The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-09-30
THE FIGHTING MEN.


 carry the stamp of veraciey. The author American ambulance driver, and now an officer in the French artillery, knows l war well.
 The first story, "The Parsian," re. 1 calls Cranes famous battle story, "The Red Badge of Courage"
 The Odyssey of the Three Slavs from their country village in Galicia, through Germany as prisoners and tc the French lines by escape, is a mar vellously human narrative of adventure The young Yankee who fights that America may be represented in the war by one more man, Is a story to move | Americans.
 These and the pathetic narrative, "An | Englishman,'' the grim career of the | Prussian who dies ingloriously but | shouting Deutschland uber Allies,' the l romantic Belgian, who comes to see the German soldiers and stays to fight them after his wild rescue of woman l and baby, make up a unified collection of great and original power
 TOWARDS THE GOAL"
 By Mrs. Humphrey Ward with a | preface by Theodore Roosevelt.) ) 1 Charles Scribner's Sons. publishers, 1 New Ork.
 l Mrs Wards volume, "Towards the ] Goal" is a sequel to the book which i she published a year ago, "England's 8 Effort, in which she described the re- 1 suits up to that time of the labors and ! sacrifices of the British people for the l conduct of the war. This new book 1 recounts what she saw and learned dur 1 ing trip in the early spring to the English battle zone relating all that she observed there to the work for the army that is being done at home. 1t l is all told in a series of 10 letters ad- dressed to Colonel Roosevelt who ! writes a preface discussing a parallel between conditions in America at the present time and those in England at the beginning and during the early days of the war.
 Of particular interest to Americans, since they offer a suggestion by which our own troops can take advantage of the things which the allies have learned by hard experience, are the accounts of the various training schools which have been established behind the lines. 1 The training camp which she visited had been practically doubled in the last year and both the old and the new camps she found equipped with special schools 1 artillery. musketry, engineering, Lewis gun, gas helmets, and many others A
  the production of fat from all the food refuse of the huge training camp. The factory has solved the problem of the disposal of camp refuse it has provided glycerine for the making of millions of 1 1S-pounder shells, tons of artificial manure for the fields of France, great | quantities of other by-products which have helped the neighboring peasants, and as a commercial venture it makes 250 per cent profit.
 In the preface to Towards the Goal" Mr. Roosevelt says:
 England has in this war reached height of achievement loftier than that which she attained in the struggle with Napoleon; and she has reached that height in far shorter period. Her giant effort crowned with success as wonderful as >the effort itself, is worth fly destroyed by the woman who has in fluenced all those who speak and read English more profoundly than any other , woman now alive. No other writer could describe England's effort with such knowledge, power, and interest Mrs Ward writes nobly on a noble theme"
 CHRISTINE"
 By Alice Cholmondeley. The Macmillan
 company, publishers, New York
 In this poignant and appealing story the romance of gifted young English girl IS interWov'en with the debacle of Germanys moral sense. Christine Is a girl Of rare personal charm, and vio- linist of exceptional promise Going to Berlin to complete her studies with a fla nous master early in 1914 she finds her. self plunged unexpectedly into the seeth- ing life of Weltpolitik and enthusiasm for conquest. At the humble pension of Frau Berg Christine comes into intimate contact with representatives of the great QyI y,1jd o1o -r England and lust for world dominion are vividly brought out. Through her master Christine is also introduced into the home of a noble Prussan family, and here the guiding spirit which directs the popular war fever is revealed. A beautiful and romantic love develops between Chris tine and a young lieutenant of the Uhlans, whose pure and artitsic nature stands in sharp contrast to his inherited traditions of intrigue and war The story then unfolds rapidly, with background of the delirious crowds in the streets cheering the endless masses of troops on their way to the long desired war. Many foreigners escaped from Germany in the early days of the war Christine was not so fortunate.
 "THE CALL or THE BELLS" By Edmund Mitchell. Frontispiece by
 Maynard Dixon. The Menzies Pub
 iiouiiS SoLlpdly, puDHSnerS, 10 fIItH
 avenue. New York.
 The Call of the Bells.'' by Edmund Mitchell. Is a wonderful story written by a man who knows the subject of the story from every angie, and he has built about it's pathos, sentiment and romance of q quality, character and eloquence such as Is seldom found in books.
 The story deals with such vital national issues as the reconciliation of capital and labor, the regeneration of the idlers, the reclamation of the shiftless. the dignity of toll. the moral strength of temperance and the more equitable distribution of wealth, comfort and happiness are among the big themes woven into the warp and wool of a throbbing story of human passions and fraities, vices and virtues, aspiration, struggle. and achieve ment. And through all runs the golden thread of optimism, the triumph of love and brotherhood and mutual helpfulness.
 Edmund Mitchell author of about g dozen works of fiction, all, we'll known on the other side of the Atlantic and hall-marked for German editions just be- <~~~ xuor rI1o1ffied hirnaelf to write