Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-26

/ the charm that has made her other
books so popular.
This Is valuable as an atmosphere
story. The thread of plot is slight and
1t doesn't require an Edgar Allen Poe
to foresee the ending. The characters
are built on approved lines. They are
! good people" mostly; very, very good,
with all the Southron's virtues and
| few or none of their weaknesses. Take
away the details of ante bellum life in
the Old Dominion, and the story would
| fall fiat, Virginia, however, was worth
| knowing, even in the decline Of its old
fashioned chivalry and antique social
usage, and Mr.. Eggleston with his ac-
customed skill draws a very good pic
ture. Paternalism there found its best
development in America. Life richly
| enjoyed and drained to the lees by the
| aristocrat, contentedly endured by the
slave, was its keynote-a state OF
things as far removed from the bar
| barities of "Uncle Toms Cabin on
| the one hand as from the bitter ami
mosities of "The Clansman" on the
other.
Have the scene and the period their
natural limitations which estop the
novelists greatest work? Perhaps so,
and perhaps not Anyhow, 1t Is hard
to recall a really great novel OF TINS
genre, leaving out Of account the
Englishman Thackeray's "The Vir-
ginians," which treats of an earlier
time. Thomas Nelson Page, Ellen
Glasgow, George Cary Bggleston-all
seem to lack the really big inspiration
| the thoroughly masterful treatment
What and why is it?
Two Gentlemen of Virginia. BY
George Eggleston. Boston: Lothrop'
Lee and Shepard Co.
A book for the cognoscenti and for
tho near-elect rather than for moi
polloi. The transatlantic American is
a queer blend of original Yankeeism,
cosmopolitan culture and quick social
| adeptness; here we have his portrait
drawn at full length. The sensation IN
| STUDYING him (and her) Is like that or
examining an exotic; the uses OF the
specimen are neither manifest nor I'M
portant, put the fact that ne or she
| grows and fourishes in an alien cline
and soil. TO judge from Mr.. Fullers
! uersonages, most of the breed are IN
| tellectual butterflies. They sip daintily
of social pleasures, letters, music.
painting, lowering on the surface OF
| things and seeking never the helgnts
and the depths of human endeaVor anu
| tragedy.
In effective contrast with the ex-
patriates Mr.. Fuller pictures the Okla-
| homa newcomer trying to swallow tne
body of European culture on a COOK >
| tour. the American school teacher car
ried away by the vision of art ana tne
young and old lions of American
| finance who look upon the European
| staining ground as new three
ringed circus in which to exploit their
neculiar talents Our observer is very
| clever and successful in his characters,
descriptions and dialogue, but his piots
are not always up to the mark. Marion
| Crawford is distinctly better as
]
| always to be amusing and agreeable
| and the two hours spent with MIN
aboard ship and in the Yankee colonies
| of Florence, Rome and other ltallan
centers are certainly entertaining.
Waldo French and Others. BY
Henry B. Fuller. New York; Charles
Scribner's Sons. s,.... 90
DR.. Lloyd and his collaboration in tn's
little treatise, explains the mental as
If does the material world. In fact,
| stiu according to DR.. Lloyd, mind Is
| the diverse of matter; matter, OF mlnu:
| This is a fascinating conceptioh' anu
one that seems to illumine many dark
corners in our thinking. Behind mat
ter and mind alike stands the prfmeval
force of the universe; on the one side,
its aspect Is mental and on the other
J side physical. In brief, 'its contrary
aspects of mind and matter are oppo-
site poles of one thing"
The author does not claim originality
for this concept, and indeed it is along
+he trend of much recent philoSophizlng
which in turn revivifies old theories.
The newness of the book is in working
out Its psychological corollaries. A
final chapter on poise applies these CO.
rollaries to practical life. our con-
scious life being ebb and flow, action
and reaction, it is ours to dlrect the
rhythmic stream for the good OF our
selves and others. Harmony OF con-
f1icting forces is the law of life, ana
he lives best who maintains this inner
and outer harmony. Erect, straight
forward clean cut he will march to
the goal beyond, upheld by the law or
/ rhvthmic balance, happy in his su-
premacy over difficulties, complete and
absolute in his majesty of VIII.
Psychology, Normal and Abnormal.
Rv Annie Elizabeth Cheney. Los An
geles.
Automobiles, chauffeuses and mo-
torists, attention!
Hist!
Also sh-h-h!
Here's a book for him Cor her). 1t
is NV Auto Book. It's present sure
to win. Get this:
"What on earth made you crawl
| lllC N6A
matter with it."
IT know, but that chap who just
passed was Smith, and If he mad seen
me with this new runabout ne would
have expected me to pay him that $OuO
| owe him."
mo reference to Andy here.)
HoWs this?
"Adam had just purchased one OF
the first automobiles and was In great
glee. At eooo
"Suddenly shadow crossed mis- race,
as looking at his wife, he said;
"'My dear, I'm afraid you are scarce
1y sufficiently clad to accompany me
on my first spin. -.
"'All right returned Eve, WIN d
mont I'll go to the opera instead!
but it's really a date book, diary
IL Won will, and is arranged to make a
delightful record of your trips In your
new automobile. 1t has blank space
on every other page for: Date or rum
those in party; places VISITED; dls-
tance covered and special incidents.
| IT'S a pretty book, a. valuable one II
vou make 1t so by your records. 1t
bristles with bright, snappy epigrams
and clever skits in prose ana poetry;
The illustrations are neat tasty ana
in keeping with the text.
NV Auto Book. By Walter Pulitzer
New York: The Outing publishing
company.
Books written by Englishmen on the
life and lore of ancient Greece are apt
to include too much of the Hebraic and