The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-01
NEWS OF tfHE BOOK WoLRD
THE UNEASY CHAIR

THE UNEASY CHAIR
is CONVERSATION a LOST ART?-|
NOT FoREvER.-"In his eloquent me-
mortal address at the ceremonies In mem
ory OF the late Senator Hcar, dwelling
upon the wit and wisdom which garnlsneu
the talk of the Massachusetts statesman
and made him so delightful Communion,
Senator Depew, found OCCASION" says
Iesiie's Weekly, "to speak of the present
day as a time when conversation Is be-
coming. lost art because the shop has
invaded the draWingroom and the dinner
table, and cards have captured society,"
Along with this rare art Of converse
ton, and because Of the kinship with 1t,
have gone also the good old habit OF writ
Ing up gossipy diaries for the delight of
future generations of gossip-lovers, and,
what is more to be regretted than all,
the practice of writing personal letters
stretching out over page after page In the
close, fine handwriting of former days,
such as Is now rarely seen" =
Complaints of this kind have not been
ln1requent for sometime now. But, we
have not heard that they have had any
effect as yet. Perhaps 1t is too early yet
10 nope for results. The question Is, will
there be any results-ever? Will the art
OF conversation ever be restored; or that
OF Keeping sparkling diaries; or of writ
ing letters worthy the name?
We are hopeful This universal passion
for money-getting. for something to do,
Will wear itself out after a time and the
MIND and spirit of man will have chance
to grow. Then the arts will flourish for
the love OF art, instead Of for the love Of
money, and men will talk and write in a
way to interest those about them and
those to come after.
cuPlD's USE or. a sPRAlNED An
klE AND A WONDERFUL VOlcE.-The
uneasy Chair owes an apology to Linnie
3. Harris, and to her publishers, for let
ting so entertaining book as Sweet
Peggy go so long unnoticed. Its cover.
| us letter-press and all about it, except,
possibly, the frontispiece, were tempting,
yet The Chair did not take it up for weeks
after its receipt. When at last it was
| read, 1t was read with pleasure.
sweet Peggy" is a summer idyl. A
young man of wealth. fine voice and mu-
slcal attachments retires to his ancestral
nome IN the country to escape a sister 8
scheming to get him married. There he
spralns an ankle and hears q voice. The
two do what his sister had failed to ac-
compllsh. 1t Is a book full Of wholesome
sentiment, sprightly humor and the air
OF rural Maine, Of which there is a great
| zeal, II We remember our geography well.
| Little, Brown & Co., Boston.
THE NECESSITY OF ACCURACY OF
4 SPEECH; LEW WALLAcE'S" EXPERT.
I,ENcE.-The need of care in the use
! OF words by one whose words are likely
1 tosrbe heard OR read by. many is shown
| by an experience of the late General Lew
Wallace. The New York Times Saturday
Review says: | ~
| General Lew Wallace had his lesson at the
very beginning OF his career as successful
author. He desired to dedicate "Ben-Hur" to
his wife. She suggested the dedcatory phrase
itself, ITO the Wife Of My YOUTH So it
appeared in the first edition. But thousands of
| readers Of the immensely popular book were
touched BY the pathos OF what they took for
forlorn widower's expression of undying af.
fect1on Letters of sympathy poured in upon
General Wallace, and Inquiries concerning his
supposed arliction t-iIn later editions the dedi
My Youth Who Still Abdes with Me-"
1t is interesting to note in the same con.
nection that Harper & Brothers have re.
ceiyed a request for permission to trans
late Ben Hur'' into Arabic.
1.-THE EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM OF
lDEMocRACY."-Tho Davidson's con
tributfon to the solution Of 1.-THE educa
t1ona1 problem Of democracy" or par
of his contributions III that direction, hav,
been gathered together Yin The Education
NJ Rskewei Ths bsok seS ny Mr. o Rane
we'll in hisRpreface, ffsin@pB4tells, how tn,
efforts of @one, man to- find among tn,
wage-earners themselves the forces tina
are tending toward righteousness ant
truth, and to unite md direct these to
common educational land moral end, wer
crowned with a measure of success tina
promises well for the future, and is ricl
t in suggestions for the social reformer, a
we'll as for all who are interested in edu
cational problems" A glimpse may be ha
Of Thomas Davidsons ideas in this, a
the close Of an essay on the educationa
problems set by the nineteenth centur
for the twentieth: -,
Let lis hope that ere the twentieth centur
: reaches its majority there will be in ever
/ city ward and in every country township
Peoples University. consisting of college 70
Il physical, intellectual and moral culture, and
4 polytechneum for professional training.
= CHM & Co.., Boston.
e GUIDE FOR AUTHORSHIP Macmi
t Ian company. New York, has just issued
+ brochure entitled Notes for the GuIdanc
Of Authors In the Submission Of Manu-
u scripts to Publishers, in which will h
= found deal Of valuable information o
= such subjects as the Orena tion of