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Show I OUR FIRST RAILWAYS. iVh.Mi Knllroads Wore Now. "V Cliarlos Krfiilerlck CurKir. W II. Introductory Nolo by Logan . Mol'h.-rson. I msl rated. rat-ed. Published by Henry Holt and Company. Com-pany. Now York. This is ,v large, handsomely issued volume which takes Lho railroad jus-f jus-f ion up in ils primitive era. It seems indeed absurd to look back and sec Lho objections that, wore urged against railroads rail-roads in the first plneo. Chancellor Livingston and Gouvornuur Morris of New York, great men as (hoy were, made separate and conclusive demon-straliou.s demon-straliou.s that "n railioud under any circumstances was impossible." Henry Meigs, a member of the Now York Legislature in JS17, ruined his prospects, pros-pects, was covered with obloquy, and camo to be r.egnrdcd as "u proper subject sub-ject for a strait-.jackct." because ho ex- ( pressed his belief that steam carriages would be operated successfully. lloury AVilliams, director of the Boston and Worcester railroad, at the celebration in Worcester of the opening of the road .luly G, 1S35, explained tho. discouragements discourage-ments under which it was begun and prosocutcd. Ho recalled that the great I men and the rich men refused to t.iko any band in it, scoffed at the project, pointed the finger of scorn at those engaged en-gaged in it, and called them " harebrained hare-brained enthusiasts,'-' "visionaries," who "almost deserve to be sent to tho mad-house. 'I They were called also, "fools," "idiots," and "knaves," and were declared fit subjects for the state prison for commencing a work "which must, inevitably result in as total a loss as if tho 11101103- expended Were shoveled into tho bottomless pit." And Mr. Williams rendered duo praise to those who stood by the road and helped it to completion; these being his words: Has It boon done by llic rich men, the irrcal men of the times? By our quarter, half, and whole million men? No, sir! It lias been accomplished by the bone and sinew of tin community, by the middling Interest people, by tlint class of men who have warm hearts, olenr beads, and who possess ulmost a monopoly of generous public spirit. An English scientist was much exercised exer-cised over the doom of America after this unfortunate country had fed to its locomotives the last pound of its "limited "lim-ited supply of coal." Still another summed up the dangers of railroad travel thus: itender, how would you llko to be put in u box like a coach or a sedan and dropped out of the window of the tlfth or sixth flat of a house? Sixty-six miles an Hour is the hiphest velocity attained by frilling bodies in one hundred feet, and forty-four miles an hour in falling sixty-four sixty-four feel. Evan supposing tliat means were found to abate one-half of the vio-lfiit vio-lfiit shock in stopping, enough remains to terrify considerate men from risking their persons in such species of conveyance. convey-ance. Till we have bones of brass or Iron, or better methods of protecting them than we have now. It is preposterous to talk of traveling Ilfty or sixly miles an hour as a prac tical thing. Another English genius, deploring tho c-vil effect, of rapid (ravel upon those who might, engage, in it, sain that it developed de-veloped a new disease "superinduced by rapid travel on the railroad " lc declared de-clared it to lie a notorious fact that the brains of business men were so addled ad-dled by the swiftness of the journoy from Manchester to Liverpool or London, Lon-don, that they often forgot what' they went for, and had to write home to find out. Another authority quoted tho alleged al-leged case of "one elderly gentleman" who became so "impregnated with velocity, ve-locity, as ihc result of a prolonged debauch de-bauch in railroad rides, that ho dashed head foremost into an iron post arid shivered it into nieces." In spite of all this opposition, however, how-ever, and rogardless of all croaking, the enthusiasts, as they were at that time designated, although I hey are now held 1o be the most practical, stolid, and staid of business men. persisted in their claim that railroads could be built and successfully operated. And lho successive succes-sive steps towards doing this arc well followed in this book. Illustrations are given of 1 he different stylos of loco-' motives, from the most, primitive, teapot tea-pot idea, first mounted op dizzy wheels, to the tremendous compound locomotives locomo-tives of later days. It is a most interesting inter-esting work, fascinating as ;r romance ami satisfying as a record of facts. II is a great book, well planned and sympathetically and entertainingly written. JORDAN'S SARCASTIOS. The 'Tnie of lciodorum: Heine lho Story of u CUy made filch by Taxation. By David Starr Jordan- Published by Henry Holt and Company, New orIc. This is a new arraignment by President Presi-dent .Ionian of protectionism, wherein in ironical terms ho displays his power of sarcasm, the object being to show the absurdity of any city or any coun-irv coun-irv "getting rich by taxing itself. A fair illustration of the biting quality ot the work is the following extract irom tlie preface: Two general lessons may be drawn from this record: Hie llnst, that history repeats itself, If It be real history, not a succession succes-sion of unrelated Incidents: the socond. that national wealth may bo enhanced bv taking inonov from tho hands of 'the poor who wnste it (the reason why they aro poor), and putting it In the hands of the rich and powerful, who know how to make money work. It. is a well-attested fact that prosperity will always follow when properly can be transferred in a lawful and orderly manner from Urn manv who do not know what to do with it, to the few who have tho skill to use Jt; and lo place it where a fortune will multiply after Its kind and bring forth greater fortunes. From this appears tho inherent fallacy of the current expression "the greatest good of the greatest number"; num-ber"; for it is always the smallest number num-ber who can produce the greatest good, even as a dozen embryo roscouas must lie pinched off to make a perfect Du-chesso Du-chesso d'Anoulenic, or prechance It may bo an American Beauty. Needless to say. the whole work is wrought out with the most fertile ingenuity, in-genuity, and with an earnestness of purpose pur-pose that is altogether commendable. The onlv troublo with it, as with the work of nil audi doctrinaires, is that President Jordan, while a great force in tuo world of social economics, is prone to magnify the facts and arguments that sustain his theories, and to niinimizo or altogether neglect those facts and arguments that aro opposed to them. Still, a good and valuable servico is rendered ren-dered to tho community by all such discussions dis-cussions as this, and surely for keenness of thrust and vigor of application, this is a presentation that ranks among the best. OUR TERRITORIAL GROWTH. The Romance of American Expansion. Bv H. AddinKton Bruce. Illustrated. Published by :Ioffnt, Yard & Company, Nov York. The author's aim in this volume, as he explains in his preface, is to give a brief yet sufficiently comprehensive account of the territorial growth of the Uniled .States, with especial reference to tho achievements of the men Daniel Boone, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jack-sou. Jack-sou. Sam Houston, Thomas Hart Benton, .lohn Charles Fremont, William Henry Seward, and William McKinloy who were pre-eminent among their contemporaries contem-poraries in each of the forward steps in the movement from sea to sea. Tn emphasizing' em-phasizing' the personal element, as the author does in this work, ho hopes not merely to enhance the interest of the narrative, but also to afford a clearer view of (he true nature of the American Ameri-can advance. The author has carried 'out his plan in very good form, and yet there seems to bo a lack of system about it that is not easy to follow. Part of the tiino he takes the official leaders as typical of the expausion for which they stand, and part of the time ho takes the individuals of enterprise whoso pioneer work has been so conspicuous, leaving out the official of-ficial personages. Andrew Jackson is taken as the typical hero of the advance to the Mexican gulf and the dispossession disposses-sion of Spain in Florida. Daniel Boone is taken as the type of pioneer who won tho empire west of tho Alleghauies. Thomas Jefferson is naturally the typical typi-cal figure in achieving the Louisiana purchase, and in making tho official move for the across-thc-contincnt expedition expe-dition of Lewis and Clark. It is not .so clear, however, that Sam Houston is the one who should stand for the expansion ex-pansion in Texas, even reinforced by the grand figure of Stephen Austin; it would seem that Calhoun ought to come in hero as tho official figure, overshadowing overshad-owing all of the.locnl lights. Benton is brought in in connection with John Charles Fremont in the exploration of the country west, of the Missouri, although al-though Benton had no direct intlucnce in acquiring any of that territory, and Fremont passed through regions fairly well known to tho pioneers and trappers of the west long before his coming. Wo hear nothing of the great pioneers of Oregon who might well have been included, in-cluded, since the pioneers of the Missis- sippi Valley and of Teas arc given recognition. rec-ognition. Seward is justly given credit for the expansion of the country which resulted from the purchase of Alaska, and President Presi-dent MoKinlo- is the official sponsor for the acquisition of the Philippines and of Porto Itioo. With President McKinloy, McKin-loy, Georgo Dowoy receives a recognition recogni-tion that is fully his due. The work would be of a moro oven character if it. treated tho expansion from one standpoint or the other; either tho official in acquisition of title, or the actual in personal exploration and settlement, set-tlement, or a just recognition of both in each order. But the two kinds aro here mixed in a way that, is confusing, and, as indicated above, the Oregon emigration emigra-tion appears to bo lost sight of, although al-though that emigration was what gave us, in fact, "the Oregon eoimtrj'.'1 The book is, however, a valuable one, and within the limitations fixed by tho author au-thor it is authentic and praiseworthy. A KNIGHTLY ROMANCE. The Gipsy Count. By May Wynne. Tho lohn McBrldo Co., Publishers, New York. This story by the author of "A Maid of Brittany." "A King's Tragedy," Trag-edy," "Henry of Navarre," etc., is) comparable with Major's novel, "W'hcn Knighthood Wa6 in Flower," which had a great run somo years ago. This Gipsy Count is a lively romanco of chivalry, embracing also a glowing love story of mediaeval days with all their red-hot hatreds and white-hot passious. There is a raco feud of two neighboring neighbor-ing noble families, the members of each of which aro always on tho alert to slay or rob the other, in order to appease ap-pease tho record of wrongs and transgressions trans-gressions perpetrated back and forth. Tho usual fatality happens that the high-spirited, beautiful daughter of one house falls in love with the noble hearted, heart-ed, steel-clad knight of the other house, and the hostile families aro powerless to provenfc tho inevitable result. The siege of the castle is transformed into a.siogo of tho heart, and the story is told in tho most engaging way by this ingenious aud charming writer. SELF-OONTROL FOR HEALTH. fc'clf-Control ajid How to Secure Tt. By Dr. Paul Dubois. Authorized Translation Transla-tion by Harry Hutcheson Boyd. Published Pub-lished by Funk & Wagnnlls Company, New York. Tho purpose of the self-control urged in this book is to enable tho individual to cultivate resistance against giving way to nervous disorders and complaints. com-plaints. The author, Dr. Dubois, is tho eminent specialist of Borne, Switzerland. Switzer-land. His investigations havo already shed a great deal of light on tho subject sub-ject of self-control in the direction and for the purpose indicated, and this volume vol-ume is a valuable addition (0 his previous pre-vious researches in this lino. Jt is a noteworthy follower of his "The Psychic Psy-chic Treatment of Nervous Disorders" and "Tho Influence of tho Mind on the Body." This work, however, differs from tho former ones in that it is not especially devoted to citations of interesting inter-esting cases and treatment of questions ques-tions involved in them; but it endeavors en-deavors to provivde n philosophical and direct discussion of what self-control may accomplish, and tells how it may be secured. There are eighteen chapters chap-ters in the book, each devoted lo somo special branch of Hie general subject, and an appropriate introduction paves the way to a full understanding of tho discussion as it comes nlong in order, THE UNFRIENDLY CARTOONS. Abraham Lincoln and Tho London Punch. Cartoons, Comments and Poems. Published Pub-lished in The London Charivari. During tho American Civil War (lSt;i-lJi5). Edited by William S. Walsh. Published by Moffat, Yard and Company, New York. Tho loyal American people who were outraged by these scandalous cartoons during the war of tho Rebellion, will not bo particularly charmed to see thorn reproduced, even so compactly and well as is dono in this volume; but they can view them with a tolerance not possible when first, issued. Tho j'ounger generation, gener-ation, who do not realize tho depths of emotion which accompanied tho loyal feelings and sentiments of that lime, will probably look with moro charity' upon this reproduction than the older geueriition can possibly do. William S. Walsh,' author of "A Handbook of Literary Curiosities," "Curiosities of Popular Customs," "Faust, the Legend and the Poem." etc.. contributes a pithv introduction to the whole, which is calculated to palliate pal-liate to some extent the gross offenses of that London publication when the United Slates was struggling for its life and preservation as a Nation. Doubtless Doubt-less the most of the people of the country coun-try will welcome as a curiosity this collection col-lection of cartoons which, in their time, tho loyal people of that day considered an offense, but upon which now they harbor no rancor. ' LIVELY STAGE SKETCHES. The Diary of a fthow-Olrl. By Grac l.uee Invln. Illustrated by Wallace Morgan. Published by Moffat, Yard and Company, Com-pany, New York. This is a piquant little volume, written writ-ten in racy style, designed to show the life of a show-girl in lho chorus and subordinate! parts with a tendency to climb upward from "The Kick-OR"'" to "Tho Goal Kick." The intermediate chapter titles aro. "On the Run," "The ScrinvmagOi" "Bucking the Line," and "The Touchdown." The book is all written in tho spiciest style, and is illustrated il-lustrated with drawings that are suggestively sug-gestively illustrative of tho text. The publishers have put forth (he work in unurtuallv good stvle. tho paper being heavy and good, and lho binding inn and showy. As a lively sketch of life on (he. stage if stands forth pre-eminent among tho publications of the time. INTIMATE STORIES. The Hand 011 the Latch. By Marv Chol- mondeley Published by Dortd) Mead St Company, New York. A curiously long and intimate prefnee introduces this book. That preface is, in effect, a sort of autobiographical confession, con-fession, and is an intimate and appropriate appro-priate introduction to the four short stories that comprise the book. That preface -also deals with a certain touchiness touchi-ness among those who think thev nro caricatured in a book, coupled with a disclaimer of any intent to offend. ''The Hand on the Latch," the sjorv which gives title to the bonk, is one of the harshest and most sorrowful happenings happen-ings that can be conceived. The nc"t story, "The Lowest Rung." is an affecting af-fecting story of a woman who, although under tho ban, had a true heart towards her "little Nan." "The (Jnder?f.ndy " is a pitiful story of 0110 who was too far gone through reckless giving too much. The final, story. "Saint Luke's Siiiiiiiik.'. " In- :l Ii.'iiidv. I.wo.nurt storv of, true love and dovotion. Tho book is a heartily charming one, with its heart-lo-heart talk in tho preface and its heart-to-heart stories that make up tho contents. A ROMANCE OF ARRAN. Tho J lands of Compulsion. By Amelia J. Barr. Frontlcplucn by Walter Everett. Ev-erett. Published by Dodd, Mend & Company, New York. - This is a story of the folk of Arran island, that snot of beauty which lies between tho shores of Ayrshiro and the ruggod hondlands of Kimyro. Here tho great fighter, Fingal, ii? reputed to havo kindled his signal fires to warn and collect the clans to resist Agric.ola when the Roman fleet entered the. Clyde, and where Ossian came to wait for death; and hero camo "the great, silent, fighting Norsemen, who hated lies," and whose religion wns to die (ho death of Jhe brave in battle. Hero Robert Bruce lit the bencon that grew ever brighter fill tho blaze of glory at Bannockburn. Jt is a grim, tenacious folk that lives on Arran; and this is a story of that folk. Annie Brodick, the heroine, pledges herself to R03' Morrison, who is represented as tin all-around scoundrel; scoun-drel; but with the strong-head cdnoss of her race, Annie sticks to him until Jiis unworthiness so plninlj' appears that she cannot but. seo if. Ann then she considers t.har, her life is blasted, and might as well end. But with tho sensitivoucss of her kind, she makes no sign; going away to shift for her-solf, her-solf, aud doing right, well thoroin. Tier father, tho dour Deacon Brodick, saw with grief her fondness for Roy, and lamented openly that she had not made a better choice. Roy had tried to prcjudico Annie agaiust Will Morrison, Mor-rison, by lying about him; but Annie is not much impressed with the talcs. In her independent lifo much good comes to her, including the love of an Earl, to whom she is reported engaged: en-gaged: but, in tho oud sho turns to her old friend Will, of whom sho seems to havo been unconsciously fond all tho time. It is a charmingly told story; and the author, whose "Jan Vedder's Wife," and "The Bow of Orange Ribbon" havo already made her ta-mous, ta-mous, will find that Vamo brightened by this exceedingly well-told story. FATHER AND SON COMPETE. Wallace Rhodes; a Novel. By Norah Davis. Da-vis. Harper & Brother Publishers, New York. The central idea in this story is the contest between a father aud sou in courting a young woman, each wishing to marry her. The story opens with tho woman. Veronica Bowdre, hotly courted by tho son, Quineey Rhodes, and supposedly about to marry him. The father, Wallace Rhodes, does not, view the match with any favor at all, and is out of touch and out of sympathy with the woman. Later, however, he becomes fascinated with her himself, and complications com-plications arise thick and fast. The social swim becomes agitated, Veronica has a scathing interview with ICdith Quarles, who is eventually one of the heroines of the novel along with herself. her-self. Tho current of the story flows along with a good many rapids and whirls in it, but the father finally wins out with Veronica and the son consoles himself with Hdith. It is a right strong story, (old with a good deal of power and in the exorcise of a free imagination; imagina-tion; with abounding good taste and rare ability to construct, and work out the main "plot, as well as the interwoven plots that inevitably arise. The author shows her charm of diction, wide knowledge knowl-edge of human nature, and constructive idealism in this work, which is one certain cer-tain to bo largely attractive to the reading read-ing world. GOOD ATHLETIC STORIES. On Track and Diamond. By George T-Iar-vcv. Van Tassel Sulphen. James M. Hallowcll. J. Conover, and S. Scovllle, Junior. Illustrated. Harper & Brothers, Broth-ers, Publishers, New York. This is ono of the Harper Aihlotic Slories, which comprises selected talcs of track, diamond, gridiron, golf, and other sports. There aro thirteen stories in this book, showing victories in baseball, base-ball, foot racing, in tonuis, in rowing, in bicycling, and in general scrimmages. scrim-mages. Tho series comprise a right lively set of stories, all of them presented pre-sented in good form, with a thorough knowledge of the technique of the game in every case. LITERARY NOTES. j Carolyn Wells's forthcoming: book of verses will bo named "The Rubaiyat of Bridge Whist." It might not be easy to say of names like Carolvn Wells and Bridge Whist which is more popular, but the combination suggests everything When there is added to t hem the favorite form oT the Rubaiyat, Its graceful metre and susceptibility to parody, this little book seems assured of a popularity which can scarcely be predicted. There will be modish sketches In color by May Wilson Preston, one for every stanza. In the opinion of Emerson Hough, the nuthor of "50-40 or Fight." tho onlv trouble with the world is that it Is nil wrong. For instance, everybody goes south for a vacation in the winter time, whereas everybody ought to go north and try snowshoelng and camping: out in the Know. Mr. Hough has proved scientifically sci-entifically that, this the only right way to do. for when ho takes his vacntlon In that way he is the healthiest known man. Life in the citv. accordimr to Mr. Houch. is only a comproml.se. We endure It, but don't thrive under it. The whole tho-ory tho-ory of education In America today is based on the Idea of getting rich and living in a olry. When wc are educated to get poor, live in the country and take our vacations in the winter time and In the north, we may get on belter! Norah Davis, author of the just-pub-lifhed novel of New Orleans society. "Wallace Rhodes." has the unusual distinction of having served as clerk of the United States district court for tho northern district of Alabama, at Birmingham. Birming-ham. Miss Davis maintains that It was at that point that she first got to looking look-ing at things from a man's point of view, and adds: "My work threw mo with men from whom I learned an incredible number num-ber of things with lawyers and Judges, and experts of all sorts. 1 got lo sec life as It IooIck to the eyes of men who are in it. to have a knowledge of good and evil not to bo got out of books: lo look on close by at the. wrestlers in I he arena, and by and by, hefore I knew it, I. too. was a wrestlor. Men are owned by their ideas and forced by them Into the arena lo fight, and o 11. rumo about that I found myself committed lo my first novel, which grew out of I he. story of a trial for lynching In the federal court. I have been told that my new novel. 'Wallace Rhodes.' is written decidedly from a man's point of view, and I am Inclined lo think this Is true." |