The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-02-16
NEWS OF TIE BOOK WORLD
------------- ~
THE UNEAsh MI AAiR
,ook Marklnn ne,er,l.a. sur


Book arklng Defended; a Suggestion.
III. B. in The New Y ork Times Sat-
urday Review comes back at the anti
book markers with the assertion that he
will mark his books if he wants to, but
he promises he won't mark the books of
anyone else. Dear III. b. don't you
know that such talk is like that of the
man who says he'll drink if ne wants
to; he knows where to draw the line and
when to stop: Given the habit of mark
Ing books, a pencil in your vest pocket, a
book from your neighbours library in your
hand, yourself absorbed in something
strikingly good therein, and ere you know
it. you have committed the objectionable
SIM and when your neighbor gets his book
back. If it be one of his favorites, he
commits the sin of profanity and perhaps
in his heart does murder by wishing you
hailed into court, publicly decapitated and
sent to the bottomless pit Oh, the wrath
of a man whose book has. been outraged
can carry him to extremes.
But, If book marking must be practiced,
it ought to be done scientifically; that is.
one ought to have a sort Of shorthand
code, whereby dash or: a curve or
cross would carry the maximum meaning
to the reader with a minimum Of deface-
ment to the page. Here is a field for
some genius to distinguish himself in. The
Uneasy Chair will be glad to publish such
a code lit seems to meet the above re-
Quirements. 80
"Nancy STAIR by Elinor Mccartney Lane, pub
lished last May by the Appletons and sold by the
tens Of thousands is being dramatized by the au-
thor In collaboration with Paul NJ Potter whose
According to the present plans the play will be
put on ut the Hudson theater March 49, and
Mary Mannering will play the title role.
An ldeaIIzed PoIticlan.-Politicaln novels,
if we'll constructed and we'll told, are good
reading. Mark Lee Luther, therefore, de-
serves credit for some good reading, for
his The Mastery is well constructed and
cleverly told. Drew, the hero, and the
"boss,' is, however, an exalted sort of a
boss. He seems a little too good for poll
| tics as seen by most of us, tho we are
not ready to say that he is an impossible
ity. The fact is he is sort of silent
Theodore Roosevelt If we were more ia
miliar with New York politics of several
years ago we might be able to trace q
stronger resemblance. Drew certainly
suggests the president, and the story OF
his accession to the governorship Of New
York Perhaps that is as far as it il
safe to go. :. :, -:
Running thru the story of political bat.
tie is a double romantic thread-Drew'l
own and that of his nephew, Dick Har.
ris. At Dicks wedding Drew Is best man
and, while the two are waiting for thu
summons to the altar to meet the bride
this conversation takes place: ~
s"Weu,'' Drew said, ''that Tee is off our hands
His reverence had surplice half over his hea6
when preached. the matter, but he didn't seen
to think me inopportune. ~: = -
"Got> the ring safe?" g.,
.'eIet me see it," ## r.
| Drew complied. : f":fs
mind you don't put it nzthe wrong pocket
II think 1 must be trife nervous" sale
Dick. ~$2~1
''Oh nothing to speak of-just the natural ex
hilaration. Means deuce Of lot to 4 man, 70,
know. Means-' He halted to bend critica
eye upon his legs. "Good enough!' he ejaculat
ed They're at it, but nobody III see 'em now
''See what?'
'My knees shake r. - i Thought had out
grown it: But no matter. Wide trousers saw
the day -, 80 '4't>- -
But the real crisis is political and in
wolves a battle for leadership in New York
and the best man wins.
- The Macmillan company, New York.
!$1.50.s 5
DR.. s. Weir Mitchell has named his ne1
novel, which the Century company is. to brin
out in March, "Constance3 Tfescott'' Those VIII
have read the manuscript say that the. story
the best the adther has se far uritte len.
!, to What the Human tkacss Did III 1904. II
tell everything that man did, in the yea
> recently closed would. take a lot of books
( and much of the record would not b
+ worth the. reading: To tell what wa
done and thought that was worth while
y however, takes less space, and, condense
under heavy pressure, the record of actus
achievement for 1904 is put forth in on
= Evolume by P. F.. Collier & Son, New Yorl
; This volume bears the name Collier
Self lndexing Annual. The purpose Of tn
work is .'the authoritative presentation,
:, discursive fashion, Of the condition an
Q progress during the past year Of ever
department Of human activity in whic
any considerable portion of the public
q Interested John r. Meader is editor-ir
= chief, and has gathered and arranged
), a most satisfactory manner an abundane
Of valuable and interesting information
x The contributors are authorities In the
respective lines and there are more tina
a hundred of them. Many of the article
= are Illuminated with halftones, and maj
, and charts add to: the value Of the mate
. rial in the text. The man who wants
- handy reference book of last years hi
d tory will find it in the Golfers Annual.