The Washington herald., 1907-12-01

ner history Of the decadent King and
his artistic and poetic court that Martin
Hume is now to tell for the first time
from sources largely manuscript and
all contemporary. hitherto unused for the
purpose by English writers.
Messrs. Henry Holt & Co. will issue
at once "a lower priced, popular edition
OF Sister Nivcdtas "The Web OF Indian
Life, rathcr extraordinary book on the
life and customs Of the East Indians. by
Miss Margaret r. Noble who has lived
ior some time among them.
Hilaire Belloc. the author Of Hills and
the Sea" has written in a book called
Paris a most fascinating account Of
the history and growth Of that city from
the very beginning In the preface he
says.
There comes / suppose. 20 every one who has felt
ke,uly the modln IMPRESSION of a place he loves
desire to know its changing past. the nature and
cypcr,nc' tEst 70 draws from the centuries and
the platform upon which there he Constructed
little Of that future which We viii never secs
The more vivid be the contemporary eject e a
city. the more urgently doe the question Of its
origins ard deyel0rmcat press upon one. The sight
Of ones own tme-cycu it BE- stretched 20 a fun
LIFETIME bot n glance taken rapidly urou ,o,-
age. and leaves enduring expectation and demand
for further knowledIe. In the effort 20 satisfy this
a man viii read this book and that Loo. up old
prints. and catch the chance phrases u memoirs !.
ne will. for his own sake. clear out rough sketch
q the whole past q what he loves and he viii end
hy making record that is as incomplete and
fngmentary as incongruous a miNturc cf the gen
er1l theory of life end of particular irncs as are
the notes and letters we keep TO remind ms Of alb
sent friends,
The spectacle Of a man. and more par
ticularly OF a scientist. packing a London
hall on "a night Of drenchiug rain with a
company of men and women who were
both intellectual-looking and well dressed
and were come 10 hear a talk on immor-
tality. is enough to give pause to the
cry that this is an altogether needless
age. This was the situation when Sir
Oliver Lodge recently addressed an audi
ence in Memorial Hall, London. with
scientific plea for belief I'm immortality.
Men dropped IN on their way from busi-
ness or came I'm from the suburbs. Half
an hour before the appointed time the
doorways Were blocked. the steps and
even the window-ledCes were crowded:
this 10 hear an infieXible scientist SAY
that any idea that the body can be re-
stored in its particles and live again in
the flesh IS a notion. and must be dis
carded as a notion before any reasonable
proof or hope of immortality can be Of
fered at all. Moreover, as Sir Oliver is
said to be not so impressive a speaker as
writer the audience had no brilliant en-
tertainment I'm stOTe-nOthing but the
force OF the idea itself
Charles Z. Russell. author Of ''Thc Ip-
rising Of the Many which Doubleday.
Page x Co. publish this faH is born
newspaper man. His father had been a
newspaper man before him, and he grew
up in the atmosphere OF ink and types.
Few men have had a more varied ex-
perience. His boyhood was spent on his
fathers paper. the Davenport Uowal Ca
zctte. At twenty-five he went 10 the St
Paul Pioneer Press. thence to the Mime
apOlis Tribune, Minneapolis Journal De
troit Tribune. the New York Commercial
Advertiser. World Herald. Journal: then
10 the Chicago American. That closed
Mr. Russells newspaper work. and since
then he has devoted himself to work
more congenial. contributing articles 10
EVerybody's and other magazines and
writing books, Of which "The Uprising Of
the Many represents his latest and most
mature work.
II Is more than half a century since the
author Of "Reveries OF a Bachelor" and
Dream Life" took his place in that sue
cession Of American writer's headed by
Irving and Holmes 10 whom the gifts of
geniality and broad human sympathy have
opened a warm place in the hearts Of All
lovers OF books. Mr Mitchell is still Hv-
ing. at the age Of eighty-five. on his his
toric farm Of EdgewOOd near New Haven.
but for the past ten years he has added
nothing 10 his long list of essays and i'm
aginative works. II is. therefore. possible
to feel that the new "Edgewood Editions
Of the works Of Tx Marvel" eight vol
umes Of which have already been issued
by the Messrs. Scribners. will be a final
edition and Will stand as a fitting monu-
ment to the art of one whose pen has
comforted and heartened so many.
Sidney Lanier's poems, The Hymns Of
the Marshes" were published IN the
early part OF November. in a new and
beautiful edition, strikingly illustrated by
photographs taken especially for this
work The volume includes Sunrise.
Individuality. Marsh Song" AT Sun
set" and The Marshes Of Glynn." the
poems which made the author famous.
and show better than any others his tech
nical mastery, original thought. and spir-
ituaI perception and fcrvOr Sidney La
nicr was or French HugUenot and Scotch
descent, and was born at Macon. Ca. in
lSi2. He was educated at Oglethorpe Col
lege. and AT the outbreak OF the civil war
enlisted in the Confederate army and
served until the close Of that conflict. He
was never of a very strong constitution
and the exposure and hardships Of the
war brought on consumption. He was
married in 1861. For a time he practiced
law. but soon gave that up and turned
bis attention wholly 10 literature He
was passionately fond Of music. and his
flute was his constant companion He
died of consumption in the mountains OF
North Carolina while still a comparative
ly young man.
The city of Aniston i'm Satan Sander
son" IS presumably Portland. ore. whose
citizens viii no doubt recognize the lone
ly white house I'm the aspens." the wide
square with the courthouse facing il. and
on another side the chapel on whose com
munion table the Rev Henry Sandersou
played his game Of poker for Hugh Stires'
soul
President Roosevelt has written a fore
word for the late jeremiah Curtins The
MuuEols" an important historical wo-i-