davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The New York herald., 1921-01-02
Parts Of Speech Have Personality
Meeting Words Is an Adventure

colorful. All the little boys and girls
who have cordially hated dictionaries
will have to realize now that words
are people and they have houses, fam
lilies and relations all over the world
They will learn that to use word in
correctly or to slip into a laconic way
of talking and phonetic way OF spell
ing is to chop of some member of
the words body or to Danish him to
the land of perpetual sleep.
The child will discover that words
have lineage older and more aristo-
cratic than that OF all kings and en-
perors In the world. He will visit
Slangville and see the confusion and
carelessness there and realize what
his father means when he tells him
not to use slang. He will meet all the
new words whose sudden birth in the
war left them without friends or
relatives. II Is these little words that
Eileen champions, and she succeeds
during her visit In admitting Blighty
to real word citizenship. Everyone
loved Blighty and every one will love
Eileen for helping him out.
Botn these authors are to be con-
graduated on the entertaining way In
which they have solved one of the
dryest problems Of child education
Most children find words uninterest. :.
Ing and hard to pronounce, and eVery
child finds grammar meaningless sr /
difficult. They have succeeded In ito.
ing adventure, fairies and exploration
with these two fields, and what child
does not love those three flavors 81
life? The mother, father or even
teacher who fails to recognize these
books both as text hooks and stories
is doing a great injustice to the child
whom he would caution to speak
properly.
To be able to create a land of Won
der and fairies out Of one Of the dryest
subjects in the world is an achieve
ment Of merit and distinction. Alice
in her adventures with the Cheshire
Cat and the Mad Halter had no more
fun than did Eileen with her friends
BNghty and Crazy, or John Henry
Arthur Percival Sparks with his fairy
Ram -marg. In these days when baby
talk is discouraged and when five
year-old Arabella is supposed to talk
like perfect ladies OF IS (and they
as. are no criteria), fond mothers
will welcome these lands Of romance
created from the common clay of
words and grammar.
The New York herald., 1921-01-02
Grammar and Spelling May Lose ALI Their Terrors
Mans Childhood Explained
In a Picture Book for Children

lonely peak towering high above the
surrounding country"
"Unless we are very lucky we shall
sometimes lose ourselves In sudden
and dense fog of ignorance"
A good child's book is like circus.
Adults like to take their nephews to
1t. There is much in this book which
will appeal to older minds. Like "Gul-
liver's Travels" it can be read for the
story or for the underlying philosophy.
Prof. Van Loon has not hidden his
personal equation. He cannot forbear
making remarks now and then which
betray his own point OF view. The
child will reread these passages some
time with more complete under
standing. For example, he says: "As
matter of fact, civilization never re-
mains long In the same place. 1t is
always going somewhere, but. 1t does
not always move westward by any
means. Sometimes it's course points to
the East or South. Often it zigZags
across the map. But it keeps moving.
After two or three hundred years
civilization seems to say: We'll. have
been keeping company with these par
ticular people long enough and 1t
packs up it's science and it's art and
its music and wanders forth in search
Of new dreams. But no one knows
whittier 1t is bound, and that is what
makes life so interesting"
Prof Van Looms description Of the
first man to enjoy cooked food and
his feeling that he had reached the
pinnacle Of progress is very choice. A
touch of satire seems to lurk In other
passages. We suspect that he wishes
to poison the young mind with radical
doctrine. For example. he says: "The
land of Ph9nicia had always been a
counting house without soul. 1t per-
ished because 1t had honored a well
filled treasure chest as the highest
ideal of civic pride" Is not this hint
that we are becoming too materialis-
tic? Ought not Burleson to suppress
such a book? 1t is subversive Of the
existing regime.
Something should be said about the
pictures. They are simple, but color is
handled with a gorgeous abandon that
reminds one of Turner or Blake. They
intrigue the eye and remain in the
Imagination long after the book is
closed. Only vachell Lindsey himself
could put into words their explosive
effect. They have a boom laka,
boom -laka, boom. boom. bing! quail
ity that can never be forgotten.
The New York herald., 1921-01-02

FAIRY GRAMMAR. BY ]. Harold Car
penter. E. p, Dutton & Co.
EILEEN's ADVENTURES IN WORD
LAND, BY Ziilah Macdonald. Fred
erick A. Stokes Company.
Children all over the world should
get up and make the most grateful
bow that they know how for two>au-
thors have venturcd again into the
land that Lewis Carroll discovered and
returned with two amazing presents.
Since that marvel of childhood Alice
In Wonderland" the children have
been waiting for more lands where
children were understood and where
jam and playtoys had souls.
Mr.. Carpenters book, Fairy Gram
mar" will Danish the boyle of the
child's inability to like grammar, and
Zillah Macdonald's story of the little
girl In Woodland will make the die
tionary land OF wonders instead Of
the bane of childhood. Both these
books are rare gems among the mot :
ley crew of writing that is put out
yearly as material ft for the title
books for children" The grownup
that does not react to these books
never was q child. and should never
have a child to bring up. for ne cer-
tainly wouldn't know how to do it.
III the Fairy Grammar" little boy
is taught the parts OF speech that he
refused to learn, and also the fact
that grammar 10 q person In the guise
of an elf named Ram-marg, who Be
comes a beautiful fairy when little
boys and girls learn all about her and
learn how to use her properly. There
is wealth Of those memories that we
all have OF the days wherein we tried
to distinguish between an adverb and
an adjective when we read about the
little boy, John Henry Arthur Percival
Sparks. who found that the fairy de-
prived him OF parts Of speech when he
declared that he hated them. We
have all suffered agonies trying to
learn about those little words that are
such important trifies when we try to
get along without them. Poor little
John Henry became the centre OF at
traction in the medical world and al
most the subject of investigation for
sanity commission until he obeyed
the fairy Ram-marg.
The little girl that Zillah Macdonald
created ventured into the land of Die
tionary. forced old Lexy TO takc
Blighty in his country as a real world
and made the land interesting and
The New York herald., 1921-01-02
Once White Curtains, Now Gray
Of accepted defeat.

of accepted defeat.
The dying strike is pictured in the
same impersonal way that lis noticeable
In the style throughout. There are
poignant scenes briefly touched upon,
there are uttered now and then few
words of quiet and resignation that
by their infrequency stand out as IL
written in letters Of fire. 1t is
difficult to decide whether the author
Is restrained by the fear that the is
sues she portrays are now historical,
perhaps a trifie cold on that account,
or holds herself back from an artistic
motive.
When she let's herself go--but she
so seldom does-she Is capable Of
moving her readers as Hauptmann
did. his hearers in the appalling play
THE Weavers" But Mrs. Worse has
decidedly not duplicated the German
playwright's horrors.
Perhaps one would be justified in
taking the opposite view to the one
Mrs. Worse dreams from the failure
Of the great steel strike. She pictures
the slovass and other middle Euro
pean workmen going back home to
warn their countrymen against Amer
lea. The items Of immigration now
being given out by Ellis Island au-
thorities, so vast are these. would in
dicate that this warning. II 1t were
ever given, has failed in effect.
The New York herald., 1921-01-02
Before the A B C's'
NURSERY
SCHOOL EDUCATION.
Edited by Grace owen. e. p. Dutton

Edited by Grace owen. e. P. Dutton
&c Co.
Ellen Key has pointed out that we
are living in the century of the child
and all races are making contributions
to the study of childhood. There is
practically about John Bull which
makes him seize upon the best of all
new ventures. He is not given to ex-
pertinent, but he is quick to avail him
self of the research of others. He is
like farmer who is conservative In
his methods but eager to utilize the
new varieties which Burbank has in
vented. The older theories of Froebel
and the newer speoulations OF Mon
tessori have been put upon a working
basis In England
The Board of Education has worked
out regulations for Nursery Schools.
They are a tangible source of pleasure
and education 10 children In all parts
of England. 1t is realized that educa-
tion ought TO begin before the school
period. Miss owen, principal of the
Mother Training College, has edited
book which very wildly portrays this
movement. IL rs based on the as
sumption that child study exists for
the sake of the dull. Specialists I'm
each separate branch of hygiene and
pedagogy and psychology contribute
chapters on Nursery Schools which
show how this movement Is providing
for the welfare of our future citizens.
The New York herald., 1921-01-02
Reviewed by
DOROTHY BROMLEY.

We wonder what image is aroused
in the mind Of the reader by this
title? Perhaps that ok distraught.
distressed housewife welding a broom
as she scolds a wide-eyed child for
asking too many questions. On the
contrary, 1T Is not particularly her
type. but women OF every tempera-
ment modified by all possible circum-
stances, that we meet In the pages of
this book. II is written by man
who knows. DIR. Abraham Myerson
is visiting physician. nervous depart
ment Boston City Hospital and Beth
Israel Hospital. and assistant profess
sor Of neurology at Tufts Medical
College. Despite his fund Of scientific
knowledge he writes so simply and
clearly that he-or she-who runs
may read, and so humanity that he
wins the readers friendship.
Is the housewife a victim of her
own temperament; does she work too
hard; is her husband to blame, or is
II all the fault of society as organized
to-day? First of all, DIR. Myerson ex-
plains nervousness, neurosis, neuras-
thenia, or whatever we choose to call
It, as the result OF an inner conflict. a
struggle In which undesired thoughts
and feelings and passions are pushed
back into the subconscious. but never
theless continue to act upon the per-
sonality. Such a struggle goes on In
every human breast. but II is espe-
cially active and wearying in the ner-
vous victim.
woman is often the cause of her
own troubles. DIR. Myeson seeks to
discover the housewife to herself by
recounting actual living cases of the
hyper-@sthetic woman; the over-con-
scientious housewife. seeker of perfec-
tions; the lazy Mrs. --, who has no
purpose I'm life: the wilfully hystsrical
woman, and so on. Each one of the
eleven detailed cases Is n drama In
itself.
IL is true that the women of the
past generation did all their own
housework. in addition TO the rearing
OF children. They were slaves, says
DIR. Myerson. and the Emancipation
Proclamation did not include them.
And so are the women of to-day who
have to do the same thing. Theolo-
gians and sentimentalists may eulogize
poverty; but Buddha found II one Of
the four great evils. The poor house,
wife, !. e., the one who finds the fam
lily income insufficient to cover the
bare necessities. Is conscious of a
wall closing In. a losing battle with
out an end" How can she help
worrying. despite philosophical advice
to the contrary? The author tells Of
one woman who fought the battle Of
The New York herald., 1921-01-02
Ruth Murray Underhill.
She Was Boss

THE WHITE MOTH. BY Ruth Murrsy
Undcrhul Moffat, Yard & Co
Hilda made up her mind that she
would go into factory and work up"
ke a man till she had a position OF
'nthority and profit. From one day
70 the next her world shifted from the
v mite -plastered schoolroom and the
vine covered porches and the maple
shaded streets of cats and became q
stretch Of sun-baked yard where the
flies buzzed In the June sunlight and
the sound of machines burdened the
air. She thought about ten-penny
nails and il was morning. and she
thought about cleaned bone for knife
handles and II was night. And In all
the little intervals sne thought about
Guy."
Guy had several thoughts about
ment In the course OF his travels.
But when he got back Hiida had her
chance In a rather uncommon fashion.
1t isn't every heroine who can be her
recreant lovers business boss. And it
isn't every recreant lover who can
carry of the situation.
Twenty FIVE lbs. No. IL soft brass
wire at 80 cents lb.: $3.50. Ten feet
" in. phosphor bronze rod at 3b cents
a foot: $3.50"
Perhaps cents" and feet" might be
abbreviated to cts" and TT" II one
were determined to be very business
like. But otherwise we shouldn't wish
to see this love-in-a factory story
abbreviated by a page.
The New York herald., 1921-01-02
With an
English Setting

THE VANITY GIRL. BY Compton
Mackenzie. Harper g. Bros.
In the earlier phase OF his career 1t
WAS Compton Mackenzie's fortune to
be the pet of the Literary" young
people. He was held to be the inter-
prefer Of the university man OF Sc
rious taste, since In his Oxford novels
he drew. that person In his own chosen
manner Sylvia Scarlet" was the
bolt from the blue into this world of
purple patches. The literary maga-
zines did not hesitate to call it "vul-
gar" and they flung all their darts OF
technical Technology at it's picturesque
character. These same critics, who 30
seldom seem to influence the authors
they berate,. will be as hostile to Mac
kenzie's new novel, The Vanity Girl"
This IL story of the beautiful
daughter of the secretary Of the
Church OF England Purity Society,
who, being equally aware that she is
beautiful and that beauty Is an asset,
leaves the West Kensington home for
the stage. and with a summary sue
cess marries title. She aspires not
only to be the wife of an earl but the
mother of one. With the first frustra-
ton of this hope comes such a COM
plete decentralization that she sees her
husband. freed from her dominance
by her own indifference. gamble away
their fortune even to the manor house
itself
The war comes and her husband is
killed at the front, Just before she
discovers she is to have a child. All
the vigor of the determination which
has brought her from West kensing-
ton to her titled place reasserts Itself.
And when the new owner Of the
earl's estates asks her TO marry him
she accepts him on condition that he
give them all back TO her SON. When
he apprehensively wonders. Suppose
you and have children" she an
swers so perfectly in character. well.
they'll he half brothers and sisters to
the sixth Earl of Clarehaven. which
will be quite enough for them, won't
lt7"
There is tho episode Of the man
who had money. influence. everything
but also gross ugliness. who wishes to
set up one Of the ladies' of the chorus
In a fiat. But when he goes to meet
her there he finds instead a chim-
panzee the lady has smuggled In to
take her place. II being expected that
he. on calling softly. Are you there.
Lily7" will get hit with a cocoanut--
as Lily feels he deserves 10 be.
All OF which has enough Of the
absurd in II, and Of the trivial. The
book remains a gay. faciie and decora-
tive picture Of that fraction of our
society which supplies anecdotes 10
The clubrooms OF civilization. although
its lighter tone gives way at last n
the more ominous, sinister reflection
The New York herald., 1921-01-02
Vitazko's Necessary Heart

THE SHOEMAKER'S APRON A
second book of Czecho-Slovak fairy
tales and folk tales. Retold by Parker
Fillmore. With illustrations by JAN
Matulka Harcourt, Brace &c Howe.
n all the Original" fiction in the
world were lost it would still be pos
sible to work out the distinctive char
acteristics of each national literature
by it's variations on themes that are
more or less common property. Mr..
Fillmore explains for the sake of ac-
curacy that some of these tales may
be traced back to the Talmud or other
ancient stories.
In Grimm and In French and Eng
lish fairy tales may be found parallels
to some of the pieces given here. But
the reteller of old stories declares that
in German they have been squeezed
dry of their Slavic exuberance" and
In French somewhat dandified." He
has endeavored to give them in a
more direct fashion. with the Czech.
Moravian or Slovak flavor. as nearly
as 1t can be retained In another
tongue.
There are added a group of nursery
pieces and some devil tales. The book
Is intended as a companion volume
to Mr.. F1llmore's earlier collection,
"Czecho-Slovak Fairy Tales"
These lively pieces are as easy to
read as a folk dance Is to watch.
There Is much conversation and the
narrative is quick-moving. A good
example is "vitazko the Victorious"
This good boy is cursed with a bad
mother, but he is lucky enough to
md a friend In a wise woman called
The New York herald., 1921-01-02
MEN AND STEEL BY Mary Heaton
Worse. Boni & Liveright.
Reviewed by SUSAN STEEL.

With restraint that Is amazing
and admirable in q writer who Is SO
plainly on the side OF the working
man as Mrs. Worse this propaganda
and reformer tells the story of the
great steel strike. She does not argue
nor deal In sentiment, save where the
first is indicated by simple facts set
down as simply, and where the second
by an anecdote OF human interest that
wanders In here and there adds by Ito
meagreness of detail, poignancy to the
situation of women and children.
these poor creatures who are in the
end the prey of every strike, whether
1t be successful or unsuccessful from
the working mans point of view.
She divides her book into four parts
and the whole story is compassed In a
brief 1856 pages. Naturally a laconic
style would have to be employed IN
setting forth little facts or impress
sions, and this style is what Mrs.
Worse uses for both. In Part /. she
paints the background of the strike
Youngstown. Johnstown, Wheeling.
Gary. Joliet, Steubenville. They afford
n
shoulders" ones soul at the bare
thought of having to live In any such
sordid, slovenly environment. Against
this black curtain she musters the
leading figures of the great, unhappy
contest, and it throws them up in
sharp relief.
One of these figures is William z.
Foster. that pale. thin New Englander
from Taunton, who works twenty-fou
hours day, and while always
swamped with documents has time to
see individuals and delegations. and to
hear them patiently. Foster. who
never thinks of Foster remarks our
author. who has made an idol of this
labor leader.
In the chapters devoted TO the strike
proper Mrs. Worse dlgresses to give
some notion of the way "the comfort
able people" live in the neighborhood
OF the works." compelled TO abide
there for part of the year In order
to watch their own interests. Mrs
Worse permits the reader to contrast
their ways of living with the strait
ened and difficult ways OF the miners
wives. 1t is the correct way to make
the biggest dramatic contrast.
A few chapters Of the book tell Of
the authors travels about the striking
sections with Mother" Jones, another
of her idols. Permeating these Is a ray
of hope; thus this part of her book
reads more cheerfully. Housewives
will undoubtedly sympathfe with the
superhuman efforts she saw being put
out everywhere she and Mother"
Jones travelled to keep clean, white
muslin curtains at their windows.
Mas, as the warfare between these
unmatched antagonists waged more
intense. Mrs. Worse saw the curtains
getting grayer and grayer. evidence
The New York herald., 1921-01-02

st. Nedyelka. Even after the hero
had been cut into little bits Nedyelka
saved him. thus:
"She took the pieces OF the body
from the bundle and washed them In
the Water Of Death. Then she ar
ranged them piece by piece as they
should be and they grew together un-
til the wounds disappeared and there
were not even any scars left. After
that she sprinkled the body with the
Water Of Life and 10. life returned to
Vitazko and he stood up we'll and
healthy.
"'Ah.' he said, rubbing his eyes,
I've been asleep, haven't l.?
Yes Nedyelka said. And but for
me you would never have wakened
How do you feel, my son?'
"'All right Vitazko said, except a
little strange, as if / had no heart
You have none. Nedyelka told
him. Your heart hangs by string
from crossbeam in the castle.
"She told him what had befallen
him. how his mother had hetrs yed him
and how Sharkan had cut him to
pieces.
"Vitazko listened. but he could feel
neither surprise nor grief nor anger
nor anything. for how could he feel
since he had no heart?
You need your heart. my son,
Nedyelka said. You must go after
it,"
Which proved how wise the woman
was. And moreover she helped him
to recover the missing heart. And SO
he was able to go on loving the beauti-
ful princess. who really justified all
the trouble he had taken.
The New York herald., 1921-01-02
The Father of Modern Socialism

to be q theorist of political economy and
to deal only In subsidiary fashion with
the philosophy of history and tech
nology, secured triumphant success
in those subordinate fields: whereas,
In respect Of the fundamental object
OF his thought, his work was a COM
plete failure" Yet Professor Loria
indicates that Marks failures we're
great only because his successes were
great; because he did nothing on a
small scale. And. as already indi-
Gated. the author INDUCES in superla-
ti,es In referring to Marks influence
upon the future OF mankind and his
work as one Of the pioneers Of "the
irresistible ascent Of humanity toward
a juster and better social order"
The New York herald., 1921-01-02
The Latest
Marian Story
THUvIA. MAID OF MARS. BY Edgar
Rice Burroughs. Chicago A. c. Me
Cluru A. Co

THUvIA, MAID OF MARS. BY Edgar
Rice Burroughs. Chicago: A. G. Me
Clurg a Co.
From start to finish "Thuvia, Maid
of Mars Is story that travels with
breathless and breakneck speed.
Fourth and latest of Edgar Rice Bur-
roughss Martian series. II gives to any
one who has not read his books an eX-
cellent idea Of them all. The abduction
of the Princess Thuvia by lover
whom she has spurned, her pursuit
and rescue by Cathoris Of Helium-
Martian son Of John Carter Of Virginia
battles between green monsters and
phantom bowmen and white apes, fly
ing craft and hypnotic miracles,
prowlng banths and padded throats-
all these contrasting elements are
woven into an enthralling tale of hair
breadth escapes. "Thuvia" makes no
pretence at being literary. but 1t will
appeal to all lovers Of mad adventure
even to those who are bored by the
most extravagant movies"
An anniversary edition of the COM
plete works OF Thomas Hardy, In COM
memoration Of the novelists eightieth
birthday this year. is announced for
early publication by Harpers. This
will be the first time that all OF
Hardy's works have been collected by
one publisher and brought out In
uniform binding. Recently a price OF
$4,000 was put on a complete collection
Of Hardy first editions.
The New York herald., 1921-01-02
ANCIENT MAN. BY Hendrick wilIem
Van Loon. Boni & Liveright

ANCIENT MAN. BY Hendrick wilIem
Van Loon. Boni & Liveright.
Reviewed. by JOSEPH r. GOULD.
II. q. Wells has written two books
of great value, one history of the
world and the other book on floor
games but Prof, Van Loon has writ
ten q book which combines the merits
Of the two. ana does It successfully.
Ancient Man" is the first volume of a
series of nine which win tell the COM
plete story Of civilization. He does not
make the mistake Of writing in words
of two syllables, but approaches the
level of childhood by making his ma
terial simple and vivid
In his introduction to his sons,
Hansje and Willem. he says:
II shall show you. mysterious rivers
The New York herald., 1921-01-02
Bo ok Exchange e

HIGHEST CASH PRICES PAID FOR
compiete libraries and small lots cf books
Encyclopedia Britannica. ~ edition. Book
on Knowledge and sets Of standard authors
TTIOMs ERON, INC. "a Barclay ST., N. T.
phonc SOae Cortland.
The New York herald., 1921-01-02

which seem to come from nowhere and
which are doomed to reach no ulti-
mate destination"
Gus precipices. hidden carefully be-
meath thick overgrowth of pleasant
but deceiving firmness."
Here and there we shall leave the
beaten track to scale a solitary and