The Washington herald., 1912-07-14
Literary Review Of Latest Publications

c.enne, follows her father, and his son,
! Jean, returning from several years So
journ at Berlin and travel through Ger
| many and Austria, at the outset shows
strong feeling for Alsace and France
| that grows in intensity during the prog
ress of the tale.
The betrothal of Lucienne brings fur
tner dissension into the family. her
| choice being a German officer OF hus-
sars. Won Farnow. former college
! friend of Jean. This thwarts jeans own
love affair, who is attached to the daugh-
ter of German official. and results in
his desertion from the German army
the day after he had begun his service
as 'einjaehriger." a privileged enlist
| ment despite compulsory conscription,
leading to the position Of a lieutenant of
reserves after expiration Of his year 6
| active service. That is the end of the
| story as told by the author, but 1t is
| not difficult to surmise that he considers
| IL, the beginning Of his hero's real ca
reer.
The intense feeling among the differ
ent members Of the Oberle family and
those with whom they come in contact
| is apparent everywhere in the book. The
self-sufficient personality of Joseph
Oberle, who believes that adherence TO
the new order Of things will mean more
wealth and influence for him empha-
| sizes strongly the true Alsatian spirit.
He might have lived as did his brother
| in-law. Ulrich Biehler, who dwNelt in se-
| clusion in the hills away from all con-
| tact with the conquerors. though very
wealthy in broad acres and timber. but
he was not so constituted. In fact, this
is the primary cause OF all the conflict
among the family, for. according TO old
Clrich, there must be no concession which
would show forgetfulness OF the dear
French country. neither must there be
any provocation. The author has not
overlooked to give the reader a fine in
sight into the beauties Of that rugged
serenity of the mountain and valley
scenery for which Alsace ever has been
so famous. Much that the talented au-
thor has put into his description is miss
ing owing to the inadequacy OF the
translation. yet even this cannot destroy
the insight of the novelist into heart and
nature.
THE HEALTHY BABY: CARE AND FEEDING
By Roger H. bennett. New York: The Macmil-
Ian Company.
This is book written especially for
mothers, to whom IL makes clear how
to do best the ordinary everyday things
that each mother has to do for her
child. No doubt there Is need for such
a book, which describes in minutest de-
tail the daily care OF babies. The de-
scription or treatment OF any but the
simplest ailments has been left out pur-
posely, because a book that in any way
attempts to describe diseases would do
more harm than good. Even physicians
difficult at times to diagnose the different
Affections, and it only confuses the moth
er to describe them to her.
The chapter on feeding has been cut
down on purpose and all complicated for
mula left out 1t is very harmful 10
have a mother rely upon and use any set
of such formulas and in this way baby 8
digestion only too often is ruined. The
author tells of the simplest kinds OF
milk, water and sugar mixtures, and II
these do not agree with the baby he
recommends seeking the aid Of ply
sician. -.e book, however, offers a
number OF valuable suggestions, for par
ents and teachers alike.
DR.. bennett is a well-known New York
physician, and his page in the Woman's
Home Companion, entitled, The Healthy
Baby" has made him known to moth
ers throughout the country. What he
has to say, therefore, on the subject is
certain to secure wide attention.
THE CHURCH AND SOCIETY: By R. Fulton
Cutting. Published by the Macmillan Company.
New York City.
The author maintains that Christianity
is responsible for the inception OF the
present-day civilizat ton and present day
democracy, and that. therefore. Chris
tianity cannot escape the responsibility
for their operation. For a year he has
been collecting concrete instances of
ways in which churches have met COM
munity needs through cooperation with
governments. The inquiry covered cor
respondence and interviews with more
than 800 ministers, public officials, and
social workers in the country. There
fore, the author not only outlines a prac-
tical policy OF cooperation between the
church and the civil authorities which
can be adapted anywhere without add
tional church machinery. but he supple
ments his suggestions with a number OF
luminous illustrations which indorse the
expediency of his programme
Mr.. Cutting gives new emphasis to the
church and social service movement
which is sweeping the country. The
question no longer is, Shall the church
do social work? but What is the best
method OF making such work most eff
fective. He points out that there is a
significant lack in nearly every one of
the programmes heretofore laid down by
church social service organizations. 1t
is the failure on the part of the church
to recognize that government is the most
potent factor in social uplift, and that
inefficient administration may manufac-
ture more social ills than a whole gen.
Grafton of social programmes could
remedy.
Church workers will welcome this op-
portunity OF hearing what Mr.. Cutting
has to say, and social workers and citi-
zens interested in better government will
be interested In knowing what the
churches are doing, what they propose
to do and what they may be led to do
to give expression to the new social
spirit which they profess and which Mr.
Cutting has interpreted in his book.
THE CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RE-
SOURCES IN THE UNITED STATES: By
Charles Richard van HHe. President Of the Uni
rersity Of Wisconsin. The Macmillan Company.
New York City.
presentation Of ar outline of the situa-
ton regarding concentration of industry
in the United States and to suggest
way to gain its economic advantages,
and at the same time to guard tho inter-
ests Of the public. The author considers
this the most pressing problem now be-
fore the people and before Congress or
the State Legislatures. "A Solution of
the Trust Problem" is the subtitle given
the book by the author, which indicates
the character Of his work
Aside from the standard works, the
scholarly author has drawn his material
from the special reports on manufacture
made by the Census Office, the reports