Life — May 22, 1902 — page 6: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

442 Literature. GOOD many will be mystified by General Lew Wallace saying that Indianapolis is the seat of litera- g ture in America. The likelihood is that the General was joking. Has literature in America any occasion to ‘* go away back and sit down,” that she should be seri- ously assigned to such a seat? No art known to moderns, unless it be perchance the art of renova- ting pass¢ meat during the present searcity, is making its devotees more money than is the literary art. Anything short of a seat in Chicago is unthinkable. Nf ANY a heart does duty as a head- THE impressive size and careful setting of Sir Wemyss Reid's three-hundred y-page biographical volume, William Black, Novelist, is somewhat suggestive of the use of a sledge-hammer to drive a tack. It is charmingly written, however, and makes entertaining reading, and the author thoroughly impresses one with the charm of his hero if not with his importance. (Har- per and Brothers, $2.25.) John Corbin'’s An American at Ozford would at any time be of interest to Ameri- can college men. Coming as it does in the midst of the discussion in regard to Mr. Rhodes's educational bequests, it has an added timeliness, The book gives a good summary of English University ways with- “YM APRAID WE'RE NOT GOING BACK ON THE SAME ROAD WE CAME OUT ON." “wow po You KNow?* “HAVEN'T SEEN A SIGN OF RLOOD."” out throwing either statistics or information atthe reader's head. (Houghton, Mifilin and Company.) In plot Marie Manning's Lord Aling- ham, Bankrupt, is @ rather ordinary varia- tion upon the theme of the British fortune hunter. In style it is quite out of the com- mon, It is written, to use the author's words, “in such flowers of speech as the forcing-house of her mentality afforded.” A floral atmosphere quite stimulating at first, but too highly perfumed for continued inhalation, (Dodd, Mead and Company. $1.50.) The God of Things, by Florence Brooks Whitehouse, is called “a novel of modern Egypt.” That is to say, it contains descrip- tions of Shepheard’s Hotel, the Cairo bazars and the Pyramids. The story itself is flat and the characters are neither more brilliant nor more interesting than the average guests at Shepheard’s (Little, Brown and Com- pany, Boston.) The Game of Love is a decidedly novel by “ Benjamin Swift” (W. R. erson). The characters are either monplace or suggest an attempt at a yarn by & poor mimic, and neither plot nor'style is calculated to turn the scales. (Charles Scribner's Sons. $1.50.) A valuable little book for country refer- ence is F, Schuyler Mathews's Field Book of American Wild Flowers. It is clear and concise intext, handy in size, and illustrated with twenty-four colored plates and two hundred full-page drawings. (G. P. Put- nam’s Sons. $1.75.) A notable educational book just issued by Ginn and Company is Professor Clifton F. Hodge's Nature Study and Life. It marks a distinct advance in method, and deserves commendation for its classification. The numerous quotations are an admirable fea- J.B. Kerfoot. rst) P.Green, artist, lingers near his first exbtbiiton pleture, Number 32, The Beginning of Love's Romance,” that he may hear the words of praise for bis masterplece. mighty poor beginning! Stout Gentleman; “The Beginning of eb? Well, it's a Hpe tomatoes. if they were playing ping-pong with over- P. Green (gasping): Back to the farm! comicbooks.com