Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-24
NONFICTION INVADES
A NUMBER OF FIELDS
New Biography of Grant Fills
Niche in Soldiers Annals
Left Long Empty
I'll DE OF IMMIGRATION"
war and History Prove Themes of Much
Fascination to Various
Interpreters

utt,fSsEs t,s GRANT. by Louis A. Coolidge.
YYoIshton Mifnln Company Boston and New
Inc man TO whom fate had reserved the
privilege OF defeating the Confederates with
his war Of attrition" has already been the
subject or many biography and much
praise and criticism. Indeed, there is al
most complete literature concerning Ulys-
| ses Simpson Grant, COMMUNICATIVE chief Of
the Union army and President of the United
states; but most Of It deals with Grants
achievements in his military career, while
not quite so much has been written (and
this more with criticism than judicious ac-
| acknowledgement of whatever he may have
| done In the matter Of foreign relations and
OF establishing the credit OF the United
States with the nations of the world) OF
his civil life
| Mr.. Coolldses book on the life OF Grant
comes to All the empty spot in the biog.
raphy of the great soldier. He has squeezed
into 565 pages all the incidents of Grants
military and civil life with a keen sense of
research, which goes to make OF Coolidge's
volume pleasant and. in way, novel
book And 1t is worth reading now that we
are living in a historical period, in which
the war Of attrition," seemingly German
| invention in the present world crisis. is the
| talk of every military circle all over the
| world. II Is quite we'll to refresh our MEM
| ory in the incidents of the Civil War and in
| Grants determination to wear down the
| powerful army OF General Lee by attacking
| for months the strong lines of Richmond
and Petersburg until Lees army was re-
| duced to a mere shadow.
Figures Well Used
| Warne. ID. Appleton Co. New York and
Doctor warne knows how to use figures
to their utmost value and he does not hest
tate to employ these statistics in order to
| clinch his firm belief that immigration must
| be reduced no matter what evils may follow
In the wake of an uninteiligent and unfair
| exclusion law. Since his book has appeared
| Congress has passed the literacy test over
| the veto of President Wilson, that the
author already has seen his ambition real
| lied.
| One important point which the book es-
| tablishes is that immigration is influenced
| almost entirely by economic reasons Moral
| and spiritual causes there are. but they are
| Insignificant as compared to the essential
| factors of economics. Like the German
| economist who expounded the economic in
| depreciation of history, DR.. Warne sees that
the question Of bread and shelter is the
all-important consideration in world devel-
| opment But unlike the German he does not
| appreciate the logical results which follow
from this doctrine. Doctor Warne under
! stands the subject OF immigration as an
isolated branch of the worlds activities per-
| fectly, but a rather unsound grasp of the
entire field OF economics and a lack of
| imagination leave many of his deductions
| open to argument.
| & "a N INN org inn 10
| tionally interesting and instructive. Doctor
| Warne visualizes his figures and other sta
| tistics until they mean more than cold
print. They really convey impressions.
The author spares no pains 20 fay the
| importers of labor and other "inducers of
immigration" whenever he has the oppor-
tunity. His whole regard is for the safety
and future Of American labor but when he
says that II Is the native worker who de-
mands short hours and high pay and the
immigrant who will work long hours and
for a pittance. he mixes grades Of labor in
| discriminatory.
For the Young-Perhaps
THE STORY OF THE UNITED STATES Marie
Louise Herdman. Frederick A stokes Com
PAN New York.
Some day somebody is going to write a
history of a land or a continent, or the
| world, with a realization of the fact that
after all. the battles that. have. .racked this
particular land. or continent. or world. are
not of prime Importance. Particularly is
| this true of histories written for the young
er generation. In every essential detail
Marie Louise Herdman has written her
THE Story of the United States Frederick
A. Stokes Company. New YorO'without any
particular distinguishing trait.
She tells of the days of discovery with
a feeling for adventure that is more vivid
than one finds in text book she describes
the various wars from the earliest battles
49,. ErttA taI AL
the latest struggles by financial pioneers
with faithfulness and with fine color. But
1 the ruthless prosecution of the follow the
flag" idea is depicted in all its blatant ap-
peal.
1t is especially unfortunate that this is
the case with this volume, for the author
states that it is her express purpose to in
terest young readers in the development
of our country" With her talents 1t seems
incredible that she should not be able to
tell the children of the United States in a
way that would hold their attention of
the economic and social forces which led
to the true development of our country, and
not the wars which were but manifestations
of the then existing conditions.
Dodd. Mead publications for February
include my Second Year of the War" by
Frederick Palmer, author of THE Old
Blood" my Year of the Great War" and
"Piccadilly JIM" by Pelham Grenville
Wodehouse author of Uneasy Money" etc,
with illustrations in colors by May Wilson
Preston.