Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-01

first offering of this thought when he was
invited to take part in the congress of arts
and sciences whichsmetaas st. Louis during
the worlds fair. He There delivered the
first of these five lectures. The others
were delivered in connection with the exer-
cises in celebration of the one hundred and
fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Co
lumbia University New York, last October.
The matter thus accumulated was publish
ed in Germany, ana is now translated into
English under the auspices of the best
available talent. at forms a profound and
valuable contribution testhe science.
THE SUMMIT HOUSE MYSTERY. By
L. Dougail: New York: Funk & Wag-
nails Company. x
The story hinges on a murder in New
York. the sequel of which is carried over
into the post-bellum south of our own day.
Miss Dougall may or may not be a native
of the south. But she at least has lived
there long enough to absorb much of the
local color of the scene OF the story, and
while some Of her side sermons may not be
quite palatable to the southerner, they are
all well founded in fact. The plot of the
story is intricate and clever in many ways,
the descriptions are charming and realistic.
At the same time the plot is extremely i'm
probable and 1t is only the good construc-
ton that carries one contentedly to the end.
Miss Dougall probably will do better work
when she has had more experience. The
present volume falls just short of being
what one could conscientiously call a great
story. AS to the details of the story itself,
1t would be unfair to the reader to antiei-
pate them in review, for it is the uucer-
tainty that SuStainS the interest close to
the end.
BooKFUL OF GIRLS. By Anna Full
Ter, author of Pratt Portraits" &c
Illustrated. New York: G. P. Put
MANS Sons. Washington: Woodward
& Lothrop.
There are half dozen girls of first inn
portance in these stories, one for each
story, but there are other girls as well,
upon whom the interest does not center,
and there are grown-ups and some ami
mails, and the actions of all together make
six delightful tales, which will be appre-
ciated by every young reader. The half
dozen girls of first importance are lovable
creatures intent upon the matters that
chiefly concern them, and they are in ev-
cry case matters outside of their own self
ish interests. Their little adventures such
as Di Crosby's hunt for a grandfather to
heal a family breach, all have their sug-
Sestfons which may do good, and are, DIT
all events, entertaining.
VOCALISM; It's Structure and Culture
from an English Standpoint By w
III. Breare, editor of the Harrogate
Herald. New York: G. p Putnam's
Sons. Washington: Woodward &
Lothrop.
Singers and elocutionists will be inter
ested in if not instructed by, this little
work, which discusses the methods of
voice culture from the point of view of
one who believes in cultivating the Eng
lsh voice to produce the English Ian
guage perfectly. He therefore holds that
the Italian method of training upon which
the English methods are mainly founded,
cannot provide for the manifold varieties
of expression encountered in the English
language. He says:
"A well-known teacher has denounced
the smiling position and insists upon the
fixed 'ah' mouth. 1t is the intermina BILE
vocaliZation of "a as ino'father' which has
done so much oIruin English pronuncia-
ton and limit the variety and expressive
ness of the singing voice Might well
attempt to paint with Ricketts, Blue and
Colman'S Mustard as ta essay the musical
with the Italian "a
Perhaps this is the secret of that world
famed British vowel.
THE SCHOOL OF LIFE. By Henry van
Dyke. New York: Charles Scribner's
Sons Washington: William Ballan-
tyne & Sons ~
DR.. van Dykes proposition. embraced in
this eloquent plea for the utilization of the
best means of enlightenment and progress,
rs tndt tne pest Scl0Ols Is. HE ltSelf, ana
that colleges and universities are but pre-
paratory institutions to teach men and
women how to learn their lessons. These,
then he says, ARE what the education
of life is to bring out-reason, righteous
ness and service" In books are few les
sons SO valuable as those taught by the
experiences of existence. Only few books
are worth reading for the enlargement of
the mind and the soul. Thine is wasted
If we read too much looking-glass fiction,
books about our own class and place and
period, stories of American cellege-Ife, So
Ciety novels, tales in which our own con-
versation is repeated and our own preju-
dices .embodied-kodak prints, gramo-
phone cylinders
The author briefly notes the main points
of the great curriculum, to hint at the
wonders which life holds for him who SEEKS
its meanings. These few pages are preg
nant with suggestion.
THE STORY OF THE NATIONS-THE
COMING OF PARLIA MENT; England
from 1850 to 1860. BY l.. Cecil Jane,
editor of Bede's Ecclesiastical His
tory" New York: G. P. Putnam's