New-York tribune., 1903-07-10


more than an English boy Of the same class;
Danish newspapers are in some respects much
better than German ones, though they cannot
be expected TO vie with the high class English
daily press-such is her customary application
Of standards Though there need be no peculiar
objection to a description of Denmark as it com
pares with England. this method is not the best
for a sympathetic Interpretation of a foreign
people.
Several excellent photographs Of buildings.
views and paintings are reproduced in illustra-
ton
Jacob A Riis is perhaps at his best in such
lectures as those he delivered in the current
year before the Philadelphia Divinity School,
under the William L. Bull foundation. They
are now published under the title The Peril
and Preservation of the Home George w
Jacobs & Coz. The tone is direct and personal
with even less restraint than Mr. Riis puts upon
his manner of presentation in book. and the
intent OF the lessons drawn from his expert
ence and conviction finds a most appropriate
application in religious lectureship. The four
lectures describe the origins of the difficult
situations which confront us to-day, the prog
ress OF the efforts reform and the obstacles
encountered. and are brought to 2 close with
hopeful forecast of the prospects of success.
Mr. Ris sees in the growth of the various
movements for undoing the effect of the slums
the settlements and boys clubs-and the re
placement of intoerable clusters Of crowded
dwellings by open parks and model tenements
a plain cause for encoura cement. He has no
doubt that the public is awaking more and more
to the wisdom Of such work a he has devoted
himself to; and. the other hand, he feels that
Improvement is assured by its sheer necessity.
The boy Of the slum, the Tomorrow as he
calls him. be made, he says Governor or
a thief. as we choose. And if we choose mis-
takenly shall surely have to foot the bill.
Such ugly bills it is common instinct to avoid.
Therefore it is not credible that we shall prefer
10 incur them. This is in brief the authors
reasoning. which leads him to optimistic con-
oIusion. He is always ready with some vivid bit
of observation to use in illustration of his thesis.
and is quick to see in little incidents wide sig
nihcance Nothing of this sort in this book is
better than his picture of the boy he once came
upon hurting handfus of mud al st. Georges
Church from the opposite gutter.
He dug it out of the gutter by the fstful. and
distributed il impartially all over the church
I watched him. He, the boy. had no stouter
friend than its stalwart rector. Why then throw
mud at his church? went up to ask, and for
he was taken unawaTes. I was upon him
before he me- and put my hand upon his
shoulder, and that moment l knew what /
wanted TO know. what allied the lad The years
that have passed have added many details
the record of his case. but nothing of the first
irnportance II was all clear to me in that in
stant: for he turned like hunted wild beast.
his fistful Of mud gripped tight. to confront
the enemy-it could be nothing else. In all his
dreary little life no hand had ever been laid
upon HIS shoulder in kindness.
One Jewish lad disappointed his father by re-
fusing 10 become a rabbi because he could never
think OF beautiful enough words to talk to his
God Uncertainty not in the slums. is Mr.. Riiss
Interpretation. Policemen are waylaid and
beaten with their own clubs, has been hap
pening in the current week, not because the
boys are specially depraved but because they
have too little opportunity 10 work off their
energy in play. Who shall blame the boy for
throwing mud at the church. when, if he had
ever heard that his brothers keeper.
he must conclude upon the evidence that it
means jaIkeepers'? Not l." says Mr.. Ris. Il
joined him long ago only I throw ink
Mr.. Dwight ". Huntington. IN Our Feathered
Game" CCharIes scribner's sons. describes the
habits and qualities OF the many birds that
tempt a sportsman's gun, and proffers succinct
advice on the surest way Of bagging them. At
ter an Introductory discussion Of guns. dogs
game clubs, parks and preserves, he divides his /
matter into four books for pheasants. grouse
and partridges, for wild fowl or swimmers. shore /
birds or waders. and. finally. for cranes rails,
reedbirds and pigeons. In an appendix he adds
an apparatus Of descriptive notes for use in .
identifying birds. The names are. with few /
changes those given in the check list Of the 4
American Pathological Union. Some thirty /
plates Of bird portraits" are assembled at the .
end. in halftone reproduction. Several shooting .
scenes IN bright autumn colors also repro I
duced showing the characteristic environment ,
IN various sorts Of shooting. OF the exposition
Itself it may be said that the chapters are
short and 10 the point. untechnical. and con-
tain, besides the story OF the usual behavior