The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-24
A Romance of Steel and Oil.

dedication Of an institution which 1t is be-
lieved will be Of great assistance in bring
ing about q better understanding between
the French and American people. 1t is a
studio which under the management OF
Mile. Alice Kuhn, q former professor at
Smith, Is to form a gathering place for
American students who live with French
families in the vicinity.
Henry James was 80 impressed by the
wonders Of American hotels that he devotes
much space to them in his concluding article
on New York Revisited" in the May Harp
era. "One is verify tempted to ask he
says. "if the hotel spirit may not just De
the American spirit most seeking and most
finding ITSELF
The leading article In the April Atlantic
Is a searching paper entitled Making
Education Hit the Mark written by Willard
G.. Parsons, in which the author shows
the fallacies Of modern machine education
The typical college OF to-day" ne says
Consists Of a shrewd %fnancier, horarles
and their librarians, and laboratories ana
their laboratorans Like the rest OF the
! age, 1t Is made up OF money and matter
Machine mad. we have gone far toward
making education also a machine.
A hitherto unpublished essay by Lewis
Carroll will appear in the May Hdrper'*.
The MS. of this essay was given by Carroll
to his friend. the Rev. w. H Draper OF York.
shire, England, and is now made public
with the consent Of the family OF Mr.. Draper.
The subject Of the pape is Feeding the
Mind" and the matter Is q whimsical
treatise especially appropriate to the pres
emit day of overreading and mala assimilation
OF what is read.
Joel Chandler Harris receives a great
many distinguished visitors during the
wear. In the autumn it was the President
and quite recently the great ironmaster
and founder Of Libraries who stopped TO pay
tribute to the humble literary shrine OF the
genius who tells stories for little children
70 laugh over. Mr.. Carnegie said on cav
ing; my visit was a great pleasure as
we'll as a great privilege. Mr.. Harris has
given a helping hand to all the world and
brought sunshine into many homes. He
has won the hearts Of all the children and
that il glory enough for any man. He is
a genius
Miss Marie Van vorst's new novel, The
Sin of George Warrener," is a study OF
life and manners among a circle OF people
in a suburban town-a story OF tempted
virtue, fall and sin, realistic and human
and closely related to life.
a~Barbara's" forthcoming book returns
to the field Of her greatest success-NIhe
Garden of a Commuters Wife, The
Garden, You and l." is the title OF the new
book. which contains much practical e1-
~perience in home gardening, with many
new ideas and much wholesome humor.
Andrew Macphail has created a novel out
NJ the life of the Puritans OF Old and New
nsland which will be issued presently
under the title of "The Vine Of Sibmah."
Puritan ~theologians and Puritan pirates,
%Jesuits, Quakers, soldiers and sava ges
figure in this version of the eternal thesis
of love" as it was written in 1862 around
the lives of a brave soldier and a winsome
woman.
William Allen White Gays that In his new
hook. in Our Town." he has tried to do for
his Kansas town what Barrie has done for
his Scottish o In "A Window in Thrums.'
1t is through a window in "our town" that
the editor OF the local daily looks out upon
the LIGHT OF the little city. The author
himself is the editor Of the Emportd Gazette
1t is always interesting to read OF the
training and development OF a novelist Tor
after all professions that Of writing fiction
seems to offer the greatest variety OF meth
dds of preparation. Mr.. Egerton Castles
training as a romantic writer OF tales OF
love and valor is q singular one. Edu-
Gated at the universities Of Paris and Glas-
cow and at Trinity College, Cambridge,
he went through Sandhurst. rose to be
CAPTAIN of the Royal Engineer Militia and
later prosecuted extensive studies in sub
marine mining. For ten years he served
ON the staff OF the Saturday RerieU, since
which time he has been editor Of the Liuer-
pool Mercury. His lifelong devotion to
sword play found expression in his first
book and has influenced most OF the others,
which nave their scenes laid in Europe before
the disappearanoe Of the code duelo.
Some OF his best works, including the new
one. IF Youth But Knew" a been writ
ten in collaboration with his wife, Agnes
Castle.
Mr.. Ashton, a distinguished member Of
a small group OF profound scholars in Eng
land has written a work entitled "Shinto
the Way of the Gods" which deals with the
indigenous cult Of Japan, the alleged
foundation Of much of the patriotism, en-
ergy and altruism Of the people. Mr.,
Ashton has acquired a mastery Of the Ian
guage which enables him to investigate
at first hand. Shintoism is a religion which
he describes as having nc bible, no dogma
no moral code Of its own, no heaven nor
hell, no ceremonial worship and no priest
hood. Its foundation lies in the belief
that the islands Of Japan were the first
formed in the world and that the sover-
eighty Of those islands was conferred upon
the direct ancestor Of the Mikado, himself
a near descendant Of the gods. From
this belief springs the ~fanatical love OF
all Japan for their country, their reverence
for their sovereign, their acquiescing &C.
ceptance Of his DEGREES and their belief
that IL is his virtues which have won every