The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-05-05

In one place Hazel is made to cry out:
Lord. may 1 be som ething male in
the next life. I don't care what it Is,
a weasel even, SO long as it is not a
female"
E. F. Benson's new novel THE An
gel Of Pain" bids fair to exceed in pop
ularity any of his former successes, as
his publishers the j. B. Lippincott
Company. have gone to press With
second edition within two weeks after
publication of the novel. Mr. Benson
deserves commentator for departing
from the beaten path. and giving us
something new and unhackneyea. Ma
RE Curelh herself could not have in
vented a more wonderful character
than Tom Merivale, the hermit, whose
one great desire was to avoid pain. but
which finally comes TO him in a most
dramatic form.
Arthur stringer's forthcoming new
novel, ''The Wire Tappers," is said to
contain a heroine similar to that in the
play Leah Kleschna," which Mrs.
FisGe has made famous: the woman
who steals and the woman who loves
in one and tae same woman. But in
the Wire Tappers" the beautiful but
erring heroine is by force of circum-
stances engaged for time in a crime
of the most modern kind, wire-tapp
Inc descriptions of the means employed
are so vivid that it is hoped there will
he no crop of imitators for the police
10 deal with
In view of the general interest exsit-
ed by the experiments of Mr.. Burke
at Cambridge in connection with spOn-
tame JUS. generation, special attention is
likely to be attracted to Or. Carlton
Bastian's new book on THE Nature
AID ligin of Living Matter. Just
pupIShed by the j. B. LippincOtt com
pany, Philadelphia. It represents con-
illusions arrived at by the author at
ter thirty years of research. So far
from regarding spontaneous genera
ton as myth, DR.. Bastian holds that
from the earliest stages Of the esirth's
his cry UP to the present time new
beginnings of simplest forms of life
have been constantly taking place all
over the earth. The book is so Iucidly
written it can be read by any one with
ease and pleasure, especially with the
help of its beautiful illustrations.
The month Of May brings the birds.
the blossoms, and a beautiful number
Of Country Life in America MT. I.
Rowland Jones tells US of THE Beau
tiful Garden at Blair Eyrie'' and the
devices for planting that blend The IS
tate into the landscape. How ever
green shrubs are used for picture
frames. and the material for the paths
IS carefully considered in the scheme
o1 color. Shall we Plant Fruit Trces
for Beauty by Thomas McAdam is
accompanied by five full page illustra-
tons of fruit blossoms undoubtedly the
feature of the magazine. In John Bur
roughs' Love and War Among the
Bluebirds' we have a tale Of double
mating and a double duel, a sympathet-
&c naturalist's study Of our beautiful
spring birds. Outdoor Portrait Pho
Biography" by Mathilde Well describes
one of the most interesting depart
ments of phOtography-that Of figure
studies in the open air. BY this is
meant not the usual snapshot Of the
amateur, but a serious attempt at pic
ture-making.
Authors of late have acquired the
somewhat perverse habit OF concealing
their first name under an initial, as &
challenge it would almost seem to the
curiosity of the public. A Canon Doyle
is an example in point. That A stands
for Arthur. though a very small pro-
portion of DR. Doylefs readers are
aware of 1t. Among essayists the latest
ample is G. Loves Dickinson. author
Of "A Modern Symposium. THE
Greek View Of Life" etc. The G con-
ceals a very peculiar praenomen,
GoldsWorthy. Csoldswortlly Loves
Dickinson is a name that obviously
stands in need OF abbreviation, If only
because Of the exigencies Of titie-page
and cover
The May number of Farming
breathes the spirit Of Spring, and is es-
pecially strong IN articles covering the
necessary work to be done on the farm
at this season Of the year. The care
OF the live stock, the things to be done in
the field and orcahrd, and all the other