Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-11-24
JUST A BOOK TALK.

The Sfealthy night encro3CheS on the
days and as we draw the blinds and
make fast the outer doors We look Il
the clock and note the hours that can
nc spent around the evening lamp. each
with a book or magazine or II some
ones eyes are tired there may be one
TO read aloud.
The Bobbs-Merriu Publishing COM
pauv has been exceptionally fortunate
in sending out readable books, the sort
that entertain, that leave = new mental
picture that VIII open up vista that
exends as naturally as . bit o. actual
experience. When We opened The book
called - Strong Mans House Dy
francis Nelson. I said this ssor- OF
Eu-land's home life and the English
women and men with business ties and
marriage connections in all that Battle
SCARED country will help some 70 thin.s
OF the var and its iuiquities from
different viewpoint. We saw as plain
as reality the aIlurement II offered tbs
social or the political climber and We
saw the bitter. bitter side OF life after
some OF the young people let tho pres
sure of the present weigh against the
great laws OF God and the Shall Nots
CT the Bible. We saw from this vivid /
collection OF word paintings the chaos
that at one time threatened to over
throw the social and political order.
But in the book. IS in life. we saw that
The Strong Mans House" must be
built upon the foundation that cannot
be undetermined by any suggestion OF
sxpediency or revenge And that the
family is n unit only when il is ruled
by parents filled with the sense CT
true religion send and get IL. especial
IL IL you have been keeping up with
the news At the front.
After reading that aloud there had TO
be something less intense. Resting does
not always mean doing nothing. So we
turned 10 The Painted Scene, by Henly
Kitchell Webster, an author YOU have
heard OF read OF. for The Real Adventure
Is a book that has won permanent
place among thinking people. We were
supposed TO read that aloud. but The
Farmer couldn't wait FOR the hours of
iampIight and took IL up during his
noon time. This IS a collection Of short
stories. OF people on the stage and OF
Jimmy Wallace the dramatic critic and
shows them all as real human beings.
some butterflies. some vampires, some
IS near angels as training and environ
ruent permitted and plenty OF them just
like you and me. This is a nice book
10 use as 4 Christmas present II you
are going TO put dollar and = half in
the gift.
Next came The Trufffers. by Samuel
Merium. The measuring OF -TrufIler is,
.'Bolboceras." - pretty little-- black
beetle. with no family mansion for
rearing its offspring just a temporary
dwelling made for each insect for its
own benefit This creature eats no
common IoOd but wanders about smiling
out its vegetable prey, digging for each
separate morsel, then moving on I'm its
quest for food.
This is a.story oEJ1Ss in New Yorl's
Latin Quarter. one that is not written Up
aSFSften as that Of Paris but Just as
&c There we find men and women
seeElhs only "truffies"-the delicacies
and pleasures OF Iife-in the sober game
Of life. yet eventually they find that
there must be laws and discipline for all
OF as. This is a splendid story that I've !
too often seen in reality and is n true
picture OF how tangled new ideas some
times get into when theE are in conflict
with older customs. IL shows how the
colt sometimes gets the bit in its teeth
and instead OF going the steady pace
runs into barbed wire or something
worse. Mr.. Merwin wrote THE Honey
Bee" 4 story Of the sort OF business girl
we sometimes have among US, but not
the type that had been in the habit of
meeting. There are plenty Of delicacies
in Iife's busy field, but they are more
enjoyable when shared with q cOmrade
or one that is down and out There is
"a girl OF my acquaintance who might
have had just rs thrilling q life story If
= loving mother had not understood her
daughter and made home 4 place Of
refuge when the Truftiers got too much
for her.
The southern dailies do not exploit
The agony column very much. and our
northern dailies are not filled with such
notices as Sweetheart, the lilies are
hat
webs. meet me at the paviliOn;" or. VIII
the lady who smiled over her paper
Thursday evening call at the Central
drug store any morning this week and
ask for s. Trueheart?'
These are beneath the notice OF nice
people over here, but European customs
allow the risk. So when we selected The
Agony Column by Earl Derr Biggers
and saw that its scene was London
though the hero and heroine were Ameri-
can we felt sure Of clean routing good
Story" as the men who laid it down ex-
dressed il. This same man says IL will
make a dandy present for any girl
Christmas is almost here, before We are
half done the things we have on hand
We will find this year behind US. \
tine way TO solve the gift problem, where
one wants 10 remember n whole family.
IS 10 lump the sum TO be spent and put
~
months subscription viii mean more
than ffty Or sevenJy-five cents spent in
something that serves only a little while
The Mothers Magazine, Good House
keeping, one OF the popular story and
fashion magazines or that splendid
teachers magazine Normal Instructor
and Primary Plans make \ present that
helps more than one. have sent Nor
NAL Instructor on Primary Plans TO four
mothers OF little children 10 be used on
rainy days and Sunday afternoons
an pleased TO say that have had the
pleasure OF forwarding almost a dollar
10 Miss Emily Whitfield. FinlaysOn, Ga,
and hope that all who lost her address
lew weeSs ago will put this one away
most carefully and send her ~ least a
lime for her THANKSGIVING shower She
Is IL dire need OF medicine aod the neces-
stiles OF life Remember even as ye did
IL unto the least OF these my brethren