Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-20

count of the state of the nation enough
that is palpably true to give the average
reader pause and persuade him to seek
through the book for CLEAN of hope. 1t
can easily be found, for Mr. Tapp holds
firmly to his faith in "Anglo-Saxonism
as a saving well as creative force,
and he believes that the American repub-
lie will live although it's prototypes of
ancient times persisted.
THE INTERLoPER. BY Violet Jacob (AIrs. Arthur
jacob. author of The Sheep Stealers." New
York: Doubleday. Page Co.
Mrs. Jacob deserves the everlasting
thanks of novel readers for having writ
ten a story of Scotch life that can be read
without the infiiction of physical and
mental strabismus. Her text is almost
wholly free from the dialect of the Scotch
and she requires only nine footnotes to
serve in the stead of a glossary so that
all may understand. She explains that
for the assistance of that tender person.
the General Reader" she has carefully
pruned the discourse of her better-bred
characters, who in real life would have
spoken in court Scots" But Mrs. Jacobs
story has other than negative merit. 1t
is a strong, vital narrative of life in
small Scotch town a century ago, and
turns upon most serious theme. that of
the social status of young man about
whose birth a neighborhood suspicion
prevails. He is the Whanland." master
of the estate of that name, bequeathed to
him by his putative father. He is bitterly
disliked by two persons for strangely op-
posite yet related reasons. One of these
is Robert Fullarton, his real father, who
hates him because the woman he loved
died in consequence of his birth. The
other is Lady Eliza Lamont who hates
him because 1t was his mother that Rob-
ert Fullarton loved instead of herself
Between these two his way with the girl
he loves, Lady Eliza's ward. is hard in
deed. and Fullarton's heavy nephew,
prodded by an intriguing lawyer man
ages to get her to the very church door
as his bride before Gilbert Speid can
take her for his own. This episode
of a sudden change of bridegrooms
is wildly dramatic, being preceded by
thrilling story of Gilbert's race against
time and the handicaps shrewdly put
upon him by the men conspiring against
him. Some interesting personages take
part in the action. notably Granny Stirk,
queen of the cadgers," and the wooden
legged retired naval officer. Somerville.
The Interloper' is a story to stir the
blood, and despite the delicacy of it's
theme it is not calculated to offend the
most fastidious taste, so well has Mrs
Jacob handled it.
ENGLISH MEN OF LETTERS: Edited by John Nor
e icy aAIa1. ENDGEW Wnot t., By the Hon En-
pany. Washington: Brentano's.
The inclusion of Maria Edgeworth in a
series devoted to English men of let
ters' is one of those unfortunate necessi-
ties which the verbal restrictions of our
language relative to sex occasionally
cause. Ebert Hubbard encountered the
same trouble when he presented his lit
tie Journey to the home of George Eliot
in the series devoted to great men" But
there the likeness between George Eliot
and Maria Edgeworth ends. The two
women We're totally dissimilar in charac-
ter, in environment and in works Maria
EdgeWorth, as depicted by the present
blographer in her sDrightly, entertaining
account, was the meek daughter of an
overbearlng tyrant of father. whose life
was never entered by a CLEAN of personal
romance and whose horizon was bounded
by the range of her fathers activities
Really there is more about Edgeworth
himself in this work than about his
daughter. AND that is reasonable, because
II was unqueStlonably under EdgewOrth's
influence that Maria produced her works
and 1t was he who shaped her whole life
and dominated her every thought The
author' VINO would be known in this coun-
try as Miss Lawless but whose rank as
daughter of Baron Cloncurry entities her
to be styled the Honorable Emily" is
herself an author of considerable note
hiDEr-
raphy, fiction and garden lore that have
been well received in England and Ire
land. She describes particularly the Irish
influence upon Maria Edgeworth's life.
winch mas been generally neglected by
her blographerS heretofore The volume
she presents is a delightful account of the
remarkable family headed by the SUI
preme egotist and much marrying Rich
ara LoVeli Edgeworth- Miss LawIess is
blessed with keen humor, which finds
full play in her rendition of the story of
TINS household. Her appreciation of Ma
ria art as novelist is none the less
arked lor her regret that the father had
not been SO balefUlly influential in fixing
the style of his talented daughter
THE ENGLISH PEOPLE; Study of the;r po,,,,.
cal psychology. BY Emile Boutmy member of
the French Institute. author of The English
S 10 Ti; &c Translated from the French
ny u. English. With an introduction by John
Edward Courtenay BodIey corresponding mem
per OF me French Institute. author of France"
New York: G. p. Putnams Sons
one OF the literary and philosophical pas
times OF the French and English people has
Tor years been the writing of estimates of
the character of the other nation a kind
OF mutual criticism or exchange of points
oi view The result of this interchange Of
philosophical analyses is literature of ex-
ceeding interest and Importance. which ia
no" enriched by this work of M. Boutmv.
"A pupil OF Tame. he has followed his mas
Ter Footsteps in thus preparing a lengthy
dissertation upon the neighbors of the
French, seeking at all times to be above
national prejudice and true to the REQUIRE
ments OF philosophy and to the facts of
history Mr.. Bodley. in his appreciatiye
but discriminating Introduction notes that
NJ Boutmy, like M. Tame requires domi
nant theme or focal point for his obserya-
tons. In this work the theme is the oppo-
sitlon between the two races French and
English. The aut..or. in essaying a world
view or the English-such as the phiioso-
pher should seek-has. nevertheless. fast
ened himself to that of the Frenchman de-
termined to ascertain wherein the English
are like or unlike the French He centers
In the last analysis upon the proposition
that the Engiisi. abhor distractions. while
the French delight in them. The English
want facts. while the French hold them in
contempt. The Englshman he declares
IN consequence of his environment and his
experiences in wrestling a livelihood from
stubborn territory, surrounded by severe
climatic conditions, deals in concrete things
while the Latin mind reveIs in the ideal
Many OF NJ. Boutmys observations i'm Eng
iahu wnlch serve to support this view are
i To