The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-16
Literary Lighfs and Shadohs
BY s. MAYS BALL.


 the use of the Senate. and 1000 for distri- button by the Secretary of Navy. John Paul ones-Commemoration" Is the result of that resolution and the beau tifully Illustrated and bound book Is one of the handsomest that can be found any where. It gives a full account of the dis covery, Identification and transfer of the remains of John Paul Jones from Paris to this country. The illustrations (unus- ually fine ones) show the work In Paris; pictures of the cemetery m Paris, of the shafts sunk to find the body; pictures of Captain Jones, in fact, covers the whole subject.
 This beautiful book was sent to this de- partment free by Col. l.. F. Livingston M. c. from Georgia, and as this reviewer understands 1t members of Congress If there are yet any of these books on hand, would be glad to secure free copies of this book for their constituents. The book would cost three or four dollars If one had to buy It and would be cheap at the price.
 "Omar Repentant," by Richard Le Gal
 lienne. (Mitchell Kennerley)
 MT. Le Gallienne has written a new Rubaiyat as he thinks old Omar would now put 1t, In these days of prohibition.
 Two men go into saloon to "brace up a bit." One, an old stager. gives good ad- vice to his young friend on the subject of Demon Rum, something on this order; You. drank that whiskey pretty quick,
 young sir
 Now keep your eyes from off that wo-
 man there,
 And hear me talk-look at her face, you
 Poor soul! there are a million more of
 her.
 Listen! your eyes are clear, your skin Is
 fine
 Compare your eyes. compare your skin,
 with mine
 Iris not the years between us-no, it Is What you grandiloquently call the Vine.
 And after telling the youth what whis- ky will "do" to him, the old stager ends; Listen and swear by wonder morning
 To fight and fight and fight for what you
 are
 Straight, trim, and true and pure as men
 are pure
 Swear. to me- lad, by wonder morning
 star"
 The book is tastily gotten up by the publisher.
 "The New Old Healing" by Henry
 Wood. Lathrop, Lee & Shepard Co.,
 Taking as his texts, "One life perme- ates all things and there is no corner of the cosmos too remote to feel It's heart throb" and Many things must wait for the vindication which time alone can furnish MT. Wood has written a book dealing with a series of topics showing that the mind has a great deal to do with our condition physically. The au- thor says that no effort has been made to put forth in this book anything tech- nical It Is only an attempt to render helpful truth in familiar terms and to show the way to It's practical application. The author fears that the plan followed by him in treating his topics may make the volume seem more like scrap book than military treatise. The author believes that the teachings of his book are in accord with a liberal interpreta- ton fthe Biblical and Christian point of view. The author wishes it under stood that he is not a professional healer and accepts no specific cases and that the pressure upon his time renders it impracticable for him to teach in any systematic manner outside of his writ ings. MT. Wood discusses in his book Mental and spiritual gymnastics; the prayer cure; the creative power of mind; the service of habit; honor to the body; the new healing movement in the church; why worry about worry?; some strange varieties of faith cure: love as a living current; localized and general self-treatments" and so on. MT. Wood although claiming to be an unbiased critic, pays his full respects to Chris tian Science and Mrs. Eddy The book no doubt would be found helpful to many readerss
 Sketches From Roman History by
 Hon. Thomas E. Watson. Published
 by the author at Thomson, Ga.)
 MT Watson in a small much too small a volume, considering the good things he writes about, discusses Roman history as represented by The Gracchi, Marius, Sulla or Sylla, Spartacus. Jug urtha, Caesar, Octavius and Antony and Cleopatra.
 MT watson's teacher used to say at school that he found 1t difficult to pull MT. Watson as boy away from histori- cal subjects.
 The charm in what MT. Watson writes Is that he discusses everything in such a way that the most uncultivated (and proud of it) reader will find his subjects thrilling. He has written about the times of the people mentioned above, so as to compel the reader to understand them and their environment just as if those Roman characters lived amongst us today. It Is a wonder that school boards do not attempt to find and use in schools a history such as this one, not the usual dry-as-dust production, which most history is, but something that will hold the young persons interest This reviewer loaned MT. Watson's Sketches From Roman History to family of young children, which family, to say the least, have never before thrilled over historical studies and this department had a difficult time getting this book back to review 1t. Why not put such books in the public schools books that are at the same time au-