but are none the worse for hav-
ing charmed more than one generation
OF children Most of them, however. are
new. Two or three of Albert Bigelow
Paine's delightful stories of @'The Little
Lady are TO be found here. and many
of Fanny Y. Cary's quaint Illustrations
and Carolyn Wells nonsense verses. Ev-
idenly care has been taken to secure the
greatest possible variety, for no two
pages are in the least alike 1t is a
happy way Of preserving child-literature
too good to be forgotten. CNew York:
The Century Company
The Washington times., 1903-12-12

posa Lily Moreau. is an unusually
strong and beautiful damsel for such a
position, and the hero Is equally attrac-
tive and original. Better even than this.
the author has resisted the temptation
to endow the lovers with all the worldly
goods in sight, as she might so easily
have done. All her minor characters are
live and original, too. particularly Es-
sex, the villain. who is a most genuine
scamp, and Mrs. Willers the good
hearted newspaper woman. Another
daring bit of original work is Jake
Shacheton. There is nothing conven-
tional or trite about him He is a live
man, just that sort Of combined sheep
and goat which we find in real human
ity.
The authors only serious slip. from
an artistic point of view, is In her earlier
chapter. in which the action is supposed
TO take place in 80. but the characters
use dangerously modern slang Were
people urged to "get a move on in the
days OF the Argonauts; and was Moreau
a name characteristic Of the emigrant
from New England in that day? On
dianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrnl Com
pany)
The Washington times., 1903-12-12

statesmanship. nor hospitality. The fact
remains that the old South produced
no Hawthorne. no Irving, no Bryant.
no Emerson. no Holmes. no Longfeliow
no Thoreau, no great magazines. Mr.
Woodberry accounts for Il in this way:
The power OF criticism, which was
one of the prime forces of modern
thought in the last century. never pene-
trated the South. There was never any
place there nor is there now for mir&ri-
ties of opinion. and still less for indi-
vidual protest. for terminating reform
for frank expression of a view differ
ing from that of the community
It lies outside the current of the
age. and this is one reason why there
was such an absence of ideas in its
life
The very storm OF criticism with
which M. Woodberry's essays have
been received is good proof of the truth
OF this statement II is about as true
now as IL was when the novelist of the
last generation said IL, that the temper
of Southern society is to shoot, whip,
hang, or burn those who disagree with
it, Such absolute freedom. running
even into extravaganza of eccentricity
sometimes, in matters of opinion as ex-
listed in Massachusetts in the fifties and
is now characteristic of the Middle West
is unknown in the South. (New York:
Harper & Bros)
The Washington times., 1903-12-12
A MODERN RoSALIND.

Our Lady's Inn is the pretty title OF
a decidedly unsentimental novel by J.
Storer CIouston. who. If he had to write
that kind Of story. might have refrained
from spelling so dainty a phrase by as
sociating IT with his very prosaic plot
Barbara, his heroine, runs away from a
distasteful marriage. in borrowed garb.
which would not be exciting but for
the fact that she borrowed 1t from a
man. There seems no real need for this
eccentricity. though II Is managed well
enough; at any rate, there seems no
need for the continuance Of the mas
querade, and it is ungraceful. Doublet
and hose are all very pretty in the for,
est of Arden, but in the retirement Of
modern London chambers they suggest
DIR. Mary Walker.
However. IL is one point in Barbara's 3
favor that In spite OF her eccentric ad-
ventures the author succeeds in making
her womanly all the way through. yet
not so wc.nanly as to make her predica-
ment impossible. The hero is fairly
well done, but the best character in the
book is Clestran, Barbara's would-be
lance. CNew York: Harper & Bros.j
The Washington times., 1903-12-12
Christmas Stories.

The Christmas number OF "St. Mich
olas" is full of delightful things. 1t
begins with an amusing poem by Caro-
lyn Wells. about an auction held by
Santa Claus A bright Christmas story
by Temple Bailey Is called 1.-The Bach
elor's DOLL" George NJ r. Twose re-
tells the story of THE Merchant Of
Venice" in a charming style suited to
childish readers. and adds a second
story. which is a fanciful parable based
on this Cyrus Townsend Brady con-
tributes a comical account or THE
Baby's Adventurous Day-and Mine!'
The Signs of Old London" by Julian
King Colford, is a descriptive article
OF unusual interest. a fanciful tale by
Charles Raymond Macauley is called
The Adventures OF a Tin Soldier" q"
Anna Porter Rex writes of President
Washington's Turkey Dinner" and
Ralph ID. Pain of "A Chinese Army
That Cheered for Yale" There is a
poem on THE Road to Fairyland" by
Ernest Thompson Seton.
The Washington times., 1903-12-12
The Story of Roselle

The Awakening of the Duchess by
Frances Charles. author of in the
Country God Forgot" is a story intend
ed for children, but likely to please
older people. Roselle. the heroine. is a
little heiress with a devoted Irish nurse
and beautiful mother. who is rather
unnaturally. if not impossibly. neglect
ful OF her The pathetic little narrative
deals with the child's admiration OF and
longing for her mother. the efforts of
her nurse and Gross Cook to console
her. and the final happy establishments
of the proper relation between mother
ard. The illustrations. by I. II. Caliga.
are in color, and very beautiful CBos-
ton: Little. Brown & Coz
The Washington times., 1903-12-12
Robert of Sicily.

THE Proud Prince" by Justin Hunt
ly Mccarthy, is already well known
through the dramatization in which T..
II. SOthern appears. The reader will re-
member that a certain mayor objected
TO the play as immoral He would
doubtless condemn the novel on the
same grounds. CandOr cOmpels one TO
admit. however. that while the promi-
nent Introduction of a scene in a house
OF ill-fame is I'm extremely bad taste, IL
Is not I'm this case of particularly dan
gerous Significance. In other words. the
book is too lightweight TO influence any
body and too unrealistic 10 take strong
hold of the lima agination.
Those who want the story will find il
in part in Longfellow's Tales of the
Wayslde Inn" II is based on the legend
of King Robert OF Sicily's transforma-
tion into a fool for his sins. Mr.. Nc
Carthy has peppered Il with bits Of
"Quo Vadis" and decorated IL with florld
rhetoric. 1t may make a better drama
than novel but in book form ii will ap-
peal only to those who are satisfied with
Sienkiewicsz-an New York: r.
ii. Russell)
The Washington times., 1903-12-12
CLEVER SATIRES

MonOlOgueS." by May Isabel Fisk. is
a collection OF uncommonly clever skits,
over which many readers have laughed
at the time Of their appearance in the
magazines. The author. whose portrait
adorns the frOntisp!ece, has chosen a
somewhat narrow field and worked it
with remarkable success.
Among the titles of the twelve mono
lozues which make up the volume are
Keeping Seat at the BENEFIT" Her
First Call on the Butcher "A Bill
From the Milliner," ~ Woman In a
Shoe shop" and THE Pudding" They
arc all funny beyond dispute. and IL
women are not usually such cats or
such geese as they are here represented,
why. real life is seldom quite as funny
as II is painted. IL is rather n pity that
illustrations are omitted. The inspired
idiocy or babylike malice of these femi-
nine creations. as drawn by Florence
Scovel Shinn or Fanny Y. Cory, would
have added much to the piquancy of the
book
Her First Call on the Butcher be-
gins in this way
''She enters, shakes skirt free of saw
dust. and wrinkles nose in disgust She
moves uncertainty; finally points at one
man.
You, II you please Good morning.
] want TO look at something for dinner.
oh. don't know what want-just show
me what you have. or course. I can't
tell what I want till 1 see what you
have. and even then it's very hard. :
Yes. Just US two. We'll. the plat
ter we use ordinarily for dinner-I don't
use the best set for every day. but this
one is really very pretty, white, with
The Washington times., 1903-12-12

* HATEVER may be said of
NM the English literature of to-
day. one thing is certain: in
no age has patriotism been
more ardent among English man of let.
ters. Foremost of these in popularity
is unquestionably. Kipling: not less a
poet, though no writer OF fiction. is VIII
liam Watson. and in his latest volume
of poems, entitled For England" the
genius of Watson finds full expression.
His point of view is antipodally distant
from that Of the man who sang the
Song of the English" and vet his pa
triotism is no less genuine for being
expressed with a dignity approachine
solemnity. rather than in a burning
torrent of words. Kipling is the mIn-
strel- Watson is the poet No student
of contemporary literature can afford
not 10 read Watson's Coronation ode. -
and this later slender volume of patri
otic odes
His Political Position.
In his dedication. the author thus de-
fines his attitude in politics:
Hazlett said of Charles James Fox.
His love of his country did rot consist
in hatred of the rest of mankind IN
happily. however. there are many per-
sons whose love OF their country appears
TO consist in nothing else, and from
some of these l anticipate a repetition
OF the charge which has been brought
against me of anti-patriotism; an ac-
cusation perhaps treated with disdain,
yet in itself so odious that to suffer II
without impatience is difficult Espe
cially is It odious to one who has prided
himself on being peculiarly English In
his sympathies and sentiments. and who
comes OF many generations of such Eng
lishmen as fought indomitably for faith
and commonweal. Such Englishmen as
lived the beautiful ancient life of our
pastoral highlands in the lee of northern
hills and by the flowing of Swale and
IRE. To one conscious of these noble
origins. conscious, too. of having loved
his country with the vigilant love
that cannot brook a shadow upon her
honor. the charge OF being against her
because he deplores her temporary at
amazement that has in II something
akin TO despair"
Seeks the Highest.
In the book itself the authors atti-
tude is yet more clearly defined. We
find the following spirited answer to
the charge OF lack of patriotism:
Friend. call me what you will; no jot
care /;
1. that shall stand for England till /
die.
England The England that rejoiced to
Hellas unbound. Italy one and free:
The England that had tears for Poland S
doom,
And in her heart for all the world made
room,
Tae England from whose side I have
not swerved;
The immortal England whom I. too.
have served,
Accounting her all living lands above.
In Justice. and IN Mercy, and IN Love.
The cynicism Of another temperament
The Washington times., 1903-12-12

n OF all Of those who read the
M "Just-so Stories of KiplinE
paid attention, perhaps, 70 the
uncommonly jolly little rhymes
tucked in between the stories. Others
may have found in these songs the
spiciest part of the book. at any rate.
it is pleasant to find them published by
themselves. under the name of THE
Just-So Song Book" with music by
Edward German. We are told that the
music has Mr.. Kipling's approval, and
It Is certainly merry. sympathetic and
fetching. Children will be charmed with
these best OF nursery songs since the
Field poems were set to music. But
how. indeed. could the music fail 20 be
captivating with such words as these
for a chorus:
Riddles and grown-up, too-oo-oo,
II we haven't enough tc do-oo-oo,
We get the hump.
Cameelious hump.
The hump that is black and bluel
And how could any musician with a
proper Bohemian soul in him fail to
The Washington times., 1903-12-12
THE TORCH"

(CTHE TORCH" by Herbert NJ.
HOPKINS. is novel of a
Western university. This
seems TO be the year for such
romances. Mr.. Hopkins book will prob
ably run close to 'The Law of Life"
which dealt with Cornell. 1t is perfect
ly plain that some of the episodes of
THE Torch" are borrowed from recent
happenings at a certain California in
stitution, although 1t is not necessary to
suppose that the outlandish figure OF
Kate Upper is a portrait of the bene-
factress of that college. or to imagine
its president to resemble President
Darlington. of Mr.. Hopkins creation.
All the same, we find here a vigorous
young Western university come to the
parting OF the ways. obliged to choose
between sohdity and sensationalism; we
find one Of the professors taking part in
a political controversy as a semi-social-
ist. inveighing against trusts; we have
an elderly lady bestowing large sums on
the university and demanding as reward
for her gifts the dismissal of the OBJ
noxious professors. The reader is free
to draw conclusions.
The Washington times., 1903-12-12

HEARTsEAsE AND RUE. Heloise soule. Bos
ton: Richard G. Badger
SOUL s0NNETs OF A STENOGRAPHER S. =.
kiser Boston: FORBES & Co.
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY or SEVENTY YEARS
George I. Hoar. illustrated New York
Charles ScTihne-'s Sons
The SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RING AND THE
BOOK" Roy Sherman Stoweil. Boston
The Poet-Lore Company.
CASTILIAN DAYS. John Hay. New edition
illustrated. Boston: Houghton. Miffin & Co.
THE GREAT 0PT1MIsT. AND OTHER POEMS
Leigh Mitchell Hodges Neg York: The
Dodge Publishing Company.
TENNYsoN's SUPPRESSED POEMS. Collected
and edited by J. Thompson. New York
Harper & Bros-
The Washington times., 1903-12-12
IN SUNNY SPACES

X" oMORRow's TANGLE," by
Geraldine Bonner, is a novel
bound to make an impression,
because it is so fun of insis-
tent. vital force. 1t is one OF those books
which II is hard to let go until they are
finished. II has, moreover. some of the
literary quality which we are coming to
recognize as Californian, and 1t de-
serves attention on that account. The
several styles of Bret Harte, Helen
Hunt jackson. Gertrude Atherton, Frank
Norris. and Jack London. are different
enough when contrasted with each
other but they all have, after all. a
certain freedom. vigor. and sunshiny
breadth Of view which seems to be the
gift OF the great spaces washed with
sun known only TO the Californian.
This quality of wholesome visor is
shared by the latest California novelist
The title of the book is badly chosen.
but that need not condemn Il. A dozen
good books with unfortunate titles have
made their appearance in the last six
months. The heroine OF the novel. Mari
The Washington times., 1903-12-12
MERICA IN LITERATURE"
by George z. woodberry.

- professor OF literature at Co
lumbia University. is a col
lection of essays which have caused
some discussion on their appearance
in magazine form. II may be said in the
beginning that this is a collection of Mr..
Woodberry's personal opinions, and that
they viii probably be taken with at
least q pinch of salt by most of his
readers However. that does not alter
the fact that the book is a keen analy-
sis Of the causes which have affected
the growth of American literature, and
that IL is sincere, unprejudiced and
scholarly.
Mr.. Woodberry is not sympathetic.
and therein lies what most people will
think the defect of his book He has
been sharply criticised in the South for
his frank statement that the South be-
fore the war gave nothing TO American
literature save the genius OF Poe, and
Southern journals have Indignantly ex-
plained that there was more culture in
the South before the war than there was
in all the rest of the country put to-
gether. Maybe there was-culture is an
imponderable product and difficult to
measure-but II did not crop out into
books, and these are the only concern
Of the present authOr-nOt OratOry. nor
The Washington times., 1903-12-12
BOOKS RECEIVED

THE POULTRY BOOK Part v Harrison Weir
Edited by Willis Grant johnson. Illustrated
New York; Doubleday, Page Co.
MODERN METHODS IN SUNDAY SCHOOL
WORK. Rev. George whitefeld Mead New
York: Dodd. Mead & Co.
A KEYSTONE or EMPIRE. By the author Of
The Martyrdom OF an Empress" Illus
trated. New York: Harper & Bros.
HILL. PRAYER. Marian Warren Wildman
Boston: Richard c. Badger.
AFTER SUNSET. Rosamund Marriott Watson
New York. John Lane: The Bodley Head.
OUT OF A FLEUR-DE-LIS. Claude H. Wet
more. Illustrated. Boston: The W. 4. Wilde
Company.
The DEVILS LETTERS TO MARY MacLANE
BY Himself. Chicago: Intentste Book Com
psny.
The Washington times., 1903-12-12
An Adventure Stor,,.

Doctor Xavier" by Max Pennberton.
Is new adventure story with the pro-
portion of mystery. romance, and ex-
citement usual I'm the work Of this au-
thor. The heroine, an fnpecunious
young girl, is at the outset Iured into
the abode OF a mysterious seientIss, who
announces his intention OF making her
the most beautiful woman I'm tie world.
FROM that time OF the mystery deep
ems. until in the last chapter. All ts
revealed. (New York: d. App eton &
The Washington times., 1903-12-12
Grimm n the Germa1.

A new edition OF selected tales from
Grimm, In the German. has been brought
out. edited by B. J. vos. assistant pro-
fessor o. German in Johns Hopkins Uni
versity. In the introduction a short
biography OF the brothers Grimm is
given. together with some comment on
the origin of the folk-tales. "Ascheu-
puttel. 'Schneewitchen,'' and other IA
miliar tales are included IN the coIlec-
ton, and there is a vocabulary. New
York: The American Book Company
The Washington times., 1903-12-12
Billy whiskers.

The children who enjoyed the antics
of BILLY Whiskers" last Christmas
win now have an opportunity to laugh
over BILLY whiskers' Kids" by Frances
Trego Montgomery. They are true chips
Of the old bloc. The Illustrations are
by w. H Fry. New York: The Saal-
field Publishing Company