Chapter 47

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“The interest ... lies in the fresh illustration of the old question, should a moral and spiritual monster, abnormal in subtlety and wickedness be allowed to exist to the menace of the common good? Again, is it a crime, or at least justifiable to cut short the intolerable agony of a dying human creature, if the conscience upholds the deed? These problems play an important part in the story of Dr. Gordon, a man naturally charitable and broadminded, but warped by an evil influence out of his original happy attitude towards life.”—Acad.

“Although she has the magic touch that adorns every subject she writes about, it must be admitted she has no peculiar gift for melodramatic fiction. ‘Doctor Gordon’ is a capital story, with scenes and characters out of the common run.”

“A stocking is not a stocking when it has been raveled, but merely a skein of crumpled thread; just so, this book holds attention while one reads it, but having finished, it seems a rather poor affair as compared with some of Mrs. Freeman’s other stories.”

“Miss Wilkins’ delicate talent is incongruous with the wildness of her plot. Altogether, we look back regretfully to the middle-aged lovers and the engaging pet cats of the author’s earlier stories.”

Freeman, Mrs. Mary Eleanor.Fair Lavinia and others. †$1.25. Harper.

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Under the titles: The fair Lavinia, Amarina’s roses, Eglantina, The pink shawls, The willow ware, The secret, The gold, and The underling, Mrs. Freeman presents the village life she knows so well how to picture and shows us the very hearts of the village folks who take part in those homely little comedies and tragedies.

“Delicate and amusing sketches of village life with charm of sentiment and grace of narrative.”

“The stories are like old-fashioned shell cameos; the flush of life and beauty shows through the carefully fashioned faces.”

French, Allen.Book of vegetables and garden herbs: a practical handbook and planting table for the vegetable gardener. **$1.75. Macmillan.

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A book intended for seedsmen and their customers, that both may get full benefit from the seeds, the latter in good crops, the former in continued custom. Mr. French gives a summary of the uses, culture and virtues of each plant included; sowing-directions regarding distance of rows from each other, of seeds in the row, depth of planting, etc.; thinning, fertilizing, transplanting and picking.

“Does not replace Bailey’s ‘Principles of vegetable growing’ but is an excellent companion to it, and more attractive in form.”

“The directions are simple, with no chance to go wrong.”

“An excellent guide.”

“A new garden handbook of great value to the amateur.”

French, Allen.Pelham and his friend Tim. †$1.50. Little.

6–32675.

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6–32675.

Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

French, Anne Warner.Seeing France with Uncle John. †$1.50. Century.

6–34808.

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6–34808.

Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

“It can confidently be recommended to admirers of Mr. Jerome K. Jerome.”

French, Anne Warner.Susan Clegg and a man in the house, il. †$1.50. Little.

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Susan Clegg tries her hand at boarding an editor. Of him she says: “Seems Elijah is so smart that he’ll be offered a place on one of the biggest city papers in a little while, but in the mean time he’s just lost the place that he did have on one of the smallest ones.” As ever, Susan in no weak fashion expresses her opinions to Mrs. Lathrop. She gives her impressions of the young editor, his flute playing, of the women who ran the club women’s biennial and of the democratic and republican parties.

“In the present volume Susan Clegg is undeniably tiresome. She talks so unremittingly, and always in the same strain.”

“To be recommended heartily to people who may have found refreshment in ‘Three men in a boat,’ ‘Chimmie Fadden,’ or the sea worthies of W. W. Jacobs.”

“It is a rare pleasure to find a book so wholesome, so amusingly philosophical and so full of the real quality of things that last.”

*French, Arthur Willard, and Ives, Howard Chapin.Stereotomy. 2d ed. $2.50. Wiley.

A second edition, with few changes, of a work appearing in 1903.

“The book remains a well-written compilation of method and example in stone-cutting and is serviceable alike for self-study and for use inthe class-room. The work of revision in preparing this edition has not been very extensive. Some minor lapses were overlooked.”

“The subject-matter covers a wide range and includes everything that the student is likely to have need for in his future work.”

French, Lester G.Steam turbines, practice and theory. $3. Technical press, Brattleboro, Vt.

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“A book for the student and practicing engineer which contains a discussion of steam turbines and principles, and early steam turbine patents. “A number of chapters give detailed descriptions of all the important turbines now in use in this country and in Europe.” Then follow chapters upon Steam and its properties, Notes on efficiency and design. The commercial aspect of the turbine, Care and management, Condensing apparatus for high vacuum.... The last chapter of the book treats of the Marine turbine.” (Engin. N.)

“There is nothing very original in it; but quite a little useful information ... has been given place in the book. The weakest part of the book is ... the theoretical part. The book is, on the whole, a very satisfactory one.” Storm Bull.

“This is an unusually satisfactory book in which theory and well-chosen practice are judiciously balanced, and unnecessary amplification avoided.”

Frenssen, Gustav.Holy land; exclusive authorized tr. of “Hilligenlei;” tr. from the German by Mary Agnes Hamilton. †$1.50. Estes.

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Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

“The book will never be popular in America, it is safe to say, for several reasons. It is, like a German sentence, long-winded, involved, and cumbrous. ‘Holyland’ contains several passages which make it unfit for the youthful, and even many older readers will find them offensive. And because we are in a very different stage of theological thought from Germany, the religious purpose of the novel will fail to arouse either the enthusiasm or the antagonism that it has in Germany.”

Frenssen, Gustav.Three comrades; tr. from the German by L. Winstanley. †$1.50. Estes.

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“An every-day sort of story of ordinary life in Germany. At the opening of the book the three comrades are three 10–year-old boys in the days of the Franco-German war. Later they are carried on into manhood, they separate, and each goes his own way. After a time each is so hampered by his faults of character that he is on the brink of failure. Then, at the crisis of their misfortune, they are reunited and together they are able to avert the threatened disaster.” (N. Y. Times.) “Its value consists in the beauty of one or two of its episodes, in some admirable pictures of land and sea by the Holstein coast, and perhaps above all in the personality of the author.” (Ath.)

“As a story it is confused and incoherent, and its presentation of character though wonderfully vivid at times, can never be called a complete success. With all its shortcomings, it was worthy of being presented to an English public, and we must add a word of cordial praise concerning the manner in which this has been done. The anonymous translation is of unusual excellence.”

“The story is powerful and sympathetic, and its characters interesting and human.”

“There is much charm in the simplicity of the story, both in plot and style and the vividness with which the author portrays scenes and characters makes it very life-like.”

*Friedrichs, Hulda.Romance of the Salvation army; with introd. by General Booth. il. *$1.25. Cassell.

“These sketches exhibit the Army at work in Great Britain, and ‘on the march’ through the world. Its rescue work, training of officers, ‘self-denial week’, and farm colony are described with affecting illustrative experiences. The future of the Army seems secure, though its great General must pass away. Religious enthusiasm for a divine end, coupled with a sagacious, practical use of means, is the lesson of its career to the churches.”—Outlook.

“Miss Friedrichs writes well and with restraint, and illustrates her narrative, as the history of the Salvation army is best illustrated, by anecdotes of its individual triumphs. In short, it is a history that almost any reader may peruse with pleasure, for the human interest of the movement, to say nothing of that attaching to so many of its workers, is undeniable.”

Friedman, Isaac Kahn.The radical. †$1.50. Appleton.

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“The ‘radical’ is a Chicagoan who, beginning life as a butcher’s driver, later becomes a political leader and tries to reform the senate.” (N. Y. Times.) “He is a man of the people, homely, a dreamer, yet powerful, in some of his traits seems to be modeled upon Lincoln. His aim is democratic, and so far as this book goes he seems to fail of attaining it.” (Outlook.)

“He is well-equipped with the facts of political life, and with the social sympathies needed for their effective interpretation. The present book, in the detail of its workmanship, is not as finished a production as the author’s previous writings would lead us to expect.” Wm. M. Payne.

“Were it not that an unmistakable earnestness of conviction pervades this novel, one’s inclination would be to let it pass unmentioned, for a more ineffective attempt at bending language to the uses of art rarely falls under the reviewer’s eye.”

“The subject is intricate and may account for the somewhat over-involved style of writing, which leaves anything but a clear impression in the reader’s mind.”

Fry, Henry Davidson.Maternity. $1.50. Neale.

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A book for the lay reader, the medical student and the trained nurse which attacks ignorance and superstition and leaves healthful enlightenment in their place.

Fuller, Caroline M.Brunhilde’s paying guest. †$1.50. Century.

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The modern Brunhilde of the story is the daughter and only surviving member of an impoverished southern household. Two charming cousins share her duties of hostess when she admits a few “paying guests” to her home. Among them is a young northerner who wars with the spirited valkyr, falls in love with her, and continues to quarrel. It is a pathetic picture of southern aristocracy doing battle with poverty, it is a romance of young strength, of maids and their lovers, set in a delightful southern garden.

“While her conversations are occasionally ‘bright,’ they invariably sound rather like the badinage overheard in trolley cars.”

“A bright, entertaining story for an idle hour, and one that leaves no unpleasant impression.”

Fuller, Hubert Bruce.Purchase of Florida; its history and diplomacy. *$2.50. Burrows.

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Descriptive note in Annual, 1906.

“Mr. Fuller has failed to give us a clear account of the unusually intricate transactions with which his book must deal, and this failure is chiefly owing to his sins of omission.”

“The chief defect of the book lies in its paucity of references. The author has brought out a good deal of new and interesting matter for which he has given no authority whatever.”

“In his earnest desire to deal fairly with all, he occasionally falls into the opposite error of doing something less than justice to his own country.” H. Addington Bruce.

“The book shows evidence of pretty thorough research; but it ought not to be necessary at this late day, to remind the investigator that the historian—and this volume will appeal to the historian rather than to the general reader—demands foot-note references to sources and authorities. Such references are too sparingly given. In some cases they are lacking where they are particularly desirable.” David Y. Thomas.

Fullerton, George Stuart.An introduction to philosophy.*$1.60. Macmillan.

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The following embodies the purpose of the book: “To point out what the world philosophy is made to cover in the higher branches of learning; to explain the nature of reflective or philosophical thinking and to show how it differs from common thought and from science; to give a general view of the main problems with which philosophers have dealt; to give an account of some of the more important types of philosophical doctrine which have arisen out of the consideration of such problems; to indicate the relation of philosophy to ‘science and to the other sciences;’ and to show that the study of philosophy, is of value to us all, and to give some practical admonitions on spirit and method.”

“Mr. Fullerton has an expository style which is admirably simple and clear, and his preliminary definition of philosophy is as free as possible from the objection that he has assumed a controversial philosophical standpoint.”

“We know of no other book in English that can compare with this one as a manual to help the beginner over the difficulties which beset him in his first adventure into the unfamiliar world of metaphysical abstractions.”

“The book might be called ‘a condensed encyclopedia of the moral and mental sciences.’”

“Like his larger ‘System’ it is likely not only to inform, instruct and practice the student in philosophical reflection, but also to interest and entertain him. Moreover, it contains many practical suggestions to both the teacher and the student well calculated to clear the ground and the air, giving to the undertaking of the young philosopher a wide sweep of open territory and a wholesome atmosphere.” G. A. Tawney.

“It has many of the defects which were noticeable in the larger treatise. The logical divisions are imperfect, and the several parts of the work are not well articulated. Professor Fullerton writes, however, very intelligibly, and uses few technical terms. The volume would be more useful, if there were fuller references in it to the philosophical theories of the later French and German authors.”

“The first half of the book is the best prolegomena to metaphysics that we know for students who come entirely fresh to the subject.”

Funk, Rev. Isaac Kaufman.Psychic riddle. **$1. Funk.

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“A remarkably clear and conservative study of the subject of psychic phenomena, with citations of a number of noteworthy experiences.”—R. of Rs.

“Dr. Funk lightens the book by many jokes and by some humor which is of Scotch character. For one thing, his sincerity shines out, and he refuses to allow an apology by a zealous defender which would compromise his intellectual honesty.” George W. Gilmore.

“The general reader will find the entire volume as fascinating and compelling as romance, and to any person interested in psychical research it will be far more interesting than a well written novel.”

“Anybody familiar with the volumes of Myers, or even with the little book of Lapponi, will find that Dr. Funk has paid little attention to systematic arrangement of his data and analysis of the various factors of the problems with which he deals.”

“His purpose has been well executed.”

Futrelle, Jacques.Thinking machine. †$1.50. Dodd.

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A book of reprinted stories whose theme in each instance is a marvelous exploit of Prof. Van Dusen. “You may now read—or re-read—how Prof. Van Dusen accomplished an experimental jail delivery for himself under circumstances the most ingeniously prearranged for that purpose ... how Prof. Van Dusen ascertained the identity of a man who had mislaid all consciousness of his personality, name, and nativity; how he solved the riddle of a bank burglary, and by sniffing the perfume on a handkerchief traced the crime to a particularly pretty and attractive young woman.” (Ind.)

“They are quite ingenious in their way, and those who like this sort of thing will find them fair examples of their kind. They are not altogether devoid of literary merit.”

“If, after the reading is over, one still ranks them below the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, it is because the latter have greater realism and accord more closely with the conditions of actual life.” Rafford Pyke.

“The author’s ingenuity is great, but the element of probability is not always maintained.”

Fyfe, W. T.Edinburgh under Sir Walter Scott; with an introd. by R. S. Rait. *$3. Dutton.

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The well known incidents of Scott’s life here afford “some guiding lines for grouping ofvaried details.” These details relate much that is entertaining concerning “the simple, happy social life of Edinburgh’s best society, with its curious mixture of formal manners and informal customs.” (N. Y. Times.)

“The personal element is made much of, and many pleasing character sketches, with some good anecdotes, are given. Of all books, this one should have had an index.”

“We find nothing, or nothing of interest in Mr. Fyfe’s book, with which we have not always been familiar. Mr. Fyfe has not written the history of Scott nor has he contributed original matter from documents to his superfluous restatement of Lockhart’s biography of Sir Walter.”

“A useful supplement to Lockhart and the ‘Letters’ and ‘Journals’.”

“Mr. Fyfe has a gift of presenting vividly what he writes by virtue of being simple and direct. To read his book is like going back a hundred years and spending a day in old-time Edinburgh.”

“No fuller or better picture of that brilliant half-century of life in Edinburgh which approximately lasted from the death of Samuel Johnson in 1784 to that of Walter Scott in 1832 has ever been given to the public than that presented in this volume. Singularly, if not even paradoxically too, the value of the picture is due quite as much to the faults as to the excellences of the artist.”

Fynn, Arthur John.American Indian as a product of environment; with special reference to the Pueblos. **$1.50. Little.

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A volume for the general reader rather than for the student of anthropology, in which no attempt at “profundity of exhaustiveness” has been made. It is a first-hand study and contains chapters on: Plants, animals and man; Concerning the aborigines of the western continent in general; Pueblo lands and homes; Food and clothing; Government and social life; Education; Industries, arts and sciences; Religion; Games and festivals.

Fyvie, John.Comedy queens of the Georgian era. *$4. Dutton.

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“A light, gossipy account of some of the leading actresses of the eighteenth and the early years of the nineteenth centuries. It is well illustrated by photogravure process. Among Mr. Fyvie’s queens are Lavinia Fenton and Elizabeth Farren. That the habit of peers marrying actresses is not modern is shown by these lively chapters.”—Sat. R.

“Mr. Fyvie is a little too reticent to be a good scandalmonger, and a little too technical to be a good historian of the stage; and his sketches, though written from an independent point of view and clearly the result of much original study of his subjects, offer little that is new on the details of their private lives, and nothing on the subject of their professional careers.”

“There is wit, and genial humor and philosophy, with occasional cynicism, in these jottings.”

“It is disappointing to read through this volume and to feel that the only result has been to learn a deal of scandal.”

“It is only fair to say that his book, as a rule, shows a praiseworthy desire for accuracy, a careful sifting of a great mass of contemporary evidence, and a quick eye for significant facts. Of course, he has nothing, or very little, that is new to tell, but he creates a certain impression of freshness by drawing liberally from sources of information not in common use.”

“It is readable, but Mr. Fyvie is not to be commended for bringing to light in the twentieth century the old scandalous theatrical chronicles of the eighteenth.”

“We might perhaps have been spared a little of the scandal, and one would prefer as a matter of proportion and taste, that there should have been less about these actresses’ private lives and more about their public careers and their manner of acting. The book will not rank with the recent memoirs of David Garrick by Mrs. Parsons.”

Reviewed by Hildegarde Hawthorne.

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