The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-20
NEW BOOK NEWS
CONDUCTED BY MARTHA YOUNG

| When the keepers of historical libraries | and of the archives of our people begin | to gather in the books. the literature from which future students must draw the | color of history Irwin Russelrs little book | will have a niche of its own. Irwin Russell was born at Port Gibson, Miss. on the srd of June. 1853 He died in New Orleans on the 23d of December, 1879. | Ills father was a physician at Port Gibson. one of the leading men of that portion of his State. His home was a happy one. he was a much loved, ever indulged son. He had many and warm friends. Dut the restiessness. the uncer- l tainty, the stress and storm of the times must have borne in too hard on his sen- sitive nature. He was unable to win out in the fierce struggle. The practical bus | mess world Is ever a hard one for the poetical temperament to- adjust itself to. hard one for such to even exist in. The struggle then was harder than now. It was too hard for the lovabie. sensitive poet as 1t had proved for Chatterton, for Keats. He made a brief struggle and died.
 Poems of Irwin Russell Century Com pany, New York. $t0o.
 Strange Lands Near Home.-The series of supplementary readers published by Guin and Company called The Youths |, Companion Series are truthful to de- gree The child into whose hand the se- ries Is put Is enabled to seat himself on the "maglc carpet and travel over the world at will In this volume many writ CTS of world wide reputation describe the strange lands If our hemisphere for tho pleasurable enlightenment of the young Frederick Sohwalka writes of the coun- try of Bitter Cold of the Dangerous Rap ids of Backs Great Fish River emptying into the North Polar Sea where the ''air ; was as quiet as if 1t had been frozen to death." MT. Schwalka writes also of the Play of Eskimo Boys. and Mir. Harney tells of The Home of the Icebcrgs. Of the countries of South America Thomas L. Stedman tells of A. VeneZuc- Ian Railway, Arabella B. Buckley of An Evening in a Brazilian Forest. Maria Louise Wetmore of The Carnival in Lima, Charles H. Pratt of The Argen- tine Capital.
 Of A Growing Mountain W. E. Curtis writes as follows:
 'Izalco arose suddenly from a plain in the spring of 177J, in the midst of what had been for nearly a hundred years a profitable sugar plantation. The owner was absent on a visit to Spain at the time. and was greatly amazed on This re- turn to discover that his farm had been exchanged. without his knowledge or con sent. for a volcano.
 ''It was in December, 176o, that the peons on the plantation first noticed that something was wrong underneath. All though they were accustomed to slight earthquakes. they became frightened at the unusual rumblings and growlings in the earth. They decided to leave the place. and got away not a moment too soon. A few days later. when some of the most venturesome went back to see
 
 discovered that all the buildings had been destroyed. that great trees had been up- rooted and large craters had opened in the fields. from which camo smoke and flames. though apparently there had been no great eruption.
 "A party of shepherds. braver than the rest. decided to remain in the neighbor- hood and await developments: and on SNS 2Srd of February. ITO they were enter tatned by spectacle that perhaps no other men were ever permitted to wit ness-the birth of a mountain.
 Tt was about 10 o'clock in the morning. as they afterwards said when the grand upheaval took place.
 First came a series of terrific expIo- sions which lifted the crust of the earth in pile several hundred feet high, and from the opening Issued flames and lava, with masses of smoke.
 Rocks weighing thousands of tons were lifted high in the air, and fell sev- eral miles distant. The surface of the earth bulged up nearly 5000 feet. and vast masses of rocks were piled around the crater from which they issued
 Tn less than two months. from level field arose a mountain more than 40 0 fleet high.
 "The discharges from the crater from that time to this have accumulated around the edges until the pile has reached nearly 1000 feet. and 1t Is still growing.
 : Unfortunately the growth of the mon ster has not been scientifically observed or accurately measured. .
 MT. Curtis's account of what are known as the Nahnalls or "Bakimo Indians is equally interesting. They are the only true and successful community of social ists, having all In common and leading most temperate and industrious lives.
 The volume IS full of information given in fascinating form.
 Strange Lands Near Home. Guin and ICompany. Boston.