The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-04-21
BATCH OF NEW BOOKS
Novels and Poems of Merit
Are Reviewed.
STRIKING VOLUME By A DANE
A Volume of Verse by a washington
Poet-Mr. Percival Landon's Book
ON Indian CIties-HOSV to Manage a
Farm-Sesv Work by owen Wister
on speIIing-GOod Spring Reading.

1.-THE Spider and Other Tales" by Carl
Ewald, Is a handsome little volume Of
stories translated from the Danish by
Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. These
stories are delightful nature studies. but
they are nature viewed from an unaccus-
toned aspect, and most adroitly the
author uses such things as the spider, the
mist the queen bee, the trees, and so on
10 draw parallel between the conduct
of these things and human nature. In
the tale "The Spider" for instance. we
have two of the trees longing for bird
to come and build a nest in their neigh
horhOOd. They can't attract bird, but
the spider comes and promises to make
her home there. Everything she does is
strange 20 those whom she has come in
contact with When they see her ready
to build they are amazed where the ma
terials are coming from. Asking her If
she has a husband TO help her, she tells
them that husbands are useless things.
When she prepares To launch herself from
a twig, the mouse cries out that she will
break her neck Il haven't any neck,
answers the independent Dame Spider.
"and II I had I wouldn't break it. Then
they ask her If she can sing:
'Pshaur' replied the spider do you think I O.
ia for that sort Of twaddles What Is there to sing
about} Life IS nothing but toll and drudsary, and
If lone woman IS % hold her own she must turn
20 and set 20 work
Birds sing" said the goats foot
They sing because they are in love. said the
spider. ] am not in love
Wait TIL the right man comes alons," said the
parsley.
II be does. he'd better look out " said the spider
Then she J0ok another header and 50 she
weHt on.
Il viii not do perhaps, to follow too
closely the parallel between the insects
whose hfe-stories are here pictured and
the s0ciaHstic doctrines OF a certain
school. but that these tales are parallels
there is no manner Of doubt They are
skillfuly written. and even on their face
not looking below the surface. they are
most entertaining and should delight chill
dren. To the elder people they have an
elder message. New York; Charles
Scubner's Sons)
"Occasionals' is the title Of volume
Of poems by Joseph Adams, OF Washing
ton. An old man now, Dir. Adams has
found time during a long and busy life to
halt and write verses-not for money,
not necessarily for publication. but verses
which he wrote because they came TO him:
and now. almost blind. still doing his
work in the world he has collected the
best Of these verses and issues them in
handsome book form. the volume dedi-
Gated 70 those who fought with him in
the civil war Mr. Adams does not
claim 10 be a poet OF culture nor one who
would vie with the singers of an olden
age But he has written what was IN
his heart and has written earnestly so
that his verses will surely find echoes in
many other hearts Always he writes
with a fine faith in what is; what Is TO
/ be. An old man. he still can pen the
/ lines:
But threescore years and ten and three.
Forever giving. day b. day.
The Love Divine has cared for me-
Gui1>Sg my f1uu-tUs ali the way;
Tie Love tSat "Etiches over an ="
and 0Ier tnFy III prevails,
The love Gat notes the sparrows fan
The Love that never, never fails,
So I, in faith that never fears.
Ia light and warmth 0t God's own SUI.
Await the fruitsge of the years;
The While I say. Thy viii be done
] The spirit that is expressed in these
! Cedicatory verses Is the spirit that re-
mains through all Of the poems. Many
subjects are touched upon-patriotism is
Of course, the prime subiect-but Away:
these poems breathe Of faith, ans hope
/ and perfect trust
Nor does Mr., Adams lack the gift Of
verse-making. For the most part hi,
verses are perfect in their metrioal con.
struction and he has handled some diff
cult meters in this little book. For in
stance. there is "a poem called Question.
for the Democracy in its thought il {.
not perhaps profound. but metrically il
is skillfUll Note the third line of the fol
lowing;
Hope they for freedom hereg
Comes not troubled fear
Iny0iuntauy over the hearty
Think they secure 20 lite
Ai0ng those who choose 20 give
Mans best inheritance but to a IaItG
This is a meter which it would seen
THAT Robert Browning made particularly
his own. but Mr.. Adams uses it with rau
skill. And so with the other poems il
this book on "Occasionals. poems SOM
of which are dated as far back as 1857
There is something about all of them 4
fattract attention. Patriotism is here, low
of country, love of home, pure faith. an,
beautiful resignation. and the final mes
sage that this little volume holds is
message of joy. washington: The Neal
Publishing COmDany)
"Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte
This is a new edition of one of the ia
nous world-novels. OF this novel tn
D.. authorship of which has been often dis
lputed, Swinburne says; 1T is certain tina
those who do like it viii like nothing
much better in the whole world of poetr
or prose" This novel first appeared i
I1S47, and IL was then taken to be the worl
= of a man. one of uncommon talents, bu
logged. brutal, and morose," while i
reality its author was that Emily Bront
who wrote under the name of Ellis Bel
who was the daughter of a Yorkshir
clergyman Prunty was his name. but h
: changed it quickly to the classic Gree
after he left his native Ireland for Cam
bridge University. ''WutheTing Heights
shows how closely Emily Broute was cas-
back into herself for companionship; ho1
she had to go 10 nature for friend
ship. Throughout the book in spite q
its brutality, there is constantly evi
/ denced love of nature and for this pal
ltltuidF couhtIys4ue. WIN the ptedk IloOi
land for a background, no wonder tina
the thoughts and the characters al
morose,
This is not the day nor the age 0
which 70 attempt to utter an opinion
"Wuthering Heights" The volume Ia
become a classic of sorts. There are man
people who do not like Il; there are thos
who love it. The present edition is
beautiful one; it is printed in readabl
IScoteh-faced type, on high-grade pape
and Il is bound in a digni6ed way. (Ne
York. Doubleday. Page x Co. WashinE