Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-10

sketches. Besides the history which is re-
corded in the architectural growth of the
city, its notable buildings and monuments,
and such historical episodes as the ex-
perience of Napoleon in Vienna, the author
gives the picture of court ceremonies and
festivities, the development of the arts,
the history of music, the theater, literature,
education, and the social life as well as the
characteristic daily life of the people Inc
illustrations are from sketches in charcoal,
pencil. pen and ink and wash, and are
reproduced for the most part in full page
making in themselves notable record.
thor Of 'sThe Story Of Betty" &c. Illustrated
by w. Granville Smith. New York; The Cen
fury Company.
Imagine two staid old spinsters, whose
house was ordered like the contents OF
brand-new paper of pins; whose lives had
flowed placidly for years without ruffie
since their younger sister eloped with the
man of her heart; who hated dogs and had
never associated with children-imagine the
plight of these old ladies when suddenly
descends upon them little girl, supposed
to be their niece, who calmly announces
that she intends to remain with them, and
proceeds to make herself and her dog thor
oughly at home, upsetting the routine of
lifetime That is the situation which Miss
Wells story creates. a situation which
grows more complex until 1t reaches peak
of interest in the discovery that Lady
bird is not the real niece after all, but
daughter of the brother-in-law by a second
wife By that time 'Ladybird," whose
tics and devices and matchmaking have
kept everybody in a whirl of excitement for
months, has established herself so firmly in
the hearts of the SpinSters and everybody
In the whole neighborhood, so that it was
not difficult when the real niece arrived to
make room for both of them. This is prob
ably strictly speaking a book for young
readers. But whether Miss Wells intended
it as such or not, it has its chief message
for the adults, and it's charming touches of
delicate pathos and subtle humor will APP
peal most strongly to the elders.
GREAT ENGLIsHMEN OF THE SIXTEENTH
CENTURY. BY Sidney Lee, LittD., editor of
the Dictionary of National biography. New
York: Charles Scrbner's Sons Washington:
Woodward & Lothrop.
In the spring of 1903 Mr.. Lee delivered,
by invitation OF the trustee, series of
eight lectures at the Lowell Institute, Bos-
ton, coming to America for the first time
| for that purpose. Those lectures are now
reproduced, with appropriate changes, in
| book which SUCCESSFULLY assemblies six of
| the greatest of English careers and treats
| of them as a whole in an analysis of the
spirit of the century in which their genius
rose to its fullest glory. 1t is in this aspect
| a treatise upon the golden era of Englands
| intellectual development. The men chosen
as the subjects of this work are Sir Thomas
More, Sir Philip Sidney, Sir Walter Ra-
leigh. Edmund Spenser, Lord Bacon and
William Shakespeare. Mr.. Lees final chap
ter is discussion of the foreign influences
upon Shakespeare. Ample photographic
notes lead the reader to further researches.
JUDITH OF BETHULIA: Tragedy. By Thomas
Bailey Aldrich. With frontispiece. Boston:
Honghton. Mif1n & Co. Washington: William
Ballantyne Sons.
This play, recently written by Mr.. AL
drich, was produced at the fremont The
alter. Boston. by Miss Nance O'Neil last
month. The title, Judith of Bethula,"
marks the work as in part a dramatization
of the authors narrative poem, judith and
Holofernes." Although it contains lines and
passages from the story. the drama is
sentially distinct work, dealing with char
acters, incidents and situations not to be
found in the poem or in the apocryphal cpl
sode upon which both pieces were based.
Judith herself is portrayed as woman full
of tenderness. mercy and refinement, but
mpelled by religious fervor and love of
country to do deed of great daring. The
work contains a spirited portrait of Miss
O'Neil in the character of Judith.
THE GOLDEN bowl BY Henry James In two
Washington Woodward & Lothrop
Mr.. James. who recently returned to the
has discussed his own story in the course
of private letter in these words:
at is distinctly, in my view the most
done of my productions. the most composed
and constructed and completed. and it
proved, during long months while it got it
self step by step endowed with logical life,
only too deep and abysmal an artistic trap.
By which 1 don't mean an abyss without a
bottom, but a shaft sunk to the real basis
of the subject which was real feat of en-
gineering. 1 hold the thing the soldest as
yet of all my fictions
The words deep and abysmar have pc
culiar appropriateness in this instance. It
may not be that they will be applied in other
than the authors own sense-whatever that
may be-for the reason that the story is
likely to be read only by those who are al
ready converts to the Jamesonian school of
fiction That it will convert many who have
heretofore held off from this indulgence is
questionable. Indeed, it is one more step