Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-12

one of his works The fairy Blacksticks
chief characteristics were serious com
posture, her auStere presence of mind. her
courageous outspokenness ard orderly
grasp of events In these essays. which
with two exceptions have appeared In
this country in Putnams Monthly. are
discussed the following subjects: Haydn.
Felicia Felix. ST. Andrews, Concerning
Joseph Joachim. Egeria in Brighton: No
hant in 1874. Links With the Past, Mary
and Agnes Berry. Paris, Prisms and
Primitifs: Jacob Omnium.' Mrs Gaske'l.
Concerning Tourguenieff. Concerning
Thomas Bewick
THE BETTER TREASURE. BY Mary
Raymond Shipman Andrews author
of The Perfect Tribute" With il
Illustrations by II. NJ. Bunker In
dianapolis: The Bobbs-Merri1l Com
pany.
1.-The Better Treasure is only thread
Of a story. but the thread is gold. 1t
tells of snowy Christmas eve and OF
two men waiting at junction for be-
lated train. There is talk of a bag OF
money and a lonely road. and a third
man stands. unseen, and listens. There
is danger enough to make the outcome
a happy contrast. and there are little
children and Christmas hymns. with the
golden thread winding from the shadows
of temptation and darkness into the
white glory Of a snowy Christmas dawn.
The book is gracefully illustrated. the
designs of each page picturing the spirit
of the text.
CHRIST LEGENDS. BY Selma Lager
lof. Translated from the Swedish by
Nelma Swanston Howard. Decora-
tlonS by Bertha Stuart. New York ::
Henry Holt & Co.
In this attractive little volume are
printed TRANSACTIONS Of eleven tales of
the Christmastide from the Swedish of
Selma Lagerlof. These give to American
readers novel versions Of some OF the
ancient legends pertaining to the nativity
and the life of Christ. They are simply
told in deeply reverential spirit. The
decorations are in keeping with the SUBJ
ject.
THE HEART OF A GEISHA. BY Mrs.
Hugh Fraser Frontispiece by Lud-
wig Holberg. Decorations by r.
Weir Crouch. New York: G. P. Put
nam's Sons. Washington: Wood
ward & LOthrOp.
Mrs. Fraser has lived in the far east so
long that she is thoroughly qualified to
write of the life of Japan. This little
story telling OF the romance and the
tragedy of little japanese woman Is
beautifully printed with exquisite margi-
nal illustrations in color and Incidental
decorations. 1t is an attractive gift book.
THE LIGHT SIDE OF EGYPT. BY
Lance Thackeray. New York: The
Macmillan Company. Washington:
BrentanO's.
1t is possible to 60 to Egypt and be
deeply impressed by the wonders of that
ancient land and at the same time to
enjoy the comical aspects of tourist life
When the old and the new meet in
the persons of the Egyptians and the
Americans, the looker-on with sense
of humor is certain to be vastly enter
tanned. In this volume are printed thirty
six full-page illustrations in color, pre-
senting various aspects of the tourist
proposition III the land of the Pharaoh
Mr.. Thackeray shows that he is blessed
with funny bone, not merely through
the medium of his drawings. which are
remarkably comical, but also by means
OF his brief descriptive text. For eX-
ample he tells of a stopping place on
the Nile as follows:
There are more stopping places on
the Nile than are recorded in 'Baedeker'
This particular class is not generally
mentioned but every tourist knows It,
and any donkey will find it out for you
without map. These places are not
very popular with the tourist and he
never stops there longer than he can
help. 1t affords a temporary relief 20
the donkey and some amusement to TIE
donkey-boy Such stopping place
makes little Or no impression on you,
but as rule YOU leave good impression
on the place.
1t is evident from the picture accom-
panying this paragraph that the tourist
in question has had no choice in the
need not be tourist to enjoy this good
natured book.
PARIS THE BEAUTIFUL. BY Lillian
Whiting. author of The Florence of
Landor." illustrated. Boston: Lit
tie. Brown Il Co
Miss Whiting has spent several springs
and summers in Paris anu has obtained
impressions of that wonderful city. which
reproduced in this attractive volume
with its graceful text and numerous
illustrations. She says:
ITO stand again i'll Sainte ChapeIie in
the Incompatible light of the great rose
window, with q new realization Of the
strange and superstitious mysticism of
Louis NI: to linger In the Pantheon and
recall the wonderful story of Genevieve.
the patron saint Of Paris. whose mar
velOus history is depicted on the walls
by the master hand of Puvis de Char-
annes In his series of decorative paint
ings: to loiter iii the gardens of the
Tuileries when statues CLEAN whitley
anldSt the OW or scarlet geran!umS In
the great vases. and the vista down the
broad avenue of the Champs Elysces is
framed in the stately Are de TronlplIe
de fEtoiie: to renew acquaintance with
contemporary French art through the two
salons in the splendid galleries OF the
Grand Palais-in all these experiences
invites the JOY of beauty"
In her chapters Miss Whiting treats of
Paris the Beautiful: The Champs E!ysees
Region; The Louvre and the Luxem-
bourg; The Annual Spring Salons The
Story of Sainte Genevieve; Scientific
Progress in Paris: The Imaginative In
tensity of Partisan Life; The Partisan
Panorama: The Spirit of Paris. The
book is illustrated chiefly with reproduc-
tions of the most famous paintings and
sculptures on exhibition at the French
capital.
THE SIMPLE BIOGRAPHY: or How to
Know the Earth and Why it Spins
BY Peter Simple. F.. +. q. (Fellow of
the Terrestrial Globe). Edited by
Oliver HEREFORD. With Pictures of
Peter Simple. Theodore Roosevelt
the Earth and others. And Some
limitations of pictures by Cecilia
Lotus. Boston: John w. Luce &; Co.
cit is Long Jump from Moses, the
author of the first work on geogra ply.
to Peter Simple says Mr.. Herford in his
humor will gladly take this leap for the
within the covers of this side splitting
publication. With a wealth of illustra-
lonesome of the pictures are remarkable
iv,it f.f vino Inv Ii.,