Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-11

pretending these vital activities give to
the present volume its substantial value.
The purely personal Preside outlook Of
the writer upon her task, through whose
intimate grace the reader is permitted to
see in new and familiar light people and
events and conditions of political and
national moment. gives to it it's particular
stamp of actuality, warmed and colored
by the writer's own participation In much
of this movement and In her ready under
standing of all of 1t.
THE POOL OF FLAME. BY Louis Jo-
seph Vance. author of The Brass
Bowl" etc. Illustrated by John Rae
New York: Dodd. Mead & Co
Washington: Brentanos.
Ii any one takes up this book who
does not relish descriptions of violence
and blood letting it will be well to stop at
the point where Col. ORourke nips the
knuckes of Des Trebes in duel at
Monte Carlo, for that Is the first sprinkle
of gore in a narrative that before it is
flushed spills it by the quart. But this Is
not to say that Mr.. Nances story depends
for its interesting qualities upon tales OF
trouble and final encounter. Indeed, he is
considerable enough to allow one duel to
occur Oft in the parlance of the stage.
The story deals with the efforts of an
1rishman adventurer to return to Ran
COON a wonderful ruby originally pried
out of the head of an Idol, and for years
passed from hand to hand, causing trou-
BILE wherever 1t went Col. ORourke's in
centive for getting the ruby back to Ran
COON was strong enough to cause him 20
brave all dangers. Half q million dollars
and reunion with his wife constituted the
reward. How he got there Mr.. Vance
tells with that dash and FEASIBILITY that
constitute the chief charms of his in
creasingly interesting adventure stories.
AMERICAN INLAND WATERWAYS;
Their Relation to Railway Transport
tation and to the National Welfare,
Their Creation. Restoration and
Maintenance. By Herbert Quick
With Eighty Illustrations and a
Map. New York: G. P. Putnams
Sons.
Just at present there is no subject more
seriously occupying public attention than
the question of waterway development.
Conferences are being held from time to
time in different parts of the country In
the interest of water transportation. Re-
Gently the President attended one of these
meetings at Norfolk in advocacy of a Sc
ries of inland waterways along the At
lantic coast. There has just been held
here a national congress in the general
interest of river and harbor improve
ments. In the present volume Mr..
Quick writes instructlvely of the whore
subject of water transportation in the
United States, telling the history of the
waterway development enterprises and in
dicating the problems that remain to be
solved. He seeks to show that the water
ways and the railroads have harmonious
mutual interests and that there is no es-
sential antagonism between them. Iie
touches in this volume upon the cOnSerya-
ton movement, emphasizing the folly Of
national neglect of resources and of
waste of opportunities to put productive
forces to their best uses. The work,
which is profusely illustrated by photo
graphs of docks, jetties. leVees, erosion
scenes and giant steamers, etc, is of in
structive value as a material addition to
the literature of this important subject.
Charles De Bunsen. Illustrated. New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Nine De Bunsen's husband was at
tached to the Prussian legation at Turin,
Florence and The Hague during the SOS,
Cos and los of the last century. His
position brought his wife into close
lationship with three courts and at par
ticularly interesting times. At each of
these three courts the De Bunsens wit
messed scenes of war and also were
privileged to observe a royal wedding
at close range. The memoirs are writ
ten in a simple, unaffected style. The
work is compiled almost exclusively from
series of letters, which necessarily re-
fleet wildly the impressions of the time
or Wr1t1ng. mus tfleTe are many SInau
details which otherwise would not be
preserved. but which are interesting as
bearing upon activities in which the prn-
cipals have virtually all passed away.
Some world-famous characters cross the
pages. There are intimate references to
kings and queens and to personages of
lesser title, some of them of the utmost
importance in the world Of international
politics. The feminine interest is espe-
ciany keen. Mime. De Bunsen was, Of
course. greatly concerned on each of the
nuptial occasions. The service of the
De Bunsens at The Hague conceded
with the Franco-Prussian war, and neces-
sarily that brief but bitter struggle is
echoed in the final chapters of this work.
SOCIETY AND POLITICS IN ANCIENT
ROME. Essays and Sketches. BY
Frank Frost Abbott. New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons. Washing
ton: Brentano's.
The day is long past since all roads
led to Rome, but that the human nature
of that day still dominates the world
IS made evident by Prof. Abbott's COM
paratiye studies of certain phases Of