The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-10

] more advanced, dealing with the big conquests of man over nature. The reclamation by irrigation of otherwise valueless lands in Utah. in Colorado in California;; the persistent combat carried on by the French against the shifting and submerging sand in the region along the Bay of Biseay; the fight of the English against the floods | in the Fen country-are some of the achievements of civilization which the author describes with glowing enthu- siasm. Individual instances of cool I ness and nerve. in which one man l safeguarded the lives of many. are re- I lated-such as the exploit of the Mis- sissippi pilot, Captain Bixby. retold from one of Mark Twain's books. The building of lighthouses, dikes. under water tunnels are expatiated upon with feeling and with sufficient de- gree of detail to arouse practical in- terest. 1 A realization of the credit due to the tenacity of leaders and to the self-sac- rifice of workmen is strongly i'm pressed Among the victors of peace l accorded places of honor in the book are Mrs. Chisolm, the friend of the | emigrants; Harriet Tubman, the col ored woman, called the Moses of her people: Tolstoi, Luther Burbank, and many others remembered for varied achievements in the great cause of hu- l 1hdnlty. The author seeks not only To 1 put zeal for peace in the place of zeal for war, but also to make his readers feel the solidarity of the race; and hence he chooses conquerors from many different nations and walks of life. His stories thrillingly emphasize the idea of industrial and humanita- rian conquest
 THE MIGHTY AND THE EOWLY" | By Katherine Trask. The MacMillan
 company, publishers. New York. Maintaining that the humanity of Jesus still provides a remedy for pres ent social ills Mrs Trask in this book linterprets the message of Jesus for the modern world. She contends that Jesus spoke neither for rich or poor that He did not belong to any particu- lar group and that there is no way to bring about social reform but to return
 to Ills teachings The work is rich
 in spiritual significance and Is writ
 ten with all the literary charm of the
 author of Tn the Vanguard"
 ESCAPE AND OTHER ESSAYS By Arthur Christopher Benson. The
 Century company. publishers, New l York
 T This book is made up of impressions
 and meditations by an English essayist
 and poet. Written In time of peace,
 they are sent forth by the author as
 emblems of the real life to which. in the midst of war, he believes we should try to return. For the best way to re-
 sist war, he says, is not to brood over it, but to practice joy and health. Ev-
 erything that makes plain what peace l means, and recalls and glorifies the
 works and ways of peace is whole } some; as 1t is wholesome to put as
 far as we can our cramped minds in
 easier pastures and to let our spirits a a pa sunset, literature and life, the a0- T thor's well known easy and fluent
 style
 A feature of the present collection of
 MT. Benson's esays, setting 1t apart some
 what from other collections, is the un-
 usual amount of autobiographical matter
 it contains. His recollections of Eton will
 be found especially novel. and readers
 already interested in his personality will
 delight in the account which he gives of his own career and the estimate of his
 own work Perhaps more fully than any
 where else the reader will find In two or three of these essays MT. Benson's lit- , erary creed and his views on the literary Ilifc.
 Arthur Christopher Benson was born 1862. a son of Archbishop Benson of Can terbury. He is brother of E. F. Benson,
 the novelist and of the late Monsignor R. Hugh Benson. For 20 years he was a master at Eton college, an experience re- , fiected iE many of his books. notably '"The |, Schoolmaster" and The Upton Letters"
 He Is at present president of Magdalene ; college, Cambridge, and lecturer on Eng fish literature to the University of Cam bridge. In 1907. in collaboration with Wis count Esher. he edited the letters of Queen Victoria. He is the author of about 4t
 volunes, including essays. poetry. biog-
 raphy, fiction. criticism and educational theory
 , OTHER BOOKS RECEIVED (REvIEWS , LATER).
 MARK TIDD IN BUSINESS" By , Clarence B. Kelland. Illustrated. Harper
 Bros, publishers, New York.
 THE MONEY MASTER" By Gilbert Parker. Illustrated by Andre Castaigne.
 Harper Bros., publishers, New York.
 THE ADVENTURES OF CHATEER-
 FER THE RED SQUIRREL By Thornton I Burgess. with illustrations by Harrison
 Csdy Little. Brown & Co.,, publishers,
 Boston.
 THE ADVENTURES OF SAMMY