The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-09-22
NEWS OF THE BOOK WORLD

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NEWS OF THE BOOK WORLD
Some "Pomes ov the Peepul'' that the
"Peepu'' Won't Care Much About--Min-
nesota's Threatening PredIcament, as
Seen by Paul Latzke--VauabIe Book
Of Facts About Japan, by Japanese
Worlds Fair Commission.
The Amalgamated Object Forgers'
union, which is charged with the crime
Of having produced PONIES oV the Peepul,
has done good thing for the crusade
conceive of harder blow to the tart"
than PONIES ov the Peepul." We have
tried to read them and can't-with any
degree Of pleasure at all. Perhaps We're
not "of the peepul.'' The rules Of the
union, however interest us from an eco
nomic point of view. They attempt to
reduce still further the length of the
working day, for the rules say:
Five hours shall constitute a days labor
Extra hours one-and-a-half prices, and any
member accepting "growler'' in lieu of extra
pay shall be, fined so cents @ 49,.
Inere are certain occupations especially
hazardous, if long continued. Perhaps
the members of the union place dilect
po' try writing in this class and on that
account demand short hours. We would
suggest that the hazard be Increased
greatly and that the working day be linn
tied to one second. Nft
THE MAN OF THE HOUR.
magic lamp, unlovely for the lack
VI legendry In gem and scroll,
: Burned in dusky, chamber of the world,
With untrimmed wick a-moulder in the bowl.
Then timid Chance-the chamberlain of God
A-stumble in the dark with cropping hand
Scattered the crust of ashes from the wick
-S And lighted every corner Of the land!
-Aloysius Coll, in Everybody's Magazine for
October.
Minnesota is in an unenviable predica-
ment, says Paul Latzke even threat
ening' predicament. IIe bases his state
ment upon the figures from the census re-
ports of 1900 and gives them to the world
In general and Minnesota in particular in
a little book which he has labeled The
Predlcament of Minnesota. ~
The. predicament as revealed by the
census reports is that the commonwealth,
'endowed by nature with conditions OF
soil and climate that should put her at
the head of the agricultural column is
'limping in the rear with the stragglers'
that Is, as Mr. Latzke interprets the
figures. The remedy for the conditions
IS found in diversified farming. Mr.. Latz-
Ike sees the cause of Minnesota's troubles
in too much attention to- wheat. ) An ex-
ample of Mr.. Latzke's line of reasoning is
found in figures like these:
Agricultural states like Illinois. Indiana. Iowa.
Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and
each acre Of their farm lands. Minnesota is
producing only $4.s7. t.'
The question might fairly be raised, we
think, whether a comparison with the
states named IS altogether just. All are
older farming states than Minnesota
Many new farms were just being opened
at the time, Of the last census, the farms
We're new, and much of the money and
energy being expended was in develop
ment Like conditions still prevail. This
same suggestion would apply to certain
other deductions made by the author OF
the book in hand. 1t would be: ,neces-
sary. at least, to know all the factors III
the comparison in order to say: that the
suggestion had no weight In the au.
| thOr's treatment Of the dairy interests
| similar considerations must be borne ir
mind. y
However, there is no question but tina
much is being done to lift the state from
it's "predicament." In the dairy interests
for example, wonderful strides have beer
made in the past four years. We are con
fident that a census taken now woult
show a state of affairs very different from
that pointed out by Mr.. Lathe. An,
Minnesotans, while applying rules of eco
nomic' farming, will not lose faith in 2;
state of which even its critic can say:
For Minnesota lies today a great gold mine
| at the feet OF her people, the surface scarcely
scratched; stimulate the people into real digging
and the harvest will amaze the world.
Z; rI,
pact printing in good plain English-ex
cepting one, which is. in Japanese appar
ently-are contained in a book Gale,
Japan In the Beginning of the Twentieth
Century, issued under the direction 0
Haruki Yamawaki, secretary of the de
partment Of agriculture and commerce
and Japanese commissioner for the Louis
lana Purchase exposition. The book il
i crammed with interesting facts about tn,
i island empire of the Pacific. ! The con
tents are carefully arranged and. so In
dexed as to be readily accessible to thos,
who, would use the book as work o
reference. - AS such, certainly; IT .ha:
great value, for there is hardly any fielt
of interest that has not been thoroly GOV
cred. It is meant to be a book of fact
and figures so there are no illustrations
It is somewhat surprising, therefore,, tt
note that the binding is in silk. Plain
matter of-fact government reports in thi
X. p.
editions de luxe from the government
printing office do not often have tn
/ distinction.
Seton Merriman's posthumous novel
The Last Hope, has been reviewed a
some length in nearly all the leading Lon
don papers, and the verdict upon it, ha
been, with hardly exception, that it i
an excellent piece of workmanship. say
w. L. Alden in The New York Times Sat
urday Review. In comparison
with the vast majority Of the novels tina
come from the press, "The Last Hope
reads like the work of true master.
will deepen our regrets that it is the las
book that will ever come from the alI
thor's pen. The Last Hope" reminds on
of Anthony Hope, and that also remind
one that Mrs. Anthony Hope has jus
published a daughter instead of book
wisely leaving the latter task to her hus
band. Mr.. Hopes friends will congratu
late him on the birth of this daughter
and trust that she will in her day prov
to be even more delightful than Dolly
Il ..-r.tt- $3.50, The Uneasy Chair.
/, g.