The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-10-15
Continued from Page T,centy-eight.

male birds of paradise assembled. Every
leaf and every small twig had been picked
by their busy bills. and on the level stage
thus made they danced and fluttered and
displayed their brilliant plumage to the
dull colored females sitting on the sur
rounding trees. Every now and
then an unlucky bird would land into one
Of the snares or nooses, to struggle there
glittering and glistening mass of bril-
liant color until night came. and the old
man sent boy up the tree to secure the
catch"
Capt Monckton was for years a resident
magistrate on the fringe of the British
Empire. He penetrated the jungle of New
Guinea. excelled all records in climbing the
island mountains. and with native attend
ants prospected its cormorant ridden for
ests Most of us need an atlas at hand to
discover what and where New Guinea is
Stretching north of Australia it is next
to the island continent in size on the list
of the worlds great islands. Papuans of
numerous tribes inhabt it, Its ranges are
among the loftiest in the world some peaks
approaching $4,000 feet.
A previous book by Capt Monckton,
Tanning New Guinea" ran into several
editions in England and the United States
Last Days carries one further across the
monstrous waste and records the terrifying
appearance and complicated customs of
natives only few years removed from
cannibalism. And not entirely dissuaded
from the habit at that, for Last night my
two orderlies went roofing and poking Gin
devil house,, and brought out a whole
lot of gnawed human bones; some one or
other has had banquet of sorts"
The adventures recited by the author
explorer have heroic quality, but the story
frequently falls down in the telling. due to
an overemphasis of trivial happenings and
wearisome interruption of amusing
yarns" and personalities out of keeping
with the man size job accomplished.
Students of Greek history and literature
will find enjoyment in the scholarly. well
| Illustrated volume Greek Lands and Let
ters,' now offered in a second edition by
/ Prof. Francis AlinsOn of Brown Uni
versity and Mrs Allinson. Since the books
first appearance. in 1909, Greece has en-
gagged in half a dozen civil and foreign
dary lines and Incorporated the island of
Crete, keystone of the Egean arch" into
the kingdom
Since the purpose of this book is TO
interpret Greece through its literature, and
its literature through local associations and
environment it is appropriate that Prof
Allinson should discuss at length the vital
subject of language.
Within the past decade there has been a
| noticeable advance in the use of the
original mother tongue, sponsored by pa
| triotic educators and writer's Purified"
| Greek, as opposed TO Greek with Byzan-
tine faint, has now become a means of
| free intercourse among all classes. The
question of reconstructing the vernacular
from a mass of miscellaneous dialects be-
comes a tool in the hands of politicians
and its champions and opponents have
shed blood in the cause
The authors trace the creation and in
fluence of Greek literature, and lead us
| down the ages, discoursing agreeably on
life and mythology. art and history. science
and philosophy in ancient and modern
| Greece. They presuppose a knowledge of
classic traditions and letters that is rather
dismaying to the casual student, but in the
writing of this serious work they have
| served well the country which for cen
turtles stood foremost in culture among the
| nations of the world.
To most of us in America the name Ru-
mania is chiefly associated with a certain
kind of high colored peasant embroidery