Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-27

Psyche is the first literary fruit of this
study, and it is good work. 1t is perhaps
a little overcrowded with detail and action,
as is apt To be the case with first book
resulting from a special study But 1t ac-
composites the prime result to be desired
in a novel: il tells a story graphically ana
in good style, and it throws light upon the
manners of q time which is always inter
estfng to readers The author has pictured
the condition of Rome during the reign or
the cruel, despotic emperor, Tiberius, deal
ing with the period when Tiberius went 10
live in the island of Capri and built his
palace, and with the attempt of Sejanus,
commander of the Praetorian Guards. to
make himself Emperor of Rome. The char
acters of the corrupt Emperor Tiberius.
Sejanus, his favorite, and Agrippina, the
widow of Germanicus, are portrayed with
power. Psyche, the heroine, is a beautiful
Greek dancer, betrothed to Gyges, a char
ioteer In the Roman circus. w. T. Benda
has supplied striking Illustrations.
THE POCKET BOOKS - THE PRIN-
CESS EIOPES. By Harold MacGrath,
author of The Man on the Box &c.
Indianapolis: The Bobbs Merrill
Company.
Naturally the Princess Hildegarde of
Barscheit was disinclined to marry the aged
and unlovely Prince of Doppelkinn. with
his fiery red nose and his bibulous habit.
She was young and beautiful every
story-book princess should be- She had a
heart as yet untouched, but quite unwilling
to be used an item in a stroke of state
craft. So she baked, to use an unprin-
ceSSly expression, and contriYed to escape
the double harness arranged for her. but
only after exciting adventure In which
the American consul at Barschelt was IN
volved in most unconsuiar manner
MacGrath has the knack of telling an I'M
likely story in likely style, and 1t IS
strongly in evidence in this number of the
Pocket Book series of light fiction.
PROBLEMS OF THE PANAMA CANAL,
Including Climatology of the 18TH
mus, Physics and Hydraulics of the
River Chagres. Cut at the Cont.
mental Divide, and Discussion of
Plans for the Waterway. By Brig.
Gen. Henry L. Abbot, U.S.A., retired.
New York: The Macmillan Com
pany. Washington: Brentanos.
Gen Abbots rank as colonel of the
United States Corps of Engineers alone
gave him professional status in the dis
cussion of the isthmian canal question,
which was re-enforced by his position as a
member of the French "comite technique
and later as consulting engineer Of the
New Panama Canal Company. His predi-
lections were in favor of the Panama route
as against that across Nfcara qua and Costa
Rica, and he wrote numerous articles for
the technical press during the debate which
resulted in the selection Of the Panama
route He has contributed valuably to the
literature of the subject, and the collection
of his formerly printed papers and some
new material into a volume places at the
disposal of the American public wealth of
information on this most interesting topic.
The book appeals to a larger audience than
the professional readers, for 1t is calcula ted
to instruct all in the details of the canal
construction, and it is striking prope lsity
of the American public to want to know
| how things are done. Consequently there
| is every reason to expect that this work,
with its detailed account of the various
| problems involved in the piercing of the
| isthmus, with facilitating maps and dia-
| grams, will be in demand by large num-
| Der of readers who have heretofore fol-
| lowed the controversies over technical
| phases of the enterprise with great diff
Guilty.