The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-25

The Georgians, by Will N Harben,
 It is surprising that Mir. Harben has chosen for the title of his latest novel that of a book published some eight or ten years ago. This identity of titles will occur sometimes with the hundreds of novels appearing with each sea- son.
 MT. Harben has given in this novel a series of true and excellent pictures of Southern life and Southern character, more particularly Georgia character, The novel Is aptly named in that the people he depicts abound in Georgia.
 We find the same type in the works of many of the Georgia writers. notably in MT. Joel Chandler Harrison's stories.
 It Is avery different type of Southern CT from that we know in Virginia, in the coast country, and in the black belt of the South. The preacher. Jack Bantam, has his counterparts. Hear the opening of one of his sermons:
 Come here you scalawags! Come listen to me. you lazy hill billfes, you yaps, you sneakin' interlopers; come listen to the word of God from a man that ain't afeard to give 1t to you with out sweetenin'. You all know who I am. You all know Jack Bantam; If you don't you've heard of 'im!'
 Abner Daniel. the philosopher in jeans, we have met before in Mir. Har- ben's famous novel, "Abner Daniel The stories of what happened to his Sunday coat, how he turned on the flash light" at the Kimball House for two sweet old maids, and how he play ed detective with the mountaineers (of his own stamp) and how he foiled the plans of the Yankee Brownson are full of humor.
 A good exposition of the state of the pure white stock a-bloomin' here about us without education in contrast to the much helped negro ought to set all true Americans to thinking.
 It Is hard to grow figs on thistles, and harder to believe that the old re- probate's daughter can be so metea- marphssed as by miracle with the char ming cultered Miss Winston. Yet the story of Eric Vaughan's love for her and his work of saving her father makes very pretty. If improbable, story. MT. Harben has not made a great book, but for q succession of good scenes the pages make very inter- esting reading and Abner Daniels wise sayings are oftentimes quaint and catchy.
 Elementary Woodworking, by Eben w. Foster, instructor in shopwork and drawing in the Manual Training High School, Brooklyn New York City, grad | uate of the Lloyd Seminary. Naas, Swe- | den, formerly supervisor of Manual | Training Utica. N. Y.
 This book Is designed to be placed In | the hands of the student to reinforce | the oral instruction and demonstration | in the higher grammar grades, and In the first years of the high school. The work is divided into two parts. Part | i describes the tools most used in ele- mentary bench work. Part deals with wood; beginning with a description of l lumbering operations, 1t goes on to ex- | plain such natural peculiarities as | shrinkage, worping, etc. then follows l a detailed study of the woods and trees of the United States. The book is pro- l fusely illustrated with pictures and di-
 agrams showing the proper use oi
 tools and the action of their various parts.
 The importance of teaching in oul
 schools the arts of handiwork cannot l be too much dwelt upon. There IS something about the coordination oi
 hand and brain that goes to strengthen
 character Work well done with the hand brings mental balance, gives | repose of mind. Statistics go to sho" that men or women skilled in handi
 work rarely increase the crimina | classes. NO uOuDl tO SAlS VI
 training that women have had 1T
 working with the hands. the constan
 coordination of brain and hand ma!
 be attributed in great part the con
 servatism of womankind.
 This work with the hands Is saving
 grace in many ways to women. A wo
 man of all classes high and low | even ordinarily trained in the way
 of women can never be relegated t'
 the worlds worst limbo, idleness. sh
 can. however, left by the worlds cur
 rents in poverty. loneliness. weakness
 of mind or body recall some sort O handiwork for the salvation of some her hours, tatting, quilting. sewing { alarming, ragworking, cording or tn
 like. But when an old man Is strande' by the currents of time or crippled Il any way for life's labors he is doome' to complete idleness. Did you ever SC
 the row of old men in an old man , home. Nothing to do hour after hour fday after day, no combination between
 brain and hand. Would not woodworl
 he an tnestimable blessing to such poo old men, idle almost always from n fault of their own?