“This is one of the publications of the Central committee for national patriotic organizations. ... His analysis (to which the first four chapters are devoted) in headed paragraphs, of German industrial expansion, of the influence of the German government and character on industry, and the dangers of German aggression, is impartial and instructive. Mr Dibblee deals with our economic policy after the war in a cautious spirit. He foresees a tariff, but a strictly moderate one, and a moderate duty on corn. ... Among ‘internal measures of defence’ he urges the establishment of a foreign trade office and a system of licenses for employment, transfer of land, company promotion, export of raw material, &c.”—The Times [London] Lit Sup
“This very shrewd and able little book deserves attention.”
DICK, JOHN HARRISON, ed. Garden guide; the amateur gardener’s handbook. il 75c; pa 50c De La Mare 710 17-11482
The publishers claim for this book a larger aim than that indicated by the title. They hope “through its medium to win thousands from crowded city homes to the free air of the open country.” Among the contributors are F. F. Rockwell, A. J. Loveless, and Charles Livingston Bull. The subjects taken up include: Planning the home grounds; Lawns and grass plots; Hedges and fences; Trees and shrubs; The rose garden; Among the hardy flowers; Annuals and biennials; Garden furniture; Fruit for the small garden; Vegetable garden; Pruning, etc. There are numerous illustrations, diagrams and tables.
“Its twenty-four chapters deal in a way easily understood with the many perplexing problems which confront the beginner and often the professional as well. A calendar of operations contains much useful information, while the chapterson garden furniture and accessories will be eagerly absorbed by the reader who is mechanically inclined.”
DICKINSON, ASA DON, and DICKINSON, HELEN WINSLOW, eds. Children’s book of patriotic stories; the spirit of ‘76. il*$1.25 (3c) Doubleday 17-25380
Among the stories selected for this volume are: Jabez Rockwell’s powderhorn, by Ralph D. Paine; Old Esther Dudley, by Nathaniel Hawthorne; The battle of Bunker’s Hill, by Washington Irving; The little fifer, by Helen M. Winslow; Paul Revere’s ride, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; A venture in 1777, by S. Weir Mitchell; The little minute-man, by H. G. Paine; Washington and the spy, by James Fenimore Cooper. For each story there is a brief introductory note and the table of contents indicates the stories suitable for older and for younger children.
“Good reference material for any children’s library.”
“A book confessedly more patriotic than historical, since the seeker of sober truth does not interpret the year ‘76 quite in the spirit of ‘76.” J: Walcott
“These are good stories for the children of 1917 to read, both because they are good stories and because, later, the spirit of ‘76 and the spirit of ‘17 will have much in common.”
“The work of selection has been well done, and the book may be recommended for juvenile libraries, public or private.”
DICKINSON, GOLDSWORTHY LOWES.Choice before us.*$2 Dodd (*6s Allen & Unwin, London) 172.4 17-29207
“The author’s purpose is to describe briefly the prospect before the world if the armed international anarchy is to continue, and to be extended and exasperated, after the war. The origin of the war, and our participation in it, are not discussed; though the author is of opinion that we could do ‘no other.’ He seeks to analyse and discuss the presuppositions which underlie militarism, and arguing both that international war as it will be conducted in the future implies the ruin of civilisation, and that it is not ‘inevitable,’ he sketches the kind of reorganization that is both possible and essential if war is not to destroy mankind.” (Ath) “Mr Dickinson nurses the belief, not very strongly it seems to us, that wars may be prevented by a system of international leagues and international councils of conciliation. ... He is quite clear that internationalism can effect nothing unless all the great powers are members of the league. He says plainly that if Germany and Austria are to be left out of this league the thing is hopeless, and there is a vista of wars before us. He also argues with much force that if the Entente powers persist in waging an economic war against the Central European powers, then the economic must be followed by a military war.” (Sat R)
Reviewed by H. W. Boynton
“With regard to militarism in England, Mr Lowes Dickinson lays undue stress on an entirely uninfluential and forgotten book by Captain Ross in his attempt to find evidences of militarism in countries other than Germany. The value of the book lies in its appeal to realities; its criticism of unreal standards and ideals.” M. J.
“On the whole, Mr Dickinson presents a strong case against the militarists. A valuable service performed by the author is his collection of scattered statements made by prominent representatives of the allied nations into a formidable body of militaristic doctrine. It is a dangerous plant in whatever soil it may be rooted.”
“All who respect clear thinking, large-hearted zeal, and generous common sense must respect his expression of his views.”
“Every thinking man and woman should read Mr Dickinson’s book, which is a series of powerful arguments, written by a most accomplished disputant, in favour of a combined endeavour by the civilised world to put an end to war. There is, however, one indispensable condition to the success of Mr Dickinson’s ideas—international leagues must be in the hands of responsible statesmen, and not under the control of the secret societies or led by cosmopolitan anarchists.”
“We find these books exceedingly exasperating. ... Their theory of joint responsibility, with Germany as the worst sinner because the most completely militarized, ignores the whole history of Prussia as a predatory Power. ... Books like these should be read—for even in the worst of them there is much good sense—though their tone and the attitude of the writers towards the mass of their countrymen make the reading rather repulsive.”
“The case against militarism—obvious militarism, and the militarism which stalks under the guise of imperialistic policy—has seldom been thought out with keener analysis and closer logic.”
“His purpose is so manifestly good, his temper is so reasonable, he is so desirous to see things as they are that even those who differ from some of his conclusions, and the many others who miss in his volume a sense of true proportion, will listen attentively to his argument and agree with much of it. There are many pages in this volume which express admirably the opinions of calm, clear-thinking men as to the outlook and our duties as a nation. ... But the reader who lays down the volume with the sense that he has learned much from it, and who agrees that ‘there are in all countries traditions, interests, prejudices, and illusions making for war,’ may very likely think that there is a want of perspective in the treatment of the subject, and that certain facts, fit to be noted in season, are pushed into undue prominence.”
DICKINSON, THOMAS HERBERT.Contemporary drama of England. (Contemporary drama ser.)*$1.25 (2c) Little 822 17-7563
Beginning with a chapter on The early Victorian theatre, the author covers the whole field from the beginning of the second quarter of the nineteenth century to the present. The chapters following the first are: The decline of the romantic tradition; Adaptation and experiment; Toward a new English theatre; Dramatists of transition; Henry Arthur Jones; Arthur Wing Pinero; The busy nineties; New organization; George Bernard Shaw; Dramatists of the free theatre; The challenge of the future. There is a bibliographical appendix. The author is professor of English in the University of Wisconsin and author of “The case of American drama.”
“A book of quite extraordinary merit.” Clayton Hamilton
“In a comprehensive bibliographical appendix is given an index of English plays of the past eighty years, arranged alphabetically by authors, and a list of books and magazine articles on the drama.”
“The eleventh chapter, on the ‘Free theater,’ and the twelfth, which estimates the dramatic labors of Galsworthy, Hankin, Barrie, Craig,and Barker, will assist both the average theater-patron and the dramatic student in discerning the trend of modern plays and give them a better idea of the aims of modern stage producers.”
“Its historical information is interestingly presented, and it is much more meaty and detailed than many works of the kind. There are a few surprising mistakes. ... In interpretation and criticism Mr Dickinson, while sometimes shrewd and apt, is less satisfactory. He is frequently too abstract, and finespun in his characterizations. ... This is Mr Dickinson at his vaguest, and it would be unfair to judge the book by such instances of strained and pointless criticism. Yet one fears that these sentences are typical of the instruction which Drama league audiences and literary clubs are getting in this country.”
DICKINSON, THOMAS HERBERT.Insurgent theatre.*$1.25 (2½c) Huebsch 792 17-30696
A concise, comprehensive discussion of the artistic and practical sides of the non-commercial theatre. At the outset the point of agreement taken for granted is the conviction on the part of workers that the things of the old theatre must be destroyed and a new theatre be built up in its stead. Without censure against the older order, the writer confines himself to the struggle for the new theatre,—the purposes of those who have started out in revolt; its problems of financial support including experiments in subsidy; the responsibility of audiences to support a theatre intelligently; early experiments showing that the machinery was not ready to carry out the new enterprises; the little theatre; laws that affect management of theatres, for instance, laws against Sunday performances and child-labor; dramatic laboratories; the children’s theatre; some of the pioneers of the insurgent theatre, and a closing chapter on the “Art and outlook of the insurgent theatre.”
Reviewed by Algernon Tassin
“It is interesting to compare the attitudes of Professor Dickinson and Cheney. The two volumes make an admirable combination for the theaterlover. ... The question of subsidy, direct and through subscription audiences, is ably handled by Professor Dickinson, as is the relationship of the college to dramatics in the matter of experimentation.” L: Gardy
“The book is, perhaps, the most comprehensive exposition that has yet been made of what is generally known as the ‘modern movement.’”
“Mr Dickinson is so familiar not only with the subject of the community theater, but also with the ordinary commercial enterprise and the lore and philosophy of the drama, that he has a background for understanding what he is talking about. No wild beliefs in the efficacy of new amateur theaters to build up a new social stratum in America tinge his views.”
“But this is more than a chronicle of the pioneers and their ventures; it is a clear, balanced and broadminded critique, helpful alike to the play-lover, the actor, the playwright and the producer. The responsibility of the audience is well-defined, the artistic devotion of those who are working out little theaters in town and country is keenly appreciated, and an encouraging outlook for the future is entertained.” M. H. B. Mussey
DICKSON, HARRIS.Unpopular history of the United States by Uncle Sam himself; as recorded in Uncle Sam’s own words. il*75c (3c) Stokes 355 17-25097
The manuscript of Upton’s “Military policy of the United States,” based on Civil war experience, lay filed and forgotten amongst millions of documents in the archives of the War department for twenty-five years. Then it saw the light. It was published by Mr Dickson. He says, “Every word that I have spoken here you will find in there; it has my official endorsement, printed on my presses, franked thru my mails, and sent free to my people. It’s true gospel, but folks say it doesn’t taste good.” Uncle Sam does the talking and he spares no forcible language to take the brag and bluster out of Americans who complaisantly think our war system is equal to the emergency of today. It is an arraignment of the volunteer service idea underlying military policy and a plea for universal, compulsory military service for both war and peace.
“It is poorly written; the writer, making Uncle Sam the speaker, rips out regular gosh-ding stuff. But the facts are interesting. For one who thrills at military victories, and is ashamed of military defeats, this book is a bit of a tonic. But for one whose interest is in the welfare of the people of the nation, rather than their Prussian prowess, this work is but an interesting sidelight into national psychology.” W: M. Feigenbaum
“The general effect of having these facts known to the people should be wholesome and in every way stimulating to patriotism and efficiency.”
DIDEROT, DENIS.Early philosophical works; tr. and ed. by Margaret Jourdain. (Open court ser. of classics of science and philosophy) il*$1.25 (2½c) Open ct. 194
This little volume includes the “Philosophic thoughts,” the “Letter on the blind,” together with its “Addition,” and the “Letter on the deaf and dumb,” published with notes and an appendix. In the “Philosophic thoughts” Diderot “still figures as a deist.” The “Letter on the blind” treats both of the theory of vision and of the argument from design, while the “Letter on the deaf and dumb” deals largely with esthetics. The introduction of twenty-five pages is by the translator and editor.
“Diderot’s range is extraordinary, as within this small volume he breaks ground in ethics and aesthetics, in the criticism of religion and of art. ... The ‘Letter on the deaf and dumb’ is full of interesting speculations upon aesthetics, which Lessing afterwards turned to account, and the ‘Philosophic thoughts,’ burnt by the Parliament of Paris in 1746, has still its interest as a breviary of philosophic scepticism.”
“The main philosophical point treated in the volume is the relation between mental development and sensuous endowment, a point on which some diversity of opinion is still maintained. His conclusion is that ‘the state of our organs and our senses has a great influence upon our metaphysics and our morality.’ ... To most modern psychologists Diderot’s principle will seem so manifestly true as scarcely to admit of discussion. Nevertheless, the principle has been called into question recently by the new realists, who argue that the human mind is in immediate contact with objective truth. For the confutation of such views Diderot’s acute observations upon a blind man and a deaf-mute of his acquaintance are not without value at the present time.”
“This collection of Diderot’s ‘Early works’ is worthy to be studied in connection with Morley’s book on ‘Diderot and the Encyclopedists,’ but it will be found interesting for its religious and esthetic speculations by all readers of intellectual tastes.”
DILNOT, FRANK.Lloyd George: the man and his story.il*$1 (2c) Harper 17-10671
The author has written of the career of the man who now rules England “with an absoluteness granted to no man, king or statesman, since the British became a nation,” as he himself has watched it. Among the chapters are: The village cobbler who helped the British empire; How Lloyd George became famous at twenty-five; Fighting the lone hand; The daredevil statesman; The first great task; How Lloyd George broke the House of lords; At home and in Downing Street; A champion of war; The alliance with Northcliffe; At high pressure; His inconsistencies; How he became prime minister; The future of Lloyd George. Lloyd George’s Lincoln day message is reprinted in an appendix.
“The book will well repay perusal.”
“Mr Dilnot has given us, not a critical estimate of the great English leader, for that is, at a time when men feel rather than think, impossible, but a clear, journalistic, if you will, and sympathetic account of the man as he appears to a newspaper writer who has had an unusual opportunity for following his career and a capacity for its interpretation. He is frankly an enthusiastic believer in the man and his policies.” J. T. Gerould
“Our thanks are due to Mr Dilnot for the most plausible picture yet given us of the most extraordinary man of the epoch.” G. I. Colbron
“Mr Dilnot has had first-hand acquaintance with British politics and political leaders for two or three decades, and he has written a substantial book on the dramatic contest over the Lloyd George budget of 1909. The present biography is a simple chronicle, highly laudatory, yet hardly more than the subject seems to demand.”
“The Prime minister of the British empire has had a career so meteoric and possesses a personality so unusual that biographers are likely to swarm about his story for many a day. Mr Dilnot’s, which is one of the best thus far, is brief, less than 200 pages, but graphic, and aims less to give a conventional account of his life than to present a picture of him that will make understandable his character and career.”
“Lloyd George will be chiefly known, we believe, as the friend of the poor, and this is the thread which runs through the volume, especially accentuated as to labor influence.”
“He writes as a candid friend, and devotes a whole chapter to Mr Lloyd George’s ‘inconsistencies,’ but for all that he contrives to suggest that the history of England for the last ten years has centred in his hero. The future historian will, we think, take a different view.”
DITCHFIELD, PETER HAMPSON.England of Shakespeare. il*$2 Dutton (*6s Methuen & co., London) 822.3 (Eng ed 17-17653)
“Mr Ditchfield has provided here a series of pen-sketches depicting in a popular and readable way the England that was Shakespeare’s, its religion, the court, the capital, the poet’s home, travelling, the great country-houses, the navy and army, agriculture and trade, dress, literature, and the drama, the people’s games and sports, the prevalent roguery, vagabondage, and punishments, and the current superstitions, such as beliefs in necromancy, astrology, and witchcraft. The book includes twelve illustrations.”—Ath
“Every student of Shakespeare, and, indeed, every student of Elizabethan literature, should read this book. It contains much rare and curious information helpful for the interpretation of the literature of the time. We hope that the author, in a second edition, willexpurgethe offensive expression ‘papists’ which constantly disfigures the pages of his book, and substitute the true appellation ‘Catholic’ instead.”
“The kindly country clergyman shows his real quality when he describes what he calls the country of ‘leafy Warwickshire,’ as typical of the rest of rural England in Shakespeare’s time. ‘The England of Shakespeare’ is a book that no lover of Shakespeare can afford not to read.”
“Making all due allowances for the exigencies of war time, we must still consider Mr Ditchfield curiously careless in small details. Any Latin scholar could make obvious emendations in the lines on p. 200, and there are several misquotations of passages and names that should be familiar as household words. His selections from representative views of the period are the strong point of his book.”
“All the main facts are well known already. But Mr Ditchfield retells them with such enthusiasm and in a setting of such pleasant anecdote and quotation that they must make an appeal of freshness even to the mind saturated in seventeenth-century history.”
“Especially graphic are the pen pictures which the author gives of the famous queen herself.”
DIVER, MRS KATHERINE HELEN MAUD (MARSHALL).Unconquered; a romance. il*$1.50 (1½c) Putnam 17-23756
Mrs Diver has written in “Unconquered” a war novel of conventional type. It tells the story of Sir Mark Forsyth’s infatuation for Bel Alison, a selfish young beauty, his return from the war with an injured spine, the exit of the beauty from the scene and the entrance of Sheila Melrose, the sweet young girl who has always loved Sir Mark and who is his mother’s choice for him.
“As a love-story the book, despite its wordiness, should prove of interest to those who like their war literature flavoured with romance. As an indictment of democratic government it has too much the air of being wise after the event.”
“Mrs Diver has done this part of her story especially well, for it requires skill to make so vivid and yet so restrained a drawing of those early war days.” D. L. M.
“The novel is too long, and the latter part of its drags more than a little, but it is written with sincerity.”
“In spite of the thin motif, the book has merits. ... Moreover, in an age overgiven to revolt against anything which makes for a standard or for discipline, it is refreshing to find an advocate of ‘the brave old wisdom of acceptance’ as a philosophy of life.”
“As we read the book we live through once again those summer and autumn months of 1914. It is a true picture of the early phases of public opinion in regard to the war, as well as a good love-story.”
“The only touch of individuality anywhere is Bel’s pacifism. The other characters are just puppets trained to make a continual call uponthe admiration of the reader. What is still more unfortunate is that Mrs Diver has bespattered her pages with serious discussion in the manner of the most commonplace leading articles of three years ago. ... We are treated by these solemn talkers to all the old truths which have now become truisms, and the oldclichéswhich have become banalities.”
DIXON, ROYAL.Human side of birds. il*$1.60 (3½c) Stokes 598.2 17-29555
An original study of birds which characterizes them according to their activities. Some are artists, cliff-dwellers and mound-builders, policemen, dancers, athletes and musicians; while others are scavengers and street cleaners, aviators, fishermen, mimics, ventriloquists and actors. The bird court of justice and the bird beauty parlor also come in for a share of novel treatment. Mr Dixon says, “It should be remembered that birds have a life, a point of view, and a destiny of their own, and that our failure to comprehend them in no way justifies us in concluding that they are in every sense below us in the scale of existence. ... There are birds of as many shades of character and disposition as there are types of people. There are the gay, the sad; the sociable, the reserved; the trustful, the shy; the frank, the deceitful; the honest, the dishonest; the gentle, the violent; the peaceful, the quarrelsome; and so on. However, it should be emphasized that the prevailing note of birddom is one of happiness and good cheer.”
“Mr Dixon has a fertile imagination, but he also has a wide knowledge of nature and he is very enthusiastic.” N. H. D.
“It contains much curious information, scientific and historic, and some that is neither, in a strict sense, but is none the less readable.”
“Colored plates and many photographs add to the attractiveness of the pleasantly chatty and at times quaintly imaginative papers.”
“It is a very interesting book and one which ought to open the eyes and sharpen the perceptions of most people to whom a tree is just a tree. The last chapter, on ‘Trees and civilization,’ is full of facts, eloquently presented, to show how great is the necessity that the human world and the tree world should co-operate for the good of civilization.”
“The book has a unique interest. The pictures are excellent.”
DIXON, ROYAL, and FITCH, FRANKLYN EVERETT.Human side of trees; wonders of the tree world. il*$1.60 (4c) Stokes 582 17-10453
“Man is the highest form of animal life and the trees are the highest form of vegetable life. They have much in common,” say the authors of this book. It is a companion volume to “The human side of plants” and its purpose is “to present the trees as living, lovable personalities—working and playing in a world quite as real and vital as our own; and possessing many habits and attributes which we often imagine are exclusively human.” Among the chapters are: Trees that build cities; Trees with a personality; Tree physiology; Trees that are fashionable; Trees with a college education; Trees and their business methods. There are over thirty illustrations, some of them in color.
“The illustrations are good and facts are authentic, but scientists may take exception to the method of presentation.”
“The book is, of course, rather entertaining than scientific, but the devices which it employs are legitimate apart from their object in interesting the student in a further pursuit of the science of dendrology.”
DIXON, WILLIAM MACNEILE.British navy at war. il*75c (3c) Houghton 940.91 18-1524
The professor of English language and literature in the University of Glasgow has given a graphic account of the work of the British navy during the war. He considers The war at sea—New problems—German tactics; tells of The ocean battles—Coronel and the Falkland Isles; of the North sea battles—the Dogger Bank and Jutland; of the work of the Submarines; of Blockade and bombardment; pays a tribute to the Grand fleet and ends with a summary of What the British navy has done for the world. The author acknowledges his indebtedness to the correspondence columns of the Times and to the Cornhill and other magazines for a number of descriptive quotations.
“Before the United States entered the great war we heard now and then that question of unpardonable ignorance: ‘What is the British fleet doing?’ ... The author has with remarkable brevity and brilliancy told the real story of the British navy in the recent war. It thrills the reader, and it is as authentic as it is inspiring.”
“Every word of it makes interesting reading; and not a small part of the pleasure the book imparts, is due to the author’s clear and flowing style.”
“As a chronology of events it is of considerable value.” J. W.
“This is a handy little book for the general reader who finds it hard to keep in mind a connected account of British naval operations simply from reading the papers. But if one is looking for a critical analysis of these operations, one must turn elsewhere. As history it is simply a hymn of praise.” W: O. Stevens
DOBBS, ELLA VICTORIA.Illustrative handwork for elementary school subjects. il*$1.10 Macmillan 371.3 17-13974
This desk manual discusses “the use of sand tables, pictures, and construction work in developing a clear understanding of history, geography and literature.” (Ind) “There are about twenty selected projects in detail besides lists of projects carried out by fifth, sixth and seventh grades.” (School Arts Magazine)
“Every classroom teacher should have this manual on her desk.”
DODGE, HENRY IRVING.Skinner’s baby.*$1.25 (3c) Houghton 17-25433
The Skinners had distinctly “arrived” since the first dress-suit was bought but husband and wife are still dividing “fifty-fifty.” How would it be over the baby? Would he be Skinner’s or Honey’s? He was to be a “regular boy.” So much was agreed. And a “regular boy” must have “a clean mind, a stout heart, and a strong body.” Could they make him one by working together or must each do a separate part? It took some adjusting but in the end it was “fifty-fifty” still. For his mother taught him to pray while his father showed him the way to the old swimming-pooland to the use of the boxing-gloves. And together husband and wife solved the puzzles that will fall to the share of, if not every reader, at least to every reader’s neighbor.
“The little tale is amusing, and the account of Skinner’s dreams before the baby came at once funny and pathetic. Baby Skinner himself is no supernaturally virtuous cherub, but a sturdy youngster, energetic, inquisitive, and possessed of that appalling logic which some children wield, to the utter dismay of those who endeavor to cope with them.”
DODGE, LOUIS.Children of the desert.*$1.35 (2½c) Scribner 17-7927
This is the story of Harboro and Sylvia. Harboro was forty when he met Sylvia. He had led the adventurous life of a railroad man in the Southwest and in Mexico. He was solid and substantial, a very rock of firmness and integrity. Sylvia was—there is no other word for her—a light woman. Harboro married her, knowing nothing of her past, and the men who did know and the woman who suspected kept silent out of respect for Harboro. Out of such a situation tragedy must inevitably come. The amazing thing about the story is the appealing sweetness of Sylvia. As the author draws her character, it is impossible wholly to condemn her. The action is played out in two towns that face one another across the Rio Grande.
“Mr Dodge makes both the woman and the man wholly plausible, and it is obvious that he seeks to present them as the victims of an inexorable fate.” E. F. E.
“A work of intense concentration and elimination. ... The author has shown in this latest novel an underlying strength and determination that ought to carry him a long way, and that should also lead him to overcome the looseness of writing that is such a blot upon his careful structure.”
“The author of ‘Bonnie May’ has written another book. And a greater difference can scarcely be imagined than that which exists between Louis Dodge’s first published novel and this second book which has just appeared. ‘Children of the desert’ is a study of character and of a problem which has been studied before and which will probably be studied for many a long year to come; it is set in the crudity and the wildness of Mexican border life; it is profoundly simple; and it is sheer tragedy.”
“While it is remarkably restrained in tone, free from gunfire and all traces of flashiness, some of its vital features belong to melodrama, and its dénouement, tho tragic in Hardy’s second best manner, is brought about by a potently melodramatic device. On the one hand the book inspires serious comparisons; and on the other it makes one wonder whether it is justified beyond the furnishing of an evening’s excitement.” Joseph Mosher
“Louis Dodge’s purpose in portraying the type of woman whose behavior is the central thread of ‘Children of the desert’ is not clear. Her portrayal proves nothing more valuable than it is possible for a human being to be without moral sense. Mr Dodge handles his theme with considerable skill, but his instinct to drown the novelist in the essayist will not down.”
Domestic service, by an old servant; with a preface by Mrs George Wemyss. il*$1 (4½c) Houghton 647 17-24417
“This is not a manual of domestic service, but recollections, reflections, and advice to young servants by an old servant who has been in nineteen situations—nine in Scotland, and ten in England—covering a period of fifty-two years.” (Ath) “It gives a realistic picture of life as it is lived and thought about by the typical well-behaved, well-treated servant of the old school, rather prosily contented in the lot whereto God has called her, happy to be remembered in the blessings of a considerate master or mistress.” (Springf’d Republican)
“The ‘old servant’s’ account, which is carefully edited, is a pleasing record of good feeling on the side both of employers and employed.”
“It is a delight to read this simple, moving record. There is emphasis in each chapter on the enduring value of loyalty in every walk of life.”
“With all proper respect for the virtue of contentment there is genuine pathos in the sheeplike quality of the nameless author’s devotion to duty. The editor of the book has shown doubtful wisdom or kindness in leaving the author’s English at its original loose ends.”
DOMINIAN, LEON.Frontiers of language and nationality in Europe. il*$3 Holt 940 17-15963
“This book is submitted as a study in applied geography. Its preparation grew out of a desire to trace the connection existing between linguistic areas in Europe and the subdivision of the continent into nations. The endeavor has been made to show that language exerts a strong formative influence on nationality because words express thoughts and ideals. But underlying the currents of national feeling, or of speech, is found the persistent action of the land, or geography. ... Upon these foundations, linguistic frontiers deserve recognition as the symbol of the divide between distinct sets of economic and social conditions.” (Preface) The author is a graduate of Robert college, Constantinople, and he has given particular attention to the Turkish situation because of its importance in the whole European entanglement. The book is an outgrowth of a series of articles written for the Bulletin of the American Geographical Society. The several colored maps of the book have been prepared under the direction of the American geographical society, and Dr Madison Grant, its president, has written the introduction.
“Seems qualified to become a standard source of information on the topics in the field it covers.” C. D.
“A full linguistic atlas of Europe is a desideratum, and the author has come so near to supplying it that one regrets he did not go further and include many more of the available but scattered linguistic maps of different sections. In matters touching the character, history, and relationship of languages, there are not a few remarks which savor of uncritical popular philology, some merely naïve in expression, some positively erroneous. But these do not seriously affect the main purpose and value of the book.” C. D. Buck
“When the author leaves the task of analysis to outline the application of what racial and linguistic conditions he considers the proper bases for boundary-making and their application to present-day political problems, his discussion becomes less convincing.” C. L. Jones
Reviewed by Albert Schinz
“Excellent maps, showing in colors the distribution of peoples, and also showing-languages having political significance, greatly aid in presenting the results of the author’s study. ... In size, type, illustrations and mechanical work the book is excellent.” H. S. K.
“The author is decidedly at his best in treating of the racial situation in Turkey.”
“The material here gathered is of great value to the student of history, diplomacy, and language, and this service does not depend upon the author’s theories and solutions.”
“Mr Dominian is well-fitted to perform his task because of his familiarity with European languages, geography, and politics; and his work is a valuable contribution to that large mass of data, literary and otherwise, which undoubtedly will play an important part in the readjustment of national boundaries in Europe at the termination of the war.”
“Supplies a pressing need. In any circumstances the appearance of this book would have been an event of importance to scholars since it is by far the most competent work on the subject available in English. Just now its practical value is so great that it ought not to become a scholar’s monopoly.” A. J.
“The author deserves a special word of commendation for the impartial attitude of mind with which he has faced his facts and endeavored to give to each one its full significance.”
“Anyone who thinks it will be quite easy to adjust boundaries after this war so as to insure stable equilibrium through any simple formula like ‘respect for the rights of small nationalities’ should read this careful and scholarly study.” K. H. Claghorn
“The book is full of learning interestingly expressed, cleverly arranged, and adequately illustrated with typical photographs and careful maps, in one of which he is at pains to leave uncoloured the uninhabited areas, a lesson in accuracy to be learned by many ethnographical cartographers. East of the Aegean, however, Mr Dominian’s work is more open to criticism than when he deals with Europe.”
DONHAM, S. AGNES.Marketing and housework manual. il*$1.50 Little 640 17-31012
Here is offered the benefit of twenty years of study and experiment in scientific household management. The instruction covers the following phases of home activity: General rules for marketing; Marketing charts; Menu making; Menu and order sheets; How to select foods—what the body needs; Food inventory; The cellar and laundry; The kitchen and kitchen pantry; The dining room, pantry and dish washing; The dining room and table service; The living room; The chambers and bed making; The bathroom and storage closets; General cleaning—sweeping, dusting; To open and close a house; House inspections; Small repairs, plumbing troubles; The reading of gas and electric meters; Program of work; Household pests.
DORLAND, WILLIAM ALEXANDER NEWMAN.[2]Sum of feminine achievement.*$1.50 Stratford co. 396 17-24822
A critical and analytical study of woman’s contribution to the intellectual progress of the world. This is “the century of the women,” the writer avers, “The course of development of the education of women has been by cycles, and at the present time there appears to have been reached an unusual wave, sweeping on the movement with unusual force and energy.” The chapter headings suggest the scope of the volume: Genius and femininity; A galaxy of talent; The mentality of famous men and women compared; The achievements of women in youth and old age; The sum of feminine achievement; Woman’s contribution to science; The feminine side of art; Woman in literature; The intellectual correlation of the sexes. An alphabetical table is appended of the famous women of modern times.
DORR, MRS RHETA (CHILDE).[2]Inside the Russian revolution. il*$1.50 (2c) Macmillan 947 17-31172
A clearly written, popular, first hand account of the dramatic happenings in Russia, during the past few months of revolution and upheaval. Liberal, democratic inclinations furnish the writer standards of measurement and criticism. She points out the underlying aims of the Bolsheviki or Maximalists and comments upon their unfitness for leadership. Among the events which she reviews are the July revolution, the striking activities of Mareea Botchkareva, the modern Joan d’Arc who commanded the Battalion of death, the treachery of Rasputin and his tragic death, the part that Anna Virubova played in the revolutionary drama, the passing of the Romanoffs and the leadership of Kerensky. The closing chapters consider Russia’s greatest needs—leadership, education, wholesome popular amusements, soda fountains—and venture a conjecture or two concerning what could happen in Russia next. At the moment when the Bolsheviki are attracting favorable notice many of Mrs Dorr’s statements and prophecies seem obsolete.
“Does not reflect the changed conditions.”
“An important book of the Russian situation and events leading to it.”