Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-30
BOOK REVIEWS.
MEMOIRS OF THE COMTESSE ID


the original MS. by M Charles
York: Charles Scribners Sons.
Washington: Woodward & Lothrop.
The Comtesse de Boigne's memoirs
have already, by the publication of the
first volume. been admitted to be of
the highest Importance. Their personal
appeal is quite as remarkable as their
historical value. Within the four years
covered by this volume, the comtesse.
as her fathers companion, lived in
Italy. in England, and returned to
France in time to witness the second
restoration of Louis XVIII. The posi-
ton of her father, as ambassador to
England brought her into close asso-
citation with the principal personages
or that interesting period of English
history. The comteSse writes with pic
turesque vivacity, as well as with
Sound observation. of the conditions
of English social life, and comments
on the members of the royal family,
reigning beauties and statesmen with
q freshness of interest that is irresist-
ibie. The description of the early days
of the re3established monarchy at Turin
Is amusing to Il degree, while The view
of the absurdities of Bourbon AFRO
Sance, i'll the person of Louis xviii,
is scarcely less laugh-provoking. The
family to which the Comtesse de Boigne
belonged was devoted to the interests
Of Louis Philippe dOrleans, who after
ward became king. The glimpses of
him and of his charming wife. first in
their English residence and later eS-
tablishei in France, are sympathetic.
A number of letters are given in the
appendix from those persons as well
as from other celebrities. No one who
wishes to have Il clear compreh cnsion
of this chaotic period of French his
tory can afford to miss these memoirs
The Princess of Wales and George Nv,
the Princess Charlotte and the Queen
of England. Benjamin Constant and
Nine. Recamier, Napoleon in his es-
cape from Elba and during the hun
dred days" the Duke of Wellington,
and Nine. Cte Stael are a few OF the ia
nous men and women of whom the
Comtesse de Boigne records her al
ways acute Impressions.
LETTERS FROM THE RAVEN; Being
the Correspondence of Lafcadio
Hearn with Henry Watkin. With
introduction and critical comment by
the editor. Milton Bronner. New
York: Brentano'S.
These letters of Lacadio Hearn. COW
ering a long period of his life, and ex-
pressing what was possibly the strongest
friendship of his life, reveal aspects of
his nature which are not generally IA
miliar. When, in 1869, Hearn arrived
In Cincinnati, hungry, tired, unkempt-
q boy without a trade, without friends
without money" it was Henry Watkins
who gave him help. Watkins was an
Englishman, Largely self-educated. of
broad culture and wide reading, of singu-
lar liberality of views and lover of
his kind" Between THE boy of nineteen
and the man of fifty a friendship began
which was never broken. although with
the passage of years, separation and the
pressure of work upon Hearn, made the
letters more and more infreQuent. Dur
Ing the period when they were most
frequent, Hearns early years in New
Orleans, a time when the authors genius
was as yet in the chaotic and formative
period. the letters to Watkins constitute
q frank, unsuspicious self-revelation. They
are entitled Letters From the Raven"
because of the nickname which Watkins
had applied to the boy. The letters are
filed with playful drawings, usually of a
raven disporting himself in fashions to
suit the authors moods The Letters to
Lady, which occupy the second place
in Mr.. Bronner's collection, are much
more constrained. They show Hearn in
somewhat constrained social relation
which does not seem in the least charac-
teristic. The third collection of letters
are journalistic contributions. He adopt
ed the name of "0zias Mdwinter'' from
that of a character In an obscure novel
of Wilkie Collins. His choice of this as
a nom de plume is instance of the
shrinking sef-deprcciation which was so
strong an element in Hearn's person.
ality. These scraps of correspondence
written from New Orleans. far indeed
from the type of "news" letters fur
nished by the correspondent of today.
show many of THE same tastes and ten
denotes which were. later on. satisfied by
1.-THE authors japanese residence and cit
iZenship. They show his interest in Gre
ole types and zeal in following uD the
snatches of old SONGS. of which he heard
fragments in wandering about the old
French quarter of New Orleans
THE UPRISING OF THE MANY. Rv
Charles Edward Russell Illustrated
from photographs. New York: Doll-
bleday, Page e Co.
Among the many sociological and
economic publications of the day this
volume Of Mr.. Russell's takes high rank
Having established the fact that an autoc-
racy of some sort prevails in practically
avery civilized country. the authors aim
has been TO show the varying methods by
which the oppressed classes of different
nationalities have attempted to rise into
independence. He tells of the small CO.
operative society of the Toad Lane Weav-
ers, born of the necessities of starving
IL
Rochdale Association, he shows the re-
suits achieved by the principle of pub
lie ownership. where its operation has Sc
cured adequate transportation service at
reasonable prices as opposed TO the con-
ditions in the United States. The labor
party of Australia, the changes brought
about by the establishment of government
ownership in New Zealand, the relation
of the system of castle in India, with it's
devastating results, to the widening of
the division between the classes in Amer
lea, the significance OF modern Japan
these topics and many others have been
the object of the authors Investigations.
The result Is book which is powerful
In its sincerity and convincing by rea-
son of the definiteness of the authors con-
c!usions. 1t cannot fail to impress, or. at
least. to arouse questioning as to the
abuses of modern civilization and as to
the way out.
LOVE AFFAIRS OF LITERARY MEN.
BY Myrtle Reed. New York: G. P.
Putnam's Sons.
Whether the author chose these nine ex-
ponents of the writer's art with a COM
mon trait in view or not, it is certainly
true that no one of them can be consid-
cred as a success in the role of lover OF
husband. Keats is a possible exception
to the rule. but his love for Fanny
Brawne was so soon sealed by death that
there was no time for the misgivings OF
his friends as to the outcome of the, at