The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-05-12
THE NEW PUBLICATIONS.
SOME OF THE LATEST BOOKS OF
 THE SEASON

Irwin's 'The PicarOOnsv-~Life and Death. by Sienkiewicz-Mrs. Ruhin's .sFhe North star--@How Little Girl went to AfrIea--New Works by Ginn & Collie of an Enlisted soI- dier in the U. $. Army.
 Mir Arnold White. in his preface to the English version of Lieutenant Biise's much discussed military story Aus Finer Kleiner Garnison," pub lished by John Lane. New York. which claims to be a complete, unabridged, unexpurgated translation of this notable book, giving it exactly as in the origi- nal, reaches the conclusion that "a book which has nearly caused a crisis in the most important department of the Ger man government, and which is respon- sible for momentous changes in the greatest army of the world, should be given to foreign nations in language embodying the authors ideas exactly" because if it had been less brutally true'' it might have failed to produce the effect for which it was written.
 Those, therefore, who want the story just as it appeared in Germany will no doubt find it in MT. Whites translation MT. White speaks at considerable length in his preface concerning the propriety of giving without change such a book as that of Lieutenant Bilse. which con- fessedly handles with startling frank ness many highly unsavory scandals in German military life, and which set the German people by the ears, causing such a rumpus that the book was sup pressed by the German government, while the author, although the evils presented in the story could not be gain said or denied, yet was sentenced to a considerable term of imprisonment and expelled from the army. MT. White adds that in the case of his English version of this celebrated book, the translation has been as accurate as pos sibIe even at the risk of shocking Eng fish sensibilities. The introduction con- tains also a sketch of the life of Lieu tenant Bilse. together with a summary of the court martial proceedings and a portrait of Lieutenant Bilse. Price $1.5O; for sale at leading book stores
 l lett Burgess and Will Irwin, published by Mcclure, Phillips and Company, pre- sents a collection of bright, amusing stories, strung together in the New Arabian Nights style and similar to the same author Reign of Queen Isyl, so popular and successful. The story de- scribes the adventures of three shady, but indomitable young dead beats in San Francisco, and the tale is told with spirit and vivacity and exuberance throughout that invests it with unfail- ing interest. The characters sail along meeting with a succession of entertain ing adventures, some of extraordinary type. There are no dull pages in this diverting book. The story of the retired car conductor is one of the best in the collection; so also is that of the re- turned Klondker. Price $1.50; for sale by the Pease-Lewis Co.
 Five brief allegories, in most of which Poland is personified, by Henryk Sien- l1iewicz, have been translated by Mir. Jeremiah Curtin under the title Life and Death (Little, Brown and Com pany) There are less than sixty pages of text in the volume.
 Life and Death" the great Polish novelist's latest production, is a Bud- dhistic- allegory, a gem of simplicity, also of melancholy. It relates how men came to have fear of death. It was com posed for the New Year edification of the elite of Warsaw. Brahma created the world in two flat plains, divided by river-the Plain of Life and the Plain of Death. The first he intrusted to Vishnu, and the second to Siva. DO what ye understand to be best" he said to the two rulers
 The people complained to vishnu that life was full of sorrow; he gave them Love; Love gave Happiness, but it also increased the population; thence sprang the necessity for Labor. Labor was all right, but from Labor sprang Foil, and from Foil Weariness. In answer to the prayers of the people Vishnu created Sleep. Like the proverblal Arab, the people found it better to sit than to stand to sleep than to sit. And they had one regret only-that sleep did not continue forever" That complaint is known to some modern people. Vishnu worried by the peoples importantly, led them to the banks of the river and told them to look across.
 .sThey gazed at the opposite shore and saw land where the sun never rose nor set where the whole plain was of a lily colored, absolute clearness. As far as the eye could reach were seen heights and valleys where beautiful trees stood in groups and ivy and grape vines hung from the cliff sides. But the cliffs and the plant stems were transparent, and the leaves of the ivy had a delicate, roseate tint as of dawn. And all was in marvellous repose, as if sunk in serene mediation, as if dream ing and resting in continuous slumber, unthreatened by waking. Not breeze stirred, not leaf quivered."
 The weary toilers, enamored of this Nirvana, crossed over in crowds, and their eyes were closed, but their faces had on them not only an expression of ineffable peace, but also of happiness such as Love itself on the Plain of Life had never given. The unexpected re- suit was that the world was in danger of depopulation.
 Vishnu, much alarmed, consulted Brahma again. Then Brahma made a thick veil of darkness to hang across the ford and placed there two terrible beings-Pain and Fear. The suicidal