Chapter 26

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The book is a collection of five articles first printed in the New Witness, apropos of a press controversy on divorce, with an added conclusion. Throughout the characteristically epigrammatic and brilliantly sketchy discourses the biological implications of marriage stand out as the incontrovertible facts and the “common sense” that has “age after age sought refuge in the high sanity of a sacrament.” The much ado about divorce, the writer concludes, is due to the fact that men expect the impossible from life and do not realize their natural limitations. Contents: The superstition of divorce; The story of the family; The story of the vow; The tragedies of marriage; The vista of divorce; Conclusion.

“Though Mr Chesterton hardly adds anything new to the controversy, his book is an interesting study in style.”

“Mr Chesterton’s position is not very easy to grasp because he has, to an unusual degree, indulged his propensity to break his argument in order to comment on anything that occurs to him, and we are not yet clear on some fundamental points. So far as we can see, Mr Chesterton does not deal with the real case for divorce, and his book leaves the question exactly where it was before.” J. W. N. S.

“One can agree perfectly with Mr Chesterton in his plea for greater care in marriage partnerships and in hoping that the sanctity of the family may be preserved. But his arguments seem often rather strained, especially when coupled with his zeal in pumping up the wildest and most extravagant and often frivolous fireworks of style.” N. H. D.

“It is at no point a serious or searching analysis of the present situation in England as regards divorce.” R. D.

“Mr Chesterton seems to imagine that divorce is now being advocated for its own sake. To forbid divorce and remarriage altogether, as a desperate remedy for extreme cases, is no more rational or humane than it would be to forbid surgery to all because most do not stand in present need of it.” Preserved Smith

“Mr Chesterton’s book is, like most of his work, delightfully amusing, and incidentally contains much good sense. But it is a far better treatise on marriage than on divorce. I object to divorce in the same sense as I object to surgery. But if we are to have surgery let us have it up to date and not as it was in 1800.” E. S. P. Haynes

“Save in a sort of dreadful desert which the reader enters about the middle of the book when he is taken through dreary tracts of guild socialism and over a waste marked ‘Superior attractions of the middle ages,’ the book is extraordinarily lively reading.”

“Mr Chesterton is cheerfully disinclined to subject his arguments to empirical tests. He starts with a number of definitions and then, having proved all the ramifications of his thought to be in accord with those definitions, regards the case as closed. Satisfied with his own logic Mr Chesterton conceivably may be; the reader’s satisfaction comes from the skill and surprise of the dialectic, from the ever-recurring paradox, from the humanity and good nature and good sense that often glint through the subtile fabric of wit.”

“As is often the case with his writings, it hits mainly into the air and does not meet the arguments of his opponents where they are strongest. Also, one gets tired of the perpetual punning which once gave this writer the reputation of being a great wit but which really is quite easy to imitate.”

CHEVREUIL, L.Proofs of the spirit world; tr. by Agnes Kendrick Gray. il *$3 Dutton 134

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“M. Chevreuil, whose ‘On ne meurt pas,’ here translated as ‘Proofs of the spirit world,’ was awarded the prize for 1919 by the French Academy of sciences, has brought together and discussed with judicial penetration the evidence presented for the continued existence of discarnate spirits by telepathy, abnormal psychology, apparitions, materializations and similar phenomena. The book is written in the scientific spirit and the author carefully examines the evidence and the arguments presented by other investigators, sometimes rejecting it altogether and sometimes coming to different conclusions. One of the chapters makes an interesting discussion of reincarnation.”—N Y Times

Reviewed by Joseph Jastrow

“It is no exaggeration to say that out of the multitude of the psychical books which have appeared within these last few months, ‘thick as leaves in Vallambrosa,’ this one volume stands out in its luminous clearness, its scholarly selection of scientific data, its penetration into the realms beyond the senses, its sane exaltation of feeling, and its remarkable comprehensiveness of the relation between phenomena and spiritual philosophy.” Lilian Whiting

CHILD, RICHARD WASHBURN.Vanishing men. *$2 Dutton

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“The psychology of terror is the outstanding theme of ‘The vanishing men.’ Indeed, the sense of terror communicates itself to the reader, for the disappearance of two men and the portentous fate hanging over the heroine are apparently insoluble mysteries. One man plans an elopement with her but fails to appear and is not heard from again. Afterwards she marries a wealthy man some years her senior. He is attacked by a mania of fear, and eventually vanishes, too. Then a wealthy young man falls in love with her, and she warns him of the fate visited upon her previous lovers. But he is courageous and optimistic and refuses to be deterred by such fantasies of the imagination. He starts an investigation, and eventually presents a simple solution of what happens previously.”—Springf’d Republican

“So ingenious a mystery that devotees will forgive the loose plot structure and the improbable characterization.”

“The whole problem is put and solved in an original way, and some readers will be grateful for a mystery story without the old properties and machinery.” H. W. Boynton

“The story would greatly profit by a general tightening up. Its charm lies entirely in the formulation of the mystery, and with its solution the charm vanishes into incredibly thin air.” D. L. M.

“In ‘The vanishing men’ it is easy enough to pick flaws, but over and above them all remains the great fact that the story interests the reader from the beginning, holds his attention and brings up with a smashing climax at the end.”

“Ingenious but over-melodramatic in its grisly conclusion.”

“The reader is thoroughly thrilled, Mr Child is able to hold the atmosphere of mystery and terror.”

CHILDREN’Sstory garden. il *$1.50 (2c) Lippincott

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A collection of stories illustrating Quaker principles. The book is compiled by a committee of the Philadelphia yearly meeting of Friends, Anna Pettit Broomell, chairman. The introduction says, “‘The children’s story garden’ announces its purpose at once. Its stories have the direct aim of teaching ethics and religious truth to children.... It is not the intention of the compilers to make this a sectarian book. There are of course stories which show the reason behind some Friendly customs, but as a whole it is hoped that there is a fair representation of the simple virtues which lie behind human progress and Christian living.” The stories have been selected and adapted from many sources. Several, including the opening story, show the relation between the Friends and the American Indians. A few have been written especially for this book. There are historical notes and an outline of the principles illustrated which will be useful to teachers. Further readings are also suggested.

“If used with discrimination, the book will furnish some very good reading material.”

CHISHOLM, LOUEY, and STEEDMAN, AMY, comps. Staircase of stories. 11 *$4.50 (1½c) Putnam

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“Any originality of Intention or treatment must be disclaimed for ‘A staircase of stories.’ Its title, plan, appeal, and aim have been alike suggested by ‘The golden staircase,’ a volume of ‘Poems and verses for children between the ages of four and fourteen.’ The title indicates ... a gradual ascent in difficulty as the pages are turned.... In the choice of content, the aim, as before, has been to concentrate solely on what it is believed children will most enjoy.” (Preface) The series opens with The old woman and her pig, Lazy John, Henny-Penny and other simple tales and with its graduated ascent works up to an adaptation of Daudet’s “Last class.” Other stories are The golden touch; The madonna of the goldfinch; The storks; The queen of the seven golden mountains; The twelve huntsmen; The porcelain stove; Gareth and Lynette; and Balder the beautiful. There are illustrations in color and in black and white.

“There is a goodly array of reading matter that should appeal to the youngster. The many color illustrations and pen and ink sketches add to the attractiveness of a book that any child may well covet.”

“The illustrations are by a number of artists, whose names deserve to be known, so charmingly is their work done. In fanciful conception and delicacy of colors the plates are almost always a delight: moreover, there is no approach to the unduly fantastic or the bizarre. The black and white pictures have the breadth and surety of good draughtsmanship. Altogether ‘A staircase of stories’ is a successful production.”

CHRISMAN, OSCAR.[2]Historical child. *$4 Badger, R: G. 392

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“Dr Chrisman, professor in the Ohio university, offers this book as the first of a projected series in paidology, the science of the child—a term originating, says the author, with himself. In this volume there is gathered an imposing array of folkways of many ancient peoples. Mexico, Peru, Egypt, India, China, Japan, Persia, Judea, Greece, Rome, earlier and medieval Europe are all included, and there is also a long chapter on earlier United States. Quotations from many sources are used in abundance. Dr Chrisman explains that one must know the setting of child life, to understand children. It is really, therefore, the social background that one finds here—miscellaneous customs of home, dress, food, marriage, infant ceremonies, industry, religion, amusements, education (briefly), and the like, which constitute the environmental stimulus to growth.”—Survey

“The reader gains the impression that the value of the book for students will depend upon the degree to which the teacher can help them to an intelligent use of the facts here portrayed. Unguided, one is likely to finish the book with a somewhat confused impression of a wide variety of interesting practices, but without any clear-cut addition to his knowledge of children.” Hugh Hartshorne

CHRISTY, BAYARD H.Going afoot. *$1.35 Assn. press 796

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In this enthusiastic little book on walking instruction is given on the how, when and where of walking—the clothes to wear, the equipment to carry, the hours of the day, the seasons of the year, and the localities to choose. Detailed description is given of walking clubs and their organization and activities. Contents: How to walk; When to walk; Where to walk; Walking clubs in America; Organization and conduct of walking clubs; Bibliography.

Reviewed by F: O’Brien

“It may seem impossible to write an altogether dull and uninspiring book on walking in the country; but Mr Christy has accomplished it. This is not to say that this little handbook of practical advice has not its uses. The chapter on organization is valuable for anyone contemplating the formation of a club.”

CITY CLUB OF CHICAGO.Ideals of America. *$1.75 McClurg 304

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“This volume consists of thirteen essays by different authors who have endeavored to analyze the ‘guiding motives of contemporary American life’ in various fields. The essays were first presented as lectures before the City club of Chicago during the years from 1916 to 1919. Government, the law, labor, science, education, business, ‘society,’ music, religion, philosophy, literature, and human progress are treated. Robert Morss Lovett, Elsie Clews Parsons, John P. Frey, John Bradley Winslow and George Ellsworth Hooker are among the notable contributors to the volume.”—Survey

“The essays vary in value, but for example, to cite only two, those of Dean Lovett and Justice Winslow, are exceedingly able statements of realities and tendencies in their respective fields of literature and the law. As a whole the book is a useful picture of the intellectual life of the American which existed until 1914.”

CLANCY, MRS LOUISE BREITENBACH.Christine of the young heart. *$1.75 (2c) Small

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Christine Trevor is a butterfly debutante, pretty and selfish, with the notion that the world revolves around her. Then she loses her father and her wealth in one blow. She has a crippled younger brother and there are Dilly and Daffy, the six-year-old twins, so she has a wonderful opportunity to retrieve her character if she chooses to do so, but at first she rebels against mothering the twins and being a comrade to Laurie. She gradually awakes to the fact that nobody can love a “crosspatch,” as Daffy frankly calls her, and that to have a friend, one must be one. She decides to act on this principle, and her progress in friendship and happiness is speedy. Winning over cranky old Joshua Barton, her next door neighbor, is perhaps her greatest achievement, and thru it an ancient wrong is righted which brings happiness to many people. And Dr Denton, who has loved her always, surely loves her no less now that she has outgrown her earlier selfishness.

“It is cloying upon the intellect and opiate to the senses. ‘Christine of the young heart’ is sweet; it is doubly dangerous because it is well constructed and well written, even though it be a typical novel of sentimentality.”

CLAPHAM, RICHARD.Foxhunting on the Lakeland fells; with an introd. by J. W. Lowther. il *$4.25 (*12s 6d) Longmans 799

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“Foxhunting on the Lakeland fells is pure foxhunting. It is the fox and the work of the hounds alone that matter. On the Lakeland fells the fox looks after himself, and is there to be killed. He is no friend of the fell sheep. You will ask—why then is he not shot or trapped? And the answer is a simple one—because the men of that country enjoy hunting him. Of the joys and dangers of this sport on the fells Mr Clapham writes.”—The Times [London] Lit Sup

“He knows his subject thoroughly: he argues about it, theorizes about it, gossips about it, and all in a charmingly informal fashion. His volume is profusely illustrated with photographs that convey the interest of his subject even better than the text.”

“A volume that will attract only a limited audience, but it is pleasingly written and the author’s intimate knowledge of his subject is indubitable. Written, undoubtedly, for the English public, its appeal to American readers will not be very great.” B. R. Redman

“Of the five chapters, we liked best that on ‘The fell hounds.’”

CLAPP, JOHN MANTLE.Talking business. (Language for men of affairs) $4 Ronald 808

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The first of the two volumes on Language for men of affairs considers spoken language on the ground that not one in ten business men has the ready and sure mastery of the language forms required in business operations. The book is in five parts. Part I, The real problem: Putting your mind on the other man, treats of the psychology of speech. Part II, The machinery, explains the physiological basis under such headings as: Your appearance; The vocal organs; Pronunciation; A good voice. Part III, Language, considers the vocabulary and construction of sentences. Part IV, Conversation, Business interviews, discusses the various business situations involving speech and Part V, Public speaking, Business addresses, the more elaborate uses of language. There are illustrations and an index. The second volume, on Business writing, is edited by James Melvin Lee.

CLARK, ALFRED.Margaret book. *$1.50 Lane 828

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A book of verses strung together on a thread of prose. It is by the author of “My erratic pal” and follows the same manner. The prose narrative tells of a New Zealand soldier on sick leave in England, of his happy days in Margaret’s garden, of their love and marriage. Among the poems there is a series describing the dreams experienced in illness.

“It is all very sweet and nice and gentle—rather too ostentatiously so; every one plays up to the demand for sweetness too zealously and continuously, and the lusciousness of the love-making begins to pall. Nor do we think that the combination of prose and verse justifies itself.”

CLARK, ALICE.Working life of women in the seventeenth century. (Studies in economics and political science) *$3.25 (3c) Harcourt. Brace & Howe 331.4

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The writing of the book was prompted by the conviction that “the conditions under which the obscure mass of women live and fulfill their duties as human beings, have a vital influence upon the destinies of the human race, and that a little knowledge of what these conditions have actually been in the past will be of more value to the sociologist than many volumes of carefully elaborated theory based on abstract ideas.” (Preface) The seventeenth century was chosen as a field of research because, as a sort of watershed between the Elizabethan era and the restoration period and partaking of the characteristics of both, it forms an important crisis in the historic development of Englishwomen. The author indicates in her conclusions that with the advent of machinery and capitalism, restricting the economic life of women, a marked decadence is revealed. Contents: Introductory; Capitalists; Agriculture; Textiles; Crafts and trades; Professions; Conclusion; List of authorities; List of wages assessments; Index.

“In spite of the fact that the author’s powers of induction are not at all points comparable with her industry, the painstaking work is a monument to her effort, and is of unquestioned value in its presentation of contemporary evidence.” Amy Hewes

“Whether Miss Clark has proved her thesis or no, she has made available to the general reader and the student of economics a mass of material not easily accessible otherwise. She has faced the difficult task of presenting a fair sample of her evidence, and has come well out of that searching trial, though reflection would no doubt cause her to admit that on occasion she has read more into her authorities than is quite admissible.” E. M. G.

“Clearly and interestingly written.”

“Though Miss Clark’s book is technical in character, being based on a rigid plan, we may build up from it an enlightening picture of life in seventeenth century England.”

Reviewed by Dorothy Brewster

“The exhaustive bibliography and the rigidly technical character of the investigation are the book’s outstanding virtues.”

“Her distinction is that she has been able to render an inquiry so similar in method to that followed by many American students in graduate work, a genuine contribution in an important field. The record is in fact a corrective to much loose thinking concerning the place of women in a productive society. Not least of all, moreover, it is an extraordinarily interesting book.”

“The narrative is somewhat overloaded by detail, much of which could have been relegated to foot notes; but neither this nor the defects to which we have drawn attention should prevent due praise being given to Miss Clark for a laborious and successful attempt to break new ground in the history of the economic position of women.”

CLARK, CHAMP.My quarter century of American politics. 2v il *$6 (2c) Harper

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“I started out to accomplish certain things. I kept pounding away at them and have achieved most of them.... Endowed by nature with a strong constitution, I have been able to do more work than most men.... My long public career is due largely to the fact that I have been blessed with as faithful a constituency as man ever had.... As my wife, children, and many friends want to know some of the facts, experiences, and recollections of my busy life, I will give them as briefly, modestly, and as accurately as possible—writing about the persons, books, circumstances, and things which most influenced my life.” (Chapter 1) The books are illustrated and have an index.

“Throughout these gossipy and voluble pages, we find much of repetition and more of exaggeration. In spite of its faults, which are easily forgiven to the genial author, the work is one of some value to our political literature. It is decidedly interesting and engaging reading.” J. A. Woodburn

“Mr Clark wanders in and about his subject in a chatty reminiscent fashion, illuminating many little known corners of party politics, bringing before the reader a brilliant procession of public personalities and always indulging in sparkling anecdotes. The serious reader will be troubled by the lack of sequence of political events.”

“The unity of the narrative is badly jumbled; a literary hack, hired to revise the manuscript, would have cut it down from a third to a half and with ease have straightened out the illogical arrangements, the crudities of the paragraphs, the vain repetitions, and tiresome platitudes.” C. W. Alvord

Reviewed by M. F. Egan

“No student of political history will be able to omit this voluminous account from his list.”

“Genial humanity and wisdom, shrewd and kindly observation of men and affairs—these are the outstanding qualities of Champ Clark’s reminiscences. The wisdom varies in comprehensiveness and in degree of illumination; the humanity is constant. It is remarkable how little of the bitterness of controversy or the roughness of saw-edged sarcasm there is in any part of Mr Clark’s book.”

CLARK, ELLERY HARDING.Track athletics up to date. il *$1.50 Duffield 796

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A new manual of track athletics by an author who has had wide experience as a physical director. His purpose is stated in the preface: “First, I have endeavored to trace, with brevity, the history of track athletics; next, I have noted some of the best of the many books, pamphlets and special articles which have been written on this subject; and lastly, I have tried to summarize, in the year 1919, our present knowledge of proper methods of training and of performing the various events on track and field.” The work is illustrated with forty-three plates.

“He combines clear statement with the highest ideal of sport.”

CLARK, EVANS.Facts and fabrications about soviet Russia. pa 50c Rand school of social science 914.7

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“The volume is divided into two parts. Part 1 deals with the astounding falsehoods told about soviet Russia by the American press, publicists and state and federal officials during the past few years. In this portion the Sisson documents, the presidential fabrications, the reports of alleged military defeats, and the rumors concerning ‘the nationalization of women,’ etc., are set forth in documentary form. Part 2 consists of a comprehensive bibliography of periodical, book and pamphlet literature dealing sympathetically with all phases of the Russian problem—foreign policy, education, drama, industry, labor, propaganda, religion, the woman question, etc.”—Socialist R

“The method is simple and admirably adapted to the purpose. Possibly his classification is a little biased, as when he maintains that all the conservatives have been unreliable and all the liberal and labor organs truthful. But in general his criterion will stand and his list will prove sound.” Preserved Smith

CLARK, FRANCIS EDWARD.Gospel of out of doors. *$1.25 Assn. press 570.4

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One of the author’s purposes in publishing this collection of papers is “that other men and women, encouraged by my own experience of the joy, the comfort, and the health that come from an old farm, may feel its lure, learn its joy, and experience its health-giving comforts.” (Preface) Contents: The gospel of out of doors; The joy of the seed catalogue; The lure of the old farm; A sermon to my brother weeds; Farming as a moral equivalent for war; Under the willow in the spring; My doorstep visitors; Birds in the bush and birds in the book; Out of doors in the autumn; A rainy day at the farm; The underground alchemist; Fun on the old farm; Always something new on the old farm; Next best to a farm; Can a horse laugh? Ever-bearers and ever-bloomers.

“There is nothing about the old farm, however prosaic it may be, that fails to suggest to Mr Clark material for a delightful essay; and he is always ready with a pungent poetical quotation.”

“The charm of the book ... is simply irresistible.”

CLARK, THOMAS ARKLE.High school boy and his problems. *$1.20 Macmillan 170

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“Dean Clark of the University of Illinois for many years has made boys and their ways the chief concern of his official life. Mr Clark is what the students would call a ‘regular’ dean. He knows the temptations that beset the young man and is not astonished that they are sometimes too much for him. He is inclined to overlook the minor shortcomings, but conceives it his duty to warn the boy of the risk he runs in yielding to evil suggestions. For the rest the book has much in it that is of interest, and the dean is particularly happy in his chapters on the value of systematic study and on choosing a career or a college.”—Boston Transcript

“Sensible little talks with a happy freedom from ‘preachiness.’”

“It is concrete in every paragraph, reminiscent, replete with glimpses of real boys facing actual situations. Almost as important as is its content is the fact that it promises to win a reading from the high-school boy to whom it is addressed.”

CLARKE, ISABEL CONSTANCE.Lady Trent’s daughter. *$1.75 (1½c) Benziger

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Lady Trent had been married at a very early age and, widowed before twenty, had left her infant daughter to the care of her elder sister, who had brought the girl up in seclusion from the world. Olave is sixteen when the story opens. A distinguished novelist meets the girl in the woods, and charmed with her youth and innocence, persuades her into a series of clandestine meetings. He finally tells her that he is engaged to another woman, and later it comes to light that this woman is Olave’s mother. The engagement is at once broken and Lady Trent tries to win her daughter’s confidence and love. But the mischief is already done and the girl continues to meet Quinn. A runaway marriage is planned, but is abandoned when Quinn’s long neglected Catholic principles reassert themselves. Olave also accepts Catholicism, toward which she has had strong leanings, feeling that under its influence she would have been saved from the course of deception she has followed.

“Guy Quinn not only fails to live for us, but is quite devoid of any heroic qualities. As to his charm, which subjugated in turn the widow Felicity Trent and her young daughter Olave, that has to be taken altogether on trust.”

CLARKE, ISABEL CONSTANCE.[2]Ursula Finch. *$2.25 (2c) Benziger

The story of two sisters, one a spoiled beauty and one a drudge, The scene is Cornwall but later when Ursula, the drudge, seems likely to interfere with her sister’s matrimonial schemes, she is packed off to Rome as a nursery governess. Here she comes under the influence of Catholicism and joins the church. The lover who had been the cause of her exile follows her and as he also has leanings toward the Catholic faith the story ends happily.

“Miss Clarke has again produced a book which is both interesting and entertaining; yet appreciation is mingled with constant regret over the vehemence of her characterizations.”

CLARKSON, RALPH PRESTON.[2]Elementary electrical engineering. il *$2 Van Nostrand 621.3

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“A textbook of theory and practice, particularly adapted for the instruction of mechanical, civil, and chemical engineers and others desiring a short course.” (Sub-title) Contents: Introduction; Units and terms; The solution of circuits; The generation of electricity; Electrical measuring instruments; Illumination and power, electrical transmission, theory of lighting devices. There are 141 diagrams and an index.

CLEMENCEAU, GEORGES EUGÈNE BENJAMIN.Surprises of life. *$1.90 (4c) Doubleday

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This collection of tales, translated from the French by Grace Hall, tells the stories of curious characters in all walks of life. The initial tale, Mokoubamba’s fetish, is of an old negro from Central Africa, reseater of chairs, weaver of mats and mender of all things breakable, wise beyond other men and with a philosophy of his own with regard to fetishes. Some of the other titles are: A descendant of Timon; Aunt Rosalie’s inheritance; A mad thinker; Better than stealing; A domestic drama; The treasure of St Bartholomew; Lovers in Florence.

“To face facts, though not always a pleasure, is a duty. To face the French novelist’s interpretation of them seems to us in many cases neither the one nor the other.”

“Distinguished by technical dexterity.”

“The stories, if not put to the test of inner veracity, are thoroughly readable.”

“The stories and things are well worth telling and are well told. The book is the work of a keen and accurate reader of human nature and of a master of satire.” A. W. Welch

“As literature, the tales in the present volume stand far above ‘The strongest,’ the novel which he published in America last year. If they have a single fault it is that the author’s lifelong habit of speaking and writing to convince people of something shows itself in the parable-like character of some of his stories. His powers of characterization are admirable.”

“In an age like ours when literature is afraid of its name, its pedigree, and its uniform, M. Clemenceau will be helped rather than hurt by the association of no small measure of literary force with the brusque frankness and imperious, half insolent, unconcern of the man who is not answerable to reviewers.”

“The book is marked by its clarity, that absence of adjectives which makes every idea understood at once. M. Clemenceau is shrewd, yet generous, a quality that Mark Twain attained in some of his short stories. He paints portraits not merely in two dimensions, but in three.”

“There is always the impression that the things related are things seen, not things invented, and that they are symbols of things not seen. Some of the equipment of a complete master of the genre indeed, he seems to lack.”

CLEMENS, SAMUEL LANGHORNE (MARK TWAIN, pseud.).Moments with Mark Twain; selected by Albert Bigelow Paine. *$1.50 Harper 817


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