The Washington herald., 1906-12-16

fit arising from the sale Of books. There
was no such thing as legal possession Of
a manuscript. both before and after pub
llcstion these were frequently stolen and
hswked about among the booksellers We
have travelled far since that day with our
doctrine Of equal rights to all-even 70
publishers
There seems to be a revival Of interest
in Thomas Love Peacock and his work
He. who is known to most q those who
know him at all as a poet. seems 70 be
coming into his own repute as writer
Of prose II will be news 70 many that
/ Peacock's novels once had quite vogue.
though it takes some little courage 10
read them in this busy age. His novels
are full OF well-drawn portraits. one Of
the best OF them being in "Headlong
Hall" the character Of DR.. Opiminian.
. delightful old soul. who liked a good
dinner, a pleasant garden. a good library.
and extensive country walks He was an
old-fashioned man. and the newspaper
was his abomination. He says:
For let Us see. what IS the epitoBs q news
DapeTi In the frst place specimens Of al the
deadly Sins and Infinite varieties of violence and
fraud: great quantity q tax caused b. country
legislative VISION LAWYERS barking az each
othsr In their peciliar style OF hysCtlc delivery,
which Is called forensic eoq1ence and q Which the
first and most distin ngIished pracItloner was Ger
berus; beaT-gsrde1 meetings OF UISInanaged CON.
rzuies IN shieh tie directors and shareholders sblse
each otheT IN choice terms aOt al 70 be found eveD
IN Rsbelais.
! Peacocks novels have more than a
touch Of Shandy-ism in their absence of
/ plot and motive. but they are quaint
! reading. for all that. II is the opinion OF
| critics that by his prose. rather than his
! poetry. that he will live. for it is mark
/ ed by that ''lightness. strength, and
chastity Of diction" OF which Shelley. his
/ friend. wrote Peacock may not appeal
/ 20 the modern hasty reader. but he is
/ with the classics.
/ In view Of the just returned polar ex-
| petition and the preparati tions for the air
/ snip expedition into the Arctic next
/ spring. there is a timeliness about the
/ volume Fighting the Polar Ice. by An
/ thong Fiala. which has Just been issued
/ in New York by Doubleday Page & Co.
| The book is an account of the Ziegler
I
! Trondjhem. Norway. June o 1903. II was
| the crowning desire Of the late William
/ Ziegler to link his name with some scien-
/ tifc achievement which would be con-
/ sidered great. when compared with 9th
/ ers OF the twentieth century, and it was
/ for that reason that he turned his at
/ tention 10 north polar exploration In
/ July. 1901. he sent out an expedition OF
three ships. under command of E. B.
/ Baldwin. but mis- expedition returned
unsuccessful Although disappointed at
| this failure, Mr.. Zeigler at once set to
work TO organize another expedition. and
/ he placed in charge Of il, Mr.. Anthony
| Fiala. whose narrative Of the expedition
/ is contained in this book. which is is
/ sued under the direction of Mr.. Gilbert z.
/ Grosvenor. editor Of the National Geo
/ graphic Magaz zine, Of this city.
The account OF all polar expeditions
/ have a strange monotony about them,
1 and Mr. Fialas account is no exception
70 the rule. II tells of the fitting out OF
the expedition north, the freezing in the
ship, and the northwaTd march over the
1 ice toward the goal. The highest point
/ reached was 81 degrees north latitude.
( then they started back. and at Camp
1 Ziegler, awaited through long months in
1 1905 the coming of a relief ship The
/ tangible results Of the Fiala expedition
were the discovery and mapping Of new
| lands, and the recording OF scientific data
which may be of great value to future
/ explorers. In discussing the various ways
of reaching the pole. Mr.. Fiala takes up
/ the project Of going in a balloon or a fiy-
ing machine. He does not think that
the method is at all practical. but thinks
/ that 8 balloon that was large enough TO
carry two men and an entire sledge
/ equipment might be OF some value. The
| book is illustrated with the best series
/ Of arctic photographs that We have seen
/ in any work Of It's kind, and az a record
| of har6ships bravely endured and diff
oulties conquered, it is very interesting.
| To the person who discovers new way
! to tell a love story there ought to be a
medal of honor awarded, and the first
nominee for it. is a person who hides
anonymity. under the title OF Marian
Lee. she has charming little love idyl
called Confessions to a Healthier Idol. -
The confessor is a teskwood god. sent
to Marian Lee from japan. and to this
ugly creature she confesses each night,
and the reader is privileged TO listen to
the confession. Marian Lee is a widow
ana she is forty-neither condition max
ing. seemingly, for romance; but she is
charming. also. and she has not been
talking 70 the Buddhist divinity long. be-