New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-10-23

Long before the correspondents who had gone
East in search Of copy" began to come de-
spairingly home in fOcks, 1t was reallzed that
we would witness the publication of no such
mass OF books about the struggle between
Japan and Russia as was accumulated around
the Spanish and South African wars. But
readers who really like this sort of thing are
not to be altogether disappointed. While the
CORRESPONDENTS in the East have not seen every
thing that they went out for TO see, some OF
them have seen something and have obtained
material for books which will soon be pub
Iished By the time the war is over some
further impressions possessing actually" are
Dretty certain to find their way into print
within the covers of a book. Meanwhile au
thors and publishers are doing their best to
meet the demand for books which, if not shed
ding light on the military operations now going
forward, ut least may help us to understand
the forces behind them by making us better
acquainted with the Japanese and the Russians
at home. Books about travel in the two coun-
tries are rapidly increasing in number. Books
assuming to give thorough going information,
statistics and so on are also being issued with
greater frequency. Russia is still the Old reti-
cent Russia but she is not quite as reticent
as she used to be. Japan is, up to a certain
point extremely generous to those who go 10
her for facts Mr.. Alfred Stead has even sue
ceeded in obtaining for his Japan by the
Japanese" papers by some Of the most distin-
guished officials in the land of the MikadO
1t is always interesting to observe the man
ner in which an author is taken by the critics
of his own country. Accordingly we have read
with some care the English reviews of Mr..
liplng's "Traffics and Discoveries" They are
all sympathetic, they all grant that Mr.. Kip
ling is a parsonage and that new book from
his hand is to be taken seriously. Here and
tl.cre this particular volume is hailed worthy
of the man Of genius whom everybody delighted
10 honor not so very long ago. More often
criticism is tinged. own has been tinged,
by regret that Mr.. Kipling should somehow
have ceased doing the wonderful things that
once lie was wont TO do as 4 matter of course
In perhaps the most authoritative of the Eng
fish reviews in 1.-THE AthenHum." we find say
inrs like the following about Their Lawful
OrcasiOn": "All this sort of thing is mOnStrOuS
clever and monstrOus ingenious, but it is not
precisely what one understands by literature
II is not certain that more than two Of all the
tales in 'TraGics and Discoveries would come
under that definition" Another story is de
scribed as excellent but the didactc purpose
OF it stares the reader in the face" and Of
another il is said that it is $50 slight that it
would surely never have been written unless it
had to serve some Interior purpose" These
are the views that have already been expressed
in The Tribune. THE AthenRum" goes fur
Their I'VE get too strongly from this book,
it says the impression that Mr.. Kipling thinks
his lghtest words should by no means be suf-
fered TO fall TO the ground" 1t is harsh say
Ing. But ia it unjustl