Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-01-13

| well-kncWn autnor IN new field
With Washington as his subject, Mr.
Wister becomes a biographer, ant
one, too, whose work is we'll worth
reading. He writes DELIGHTFULLY."-, bu,
his grace Of style is not attained by
sacrifice of important fact. The read.
er, on the contrary. will find the au-
thor's treatment of Washington unusu.
ally thorough and illuminative. Mr.
Wisters theme is Washington the mar
rather than the soldier or statesman
To many Americans our first Presi.
dent is little better than an abstraction
and he probably appears to a majority
Of people being OF rather cold and
inaccessible virtue instead of a mar
| full of human nnDerfections as we'll Is
| human capabilities. Mr. Wister does
not believe in placing his hero on q
| pedestal so high that he is no longer in
| touch with common mortals. From
| Washington'S own writings. from
anecdotes and contemporary records
! he has constructed a picture of the
man as he was in his EVERYDAY life
and has shown how his achievements
were the natural result of his individ-
uai character. The idea of dividing his
one, particularly as the first period
deals with ancestry of Washington,
| and the last one with his immortality.
Between these come the chapters de-
voted respectively to childhood, FROM
tier life, Mt. Vernon, the revolution,
and the presidency, each with its ap-
propriate and representative iilustra-
ton in photogravure. The book is not
large one, but its value is in inverse
proportion to its bulk. (New York:
The Macmillan Company
A pathetic interest attaches to the
letters of Lady Russell, the memory Of
her husbands execution for high
treason casting solemn light over the
whole correspondence during a widow
hood protracted to extreme age Hers
was a life of genuine womanly hero
ism. The correspondence is the uncon-
scious portrature of such a character.
There is. perhaps, no more touching
incident than that which occurred dur
ing the trial Of her husband, when
Lord Russell asked: May I have
somebody to write to help my mem
ory?'' The Attorney-GeneraI answered:
"Yes. 4 servant" The prisoner said:
NV wife is here The harness of
Judge Pemberton was softened when.
recognizing Lady Russelps presence.
he added: "Tf my lady please to give
herself the trouble"
A change has been made in the title
of Ellen Glascow's new novel which
Doubleday, Page & Co. will bring out
on the fifteenth Of next month. THE
Beaten Road was it's preliminary
name, but in order 30 avoid confusion
with \. Z. w. Mason's latest story,
The Broken Road" it will be known
instead as THE Ancient Law
Several stories by Thomas Nelson
Page. originally published in magazine
form. have been collected and issued by
Charles Scribner's Sons with the title
Under the Crust" All of them are
character sketches with wide range,
Joe. the station agent, who cOnquers
the deacon, the quaint old prospector
who is brother to Diogenes. and Dor
man, the financier, who Staked his i'm
mense fortune on the cards with
out turning hair, afford varied
assortment. The best story in
the book is "Leander's Light" a
tale Of the Maine coast and a
weather-beatcn old man who clings to
his little farm in spite of the extrav-
agant offers of a New York millionaire.
Even i'll death he gains what he de-
sired.
The scene of the first part of
Vaughan Kester'S John o James,
town. is laid in Westmoreland
county. England. where MIR. Kester
lived two summers ago. The little viii
lage stands near the site of a Roman
camp. the lead seals of the Roman SOL
diers are still found in the soil. and
the road built in the time of the
Caesars crosses in front of the house.
The book was written at Ben Venue"
on the banks of the Potomac. Mr..
kester. who seems to have q fancy for
old places is now moving into Gunston
Hall in Fairfax county, Virginia. II
was the home CT George Mason, author
of the Virginia bill of rights. and it is
a tradition that Jefferson there made
his first rough draft of the Declaration
of Independence. Mr.. Kester is a
S'0'iii "a w ii'i'~ih lItdlt ftONtllso siIiu At
brother of Paul Kester the playwright.
Edward Frederic Benson. who at the
age of Is startled the London world by
his satire on a certain smart and ir-
tellectual section of society. published
under the title of "Dodo." is the third
son of the late Archbishop of Canter-
bury. The heroine of his story was
said to be a real person whom every
body knew. and one of the chief spirits
in founding that esoteric coterie 1.-THE
Souls" of which one of his near rela-
tives was a shining light. Mr.. Benson
is described by Ella Hepworth Dixon
as alert. witty, charming tall<er.
and still on the sunny side of forty"
He lives in pretty house in Chelsea,
filled with his two hobbies-old Jacob
can and Georgian silver and old French
and English furniture.
The second instalment of the novel in
twelve parts written by twelve differ
ent authors will appear this month
under the title of "The Old Maid
Aunt" The authors engaged in writ
ing this novel, which is called "Tha
Whole Family" include William Dean
Howells, Mary f. Wilkins Freeman.