The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-10-04

of the Philippine Islands, now fepup- Iican candidate for President of the
 United States. Whether Big" is MT. Taft or just Big" his own good old self, it hardly makes and difference,
 outside of the little discussions that all
 readers who purchase and read book, are entitled to; the chief thing and
 result is that The Big Fellow" as a story is frst-class and we'll worth | reading The love story between Big"
 and Two Braids" is very beautiful.
 Before Marriage" by Mrs. Adolph Hoff-
 mann. CThe Vir Publishing Co)
 Before Marriage is a mothers parting counsel to her son on the eve of his mar riage. When Mrs. Hoffmann's son, Der nard, became 25 years of age he fell in ! love with Helen, the eldest daughter of
 the doctor who lives in the large gray house at the entrance of our town" Just before the marriage Mrs. Hoffmann had a heart-to-heart talk with her son as to his responsibilities, love treatment, etc.. ] due Helen. The book contains the con- versations carried on. If mothers and fathers would do more of what Mrs. Hoff-
 mann did, and if necessary use a good 1 heavy stick with which to punctuate their remarks to their sons before marriage, we would have far less unhappy matrimonial alliances This book gives chaste advice
 to both the prospective husband and his ! bride, and it's message will prove most
 helpful in bringing happiness and per
 manence into the sacred relation upon
 which they are about to enter.
 The world is waking up. Such books as have been published and read by the mil lions from the Vir Publishing company
 on the truth in life and happiness are to be heartily commended. When are pa rents going to realize how much better 1t is to have a boy or girl learn the real things of life at home instead of outside? :; This department has received for review ] some books that ought to be read by every young man and woman, but the | reviewer really hesitates to discuss them 1 for fear some sanctimonious Pecksniff will hold up his or her hands and want to 1 know what are we coming to?"
 4"rhe Tether," by Ezra S. Brudno. (J. P. Lippincott Co)
 The hero of "The Tether' is a young
 Jew, David Sphardi," the son of com
 mon peddler in Boston. David had that
 artistic temperament, which if one but knew 1t, is much worse than appendicitis,
 but David couldn't help it-that's the
 trouble about the real artistic tempera-
 ment-more's the pity Davids temper ament, artistic and otherwise was recog-
 nized by a charming young Gentle wom-
 an artist of Boston, who assisted David
 in getting an education, first through the
 
 Harvard, all of the time much against the
 wishes of his father the peddler David
 was sure enough poet, who wrote real
 poems, and better than that, they were
 published-a great feat these prosaic
 days. David was struggling all of the
 time to be something he wasn't-a very
 uncomfortable struggle for those around
 David The theme of the story is the
 tether' which holds the Jew rightfully
 or wrongfully, as you will, within his own
 race. here in America. David fell in love
 with a Jewess the first time and got the mitten for his pains. This was during his college days. Later he fell fin love with lovely Gentle and she with him, when the tether got busy and ruined the lovers lives. That is the main plot of this strong story. The side lights the author throws on Jewish clannishness or lack of 1t, must be left for discussion to some one better informed than this re-
 viewer. Mr. Brudno seems very harsh in | his treatment of the Jews in America; he seems entirely too harsh, but he is a Jew and claims to know whereof he speaks In any event the book is a modern novel of virile realism, of skilful delineation of
 character and really powerful and ab-
 sorbing romance throbbing with the fire
 and passion of the young Jewish poet, who had such a hard time of it. The book Is well worth while.
 Big Game at Sea-" by Charles Fred
 erick Holder. (Outing Publishing Co) This book is mainly the authors experi- ences with big game at sea in many waters. Fifty years ago graining the big
 ray or devil fish was the sport of sports along the Carolinas, and it is being re- VlVed by men who like a dash of spice with their pastimes. The big ray is now taken nearly every season on the gulf coast of Florida and at Aransas Pass, where an extraordinary contest took place in 19O6-a ray swimming off with 14 boats before it was killed Yet the "Giant Ray Club suggested last year to be com posed of the men who had taken the huge fish produced less than dozen men who had accomplished the feat, though doubtless more extended canvass would develop others. The various rod catches described in Big Game at Sea" illustrate the work accomplished by the Tuna and other clubs for higher standard of sport, as on the Pacific coast At Santa Catalina island, just off the California coast, not far distant from Los Angeles (about 85
 miles), game fishes up to 100 pounds are now taken with what is known as a No. thread, the tip of the rod not less than five feet long and weighing not oyer six pounds. The members of the Tuna club have for years taken all their great record fishes on 21 thread lines, as the idea is to give all large fishes the advantage to reduce the catch to the limit of actual size. In the nine years history of the Tuna club but 65 men have landed single handed with 16-ounce rod and not over a I 24 thread line leaping tunas of 100 pound weight. In that time with big hand line | 1t would have been possible to have killed thousands of fishes. MT. Holders book l is really plea for light tackle for all | the big game at sea, as illustrated by the methods of the Tuna and other clubs of Southern California, where the nine-t thread I line and six-ounce tip for all game up to | 100 pounds is now the slogan.
 In one chapter. 1.-The Biography of the Man-eater,' is an imaginary tale, but the author says it is based on his observa- 1 tions and capture of scores of sharks of | various kinds, and all the individual in- I cidents in the recital are based on actual | happenings. The author has taken many | times nearly every shark in American | waters in the Atlantic Gulf of Mexico and 1 Pacific; he has watched them in all ages | and conditions, and the chapter about | them, as well as all the other portions 1 of his book, are based on real happenings, l not what happens to one fish described, i but what might happen to all of the same ! kind of fish which MT. Holder has studied i and caught. The author discusses the !! sword fish, caught on the coast of South- 1 ern California, where the Tuna clubs l record is one of 165 pounds caught with rod and reel. The fish has grown so in-
 teresting on the Southern California coast ; that the Tuna club has offered loving | cup handsome prize, for the largest 1 catch, and for the angler who does not l retreat before the supposed charge of the