The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-10
NEW BOOKS
THE LAW OF LIFE. By Annie Mcclure sholl
New York: D. Appleton & Co. Price $3.50.


New York: D. Appleton & Co. Price $1.5o
This novel deserves better and more
taking title. 1.-THE Law of Life" does not
give hint as to the fine quality Of this
story Of American university life. The
author unfolds phase Of the social side
and Includes real tragedy of a SOUL dis
tressing in the extreme. The heroine,
Barbara Dale, a girl nurtured in a literary
atmosphere; isolated from social pleas
ures; a strong intellect is sent to Hall
worth University to be the ward of DR..
Penfold, an eccentric professor Of mathe-
matics who has little thought for any
thing except his abstruse studies. Pen
fold is a bachelor of 49, After. little
while, ere Barbara is broken into the rou-
tine of study, he proposes marriage to
her and she, just beginning to show her
fine genius in the classrooms, at first de-
murs, but like many another young wom-
an, promises to marry him out of pure
pity for his loneliness. 1.-THE girl soon de-
plored her own folly. She had known
few men and was inexperienced in life
but her WomanS heart saw the folly of her
self sacrifice, yet she was too weak to
break off the pledge, thru sympathy with
the loneliness of her dry-as- dust fancee.
She marries and finds Penfold isolated by
preoccupation with his studies. Her whole
Woman's nature hungers for what a
woman must have-love, and she starves
in bitterness of SOUL baby is born, but
dead, the husband absent during the try
ing period of accouchment solving some
mathematical problem. Life thereafter is
to Barbara a dark tragedy. She con-
templates getting a divorce, but lacks
courage to inform Penfold. Her heart
moreover turns to a most agreeable young
man who had paid her much attention be-
fore her marriage and whom she liked.
But thru fear of hurting Penfold's feel
ings, she resists the temptation to break
with the man and resigns herself to hope
less despair and becomes warning tt
women against loveless marriages on the
basis of pity. Incidentally we have dis
closures of the lights and shadows Of uni
Versity 1ife;, its shams and verities; its
weak and strong characters, male and fe-
male The author has included a char.
acter worth studying and certainly recog
nizable, in Helena Dare, whom the stu
2worldly-wise,. formidably sophisticated
and an authority on university manners
The chapter describing, the love -makins
| of Penfold, sudden and precipitous as a
| cloudburst, and the way Barbara was
caught to her own undoing by a gust O.
pity for the man, is we'll done.
CENTRAL EUROPE. By Joseph Partsch, Ph. D.
| professor or geography in the University OF
| Breslau. New York: D. Appleton & Co. Price
81 net. Minneapolis: n. Mccarthy.
This is a notable volume in the pub
fishers Regions Of the World series
edited by H. J. Mackinder, reader in geog-
raphy in the University Of Oxford.
Central Europe, according to the au-
thor's delimitations, includes the German
empire, Belgium, Switzerland, Neither
lands, Austria-Hungary Roumania, Ser
via, Montenegro and Bulgaria. Enclosed
by other nations this region has been, in
the past, harassed by the Interference OF
neighbors and the peace of all Europe is
essential to its well-being. Even Ger
manys limited maritime position is natur-
ally comparatively unfavorable, but Ger
man enterprise has built up a merchant
service only second to that of Great Brit
ain. The author enters into detail as to
the physical, climatic, clinical, political
industrial, social and geographical fea-
lures Of each of the countries within the
626,000 square miles of central Europe
upon which live 131 ,000,000 people, In ad-
dition his examination extends across the
borders into portions of France, Denmark
and Russia. The last chapter on "Condi-
lions of National Defense is of special
importance and is a good lecture on the
Importance of maintaining peace in cen
trail Europe and avoiding the making OF
that region a battle ground of all ma
lions, as 1t has been. A map of the strong
holds of defense of central Europe is in
cluded. The text is well provided with
maps and diagrams. The portion of the
book relating to the Illyrian and Balkan
countries Is of special interest now thai
the peace of southeastern Europe is again
menaced by another struggle Of the Turk
for existence and Of Christian people op.
pressed by his cruelties for liberty, anG
by a rush of European eagles for the body
Of the HSick man