Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-11

napolis was. it was poor schooling beside
that of serving under Farragut in war;"
Admiral Dewey, in describing how he
came to obtain command of the Asiatic
squadron, gives an amusing picture of life
behind the scenes in Washington. He
wanted the command, but mad no hope of
getting it, but Theodore Roosevelt was
assistant secretary of the navy" he
writes. HE was impatient of red tape
and had a singular understanding both
Of the Importance of preparedness for war
and of striking quick blows in rapid sue
cession once war was begun With the
enthusiastic candor which characterizes
him, he declared that ought to have
the Asiatic squadron. He asked me IL 1
had any political influence. I expressed a
with the correctness of my view as an
officer. but this was a situation where it
must be used in elf-defense One letter
from an influential source In favor of
Howell had already been received by the
department.
want you to co. Mr. Roosevelt de-
clared You are the man who will be
equal to the emergency If one arises. Do
you know any senator's?
My heart was,set on having the Asiatic
squadron 1t seemed TO me we were in
evltably drifting into war with Spain.
In command of an efficient force in the
far east with a. free. hand to act in con-
sequence of being so far away from
Washington, l could strike promptly and
successfully at the Spanish force in the
Philippines.
Senator Proctor is from my state I
said to Mr.. Roosevelt. He is an old friend
of the family. and my father was of serv-
ice to him when he was d; young man.
You could not have better sponsor
Mr.. Roosevelt exclaimed. Lose no time
in having him speak word for YOU.
Il went Immediately to see Senator
Proctor, who was delighted that I had
mentioned the matter to him. That very
day he called on President Mckinley and
received the promise of the appointment
before he left the White House.
UNCLE SAM. BY Martha S. Gielow,
author of "Old Andy, the Noon
sinner" etc. New York Fleming H.
Revell Company.
young surveyor, climbing up to the
remoteness of the Appalachian range,
comes to the cabin of two mountaineers,
who give him kindly welcome Noting
the lack of fruit and the poor corn, he
advises the old man to send to Uncle
Sam for apple slips and seed. But Uncle
Jonah and his wife. shut in by noun
tains that ''air settin' jes' zactly in the
way to keep out the looks of the worl'
beyan'. had never heard of Uncle Sam,
though, as the old man admitted. Il
never know'd how many brothers thar
war on my mothers side
So the young surveyor returns to Wash
ington. and between the Agricultural De-
partment and his own generous purse, the
couple receive, by primitive stages, "a
poke that looks like err dead corpse
Their rapturous awe, and that Of the
family offshoots, gathered from the
mountains around to behold such gifts
and the wonderful crops and happiness
that followed, give to the reader "a very
real value of the work that is being
done by the Southern Mountain Assoc
citation. of which Mrs Gielow is the
founder. -
A trip to Washington in search of their
prncely relative includes an overnight
spent with the President. presumably
Mr.. Wilson, and many other Inequalities
showered upon them by the first young
angel of the White House." to whom
the book is dedicated. While the visit
to the executive family must have fact
foundation, otherwise. the writer would
scarcely have assumed such an unusual
privilege at such short range, the mar
rative lacks the earlier sincerity of at
mosphere. (which Mrs: Gielow's familiar
ity with the southern mountain folk. en-
ables her to portray :.
THE LADY ELECT; a Chinese Ro-
nance. By Norman Hinsdale Pitman
author of Chinese Fairy, Stories"
ETC. illustrated. New York: Fleming
II. Revell COMPANY.
That the Chinese maid is a sister. "un-
der the skim to the coloneps lady and
Bridget O,Grady. is Economically proved
by I-lin, who defies the law that is about
to marry her to a man she has never
seen and gives her heart to Ching-li, a
young stranger who has defended her
from the sneers of a Buddhist priest
Ching-li, himself a wanderer who has
escaped from a marriage his parents had
arranged for him, becomes a barrowman
and by means of his merchandise meets
Lin secretly i'm the garden of her home
The sympathy of the two young people,
who believe in heart-freedom, develops
into love- and love leads them into ex-
citing complications all the more thrilling
because of the authors word for 1t that
they might and doubtless have, befaHen
other Ching-lis and I-lins who lived IN
old China instead of between the covers
of book Prof Pitman is a teacher OF
English in the Normal School at Picking,