The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-11-23
BOOK REVIEW

A most attractiv book just publish
ed by Little, Brown & Co., of Boston
is Lillian Writings ITALY, the Magic
Land" The new book aims to pre-
sent a living panorama of the cohnpar-
atively modern past of Rome, that.
opening with the period of Canova
and Thorwaldsen, proceeds to the con-
temporary Rome of. Vedder and
Franklin Simmons, in which the writ
er depicts the Rome of the Haw-
that intense artistic life attracted by
the stupendous work of Michael An
gelo and the galleries of the Vatican.
The design of Italy, the Magic Land"
matte life of the Eternal Cfty-the
mingled social and artistic-anda dts
portrayal of the long procession of
brilliant visitors from the time of
Henry James. "It was the Rome of
sunny winters writes Lillian Whiting
of the middle period of the nineteenth
century, 'the Rome of gay excursions
over that haunted sea of the Campag-
ma to pictorial point in the Alban and
Sabine hills; the Rome of young artist
life: which organized impromtu festas
with Arcadfan freedom, and utilizeo
the shadow of the shelter of ruined
temples or tombs in which to spread
Of simple, friendly intercourse into
the romantic lights of the poetic, his
torfc, or tragic past. There were
splendid Catholic professions and GER
emonialS that seemed as part of the
stage scenery that ensconced itself, al
SO, with the nonchalance of easy pos
session, in the vast salons of historic
palaces where tapestried walls and
richly painted ceilings arched high
overhead, with statues dimly seen in
inches here and there, and the bust of
some crowned -Antoninus, or radiant
Juno. cleaning from a shadowy cor
ner, all made up the mise-en-scene of
familiar evenings" Miss Whiting dis
cusses the two great periods of art
the Greek and the Renaissance; she
ranges over Naples and its romantic
environs and the ancient monastery of
Monte Casino where Thomas AquinaS
was educated. The work will be a
delightful companion book to 1.-THE
Florence of Landor," work that is
achieving no little popularity among
visitors to the Flower City, of Italy,
and will include several pictures from
scenes and photographs not hereto-
fore reproduced.
One of the most Enthusiastically
Burgess (and one of the few true stor-
les of him) was to spend three or four
days in constructing of Cardboard
mica and green velvet a little model of
an old New England house, completes
to windows, curtains, lawn. garden,
trees, and even including a hammock
with tiny hat and summer novel, and
washing stretched out on a clothes
line on the back stoop. This was for
dinner given to several literary friends
in New York, and, when the coffee was
served, he deliberately set fire to the
whole farm His explanation was
might have forgotten the affair, but
they would always remember the de-
struction of the house. There was con-
siderable practical If subtle psychology
IN
that little house go up in smoke on Its
little hill of damp moss will ever for
get it.
The Cotton Picker and Other Poems
Is the title of a little book by Carl Hol-
liday, published by the Neal company
of washington. Professor Holiday is
a thorough student of the literature OF
the south, and of the best in English
literature; he is an enthusiastic lover
of poetry, critic of discrimination and
taste, a teacher of established reputa-
ton. His recent work, "AHistory ofSouth-
ern Literature is meeting with wide
acceptance and success 1t having been
already. introduced into many Of the
leading schools and colleges of the
south AS it is the only work tracing
the history and evolution of southern
literature as whole. it has an as
most splendfdly Is it rising to the OPP
portunity.
The laureate of green fields and run
ming brooks, Mr.. James Whitcomb RI
ley, has written a long poem entitled
Boys of the Old Glee Club, which the
Bobbs Merrill company will issue
sometime in November. Somehow,
happiest days in simple country homes
the rhymes of this unpretenttous
singer seem to touch the hearts OF. the