The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-09-23

l is Mrs. Mary s. Ware. who IS
 the guest of her brother, Dr. John D. Dabney and Mrs. Dabney at their home on South Highlands.
 Mrs Ware has recently written most charming book, "Old World Through New Eyes" which has been published and the proceeds of the sale to go to a French hospital. The Fresno Republican contains the following com plimentary notice of the book, which will be read with much interest by many friends throughout the south:
 Here is long-delayed story and one that is American to the core, and it turns about the most sincere and unconven- tional book of travels that ever came to reviewers table--"The Old World Through Old Eyes" by Mrs. Mary 5. Ware, a southerner of the famous old fighting Dabney virginian stock, now A years young, and gifted with a charm ing personality.
 To begin with, Mrs. Ware, left a widow some 40 years ago, took her only son, Sedley, abroad for travel and edu- cation He graduated from Oxford and
 
 versity of the south at Sewanee, Tenn. He married Miss Alice Porter of Santa Rosa, a graduate of the University of California, and there ought to be some worthwhile southern historical investiga- tons from this worthwhile Sewanee fam fly.
 Mrs. Ware, by reason of years spent in Europe, Asia and the Isles of the sea, developed a wide circle of friends-and the Dabney spirit of adventure. So she left San Francisco in 1912 and spent three years in the jolly and yet very thought bracing experiences told in thl;s book
 Returning to America, and being deep ly interested in France and the war, she has actually published this iarge hand some, well illustrated volume entirely at her own expense, arranging that every e Int received from the, sale of books is to be sent to French hospitals as long as the war lasts. It makes the subject still more American, we think, thai this brilliant and intensely southern de- scendant of one of virginia-s notable families should have as publishers the Putnams of New York whose head is that George Ravens Putnam who spent the winter of 1S64-5 in Libby prison-per- haps helped to be put there by, Stonewall Jacksons old chief of staff, Robert l.. Dabney, or by that Virginius Dabney, who wrote Don Milf, one of the south ern classics.
 Mrs. Wares book is cast in the un- conventional form of letters to her fam Il d, colonization and in the government of backward peoples, by American, English, French and Dutch" Her observations in Japan, Siam, Cambodia, Java. Hi. dia. the Philippines and all sorts of other people are always interesting One finds some thing worth quoting on almost every page. Here is q sumatran glimpse Of. an Achinese war dance of wolnen: H'Now I began to hear such strange sounds coming from the women that proposed going back to them. We found them still standing in rows opposite each other but uttering the strangest hoarse cries. This they did by violently heaving the chest and letting it sink back with falling motion of the whole upper body, their chins thrust upward as they uttered the cry. They looked as though in a state of complete ex- haustion, but nevertheless they kept ut
 
 convulsive movements of the head and h,sss-. Their eyes had lost every spark of intelligence and were fixed in va cant stare. I never saw so strange a sight before"
 A couple of days later came this: "While the captain and I were still talk ing we heard an uproar and cries of sAmuck Amuck!' The alarms came from the open village hall of justice, about 50 yards from the veranda where we sat. The captain sprang from the veranda calling to me to lock myself into my room. The servants were weeping and wringing their hands. I followed the captain without being able to overtake him, and saw coming down the steps of the hall of justice two wounded men, native officials. One was bleeding pro- fusely from deep gash at the wrist; the other had his hand badly cut. Then a powerfully built man. supported on each side by policeman came slowly down the steps,
 This amuck runner had also stabbed his host, the commander of the fort, Colonel Scheepens, who died few days later There is material for a dozen novels hidden away in these adventurous experiences of this American woman