The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-12-11
BY PAUL PRY.

there is enc phase of railroad building of
/ which little, save in a general way, Is
| known 1.-The phase in which successful
railroad operator observing neglected
possibilities in another line, acquires It.,
rips It To pieces, and from the fragments
| builds Lp what is practically new rail-
road"
ApropCs Of the authors mention Of
Nathan Rothschild, 1t is not the founda-
tion of mis- great fortune. It is a story Of
enterprise and sagacious foresight cou-
pied, unfortunately, with questionable
method. 1t is said that when the two
great armies under Wellington and Ma
poleon respectively were fastening to
meet each other upon the fateful field
near Waterloo, Nathan Rothschid in
London, realizing fully the inevitable
results Of that meeting, laid his plans to
gain personal profit therefrom.
He posted secret couters near the ar
mics, arranged at tremendous expense,
for the quickest possible conveyance of a
second courier across the channel and
had waiting a third on the English coast
at the appointed meeting place. Upon
Napoleon's defeat Rothschild was tho
first and only one in all London to receive
accurate information hours before au-
thentic dispatches arrived from yelling
ton to the English government. In the
meantime reports of severe reverses by
the allies were freely circulated In Lon
don and Rothschld took quick and gi-
gantic advantage Of the depression in
the morey and stock markets. The ar
rival hours afterwards of Wellington's
great victory laid the sure, broad foun-
datlon o: the willy barons enormous for
tune. II is scarcely creditable today that
such things were possible less than GEN.
fury ago yet, such is the case.
THE kubaiyat of Persian Kitten" by
Oliv4r HEREFORD. Published by Charles
Scribrer's Sons
It seems from the beauty of design
and workmanship of q number of new
books for the little folk that the choicest
talent is devoted to their production.
THE RI baiyat of a Persian Kitten" is
by Oliver Herford and appears In ex-
quisite binding and press work. The IL
Illustrations, too, are exceedingly dainty
and sugs festive. The verses of Miss Kit
ty with a tinge of Rubaiyat wisdom and
philos Jphy are some of them quaint and
amusing while others are singularly In
ane and meaningless. Possibly, though.
the little folk for whom they are designed
will not be so critical.
Another exquisitely presented volume
lot yOQtulul TeducTS Is mdHluly ) LII
Chilluns written and illustrated by
Clara Andrews Williams, and published
Frederick A. Stokes company. In the
preface he author says:
TT is mis- very sweetness and sunniness
OF their pastime that l should like to in
troduce to little one, so that they may
learn that love, joy and brightness fill
the big hearts that beat under little
brown skins quite as much as they do
the hearts Of other children"
This defensive attitude, together with
several unfamiliar expressions in the lit
tie Niger dialect and one couplet
devoted to "coasting," suggest very
markedly that the volume originated
north Of the Mason and Dixon's line. One
can hardly imagine any little pickaninny
of ones acquaintance "coastng";" and
the IL Chllluns" in this illustration
look more like Brownies than any thing
else. The jingling rhymes, however, and
the pr Attily colored illustrations make up
a very attractive volume.
1.-THE Book of the Dog" by Alice Calhoun