Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-22
THE ROMANCE OF VICTOR HUGO
AND JULIETTE DROUET. BY Henry
Wellington Wack. Illustrated New
&, I,r+r .

York: @. z. Putnams Sons.
Human curiosity is triumphant. Any In
stnctive delicacy felt in relation to an es-
pecially personal correspondence gives way,
and the publication of love letters has be-
come a general practice. 1t is a penalty of
genius that the white light of public inter-
est should be turned upon life's most init
mate retails. Probably Victor Hugo, in
common with all great artists, has given in
his creative work the most adequate and
genuine expression of his real nature Much
OF his life seems confusing and difficult of
interpretation and it is not easy for the
Anglo Saxon mind to appreciate the rela-
tons between himself and Madame Juliette
Drouet-a relationship extending over a pc
ROD of fifty years. Some time ago in
france his letters to this Juliette Drouet
We're given to the literary world and their
pupilcatlon was justified, if the publicatio
OF love letters is ever justified. by their in
trlnsic beauty. Genius is so rare that every
record OF 1t may be looked upon as the
precious possession of mankind. The pres
ent volume, which opens with an introduce
tioh py FRANCOIS Coppee, offers for the first
time the love letters signed "Juiette" Mr..
Nack came upon this little packet quite by
accident during a sojourn at Guernsey, the
CHOSEN home of Victor Hugo during his hf-
teen years exile and the publication Of
these letters completes the romance There
OF Julettes devotion, but the impression
ie1t by the volume is not entirely satisfac-
tory or agreeable The touch of the editor
Is not quite sensitive A situation is pre-
selleu winch violates fine feeling. 1t de-
mandS one of two things: the ina einatiye
ana poetic suggestion which isolates the ro-
nance ana removes it from the plane of
the commonplace. or the serious interpreta-
!Ioh OF character marked by the force and
irresuiarity of real genius, the character of
Victor Hugo.
THE ORCHID. By Robert Grant. IL
lustrated by AlOnzo Kimbau New
York: Charles Scribners Sons Wash
lhgton; William Ballantyne & Sons.
This novelette, is Judge Grants latest CON-
trfbution of the literature of the divorce
problem, and presents a sufficiently strft-
ing proposition to cause it to he studiad
with interest. In order TO marry the man
she really loves, but who is virtually penni-
less, Lydia Maxwell agrees to surrender
her little child to her wealthy husband for
2,00o,O00 provided he consents to a divorce
which otherwise could not be easily pro-
cured. Well named, indeed is she in the
title of the story-an orchid, an exotic.
costly, beautiful and heartless, calculating
to her finger tips. Judge Grants presenta-
ton is witty and brilliant. But unfortu-
nateiy, he mars his story by single fault
of fact which reflects upon his powers Of
observation in the realm of childhood
Here is the paragraph:
Her baby, left by the nurse on the way
to her own evening meal, was cooling on the
sofa at her side, Tended by pillows from
topping over on its head and provided
with the latest novelties in costly toys
The child was now nearly two
Is this case of remarkable arrested jul
veniIe development, or of the authors I'M
familiarity with the fact that pillows are
both unnecessary and insufficient as bar
rlcade for normal child of nearly two?
MANUAL OF THE TREES OF NORTH
AMERICA exclusive of Mexico By
Charles Sprague Sargent director of
the Arnold Arboretum of Howard
University, author of The Silva of
North America" With GA iiIustra-
tons from drawings by Charles Ed
ward FaXon. Boston: Houghton,
Mifiin & Co Washington: Wood
ward & Lothrop.
The publication of such valuable works
as this is fostered by and in turn fosters
the unmistakable revival of forestry inter-
est in the United States. which has marked
the past few years. In all parts Of the
United States men of influence are con-
corning themselves in the work of restOr-
ing the forests, and spreading tree knowl-
edge with the view of charging the popu-
lar comprehension of the value of the for
ests in the industrial economy. Prof. Sar-
gent approaches the tree chiefly from it's
scientific side, and in his former book
THE Silva of North America he greatly
enriched the literature of that subject
That volume, however, was addressed
chiefly to students. This one of equally
ticularly TO the general public. AS guide
to the trees IL VIII be of rare interest and
great assistance to travellers who journey
into various parts of the country. AS a
detailed description of the qualities and
peculiaritieS and especial uses of certain
classes of trees ii will valuably instruct the
owners of country estates who contemplate
arboriculture. Those. concerned in village
and park improvement works will find sug-
gestions in the chapters which will assist
them in creating the most effective COM
binationS.
THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. Edited by
George Burbank Shattuck, Ph.D.. as
sociate professor of physiogra phic
geology in the Johns Hopkins Uni
versity Baltimore: The Geographic
cal Society of Baltimore. New York:
The Macmillan Company. Washing
ton: BrentanoS.
June l. 1903 the Geographical Society of
Baltimore, of which DIR. Daniel c. Gilman is
pr esident, dispatched a well-equipped ex-
pose of conducting an investigation into the
natural conditions of the group. The prepa-
rations for this expedition had been care
fully made, with liberal expenditure on
the part of the society. a schooner of 100
tons burden was chartered and a staff of
twenty-dv specialists was engaged. The
expedition was in charge of George b. Shat
tuck, the present editor, with DR.. Clement
A. Penrose as surgeon and vice director
The scientific staff was composed as fol-
lows:
Geology-George B. Shattuck, in charge;
BENJAMIN L. Miller, associate in geology In
Bryn Mawr College, assistant.
Tides, terrestrial magnetism and china
tolcgy-Oliver L. Fassig, section director OF
the United States weather bureau at Balti-
more In charge; James F. Routh, assistant.
Subsidiaries n. Mooney, assistant in soil
survey United States bureau of soils.
Washington, in charge; ]. e. Britton and
e T. Hughes assistants,
Botany-William c. Coker, associate pro-
fessor of botany in the University of North
Carolina, in charge; G. A. Shore and f. M
Hanes, assistants.
Nosquitoes-T. Homer Coffin.
Flshes-Barton A. Bean, assistant curator