The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-21
NEW BOOKS SEEN THROUGH REVIEWS AND COMMENT

dweller to turn 70 the simplicity o. the
country. has been written by Marion Hill
in Sunrise Valley" (small. Maynard
and Company. BOSTON,. The author has
discovered the subjunctlve mood and
has peeped disastrous,y into the dlct!on.
airy. but she soon gets over her gram.
NAUTICAL and photographed acrobatics
and settles down to q pretty. II some
what saccharine. love tale. Her city
heroine shows remarkable skill In han.
ding the district school after being called
to book by the serious minded. masterful
young farmer. Her unfeminine meek
ness IL only surpassed by her personal
charms. The author might have spared
US the discovery Of the hidden treasure,
but Il does not spoil the story. which u
told pieasa nifty and In which. a. . mat
ter Of course. every jill secures her Jack.
The theatrical people. manager. actors
and critics. In Anne Warwick's "victory
Law" (John Lane Cont any, are much
more rationsi and pleasing than tho
society people with whom they are con.
trasted- The story tells OF the struggle
In the heart Of . successful actress be-
tween her love for the stage and her
affections for her husband. who u AN
actor on different stage. . reform Dis
trict Attorney. The reader Is left In
doubt till the end a. to whether she 10
a genius yearning for her art or merely
Is hypnotized into acting well by the
superior intelligence Of another. The
argument Is fair enough for The theatre
cal side; II might be made much stronger
II opposed by the picture Of real home
life instead Of social designations.
In "The Hour Of Conflict" George II.
Doran Company Hamilton Gibbs tells
rather crudely and clumsily the story OF
the seduction Of a French peasant girl
by Q dissipated Oxford undergraduate.
He believes she has drowned herself and
tries to distract himself in London, but
remorse preys on him and he returns
to the scene Of his misdeed. which In
Wimcreux. to kill himself. He Is
rescued. hnds that the girl Il still alive
and marries her.
II American jokes are Incompetent
sible TO Englishmen II Is but natural
that British humor may at times be
obscure to Americans. Lost Diaries
by Maurice Barring Houghton Mifflin
Company. presents presumably face
tious extracts from the diaries Of sundry
famous characters in history and Notion
The fun is extremely mild and Is led up
to by Intentionally fiat entries. The
pieces may have served purpose in
filling UP the columns OF the periodicals
for which they were written. We see nc
excuse for their publication In book
form.
A play by owen Davis. "The Family
Cupboard" has been put into the form
- 49,
photographs (The Macaulay Company
New York;.
Books for the Young.
Having exhausted the exploration OF
the middle West. the Revolutionary wal
and the redemption OF Texas In his tales
Of youthful adventure Joseph A
Altsheler, who more than any otheI
writer OF boys books upholds the sounC
old tradition Of telling straightforward
exciting stories Of manly action ant
leaving them to impress their owl
| moral, turns to the civil war for hi.
theme In THE Guns OF Bull Run" ant
THE Guns Of Shiloh" (Appletons)
which are evidently to be followed by
several other volumes before the war |!
ended The lapse Of half century ant
the flood OF literature on the conduc
Of the war leave their mark on thes,
stories, enabling the author to use hi
Judgment and restrain emotion In q wa!
that was impossible in the books writ
ten while the war was progressing. sucl
as "The Drummer Boy" and Guido
Cave" 1t is likely that the venerable
j. T. Trowbrdge IL he were to write
boys book now would show the sam
sort Of moderation and reflection tina
Mr.. Altsheler does. The heroes Of tn
series are two Kentucky youths, cousin
and playmates. who take opposite side
when the break comes. The "Bul
Run" book depicts conditions In tn
South at the outbreak OF tho war. tn
formation OF the Confederacy. the firin
on Sumter and the first battle. In tn
shiloh" book the Northern cousin |
the chief actor: he Is shifted from tn
Potomac to the western field and land
in Grants army. They are excellen
stories as mere fiction and where the
deal with historical facts show no,
carefully the author has prepared him
self
In propelling his accomplished her
into Q new series Of adventures II
rather unfortunate that J. w. Duffiel
has followed 40 closely the lead Of tn
sensational journals. The arrival {
Bert Wilson at Panama" (sully an
Kleinteich, New York; Ii delayed by
lavlshly CORY encounter with Mexica
brigands, while the pleasure Of survey
ing the completed canal Is marred b
the imminence Of Japanese intrigu
There are healthier forms OF excitemer
for youth that the author might ha,
made use Of.
There is much more information abo,
: reporting for a newspaper than there
about baseball In Hawley Williams
THE Winning Hit" (Appletons). thoug
he does play couple of games for II
readers benefit. The whole plot Of Il
story turns on jealousy between schoo
y boys, which IL not q particularly edit!
: Ing theme.
Having spent two years at college.
described In previous books of the seri,
!, Louise NJ. Breidenbach's heroine CO
. tinues on her course In "Alma's Juni
II Year" (The Page Company. Boston) Al
. her admirers will expect her to 60
for another volume at least. She Ii
unusually amiable young person a
difYuses her gentleness on her compa
\ ions. male and female alike.
The perils Of the raging Erie Car
| are braved by tho small children