Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-08

Courtesy OF the Macmillan Company.
her village and her villagers. and limns
with equal felicity and faithfulness the
petticoated boss and wiseacre, the unas-
sertive little creature who is the mere
echo of the stronger the satirical gossip,
with severe eye and seVerer tongue, and
the faded nonentity living on dreams
and hopes. Things move naturally. and
the people talk naturally. and the general
effect is interesting and most refreshing.
This writer, with these two volumes.
has made for herself a place all her own
among the story tellers of the day. We
have so much of drum and trumpet nc
tion; of the fiction of wealth and fashion.
with its tinseI and froth and problems; OF
the fiction of sociology, and speculation,
and politics. that 1t is restful and helpful
and most welcome to find talents of the
order possessed by Mrs. Banks devoted to
simpler and more beautiful subjects. ana
treating them In a way that Is thoroughly
charming. 1t is like turning, from "a
gaudy chaplet" of ambitious blooms to
posy of old-fashioned flowers, well Sc
iected and harmonized as to colors, and
giving forth a fragrance rich to the
senses and provocative OF tender memo
ries The Little Hills indeed. is as
sweet a posy as one could wish
MAID OF JAPAN. BY Mrs. Hugh
Fraser author Of Letters From ia
pam" &c. New York: Henry Holt &
Co Washington: William Bailan-
tyne & Sons.
Japanese maiden. he consular marriage.
the year of unalloyed happiness, the call
home and the Observation-Disclosures by the
breaking OF a little japanese heart. These
are the usual elements of the japanese ro-
nance 1t is quite safe to suspect them
upon taking up each successive new book
of this character. And at first Mrs. Fraser
seems likely TO stick to the convention, for
she tells Just such a story in the opening
chapter. She treasures her reader. however.
by presenting as heroine the daughter OF
such a romance. and surely no well-mean-
ing author would ask that duplicate OF
the type be accepted in lieu of tale. And
so it proves. Hime. daughter OF Aaru, the
forsaken. wins a more kindly fate. although
there are complications and threats or
heart breaking Mrs. Fraser displays her
intimate knowledge of Japan in this tender
little story. and offers at least hcttonal evil
dence that all Englishmen who marry Japa-
nese maidens are not scoundreis. lnciden-
tally she presents a full-length portrait or
an admirable parsonage in Nakayama, IN
structor IN colloquial japanese. who, having
studied in the United States. speaks an alto
gether delightful Americanese.
THE DOG BOOK, a Popular History of
the Dog. with Practical Information
as to the Care and Management of
House, Kennel and Exhibition Dogs.
and Descriptions of all the Important
Breeds. BY James Watson. In ten
parts Part III. illustrated. New
York: Doubleday. Page & Co.
Part III Of the Dog Book deals with set
tiers and spaniels and Will especially appeal
TO all lovers of hunting. 1t maintains the
high standard of the preceding numbers
of the series in both text and Illustrations.
In the course OF the four chapters the
author discusses the history and character
istics of the Irish and Gordon settlers and
the Clumber and Sussex spaniels. Espe-
cially Interesting are Mr.. WatsonS specu-
lations relative TO the origin OF the various
species and the relationship between the
Irish settlers and the English sporting dogs
OF the early part OF the nineteenth century
RECORDS OF THE COLUMBIA HIS
ToRICAL SOCIETY, Washington, ID.
c. Compiled by the Committee on
Publication and the Recording Sec
rotary Volume :. Washington: PUB
lished by the Society.
These annual records" issued by the
Columbia Historical Society of the District
are proving exceptionally valuable not only
IN preserving some of the more important
papers read before that organization but in
stimulating a local interest in matters re-
lating to the early days of the District, and
thereby Increasing the usefulness of the So
ciety Volume eight offers an unusually In
teresting table Of contents. Four OF the
items ar, papers read at the stated meetings
Of the society. as follows: The Financial In
situations of Washington City in Its Early
Days. by Charles L. Howe: The Beginnings
OF the Presbyterian Church in the District
OF Columbia. by Wilhelmus b. Bryan; Early
Methodism in the District of Columbia by
Rev. w. NJ. Ferguson. d. D.; Jefferson and
the Newspaper. by worthington Chauncey
Ford. new feature appears in this years
issue, in the form of reprints of rare and
important Old documents relating to the
capital. Three such are published: Observa-
tons on the River Potomack. the Country
Adjacent and the City of Washington. By
Tobias Lear; Enquiries Into the Necessity
Or Expediency OF Assuming Exclusive Juris-