The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-24
books for Youth.

!
Books for Youth.
The boy who gets Mr.. Everett McNeill' g
"The Hermit OF the Culebra Mountains
| &c. p. button & Co.. will not find that 1t Is
| lacking in excitement He is provided
not merely with cowboys and hunting
| adventures, but with train robbers ana
Indian outrages and caverns OF gold and
fighting OF all sorts. The author seems
to have boiled down into his book the essence
OF all the penny dreadfuls that used TO be
tabooed to scholastic youth. We trust his
ingenious plan of providing a hunting
excursion" to schoolboys who pass the Lest
examination in "manlness" will not be taken
up by any yellow journal. 1t does not seem
| to be an Indictment Of the highest character
and, what Is more, nobody will be able to
provide tenth of the adventures which
Mr.. MoNeill is 80 lavish with. Parents
who object to sensational literature will
prefer, we imagine, to keep his book out
OF the hands Of their boys.
| A number of rather disconnected stories
of British boy life are bound together
under the title "Minnows and Tritons." by
B. A. Clarke Dodd. Mead d Co.. Here
and there they show some sense OF boy
nature. but the authors standpoint seems
rather inane, he often let's in rather point
less vulgarity and occasionally perfunctory
sentimentahty, and no story has merit
enough to account for its introduction to
American youth. They are the sort OF
pretty badly made British products that
had better be left to the British If they
like them
Some jingles on Mother Goose themes
called "A Trip with Mother Goose by
Avis Pink Crosby W. B. Conlkey Com
pany. Chicago. will find acceptance on
account Of the very good and appropriate
illustrations. These have caught the right
spirit, and are original as we'll as real
Mother Goose pictures.
One last Henty book appears this season
In by Conduct and Courage by G. A.
Henty Charles Scribners Sons) A note
by the publishers informs us that 1t is really
the last book Mr.. Henty left completed.
II seems appropriate that it should be the
story Of boy on board ship in the days Of
Nelson. He rises to be post captain be-
fore he gets through, as the hero Of every
old-time sea tale should. There is fighting
enough OF the right kind to keep the reader
interested to the end Will the steel clad
battleships ever be able to take the place
In fiction Of the full rugged liners and
frigatesl
The sixteen years Of Mr.. Frederick A.
Ober's hero In THE War Chiefs A Story
OF the Spanish Conquerors in Santo Domin-
go" (E. P. Dutton d Coz, leads us to put
his book among the Juveniles 1t reeks
with gore. We can understand his SYM
patty for the poor maltreated Caribs
even after four hundred years, and also
his taking the gloomier view Of the charac-
ter Of Christopher Columbus in spite of
the proposed Qualification. We see no
point or authority, however, for describing
Columbus as a sneak and a coward, what
ever other faults the man who dared to
discover America may have had. II the
late war with Spain turned some Spaniards
against him, that Is no reason for Americans
heaping undeserved obloquy on a great
man. Bad as his Spaniards are, Mr.. Ober
somehow makes his ingenious savages
out as not much better. He manages to
vent wealth Of indignation all around
however. He should write a Filipino
romance from the Boston point Of view.
We hope he will not make events transpirs
In that.
We are back in the days Of Evenings at
| Home and Mr.. Barlow in How We Are
| Clothed by James Franklin Chamberlain,
Ed. B. (Macmillans). degree which we
take to be bachelor OF education. Various
articles OF dress lead to descriptions in con-
versational or epistolary form Of the manner
in which the materials are obtained and Of
the countries in which they grow. The
information 10 accurate and the didaotio
form employed not wholly unwelcome to
| An ut mind fpiuhf
object to calling an account OF india rub
Der and the processes through which it is
put, ~Where the Macintosh Crows but
a sense of humor is not always needful in
imparting knowledge. We fancy the little
book may serve useful purpose in the
right hands,
Frances Browne half century ago, with the
title -Grannys Wonderful hair" are re-
printed with q curious little introduction
by Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett Mcclure,
Phillips 4 Coz. Mrs. Burnett tells how her
writing one Of the stories from memory
led to charge of plagiarism and to her find
ing the book that she had long lost sight Of.
OF course, she could have turned to ALL
sons Dictionary Of Authors but what
story writer would think Of doing that?
| AT any rate NILES DToWne taieS are issued
again In very attractive form, with de-
lightful pictures, and form pleasant con-
trast to much modern childrens literature.
They are good fairy stories In good English.
Our polyhedrio friend, DR.. Cyrus Town
send Brady, goes to sea again In "A Mid
shipman in the Pacific Charles Scribner 6
Sons) and that, we think is where we prefer
to have him. At any rate it is hard not to
be interesting to boys in story Of the old
navy that winds up with the first David
Porter's fight on the Essex; and the other
sensational incidents will do for landsmen
as most boys are.
Other Books.
Possibly some good may be done by tell.
ing the story Of poem In prose. 1t may
be that some people will read 1t in that