Evening star., 1912-11-23

CEASE FIRING: Novel of the War
Between the states. BY Mary john
ston author of THE Long Roll.
etc Illustrated by y. &. Wyeth.
Boston: Efougfton Mifflin Company.
-ISS JOUNSTON'S war novels,
~ ~ ..rhc Long Roll and Cease
IN Firing" sum to a series of
great battle scenes joined
by the between whiles of bat
tie-the camp and march and bivouac. the
suspended hour before attack or defense
the victory or defeat, the war prison ana
the unspeakable life of the prisoner. The
two volumes, taken together, make
splendidly dramatic picture of the civil
war. The first one follows the struggle
to. the siege of Nicksburg. The second
carries it forward from this point TO the
end. In Cease Firing Nicksburg and
Gettysburg are the centers from Whlch
radiate the stirring events that hnally
eliminate at Appomattox. Robert u. Lee
is the commanding and inspiring inquire
of this novel, as Stonewall Jackson is OF
The Long Roll" In each, love story,
rooted in sacrifice and nurtured In suS-
pense, turns one toward the suffering per-
sonal side OF the conflict, making here
sharp contrast TO the monStrous lmper-
.sonality of maSsed men bent to Slaug hter.
However. it is not as tales OF romantic
love that these novels will be chiefly
considered. But rather as the hot nuld
stuff of war itself for one to pour into
the cold aloof mold of historic records,
revitalizing these and holding their mes
sage warm. Miss Johnston writes richly.
The fire and feryor of an earlier southern
eloquence are in her work trained TO GER
tain dramatic econom es that focus ana
masculariZe her movements These are
impa ssioped stories. but they are also sin
gsilarly unembittered ones. Next July
Gettysburg reaches it's half century mark
Saving always Lincoln's Gettysburg ad-
dress, no more fitting testimonial of this
event can be imag' ned and certainly no
more eloquent one. than Gettysburg, the
fifteenth chapter of Cease Firing.
WALL OF MEN. BY Margaret Hill
McCarter author of The Price of
the Prairie. etc. Illustrations by
J. y. sMarchand. Chicago: \. c. Nc
ClNrg & Co.
The wonder is that some one did not
long ago. write a big novel based on the
fight for Kansas, on the struggle between
north and south for its possession, after
Congress. in 1854, passed stephen Doug
las atter-SOVereignty bill. Ger
tainly the United States has few. If any
single chapters in its entire history that
hold more of adventure. of romance, of
real signiiicapce. than does this one of the
settlement of Kansas. The scramble into
the territory from both north and south
from the one to rescue ii from slavery
and from the other to secure it to this
Institution the political animosities
s'ringing from this situation. the social
enmitieS, the plots and counter-plOtS
bring ready-made material of such abun-
dance and variety to hand that for once
at leasi- Invention takes second place and
tile mere handling of facts becomes the
chief eoncern of the novelist. out, of this
unique phase of our frontier life Mrs.
McCdrter ; constructs an absorbing ro-
nance of the passionate protest of the
northernerS-1ankee, Quaker, Scotch Pres
byterian and middle-weSt man and wom-
an.againSt the southerners' attempts to
extend the institution of slavery To the
Kansas territory. The events of history
pTesShividly TO the front here-the Waka-
rusa war. the Quantrel raid. the Law
renee massacre-all foreshadowing the ma
tiona1 conflict with which. some five years
laicr, 3hiS story comes to All end. Only
one flaw, that of clear and bitter parti-
ssifshiF.. MARS the exceptional quality of
this fine romance.
THE AMERICAN MEDITERRANEAN.
BY Stephen BonSal author of The
Fight for Santiago. etc. 1llustrat-
ed. New York: Moffat, Yard & Co.
The Caribbean and its land borders
these now for the most part parochial in
extent and influence. will soon be one. of
the great thoroughfares of the word. To
the average reader this Is a fact renina-
full that his notions of this quarter are
vague loose ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ont of proportion 10 the impending impor
tance of the Caribbean. In this situation
Mr. BonSaTS new book comes appoSiteiy to
land Gathered out of twenty years spent
off and on, in visits 10 the Caribbean Is
lands and ma.nlandS, or in study of
their concerns as one or another Of these
came u2permost in the procession of
events the book skins off the substantial
characteristics of this locality from their
purely local inconsequences. and embodies
these essentials in graphic descriptions
and wayw!se exposition. Mr.. Bonsal first
straighrens out for readers the geography
and history and present ownerships OF
this region Upon such basis he discusses
the natural resources of the islands and
adjacent mainlands, the temper of the
people as this expresses itself in politics,
society, industry, and the economic out
look a. this fronts upon Panama canal
in or craS ion. In word, the author calls
the roll OF the Caribbean examines the
accounts and reports upon these, prepar-
ajOry to its entrance upon larger scheme
of affairs than any that have hitherto en-
gagged ii. experimenting this uncommonly
graphic and readable study is a most val
1Iablc body of facts. largely official in
character, bearing upon the vital inter-
national aspects of the Caribbean COM
piex. The volume tells one what he needs
10 know now on this subject, and tells il
authoritatively and brilliantly.
THE TASK OF SOCIAL HYGIENE BY
Havelock Ellis. author of The
World of Dreams" etc. Boston:
Houghton Miffiin Company.
The early part Of this study will be Of
distinct value to social workers in de-
fining their field in marking its rapid
in nrv al
activities to the the interests of efficient
and unwasteful effort Social hygiene
according TO this author. is anything, any
measure that concerns itself with the wei
fare of human beings living in societies
\ subject ranging so enormously as this
lays upon an author the Immediate neces-
sity of selecting from IT, for the purpose
of helpful discussion, a few related topics,