New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-04
BOOKS AND AUTHORS.
Current Talk of Things Present
and to Come.

''Th- Givers," from which the new volume OF
short stories by Mary E wilkins Freeman
takes It's title. appeared originally in Harper's
Magazine as The Revolt Of Sophia Lane" It
will be remembered account OF how one
sturdy woman dared TO rise in solitary revolt
against the practice OF giving presents without
anv consideration of their appropriateness or
usefulness. The story seems 10 have touched a
| responsive chord In the hearts OF many other
Sophia Lanes. and Mrs. Freeman has received
| more letters in regard to it than have come to
her about any other story she has written with
one exception. THE Givers" viii be published
by Harper & Bros. next week.
Gwendolen Overton author OF THE Heritage
| of Unrest" and Anne Carmel" has laid out an
| ambitious programme for herself She has start
| ed 10 write series OF six or eight books which
| will be studies OF modern American life and
conditions" The first OF them. which she has
entitled Captains OF the World" is announced
| to be issued by Macmillan in September
Some people want books dealing rather fully
| with one particular application of electricity.
such telegraphy. electro-plating, lighting or
| traction Others undoubtedly have a use Tor
volumes which cover all Of these topics together
giving IN concise form merely the essential facts
Henry and Hora's Modern Electricity (Laird
| & Lee) is a work of the latter character. re-
|
355 pages and consequently much detail is
sacrificed. Had the index been accompanied
| with a table OF contents. possibly the reader
would have been able easily 70 find what
| he wants. Nevertheless students and appren-
| toes win find II accurate and VI to date.
The introduction of the bugle into the Amer
| lean navy is attributed by Lieutenant Com
| mander Albert Gleaves. L. S. N, in his life of
Iat
| subject OF his biography. Previously. the drum
| had been used for sounding the various calls on
board ship. Captain Lawrence's innovation sue
ceeded in spite Of his unfortunate choice of his
| first bugler. a mulatto named William Brown
| It was brought out IN the court martial Of the
| survivors OF the Chesapeake that at the time
| OF the engagement between the Chesapeake and
! the Shannon Brown sitting terrorized under
| the long boat screened from the musketry and
the grapeshot- The failure OF the bugler 10
| sound orders during the battle probably con-
tributed to the defeat OF the Chesapeake. Brown
was punished for his cowardice by receiving one
hundred lashes.
Another writer Of short stories is TO blossom
into novelist The Reven Company announces
for September Norman Duncans first novel. TO
be called Doctor Luke. OF the Labrador" AL
| though MT Duncan Is by occupation professor
| OF rhetoric and English at Washington and JEFF
| ferson University in Pennsylvania. he spends
| all his summer vacations on the Newfoundland
| and Labrador coasts. where he gathers the ma
| terial for his stories among the fisher folk Of
whom he writes
The Dutch sects in Pennsylvania, which feel
/ that they have been satirized IN Mrs Martins
| novel '-Tfllie: A Mennonite Maid" are reported
! TO havs made strenuous efforts TO induce the
/ author TO suppress the book altogether. or at
| least so TO change its character that IT would be
| more comforting 10 their propre. Mrs
| Martin, who believed that she had only drawn
| true and not unfriendly picture OF the life OF
these odd relig1onists. naturally considered that
| II they did not altogether enjoy the result they
| might be led 10 understand that the fault was
rather IN the original than in the portrait
| A stepmother is not generally a heroine TO her
stepchidren. but she may often seem TO be one
TO herself and she at least appears IN that light
one OF her. at all events-to Stephen Conrad.
| whose novel The Second Mrs. JIM" is just
| published by L. c. Page Co. Mr.. Conrad
treats his subject humorously. but sympatheti-
| caIIy. II is not stated II IN his next volume he
will undertake an apotheosis OF the mother-in-
law.
Michael Davitt who IN his newly published
| book The Fail OF Feudalisn in Ireland sums
! up the results obtained by hts own efforts in
conjunction with those OF Parnell and their fell
low agitators. has had a career that runs like a
| romance He was born in Ireland in 1916 At
! the age OF seven he had his first experience OF
| being evicted by a landlord. At ten he was
working IN a Lancashire cotton mill. where he
suffered the loss OF his right arm in the ma
chinery. Thus handicapped. he became success
sively a newsboy. printers devil and an as
sistant letter carrier. He Joined the Fenian
Brotherhood. and after five years was arrested
and tried for treason-felony. and sentenced TO
fifteen years penal servitude In 1877 he was
| released as a 'ticket-of-leaye' man; but. so far
! from taking any warning from this experience,
| he Joined Parnen and other agitatOrs, and
| founded with them the Irish Land League. Sew
eraI times he landed again in prison for short
| terms His Parliamentary career. as is we'll
known. has been a stormy one.
| Puck has a new editor IN the person Of John
! Kendrick Bangs. whose name will appear on the
editorial page next week. the first OF its
| sponsible conductors 10 enjoy that honor since
| the death Of Henry Cuyler Bunner Harry Leon
! Wilson author Of THE Spenders'' and The
| Lions of Lord" succeeded Mr.. Bunner editor.
| but was never publicly announced as such. Mr..
| Bangss previous editorial experience has been
| as Editor OF Life" Literature" "Harper's
| Weekly and the metropolitan Magazine For
! several years he conducted the humorous de-
| partments in 'Harpers Bazaar and "Harper's
Magazine"
Readers OF Francis Lynde's railroad
| novel The Grafters," will notice new device
In chapter headings adopted by the author.
Most OF them are named after book titles by
| otbar and not them