Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-08-22
NEWS OF RFCFNT ROOKSI

A competent authority on things Chi
| nese states that during the last two
years China has made more real ad
Vancement than in the previous millen.
nlum-a judgment with which DR.. Jo-
seph Franklin Griggs, medical mission
airy at Peking for the Presbyterian
Board OF Foreign Missions, is heartily
In sympathy. He calls the changes
now In progress in China "a miracle
OF natural resuscitation."
Justin Huntly McCarthy's latest
story, based on the career Of Joan of
Arc, calls attention. to the fact that
there exists a sworn narrative of the
private and public life Of the maid of
Domremy. Twenty years after her
death Charles VII. ordered an investi.
cation made and two years later Joan's
mother appealed to the Pope. The case
dragged along until 1856, when more
than hundred witnesses were exam
ined and with solemn religious ceremo.
MES a new sentence was proclaimed.
For nearly 400 years the record Of the
trial was buried in the official archives
OF France, when Quicherat gave it to
the world in five volumes Of modern
French. The substance Of the pathetic
narrative has been done into English,
but it Is little known to the world.
THE Woodland Elf" is the title Of
new Juvenile by Florence A. Evans.
It is series Of ingenious stories told
by sprite to little girl lost in the
woods. He explains numerous won.
derful things-why snakes shed their
skins, why seals wear furs. why cat
tails grow, how we come to have the
morning glory, why Indian pipes grow,
how the darning needle got it's name,
why wishes no longer come true, and
SO on through the list. These are just
few Of the pretty tales the author
has so cunningly woven around the life
OF the forest, thicket and sea. She
has way of telling the stories that
will delight the fathers and mothers
no less than the small folk at their
knees. The artist, Carroll B. Williams,
has succeeded in catching the spirit Of
the stories, and his illustrations add
much to the charm Of the book.
The Bookman's list of "best sellers"
gives "Fenwick's Career first place,
with 259 points, LADY Baltimore" q
close second, with 221 points; "The
Spoilers" drops to 1T points, and pam
Decides" "The Woman in the AL
cove" and 1.-THE Jungle follow In
the order given. In Minneapolis Fen
wick's Career" is not included in the
list Of favorites, but in st. Paul it has
third place. In Birmingham, Ala. !;
Rochester, Salt Lake City, Spokane and
Tucson, Arlz., Mrs. Wards novel is ap-
parently unappreciated, since it Is not
in the lists. Following these reports Of
the popularity of certain books as evil
denced by the demand for them it is
easy to understand why publishers are
baf1ed in making forecasts as to the
success Of a story. The showing dem
onstrates the fact that the bringing out
Of book, even one Of so much dignity
as Mrs. Wards carefully written fc-
ton, is as much Of a gamble as raising
q. racehorse or taking a flyer In the
street.
In view of the hue and cry now being
raised for proper food inspection, the
table regulations for the inhabitants Of
Atlantis in 1.-THE Scarlet Empire" d.
M. Parry's novel of Socialism, are not
without interest. There the meals were
served in courses, each course consist
Ing of sample Of food, carefully meas
ured out and weighed, SO that no per-
son had the fraction Of an ounce more
than another. Minute rules provided
for the amount of food to be inserted
in the mouth at time and the manner
in which the eating utensils should be
handled, and so on ad infnitum. In
Vulnerable meal inspectors were on
hand with alert eyes ever ready to de-
tect the least infraction Of the rules.
All food came from the government
granaries and stock yards and was pre-
pared in the government kitchens. The
hero made a great reputation by intro
ducing a bill In the Legislature requir-
ing that food should be chewed nine
times on the right side of the jaw and
nine times on the left side.