Evening star., 1909-05-29
BOOK REVIEWS.

THE PANAMA CANAL AMI: IT'S MAX
:. ERS. By Vaughan Cornish. DOCTOR
s;of Science tManchester Inivl, Eel
low of the Royal Geographical. e'e",
logical and Chemical Societies OF
London. member of the Japan 80
ciety. Illustrated. Boston: Llttie'
Brown Il Co.
a y Englishman examining the
IA Panama canal is apt 10 regard
ia il with reference to great en-
"A gineering works conducted py
his own people. possibly to the
ctsadvantage of the present enterprise.
Mr. Cornish however. finds no dlincuitS
In reaching the conclusion that the Ameri-
cans have made good on the canal strip
He discusses the subject of this enter
14ise Systematically, describing the Narl-
osIs phases of the work as II stands To-Day,
and sketching the history of the project
from the earliest conception OF union
of oceans. He treats at some length OF
the health problems which have been at
tackled and solved. and tells of the eHect
1be canal will have on the worlds COM
rnerce. giving instructive statistics as TO
the commercial value of this short cut.
fhe volume is richly illustrated with
photographs that show the progress that
las been made and the surroundings IN
which the canal is being dug ADDRESS
iiiy himself TO English readers, he says
that he undertook 10 view the canal as
one standing outside OF American party
r5nlitirs as a scientific student not en-
gagged in commerce or political lie. IL
WAS in this frame of mind that he reach
Ell Washington on ms way TO the islniius,
leaving the capital flied with gloomy
forebodinss that he might possibly hnd
It bad state Of affairs in the Canal Zone.
owing TO the doubts which had been
thrown on the enterprise by American
writers and by those with whom he
talked. ..
that ! found l had what is called IN
america an honest proposition TO deal
with
Nr. Cornish pays high compliment to
the men who are Ion the job in Panama.
tading them inspired by the same hlgh
sense of duty that marks the work or
English civil and military servants In
similar services in the crown colonies and
in Egypt. The author expresses the hope
that he may through this publication tend
to alter the apprehensions OF those
anxious patriots who find it difficult to be-
lieve any good report from Panama
THE WHITE MICE. BY Richard Hard
ing Davis Illustrated. New YORK ::
Charles Scribner's Sons.
Mr.. Davis has made a specially OF
South American and Central American
fiction. and always invests his stories or
adventure intrigue and fighting in the
small republics of this hemisphere with
IN atmosphere oe probability and dra-
natic intensity. In this tale of how two
young Americans conspired against the
Venezuelan government to secure the
release from prison of an old man, once
.iie idol of the people, but now the oDJect
of hatred on the part of the tyrant In
Command he offers as his most command
Mr. pn6p
'ather is the head and virtually all OF
sreat construction company engaged In
building lighthouses. bridges and other
Jerks In different parts of the world.
1r ForreSte3. is at present inspecting the
construction Of a lighthouse at Porto
1'abeno Venezuela knowing nothing
whatever of engineering. but with large
fund of Imagination, romance and vivid
recollection of certain night in TOXIC
when he became a member of the secret
ociety of the White Mice" pledged TO
me saving OF human life. His way as a
life saver did not prove easy because
inere were intrigues within intrigueS in
'.-enezuela and his own father was ac-
lively engaged in financing revolution
which ran counter TO his own plan. But
with an enrontery and almost an abandon
I'm ideas of conspiracy, he carried
through dsis purpose. and won his way to
ne heart of the one woman without
whose inspiration he would probably have
asged in the game. The White Nice
,rill be read eagerly by all who remem-
er Soldiers of Fortune. and will be
found to be a worthy successor to that
Iouncing tale of adventure.
EOADS OF DESTINY. BY 0. Henry
New York: Doubleday. Page & Co.
Washington: Woodward & Lothrop.
The conscientious reader of this volume
who starts at the beginning, thinking to
IKE the twenty-five short stories up in
order, will wonder whether this is the
=. Henry who has written SO much in the
ne OF short fiction heretofore. the tale
entitled Roads of Destiny" which opens
ne volume. being decidedly different from
his usual style. But from this allegorica
narration of life in France during the
swords and laces period there is a speedy
return which shows the reader the true
q. Henry type. and never again does the
-uthor give cause for wonder to his
Identity. The seventh story. Phoebe -
will be recognized by a Henryite in any
volume without the right authors name
1t has the true touch of humorous con-
Struction which characterizes this prolific
producer.
DAUGHTERS OF THE RICH. BY Ed
gar Saltus. New York: Mitchell
kennerley.
ut may be that there are readers who
like fiction of the prurlent type of this
5ook. Possibly Mr.. Saltus appeals in
such a story this to a following II
that be the case this volume may be re-
9arded as justified. Perhaps the specta-
Gle of a man winning back woman by
numbering his wife is delectable to some
rovei readers. Maybe the scenes of high
French society revels which Mr.. Saltus
leScribes with an unfortunate brilliancy
lie entertaining. But there is no interest
whatever In the volume for one who pre-
.trs 10 read OF people who have at least
a 'semblance of decency.
ELUSIVE ISABEL. BY Jacques Flu
frelle; author of The Simple Case
- or Susan, etc. Illustrated Indian
apolis: The Bobbs- Merrill Company.
: Washington: Brentanos.
From time to time in the Sunday Star
nagazine during the past few months
abort stories have appeared dealing with
diplomatic life in Washington in which
certain Miss Isabel Tnorne figured
The author. Mr.. Futrelle. has assembled
tnese stories now in the form of a novel
whicn vividiy presents supposed phases
Of Washington life and whatever NAV
be the improbablites. it is brisk and en-
tertainlng. How young Mr. Grimm of
the secret service thwarted the foreign
representatives who were bound to sign a
secret Latin-union compact AT the Ameri-
can capital is told with verve and in
genuity. But the Washing gton reader
VIII be inclined to wonder by what twjst
of geography Mr.. Futrele sends his char
acters from this city to Baltimore by
way OF Alexandria: also whether IN Is in