Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-23
sour Library Table,
Eg2A>>FEw MiNUrEs wirH THE 81
EISssE saLATEsr Books MAeAziNESsas>N<o4sssA

1.-THE Most Interesting American" is
the title of a brochure recently issued
from the presses of The Century Com
pany. written by one OF the most pop
ular and widely read authors OF the
day, Julian Street.
Mr.. Street writes in an intensely in
teresting manner OF the man who as
no other has the faculty of keeping
himself. voluntarily or involuntarily
in, or at least within calling distance
of. the mind of every thinking Ameri-
can.
He was. and is, one OF us. We call
him IT. r., and he is perhaps the on
ly man In the country who is known TO
US all by his initials. We call MN
Teddy but we do not call a marble
statue Woody, says this dryly humor-
Gus author, who in a few casually writ
ten sentences conjures up for us the
vision of a man whose activities for
the last 81 years have been so numer-
Gus and diversified that the majority
of us forget the larger part of them.
In one brief paragraph In this lit
tie book is exemplined the lighting
spirit, the Americanism OF this ex-
president, during whose combined
terms as Chief Executive not one drop
of our country's blood was spilled In
foreign strife. Roosevelt himself spoke
this, for him. mild commentary on
President Wilson's attitude during the
present administration. He said:
Although, during the seven and
half years that I was President, 1 got
the country into no wars, they say
am warlike. President Wilson, on the
other hand, is a man of peace. He
has waged peace with Mexico ana
Haiti, and lost a lot of men, and he
has been waging peace with Ger
many, while Germany has been MUIR
dering our men, women and children
with her submarines. Now, as mat
ter of fact, abhor war. But l think
some things are even more TO pc
avoided than war; and these people
who say l want war are right TO TINS
extent: Let them rape Just one Ameri-
can woman in MeXico-and they have
raped maryland 1 should have action
inside six hours. There was never
any question as 10 whether the Ameri-
can people would back me or not when
I was President. They would always
back me to assert American rights and
defend American honor. They are
the same people to-day. but they are
dulled. momentarily. by five years
debauch of professional pacifism."
With the French in France and
SalonIki. by Richard Harding Davis.
(Charles Scribners' Sons, Sl.00 net)
While making no attempt TO teach
any truths, nor to weave the thread OF
any plot or story. but merely setting
down in his inimitable way the things
that he saw with his own eyes, Richard
Harding Davis. newspaper reporter, au-
thor, playwright, war correspondent, in
this his last book gives US new in
sight into the impulses which prompt
men al the front a new vision OF the
fighters that is perhaps as human and
true to conditions any that have
been produced in this time of prolific
writing.
The author prefaces his main series
OF letters by replying TO Europeans
who told him that II would take this
country all of a century to recover the
prestige lost since the war began. To
which Mr.. Davis replied: 1T is unin-
telligent to Judge 90.O0o,0 900 people by
the acts, or lack OF action, of one man.
and to recover our lost prestige will
take us no longer than is required TO
get rid Of that man. As soon as we
elect q new President and new Con-
gress. who are not necessarily looking
for trouble, but who will not crawl un-
der the bed to avoid IT. our lost
prestige will return This was writ
ten on April II, the day OF his death.
In his singularly happy phraseology.
that beauties the merest Incident and