Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-26

A HISTORY OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY;
From Its Discovery to the End of Foreign Dom
nation. By John r. Spears. author of History
Of Our WITH ETC. in with A.
toric places, maps and portraits. New York:
A. s. Clark.
Next year the holding Of a great inter-
national exposition at st. Louis to COM
memorate the centenary OF the Louisiana
purchase will draw attention more definite
ly than ever before to the history Of the
middle American region, the scene of one
Of the most remarkable social developments
the world has ever known. The present
volume tends to epliven interest in the his
tory Of the Mississippi valley by setting
forth the known facts concerning its dis
covery and the political changes through
which 1t has passed. Mr.. Spears has given
close attention to the records contributing
to the story of the United States. He has
acquired the historic perspective and has
accumulated the materials necessary for a
comprehensive. scholarly. scientific nara
ton of this remarkable story. His work,
as admirably told in this volume, which he
has collaborated with Mr.. Clark begins
with the adventures Of the Frenchmen who
first learned the way to the great basin of
the middle country. He has paid especial
attention to the effects Of the policies
adopted by the white men who entered this
valley toward the Indians, and he deplores
the cruelties which, he deduces from the
records, were wholly unnecessary. Indeed,
he AYERS that had gentler methods been
employed the Christianization Of the Mis-
sissippi valley Indians would have been
comparatively easy of accomplishment The
Keynote of the process Of opening and de-
Velopng this region was work" BY a toll
OF tremendous energy and productiveness
the waste places were laid under cultivation
and the fertility of the region was gradu-
ally brought to the service of mankind
But in the stage Of foreign occupation these
resources were far from being utilized to
their full It was not until the purchase
that the Mississippi valley became of its
real utility in the feeding and the clothing
ana housing OF great body Of the people
Mr.. Spears book is a foundation. The t,-ue
story OF the Mississippi valley lies in the
records OF the century the closing of which
Is about to be celebrated with appropriate
formalities.
WORLDS CHILDREN By Mortimer Menpes
Text by Dorothy Menpes. London: Adam and
Charles Black.
Mortimer Menpes is today one of the
foremost Of painters Of children. He has
gone around the world sketchng them,
studying them as types and as individuals,
and catching the sign Of the cline and of
the race in their lIneaments and their cos
eaiiiS' anu pdStiHicS his correction OF Dor
traits Of characteristic children of all lands
has been happily given a permanent set
ting In this volume. with a text which
greatly adds to the charm Of the work.
The illustrations are in artistically ham
died colors. the mechanical work being Of
superior quality. In chief they are indi-
v!dual portraits. but occasionally groups
are shown, to indicate the plays and &C.
equations Of some of the children Of the
world. The chapter devoted to the chill
dren of America is rather deficient the
artist and the author Diminishing the sub
ject briefly and specifically Especially Is
the latter's Judgment at fault, she having
evidently drawn her conclusions from the
children observed by her at few watering
places frequented by the ultra-fashionable
The child life of the continent as a whole
Is left unstudied and unrealized, and both
in pictures and text this phase of the book
will prove a serious disappointment to
American readers There are juvenile
types in various parts of this country
which. for picturesqueness and character
and oddly, compare well with those Of any
foreign cline. But America is a big place
and doubtless Mortimer and Dorothy
Menpes only touched its effete edges. Yet
this deficiency does not detract from the