The Washington herald., 1908-07-26
.RepieWS of Books and Literary GOSSIP

[ Dr. Edward Breck's The Way OF ths
Woods Punaml Is the classic volume
n its own kind. Campers and woodsmen
who are seeking vsde mecUm 70 take
I with them into the woods can fud moth
ing SO practical and so comprehensive as
I this book. which has grown OFT OF many
years Of experience. and tells campers,
/ trampers, fishers. and hunters everything
/ IN the world they can ever care TO know
I We may add that D-. Breck drds time to
make merry occasionally. as IN the soI-
/ lowing passage, in which he laughs al
! the ignorance Of nature displayed by the
average citizen
Does II lot seen ridiculous C1e says)
that 90 Per cent OF American YOUTHS grad
Uate from school or college taking with
them the fond beliefs that the porcupine
throws its quiIs, that the cat sucks the
baby's breath, and that every hawk IS
'hen-hawk'? It would be 2 waste
Of words in this business age TO speak OF
the aesthetic side Of the subject (ures-
ervation OF the BIRDS. but il does seem a
wonderful and e dissracefuI thing that
most Of Us 90 through life cheek-by-jovI
with thousands Of animals and birds
while atythe same time nine-teuths OF Us,
could probably give q less accurate de-
scripti0n Of their habits than we could OF
the harpies. or the phoenix or the chin
Sera, \ weil-educated' person would
scorn q fellow-man who displayed igno-
rance OF the latter beast, but would be
more than likely himself TO be quite un-
able % distinguish between z weasel and
a ferret, OF junco and a chickadee
In Sir Algernon Vests recently pub
Usher "Reminiscences OF the Victorian era
may be found some amusing stories Of
Browning; Robert Browning. the poet
son Of q poet, stiu with his fame 70
make. but even then with fund Of an
ecdOts and devoted TO society even more
than to poetry, fun OF ambition, and
eager for success &C. had been an au-
thor since the age Of nineteen, and had
eiready written a tragedy. which was
acted by Macready and Miss Helen Fau-
cit When he produced an early volume
Of poems he was delighted az receiving q
letter from Mr.. J. S. NIL proposing to I
write a notice Of them in the Westrnin- 4
ster Review. A few days after. his ex-
pectations were dashed by hearing from I
Mr.. J. ;. Mil that he could not write the I
article, as he had been forestaIled BY a 4
notice which had appeared in the West I
i4llt9cLCA ECNlCW il5clis " TN a rdlDirdr- I
ing heart Browning rushed 10 his club
and searched the pages OF the westmin- 4
ster Review to find. to his dismay. the I
article which had robbed him OF ar. J. 5. 1
1fHPs notice 1t was 10 this effect: A 4
volume OF poems by Observation-Disclosures I
DASH When he had become famous i
some one wanted very much to meet him /
A kind friend arranged a meeting. and
the guest besieged Browning with cues-
tions and conversation during dinner. and 4
even after dinner he continued button
hohng his victim Come, said the poet.
this will never do; they viii say am
you"
Meredith Nicholson. author Of The
House Of a Thousand Candles" and The
Port Of Missing Men, was recently Of
Tered a position and salary by a promi-
nent theatrical manager. his duties to
consist solely Of devising alluring titles
for plays Mr. Nicholson. contrasting the
peace and quiet OF the farm on which he
Is spending the summer with the nervous
excitement and heart-burning thar At