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Show A WOMAN IN A MAN'S POSITION. "The Girl He Left Behind," by Helen Iieecher long. Published by George Sully & Co., New York. 1'iice $1.25 net. A girl's struRsle to prevent the establishment estab-lishment for which she works from being ruined by a scheming stockholder while the executive is at war is the subject ot this story. It is a romance which seeks to illustrate the ability of women to till the positions usually assigned, to men. Kthei Clayton is private secretary to Frank Barton, general manager of the Hapwood & Diller company, and when the latter, taunted as being a slacker, repudiates repudi-ates his claim lor exemption and joins the colors, he asks the girl to watch the business while lie is away. Kthel soon discovers that things are not going right. An order which Barton rejected because its senders were on the verge of bankruptcy bank-ruptcy is accepted by Mayberry, the acting act-ing manager, and when the girl remonstrates, remon-strates, she is told to attend to her own affairs. A visit to the training camp prevents the' filling' of the order, but questionable things continue to happen. Grandon Fuller, who has acquired a large block of stock through a disputed will, becomes very friendly with Mayberry, and their actions arouse suspicion in the mind of Y Kthel. A sudden decrease in the profits of the company further convinces the secretary that a plot is brewing and she resolves to thwart it. An exciting contest then ensues. Miss Clayton is faithful to the task because, be-cause, though there is no hope of her affections being returned, she Is in love with Barton, and whilo she works, her hero is carrying on a romanco in Europe with Helen Fuller, to whom he has always al-ways paid great attention. Things take , place, however, that greatly alter Frank's V desires, and the story has a proper ending. end-ing. The novel is one in which events move rapidly. It is full of thrills and surprises and has a good plot. Lovers of the lighter form of literature will certainly enjoy it. , A STOKY FOR THE GIRLS. "Isabel Carleton's Friends," by Margaret Ashmun. Published by the Macmillan company. New York. Price $1.35 net. Miss Ashmun's tales of Isabel Carleton are sweet and wholesome, and they have an appeal that no normal girl can resist. In them the delicate problems of femininity, femi-ninity, dress, friends, love, and ambition - find a natural and pleasant solution- The events are calm and' simple, but their meaning Is the interpretation of the greatest things In life. . . The present novel deals with the closing davs of a successful year at college. Its characters are well known to the readers of the Carleton series. Rodney Fox is the leading man. and his romance wftrt Isabel, so touchingly begun in a former narrative, is carried on a little further. Meta Houston, "the barbaric princess, Bl?o appears and It is in the breaking of her haughty pride by a stepmother s love that the plot of the story lies. A maximum of delightful conversation marks the author's style. The book is bright and full of life and will especially appeal to girls in their later teens. FROM LIFE'S DARKEST SIDE. "Can Such Things Be?" By Ambrose ; Bierce. Published by Boni and Lle- f' right, New York. Ambrose Bierce was a writer of pro-foundest pro-foundest horror. His stories are short, vivid and terrifying. They always end with death or some other freat calamity for the hero, and they fill the reader's soul with morbid wretchedness. Yet thev are interesting because they trulv represent a certain phase of lite. The' sorrows that spring trom human superstition are graphically p ctured by b them and since the revelation of our LV. fellow creatures' follies makes our wis- dom grow, wo are satisfied. The present volume Is a collection from the best of Bierce's works. It contains tales from the tragedies of general life discourses on the nature ot ghosts, a few pathetic soldier stories,- and some harrowing accounts of haunted houses. More than forty selections are given in lie book, and each bears a grewsome message from the gloomy realms of mans existence. AT THE CANTONMENTS. "The Yanks Are Coming," by William Havens McNutt. Published by the Page company, Boston. , Price $1.50 net. It is with the human element of the national army that the present volume deals In It are recorded the stories, n necdotes, impressions and descriptions gathered by an eminent newspaper correspondent cor-respondent during his visits to the various va-rious cantonments. The work reflects the spirit of our fighting men and will bo read with interest by all who have loved ones in the service. Separate consideration is given each of the training camps, and their likenesses like-nesses and differences are explained. The attitude of the boys toward their task is des-cribed in every instance to be whole-pome whole-pome and optimistic. Morbid impressions, such as have gained currency among certain civilians, are exploded. There in also a valuablo discussion of America s war aims and the incidental benefits that must of necessity come out of the con- " Tho work is written In the true style of the reporter; light, breezy and smooth-flowirg. smooth-flowirg. It offers In a manner that all can comprehend and enjoy. Information thfit every patriotic American desires, and to which, for the good of the country, ao-f ao-f cc.s should be most easy. A MOMENTOUS TRIP. "yocrMarv Baker nt the Front." by Ralph A. Hayes. Published by the Century company, New York. Price $1 net. A picturesque account of the momentous momen-tous trip mado by our war secretary to England France and Italy in tho spring . of HiS la here presontod by the man who acted sa private secretary to Mr. Bakor during tho journey. It is a book that will be read with Interest today, and ft will furnish to future historians authentic information concerning a most Important event. The author, because of his position, w;is necessarily in the midst of all that look place, and ho returned with a notebook note-book full of memoranda and impressions. These he has worked over j it to a continuous continu-ous narrative with a true literary style. Tho work covers in detail every incident inci-dent of the European visits that could possibly Interest the renders. It Is replete re-plete with vivid descriptions, and has a character sketch of Mr. Baker that is Inspiring. The volume Is Illustrated from photngiaphs taken under tho personal su-, su-, pervision of the writer. ENGLAND'S EDUCATIONAL ' SYSTEM. ".loan and Peter," by H. C. Wells. Published Pub-lished by the M:u-miil:n company, Now York. Price $l.7o net. Lovers of fiction have learned to expect ex-pect : nn sit ally good stories from Mr. Wells, tut tho present novel Is more than tiiig it is a brilliant literary triumph. In it tho author h.is skilfully combined history, criticism, philosophy and politics with an interest-gripping narrative. Tho theme is tho endeavors of a liberal Briton to properlv educate his two wards, and It touches every phuse of the Inadequate Inade-quate conditions that have prevailed for the last two decades In England's schools and rnllrgos. All tho fans and Irrational Irra-tional reforms, as well as the antiquated trad it ional methods in vogue, are pic-J pic-J turesquely described. CJro.it Britain's po- f IlHi'al situation lust before tho v.'ar and w lb,- effects of the conflict on England u'.-o are discussed. The story, which Is tho life hNtory of nn English boy and girl. Is full of co'.or and human interest. Tt tells of childhood child-hood rambles, college life, and the trials of adolescence. In it are adventures, tragedies and a beautiful romance. The characters are r-;il, lovable and heroic, and the plot fulfills every requirement of a classic, literary novel. There w.-s, no doubt, a motive in writing writ-ing the book. It i full of suggested inform, in-form, and it puts tile question of educational educa-tional adjustment squarely and impressively impres-sively U fore the re.dei s. But th-ire is no trace of preaching in the work and theoretical ideals are not advanced. Its teachings are nrar.tical and valuable, and the- story through, which they are tolu is so absorbing that evervbooy must enjoy en-joy it. A CONSERVATION MEASUEE. "Our National Forests," by Richard H. I J Boerker. Published by the Macmillan Mac-millan company. New York. Price ?2.5j net. Conservation of our forest resources has assumed a vital aspect in the welfare of out nation. Not only must the future supply of timber be insured, but the existence ex-istence of trees on the. mountainsides is necessary to prevention of Inestimable damage through erosion, floods and uncertain un-certain water supply for irrigation and culinary purposes. It is with the government's activities in this direction that the present volume deals. In it a wealth of information hitherto scattered through a score of bulletins bul-letins is brought together. ; The wanton destruction practiced by the early woodmen which gave rise to the need of protective measures, is described, de-scribed, and the history is given of the 1 rise and development of the reserves. A ! technical analysis is rrade of national for-: for-: est administration, which Includes the i duties of the various officers, the allot-i allot-i ment of government appropriation, equip-i equip-i ment and supplies, improvements, classi- fication and consolidation, and the meth-i meth-i ods used for reforestation. Protection j against fire, insects and disease is dis-! dis-! cussed. There is also a thorough explana-j explana-j tion of tho conditions under which the products of the forests are sold, rented, or otheiwise disposed of. Mr. Eoerker gathered the Information for his work during his seven years with the national forest service, and U is entirely en-tirely dependable. The book contains the latest statistics on the resources and extent ex-tent of cur reserved timberlands, and is freely illustrated with nature photographs. I EFFICIENT MUNICIPAL ADMINIS- T RATION. j "American Cities and Their Methods of Business," by Arthur Benson Gilbert, AT. A. Published by the Macmillan company, New York. Price $1.50 net. That with the exhaustion of other bus!-' i ness differentials industry must depend j more and more on the efficiency of city administration is tho contention of the I author, and he pleads for a scientific ! hastening of the reforms that must in-j in-j variably come. The elements that determine the suc-I suc-I cess or failure of industrial umertak-I umertak-I ings are reviewed, and their relation to ! municipal affairs is pointed out. By care-! care-! ful analysis it is shown that the costs j of production and distribution are largely large-ly fixed by conditions beyond individual or corporate control, and the proper ob-: ob-: ject 'of city promotion is declared to be the lessening of these external expenses. To attain this goal, Mr. Gilbert says, it is necessary that the prevailing forms of city government be fundamentally altered. al-tered. Eabor conditions, including home environments, and the opportunities to enjoy culture and- to achieve advance-1 advance-1 ment, must be drastically improved. The ; possibility of holding land vacant for speculation spec-ulation and thus lorcing lp the rents must be destroyed. A grave fallacy is pointed point-ed out in the generally accepted theory that saving is a virtue, and the philosophy of unchecked spending is advocated. The advantages of local investment ! over the exportation of capital are explained. ex-plained. Efficient service in public utilities utili-ties is said to be incompatible with private pri-vate ownership. The replacing of the mayor and city council with a managerial form of government such as exists in I modern business corporatiors, is held to bo imperative, and politics must be shorn of its power to secure special privileges. priv-ileges. The work, while advocating changes that are radical, is most conservative in its suggestions for attaining the ends. : It docs not teach revolution or Immediate Immedi-ate action. It merely claims to be a prophet of what must inevitably take place, and hopes by pointing the changes to hasten their culmination. The Ian-I Ian-I guage of the book is clear and concise I and the arguments are logical. It is a volume that anyone can read with benefit. HOW DICK DEFEATED THE GERMAN SPIES. "The -Boy Scouts of Kendallvllle," bv Brewer Corcoran, Published by the Page company, Boston. Price $1.50 net. The foiling, by a boy scout, of the en-I en-I deavors of German secret agents to de-1 de-1 stroy the pistol factory in which he works Is the subject of this story. It is a thriliing narrative, full of the kind of ! adventures that youth enjoys; and it has a mystery plot that ends in complete sur-I sur-I prise. 1 Dick Hall, who because of his father's i Illness has been forced to enter the Kon-, Kon-, dall works at a tender age, Is attracted by the personality of Jim Scott, a now-comer: now-comer: snd. though warned against It by the older men, tho lad becomes very fa-I fa-I miliar with the stranger. As a result of 'complications gTowing out of this friond-, friond-, ship, Dick Is suspected by his foreman. Weinberg, of stealing from the office and is discharged. He appeals tp Mr. Kendall Ken-dall and is promised a job In another department de-partment or. condition that he remain silent si-lent concerning the accusation. In the meantime America is drawn Into the European war. and events take place In Kendallvillo that indicate that a nest of spies Is plotting to cripple the factory. fac-tory. The local boy scouts, of whom Young Hall is one, are called upon to patrol pa-trol the works, and in tho course of his duty Dick hrs another clash with Weinberg. Wein-berg. Tho disgruntled foreman demands that Kendall dismiss the boy, and as a result ho loses his cwn position. In retaliation re-taliation he attempts to foment a strike, but is prevented by the vigilance of the boy scou ts. Tha t n igh t the factory is srt on fire and the discharged foreman, with Scott and several other workmen, dis.'ippea rs. While helping to extinguish tho flames Dick is so bs.dly burned that he is unable to work, and during convalescence he wanders into the woods, is captured by Weinberg's ganc, bound and left to die. His escape and the events that follow will thrill the heart of every reader. The book was written for the youmr, and will g-aln its greatest appreciation among boys of the scout age. It Is clean and wholesome, and in every way complies com-plies with tiie scout ideals. Difo and color mark the author's stylo, and tho story is one that anybody will enjoy. LIFE OF THE EARLY DATS. "Three Boys In the Indian IliMs," bv W. S. Phillips. Published by the Page company, Boston. Price. Sl.nO net. A picture of Indian life as it existed on the northern plains In the middle of the nineteenth century is presented In this novel. It deals with a hunting excursion ex-cursion of two white boys and a red-sklnr.ed red-sklnr.ed companion into the land of the Blackfoot tribes. Tho story is based on historic facts, and was written with the object of instructing young America concerning con-cerning the customs and traditions of the penulo' who first had possession of this country. Billy, the son of Colonel Rogers, dnm-mandfr dnm-mandfr at Fort Brown, and his chum. Neeisataphi. a firl-blood Flack font Indian, In-dian, who, sin.-e the former saved his life. has' been the constant companion of the white boy, receive word that Billy's cousin. Prank, is C" miner west for a vacation. The boys are delighted and plan for the entertainment of their visitor vis-itor an extended trip into the mountains. Many wild adventures overtake the hunters. They fight with savage beasts, and lose all their provisions in the woods, j A band of Kooteuals, the mortal foes of the Biackff-et, atuu-ks them and the boys aie forced to flee to the people of Xi-"-tea tar hi for protection. A bloody hatt'e ensues, in which the white lads, fighting side by side with, their dark-skinned dark-skinned fiiends. s.i distinguish them- : selves by their bravery that Chief Buil Plum adopts them into his tribe. The story is replete with thrilling incidents, in-cidents, vivid descriptions and beautiful Indian lore. It gives an accurate and impressive account of the red man's life and religion, and also discusses the animals ani-mals that once were common in the west. Boys of that age which demands exciting excit-ing outdoor stories will enjoy the work, and at the same time they will gain valuable information of conditions that the pioneers encountered. I " STOELES OF FAMOUS COMPOSERS. "Face to Face With Great Musicians." by Charles P. Isaacson. Published by Bonl j it Liveright, New York. Price 1.50 net. Short, spicy character sketches of thirty of the world's greatest musicians are pre- j sented in tiiis volume. They were origi- nally intended for use as introductions to I a series of classic concerts that the author I was conducting, but their success in bring- j ing audiences to the proper mood for en- j joying the better class of music prompted , their publication In a permanent form. Presented in the nature of interviews or visits with their subjects, the essays bring out the human side of the great composers' compos-ers' lives; and laymen, finding that the masters were persons much like themselves, them-selves, with joys, sorrows and struggles, are led to sympathize and through sympathy sym-pathy they learn to appreciate the grand endeavors. The stories are, moreover, strictly based on historv. Diligent search has been made of all the available data, and no words are put into a hero's mouth that are not recorded as having actually been spoken during his life. Care has also been exercised to make each article representative rep-resentative of tiie most salient features of the music produced by the man it depicts. de-picts. It is a book that helps us to understand under-stand and love the classic compositions, and it has a human appeal that everybody every-body will enjoy. MODERN BUSINESS METHODS. "Dawson Black, Retail Merchant," by Harold Whitehead. Published by the Page company, Boston. Price, " $1.50 net. A story rich in human interest, tense with the struggles of its hero, and possessed pos-sessed of those indescribable qualities that make a good novel, is presented in this volume. But the narrative is only of secondary importance: the greatest great-est value of the work lies in its lucid discussions of the best modern business methods. Dawson Black is left a small sum of , money by his aunt, and, thouglj inexperienced inex-perienced and lacking extensive education, educa-tion, he is prompted bv ambition to purchase pur-chase a little hardware store. His first year of business is fraught with mistakes and disappointments, but he goes on and is taught by his errors the way of success, suc-cess, a rival, who swears to close Dawson Daw-son out. .gives the story a plot that is full of excitement, and the influence of . the young man's wife on his career adds : a touch of romance. In the course of his business, Mr. Black . meets many fellow merchants and sales- ' people, and through their discussions and ; Dawson's own experiments, the lessons of the work are told. It is a book that gives us valuable Information in a manner man-ner that is most pleasing and impressive. THE STORY OF A GRAY SQUIRREL. "Happy Jack," by Thornton W. Burgess. Published by Utile, Brown & Co., Boston. Bos-ton. Price $1.25 net. In the animal stories of. Mr. Burgess nothing is taught that the children will have to unlearn in after years. His characters char-acters are the beasts and birds of the field and forest personified for the sake of , the narrative, but except for their endow- ment of speech, they are left in their natural environment and allowed to do only the things they actually perform in life. There is, moreover, no attempt to moralize or draw lessons that are foreign to the animal world. Teachers will appreciate ap-preciate at once the value of such works, and to others they are recommended without reserve as embodying the best principles of modern education. A gray squirrel is the hero of the present pres-ent volume, and he is a real represent active ac-tive of the sciurus caralinensis. He labors la-bors in the fall to store food for winter, chatters in the trees, quarrels with his oousin, the red squirrel, and lives in per- j petual fear of Shadow, the weasel. Final- j ly he is induced by kindness to leave his ; forest home and dwell in a little house prepared by Farmer Brown's boy. The book is intended for children in the upper primary grades and is printed in the type best suited for their eye The language Is simple and expressive, and the work is freely Illustrated with full page color drawings from the. brush of Harrison Cody. It is a volume that will delight the little ones. BEDTIME STORIES FOR THE LITTLE ONES. "The Sandman: Ills Bunnv Stories," by j Harry W. Frees. Published by the Page company, Boston. Price, $1.50 1 net. Bedtime stories are a boon that no conscientious mother caji deny her children, chil-dren, and narratives suitable for their use are always in demand. The present pres-ent volume contains a series of delightful delight-ful tales based on the fancies, desires and games of our little ones. They are brief, vivid, full of beautiful sentiment, and entirely free from suggestions of fear or mischief. The characters, while presented pre-sented as rabbits, are human In every particular, and their habitat, customs ' and problems are the same as those of I the boys and girls. The book Is written in language readily read-ily understood by the juvenile mind, and It will stimulate tho Imagination in the right direction. It is Illustrated from photographs that were especially posed for the work, and is printed in the type most suitable for the eyes of young people. peo-ple. The work is Intended for children between the ages of C and 12 years. |