The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-17
NEV BOOKS.
cood Uoo,x ny PHILADELPHIA Ma Or

!
The story called 1.-THE House OF Cares
(Thc Ma cmillan Company is a little re-
wildering In its first pages Az page "a
there Is an anecdote which seems to Involve
some praise Of Mr.. George Meredith.
lady reading Lord Ormont and his
Aminta" indicated a passage in that ines
Unable and tenuous work and Inquirer
Can any human icing PARSE that sen
tenoe?" Her question was addressed 70
Mr. John Heigh, sometime Major U. 3 w.
who purports to he the author OF the
chronicle now before US, and who records:
81 didn't answer. She didn't want any
answer Nor does any sentence written
by Mr. George Meredith need parsing.
We thought we had discovered hero a
reason for the Majors opening manner.
We said to ourselves that he admired Mr..
Mcredith-as so many do, even among
those who cannot read hin-and was imi-
tating him. We proceeded in an ungrasp-
| ing and unenthusiastic state OF MIND
through the Majors early observations
regarding the House of Cards. and Mr..
Cards, and Miss Kremhild Cards. and
Shuttle Cards, and much else that seemed
to us to call loudly for concordance We
were glad presently that we did not faint
by the way 1t all came out straight The
cards coordinated themselves and became
comprehensive and gratifying pack
We grew to be aware that we were in Phila-
delphia- Mr.. Cards took shape before US
as a captain of industry, mag nate.
His house assumed form in the Philad del
phia suburbs. by jove Windsor Castle
sings small to IT, said competent OBJ
server who had seen both places
We come upon an interesting dinner at
the House Of Cards just before election
day. The company included politicians
the big ones, that is-promoters, Judges,
railroad men, whatsoever maketh and
loveth q dollar In the grand style, and a
few clergymen and literary men. They
are all set forth with an abundance OF
clever art Young Waltham Eliot of Bos-
ton told sentimental story Of New Hamp-
| shire valley that was bought by timber
speculators whole happy community
Of farmers had to move out. The only in
habitants left were certain soldiers of the
civil war. who occupied the graveyard.
As our young Bostonian was regarding
this part Of the scene he was joined bv an
afYabe man who chewed tobacco. This
was one Of the syndicate that had bought
what our youthful sentimeD tal!st related
of this man of power:
He talked of the graves at our feet.
Curious he said The war made tariff.
and our business and prosperity; and these
poor devils here made the war! Went to
town meetin', yelled for the old flag. and
marched of in great shape-endin' up here
S'pose they'd not gone to war-be here now,
s'pose, raisin' crops and kids, lumbcrin'
little in their fool way, goin' to qutin'
and huskin', and hearin' jays lecture in the
schoolhouse or church. That's what. if
we hadn't had the war eh? No tariff. no
prosperity; that's all right. But 30 far as
these chaps go-jolly, if this un wasn't
born same year as was.-ef you jest come
right down to it, and my gentleman looked
at me with shrewd. confidential eyes, man
to man and harrin' the prosperity business.
you and see these fellows we're fools
doggone fools. What did they get out of
it? Yes, sir; that's what they were-plain
damn fools And he spat handily among
the graves.
Eliot was answered by the Rev j. Wesley
Ups, who was a good one, and whose
speech is report ed here at length. 1t is
to be said Of our Major that be is very fair
in presenting a question he gives beth
sides, and he seasons his own positiveness
with admirable humor. He says Of Ups
that he commanded wide range of human
int crest in that he had a daughter called
Name. As for the Major, if he had a
daughte r her name would tie Harriet; and
she should dress like the English girls in
he frontispiece of an old annual and
she would carry a faint perfume like Law
ender and she would have a slender neck
and be shy; and her voice-sedom heard
would he low and soft. 1t would be
gratifying to meet her.
The story mingles Renaissance with i'm
pressions Of the present day. There is an
account Of the Majors youth and Of an
earlier Waltham Eliot who VISITED Phila-
delphia fifty years ago. The Major touches
upon t he war times and the times Just after
he war. His reflect ions on Gett ysburg
will int crest the reader, and so will his OBJ
servations on what he calls the season
of comedy following upon the war. At
the last the Major has sonnet hing to say
about the great majority for Roosevelt
and its consequences and he is int crest ing
here as heretofore. Atogeth her a readable
and amusing and charming book, the book
and too wise to be too serious or too sure.
and book well calculated to secure to the
Major our definite and grateful esteem.
Harry Thurston Peck's Life OF Prescott.
Harry Thurston Peck's william Hck-
ling Prescott opens with a somewhat de-
tached and inadequate statement Of
literary conditions and topography in the
early years of the nineteenth century-a
statement which seems to belong to another
story and might we'll be eliminated from
the biography Of the American historian
and the criticism and appreciation of his
productions. With the opening paragraph
Of the second chapter the writer settles to
his work, swings into his style and gives
a graphic and interesting account of the
education. literary life and method Of
work by which Prescott accomplished his
important contribution to American his
torical literature in Spite of sevara nbys;,,l