Evening star., 1915-03-28


and bearing sands of gold; in huge
torn hills reyealng strata strange 70
common soil: in wizard springs and
geysers Of boiling minerals; in UNIQUE
groves of immemorial. sky-aspiring
trees. in unseen valleys lying SUD
merged along the ocean shores IN
thousands of mountain meres anu
meadows: in long stretches of petrltied
forests: in beds of fossils, subterranean
lakes. echoing caverns. And upon this
amaZinc stage lie sets out the pageant
of CalifornistS romantic human story,
from early adventures that read iihe
legends 10 the successive achleNe-
lnents of its brilliant sons and daush-
ters in letters. art. industry, sclence
and citizenship. II is a great process
sion of events moving across a great
stage to the sound OF majestic lltanS
of triumph and exaltation. 1t is no
ynore possfbIe 10 read this book silently
than il would be to sing halleluJah
voicelessly. So one has the mover eX-
perieuCc of. so to speak chanting MS
way through an authoritative ana SUD.
stantial history of one of the states OF
the Union,
THE CONFESSIONS OF FREDERICK
THE GREAT. Edited by Douglas
Sladen New York: q. i. Putnam
Sons.
ably over a century. Frederick the
Great is. nevertheless. in certain
quarters being made TO bear the brunt
OF the inception of the European war
For this reason there is. at present.
prodigious revival of interest in the
great Frederick Not only is il claimed
that he is the direct and specific source
OF BerUhardi's now famous gospel OF
inhumanity. but in certain directions,
oil hi 11Lyls n ar
tena BILE though il may be. is made that
il is he. reincarnate. who stands today
the flaming war lord OF Germany.
the ruthless destroyer Of European
peace. These Illuminating comics
sions appear in English now for the
first time. In what are called Morn
ingS. seven of them, Frederick writes,
for the instruction Of his nephew and
state. Thoughts upon religion. justice.
finance. statecraft and state policy,
the private life of kinss-their pleas
ures. duties and necessities-make up
the staple OF these confessions And
certainly no confessional ever sur
passed these Mornings as the secret
place wherein one divests himself of
his raiment and his body and stands
up in his naked soul. IL is not pfet,y
exposure And Frederick. named the
Great. makes a mighty poor showing
in the thin and scanty fabric of his
soul. Then reflects that none OF
would MAX a very SraHu appear
auce in similar garb. and so he passes
TO a kind of admiration for the bald
and fearless frankness Of the man. It
is easy to give most da mining quota
tions from this book. and it is temp
ration to do this because these would
make fine reading, OF the fragrant sort
The fairer way, however, is to submit
the book a S whole for unbiased con-
sideratiou. Treitschke's life of Fred
erick is added TO the confessions.
IS ..lS ar 6 I,ll
what critical Introduction by the edi-
tor, and another by Mr.. George Haven
Putnam.
THE SWORD OF YOUTH. BY James
Lane Allen. author of The Ken
tucky Cardinal" etc. Illustrations
by John Wolcott Adams. New York:
The Century Company.
Going back fifty years to alto
gether believable episode Of civil war
time, Mr.. Allen builds upon this mo-
tive new Kentucky romance. Set in
that turbulent day. this is, neverthe-
less. a quiet and unhurried story that
fingers in painstaking realism over
the picture of a single kentucky home
from which the war has taken the
fatal toll OF q father and four sons.
The most impressive figure in this pic
ture Is the gaunt, silent. unconquered
woman who Is lett with her only re-
inarling son in the midst of arid
desclation Of poverty and grief and
bitter revolt And. as grieving women
Will. this woman turned her grief into
a silent repruacH, much IT IL were
the boys fault that he was safe at
home while the others had gone out
to danger ana death, that he was there
wuile they Were gone When the boy
was seventeen he told his mother that
ne Was going 70 the war. that he had
always meant to go when he was sey-
cnteen. And her anger famed against
him, Unreasopiu2 and fierce. And so
thcy parted. For two years the boy
was the diminishing force that was
slowlt being crow ded to its last stand.
.NI,i one day letter "a me from his
mother that she was dying and mt<t
SEQ hIm. The hos deserted and went
home. TO ind his mother already gone
STAYING l'rt sing G night. he hurried
back 70 report and take the deserters
reward. ) boy and girl romance has
IT, these ears grown 70 the measure
al : man nd wofnsns love, and With
the fuinllmcut of this the story ends
Tho whole narrative is filled with the
relntni=rent atmosphere Of the south
III tIfe sad and desolate DAYS Of war
tin. The whole Of II is, besides. com
pound - the peculiar. charm, the dell
cate ,,ftd picturesque charm, that per
,Id.1 I! OF sir Aliens work.
~ EMrEuOU ~ TiiE DOCK I;y VII
lIJtU De Nser. author OF "HattIc
.. t;"sal. etc. Ecw York: John Lane
company.
MIR T.. Necr calls tins adventure the
parable al q hnUshty emperor reduced
10 fVruai dimensions. The parable"
sets out b comic opera strain and
brings ~ win "a DAY - Judgment effect.
Between tlesc two points tAe balance is
on the side OF hurl.squc. a trny pri-
vate yacht. reminiscent Of II NJ. :.
Pinafore.' is tire scene OF this action.
The North s"a, lifted OUT in. its pres
.nt style with mine and submarine. is
the setting. The Dutch owner and
master Of the craft. caught in Chris
tianiI when the war storm broke. is
trying for the port of Amsterdam. With
him are two EnglIshnen and an
American. all like himself narooned
away from the field Of action and all
In "a fever Of anxiety 10 reach it. From
Cornelia is in for adventures OF the
most strenuous and exciting order.
These pile day by day, even hour by
hour, to a prodigious height. The ell
max. a truly overtopping crest comes
with the rescue Of one no less than the
emperor himself. his ship OF recon-
naissance victim to one of his own
mines Hereafter the Cornelia becomes
the theater of an exciting internation-
al struggle. The kaiser. finally out
numbered and outdone, is brought to
trial and Judgment at the hands of a
horrified world as this is embodied in
the three nations that are represented
by the master and chance passengers
OF the CorneIia- This is the point at
which the comedy takes on stature and
soiemuity, rounds and deepens it