The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-31
Literary Lights and ShadOhs
BY s. MAYS BALL

 "The Seven Who Were Hanged by
 Leonid Andreyer Auth orized trans
 latlon from the Russian by Herman
 Bernstein. q. s. ogilvie Col.
 This is a frightful book and for which there. can be seen no excuse. Briefly stated it Is the struggle which were supposed to take place in the mind of seven terrorlsts which the Russian government has condemned to death. Each of the terrorlsts Is widely differ ent from all. the others and to each impending doom assumes an entirely different aspect.
 Each terrorist is moved by different impulses, particularly different emo tions
 This book Is supposed to be and in a measure it is a study of the psychol ogy of those seven men who were to be hanged; how they thought under the circumstances (being different kind of men, etc.), as they strive to pierce the gloom which lies on the other side the grave.
 It is not a good book for one to take up for a pleasant evening. Of course the author had in mind the Russian censor and was naturally careful, but you can be sure that the story here discussed was written with a revolu- tionary tendency and the only reason he has held down some of his expres- sions, etc., has simply been for fear of the Russian government; which to be honest and candid hampered his story that is, his fear of the censors suppression of the book.
 Between practically every line we read of the discontent of the lower Russian classes! of the seething mael strom of revolution which soon or late must convulse the Czar's empire.
 It Is the opinion of this reviewer that the author of this book intended that the young girl, one of the doomed seven, was and is to be taken as the type of "younger<Russi which ac- cording to. such books we are made to believe is being ground beneath the oppressors heal-which this reviewer after much reading and study does not believe to be the truth.
 This book will hold the interest all right, all right.
 "The Inner Shrine" anonymous (Har-
 per & Bros.).
 Not for a long time, certainly not since the Helmet of Navarro" ran in Century has any serial that has run recently or semi-serially, caused all the comment as "The Inner Shrine" recently sent forth in book form by the liar pers.
 This novel deserves the admiration it has excited. It Is really powerfully dramatic story and an intelligent study of entrusted conditions, socially speak ing, in the United States and France.
 No one seems to know, really, the au- thor of this really good book. and it were idle to speculate upon the au- thorship.
 The author Is a young person. no doubt a young woman, for nobody but woman would permit even an i'm aginary woman to go through the tor lures that were inflicted by the au- thor on the heroine.
 "The Inner Shrine" Is more than we'll worth while.
 New International Book for 190S." pub
 fish ed by Dood, Mead & Co.
 This is one of the only comprehen- sive year books published in this ooun- try.
 IL lS not IIefely u SldtlsliCdl Coiiplid- tion or a bare catalog of facts, but narrative of the years progress and changes in all departments. It is pre- pared under the direction of the editors of the New Encyclopedia, assisted by more than 40 special contributors and it is designed as an encyclopedia of 1908, including all departments fin which events worth noting have taken place.
 It's purpose and scope is explained in the preface. It suffces to say here that the information 1t contains Is else Wh ere to be found in widely scattered sources, most difficult of access and that it is in fact one of the most com prehensive works of reference avafla- ble.
 In fact this reviewer has the follow ing from discriminating friend: q have a copy of it In my private library; finest thing of the kind l have ever seen" Nuff sed.
 "A Gentleman From the Mississippi a
 novelization. (Ogilvie Publishing Co)
 The popular play which ran in New York for number of weeks has met the ordinary fate; that is it has been novelized and the novelization of the play is about the worse that could have been made.
 The story is amusing, but it is a tissue or aDSurdltleS ana IL runs a iOHB way off from the political life of the national capital
 Those who draw their conception of government doings in Washington will greatly underestimate the honesty of the American Congress and form exaggerated notions as to the prevalence of corrup- ton, of which. no doubt, there is a great deal among the members of the two houses.
  Roads of Destiny" O. Henry. Double
 day, Page & Col
 Mir Henry has just sent forth book called the Roads of Destinyf consisting of tales reprinted from various magazines of the best few words. For the most part the stories deal with adventure in Cen tral America and in the southwest, with which MT. Henry, or in plain terms MT. Sidney Porter, is quite familiar.
 The trouble with MT. Henry Is that he gets 5000 apiece for his stories, there fore, he is not writing the stories that he used to.
 The tale which gives the title to this volume is a rather weird conception. The young poet of oden times starts out on a broad highway to seek his fortune.
 As isl all of MT. o. Henry's stories, we get the denoument when we least expect