Chapter 93

20–9714

Philip Severn, a secret service agent, is a collector of curios. An odd lacquer box in a New York shop attracts his attention and he buys it, altho all the proprietor can tell him is that it had been left in a hotel room and never claimed. After returning to his home he accidentally drops the box to the floor, unlooses a secret spring and picks up a folded bit of paper. But while the box itself was of undoubted antique origin, the paper is modern. It rouses Severn’s suspicion and he resolves to trace down the mystery at which it hints. His search leads him to Jersey City, a deserted factory building, a Polish saloon and a beautiful girl. The plot he uncovers involves a conspiracy against Chile, and the last bit of mystery cleared away is the relation of the beautiful girl to the band of plotters. After that comes the conventional ending.

“The plot is ingenious and the story has the fascination of swift action.”

“A lively enough yarn.”

“A murder mystery skillfully handled.”

“Mr Parrish can always be depended upon for a breath-bating narrative.”

PARRY, REGINALD ST JOHN.[2]Pastoral epistles; with introduction, text and commentary. *$8 Macmillan 227

“The object of the author has been to inquire afresh into the critical and exegetical problems on which the question of the genuineness of I and II Timothy and Titus depends. The outcome is a vigorous defense of the Pauline authorship of all three letters.”—Bib World

“Without disparaging the conscientious work in these notes, we must say that so far as the object of the monograph is concerned, Dr Parry would have done better to omit the commentary altogether—it is not any advance on earlier English work—and to discuss the partition theories of the epistles, a branch of criticism which he passes by.”

“All that can be said in favor of this opinion is here brought together probably in as convincing a form as is possible. Yet the presentation does not carry full conviction, for it treats far too lightly the objections which have been urged by other scholars against Pauline authorship.”

PARSONS, JOHN.Tour through Indiana in 1840; ed. by Kate Milner Rabb. il *$3.55 McBride 917.72

20–19355

The book contains the diary of John Parsons of Petersburg, Virginia, giving an account of a trip by railroad, by stage coach and by steamboat, and an intimate picture of the life of the then near west, in its political, geographical and social and family aspects ending with a personal romance. The illustrations are from old prints and drawings and from photographs.

“There is a quaint and charming flavor in this diary.”

“The book is of particular value to those interested in Indiana and surrounding country and in the lives of the great and soon-to-be-great men and women of the time. As such it holds rank as an unusual historic document, and is a quaint picture of the politics and life of the day.”

“This book breathes the very spirit of the young West. It is a flowing and human story that takes one into the heart of the time it describes.”

“The love story that is dragged in does not add to the credibility of the tale. If the volume is not an authentic record of the journey it pretends to chronicle, the deception is inexcusable. This does not mean that the book is a waste of time. On the contrary, it is a triumph of accuracy and readability. It lifts the curtain upon a most interesting scene and shows us a fairly typical American commonwealth at a definite stage of development.”

“An altogether entertaining book.”

PARSONS, SAM JONES.Malleable cast iron. il *$3.50 Van Nostrand 672

In this second edition the author has “considered it advisable to revise the contents so as to include information concerning the more modern and scientific methods of production, thus bringing the book up to date and adding considerably to its practical value.” (Preface to the second edition) Two chapters are added on Mining by analysis and Measurement of temperature; there is also an addendum on Malleable cast steel.

“It is somewhat surprising that in a book which is evidently designed to assist the malleable-iron industry to more scientific methods of production there is no mention of the light thrown by the microscope on the structural changes which occur in the malleablising process; nor is there any reference to the mechanical properties of the various types of iron produced.”

PARSONS, WILLIAM BARCLAY.American engineers in France. il *$4 Appleton 940.373

20–16507

The motif of the book is the work of the nine regiments of American engineers, with one of which the author served. “In the writing, it has been necessary to touch on all the fields of engineer activity, because these regiments came in contact with every field, even if they did not invade each one, from constructing ports to digging and holding trenches, in all parts of France from the Atlantic to the Vosges, from the Mediterranean to Flanders. Consequently there results a brief outline of what all engineers did.” (Preface) The contents are in part: The new military engineer; America’s problem; Engineer organization; Ports; French railways; American railway operations in France; Relations with the French; Forestry; Water supply; Chemical engineers; Camouflage and other fields of engineering; Maps; Flash and sound ranging and search light detection; Artillery; Light railways; Roads; Trenches and trench warfare. There are full page illustrations, figures, maps and an index.

“He has covered the field in outline sufficient for the lay reader, and with an authority that will make this one of the lasting records of the war.”

PARTRIDGE, GEORGE EVERETT.Psychology of nations; a contribution to the philosophy of history. *$2.50 Macmillan 901

19–19152

“This is a psychologist’s appeal for an understanding of what is fundamental in our national life and a warning against radical and superficial thinking; it was written during the closing months of the war and in the days that followed. The first part of the book is a study of the motives of war—an analysis of such motives in the light of the general principles of the development of society. The second part of the book is a study of the present situation as an educational problem, in which we have for the first time a problem of educating national consciousness as a whole, or the individuals of a nation with reference to a world-consciousness.”—N Y Times

“Two chapters dealing with Internationalism and the School and two others on the Teaching of patriotism are especially sane and well-balanced and will be suggestive to teachers of American history who wish to base their influence for Americanization upon something less superficial than tradition and prejudice.” W: H. Allison

Reviewed by C. G. Fenwick

“Part two, on education, offers many suggestions that should interest educators.”

“One’s total reaction to the book is emotional. It is impressive not as an argument or a scientific inquiry, but as a sermon. It is edifying rather than clarifying. One is swept along much as though one were reading a book of psalms; each sentence is an exhortation, and as one proceeds the exhortatory force accumulates until one ends in an ‘intoxication mood’ of edification. One can not emerge from the book without a feeling of enthusiasm for something which is critically important, but that something is intellectually elusive.” H. W. Schneider

Reviewed by Joseph Jastrow

“Mr Partridge has given to the public a book which doubtless will be, as it deserves to be, widely read.”

“The large value of his book—which really ought to be called ‘The education of nations’—is that it presents, compiled and digested, the theories of many men who have dealt with a broad complex of problems.”

PATCH, EDITH MARION.Little gateway to science. il $1 Atlantic monthly press 595.7

20–9285

Nature stories for young children. The author calls them “hexapod stories,” for they are all about six-footed insects, butterflies, bees, grasshoppers and the like. The titles are: Van, the sleepy butterfly, who was awakened by a January thaw; Old Bumble; The strange house of Cecid Cido Domy; Poly, the Easter butterfly; Jumping Jack; Nata, the nymph; Lampy’s Fourth o’ July; Carol; Ann Gusti’s circus; Gryl, the little black minstrel; Luna’s Thanksgiving; Keti-Abbot, the littlest Christmas guest. A word to the teacher follows and there are notes, with references to other books. The pictures are by Robert J. Sim.

“They are simply told without any sentimentality or ‘writing down.’ Good for school libraries as well as public.”

PATERSON, WILLIAM PATERSON, and RUSSELL, DAVID, eds.[2]Power of prayer. *$4 Macmillan 217

20–15946

“In May, 1916, the Walker trust of the University of St Andrews offered certain prizes on ‘the meaning, the reality and the power of prayer, its place and value to the individual, to the church, and to the state, in the everyday affairs of life, in the healing of sickness and disease, in times of distress and national danger, and in relation to national ideals and to world-progress.’ In response to this offer one thousand six hundred and sixty-seven essays were received, coming from all quarters of the world and written in nineteen languages. The first prize was awarded to Rev. Samuel McComb, of Baltimore, Maryland, and is printed as the first paper following an interesting essay by Dr Paterson entitled ‘Prayer and the contemporary mind.’ Twenty other papers of varying length of different aspects of the subject are also printed.”—Bib World

“The quality of the essay by Dr McComb warrants the decision of the readers in his favor. This book is the most voluminous and satisfactory study of the subject that we know.”

“Most appear to have read widely. They express themselves lucidly. They can give reasons, not unworthy of consideration, for the faith which is in them; though, with the exception of Canon McComb, no writer can be classed as a trained theologian of eminence. The volume has not, in consequence, the importance of the series of essays entitled ‘Concerning prayer,’ which Messrs Macmillan published a few years ago. The main value of the book consists in the light which it throws on the religious tendencies of the time.”

PATON, STEWART.Education in war and peace. *$1.50 Hoeber

20–3200

“In ‘Education in war and peace,’ the author makes an appeal for a united effort by physicians, psychologists, and educators to search out and develop appropriately the basic instincts and deep emotional undercurrents which have so much to do in shaping personality, determining character, and controlling conduct. The current tendency to try to ‘compensate for personal inadequacy in facing the real problems of life’ by various forms of ‘wishful thinking’ is examined and illustrated.”—Survey

“His treatment is stimulating, and any educator or social worker may read the book with the hope of receiving immediate profit from it.” F. G. Bonser

PATRICK, DIANA.Wider way. *$2 Dutton

20–11891

“Veronica Quening, with a dour and brutal market gardener (who is also a local preacher) for her father, but also with a devoted stepmother, entirely free from traditional stepmotherliness, is quite staggeringly fascinating, lovely, and magnetic. She has all our sympathy in her career as school teacher, as wife for a time—after another passionate love affair—of a German; and specially as friend of Lord Swathe, for there is evidently a kinship between the beautiful girl and the stately noble house. All ends well with Veronica.”—The Times [London] Lit Sup

“Harmless and pretty and silly.”

“Veronica, with her complexities, her ambitions, her mental and spiritual endowments, her surface froth and her profound depths, is a creation that would do credit to an older and more practiced hand. As a whole, the novel is an exceptionally good first book, which reveals a real gift for story telling and a marked faculty for producing the illusion of reality.”

PATRICK, GEORGE THOMAS WHITE.Psychology of social reconstruction. *$2 Houghton 301

20–19443

In considering the dangers that threaten our present civilization—reversion to barbarism, decadence, ill-timed social reforms, et al.—the author maintains that he is not taking the usual attitude of either advocate or critic, but that of a student of ultimate values. He sees in our present awareness of social evils a hopeful sign, but insists on the inadequacy of all economic and political reforms that disregard the psychological and historical factors. No reform can endure whose psychological basis does not rest on human needs and does not conform to human nature. The three first chapters are devoted to the psychological factors in social reconstruction and the remaining four to: The psychology of work; Our centrifugal society; Social discipline; The next step in applied science. There is an index.

“The book is eminently readable and deserves a wide response.”

PATTERSON, FRANCES TAYLOR.Cinema craftsmanship. il *$2 Harcourt 808.2

20–17895

The author, who is instructor in photoplay composition in Columbia university, recognizes that the moving picture art is still in its infancy, but says that her motive for writing this book is faith in its future and a desire to help awaken the public to its possibilities. Contents: The art and the science; The plot; The characters; The setting; Adaptation; Scenario technique; Writing a synopsis for the photoplay market; Cinema comedy; The critical angle; The photoplay market. The scenario for the photoplay “Witchcraft” by Margaret Turnbull, awarded a prize offered by the Famous Players-Lasky company, is appended, together with bibliography and index.

“A model scenario and an excellent bibliography make the book a complete manual for all persons interested in photoplay writing.”

PATTERSON, JOHN EDWARD.Passage of the barque Sappho. *$2.50 Dutton

20–11150

“‘The passage of the barque Sappho’ portrays in minute detail the voyage of a sailing vessel from San Francisco around Cape Horn, homeward bound, to a British port. The author, J. E. Patterson, died before the book was published, and it was prepared for the press by his friend, C. E. Lawrence, who contributes a foreword. The narrative purports to be the work of two individuals, and is told in the first person. The joint contributions come from the two extremes of sea society—the cabin and the fo’castle. One is an officer and the other an ordinary seaman. When events are witnessed by both, it is from different points of view. The officer and sailor write alternately, and describe in detail all that went on above deck and in the forecastle during the long voyage. The story ends with shipwreck in the Sargasso sea.”—Springf’d Republican

“The style of the story, in so far as it may be detached from its substance, is (but for certain passages of description) homely enough, lacking in the ordinary ‘literary’ graces; but this in the end appears to be a part of virtue. Beside Conrad and Bullen my copy shall take its place with confidence.” H. W. Boynton

“The book has a historical as well as a literary value. Mr Patterson proves by this posthumous novel his understanding of character as well as his ability to write an impressive description. Each officer and man of the Sappho is a distinct individual possessed of his own little traits and peculiarities—traits and peculiarities which the author’s leisurely method enables him fully to illustrate.”

“Quite at variance with the usual nautical romance, the chronicle is free from intrigues and brutality. The book is rather long (and expensive) and is likely to prove a bit tiring to all save those interested in the subject of seafaring.”

PAUL, EDEN, and PAUL, CEDAR.Creative revolution. *$2 (*8s 6d) (4c) Seltzer 335

The authors subtitle their book “A study of communist ergatocracy,” using the newly coined word “ergatocracy” to signify workers’ rule. In the opening chapter they say, “This little volume has a twofold aim, theoretical and practical. In the theoretical field, we wish to effect an analysis of socialist trends and to attempt a synthesis of contemporary proletarian aims. In the sphere of practice we hope to intensify and to liberate the impulse towards a fresh creative effort.” Contents: Communist ergatocracy; Socialism through social solidarity; Socialism through the class struggle; The shop stewards’ movement; Historical significance of the great war; The Russian revolution; The third international; The dictatorship of the proletariat; The iron law of oligarchy; Socialism through parliament or soviet? Creative revolution; Freedom; Bibliography.

“Do the gifted authors realize that the atmosphere of a Marxian library varied by stimulating conversations with trade union leaders, is not the same as the atmosphere of a bloody revolution? Do they clearly realize the difference? Do they, in fact, know what they are talking about?”

Reviewed by A. C. Freeman

“After so much has been written, camouflaged and in equivocal language, it is a pleasure to find a book so clear-cut, so incisive and so direct in its wording and in its thought. I still believe as firmly as ever that the principles of pacifism represent the most workable social philosophy. I am therefore at total variance with the authors in their interpretation of the lessons which the Russian revolution has taught. At the same time, I am glad to welcome their contribution because of the splendid effect which it will have in clarifying issues that have puzzled and baffled so many earnest souls during the past few months.” Scott Nearing

PAYNE, FANNY URSULA.Plays and pageants of citizenship. il *$1.50 Harper 792.6

20–18670

A new book of plays by the author of “Plays and pageants of democracy,” and “Plays for anychild.” Contents: Dekanawida; The triumph of democracy; The spirit of New England; The soap-box orator; The victory of the good citizen; Old Tight-wad and the victory dwarf; Rich citizens; Humane citizens.

PAYNE, GEORGE HENRY.History of journalism in the United States. *$2.50 (2c) Appleton 071

20–10538

A short history of American journalism from the first newspaper to the present day, written by a man of wide newspaper experience. Among the early chapters are: Historic preparation for journalism; The first newspaper in America; The first journals and their editors; Philadelphia and the Bradfords; Printing in New York—the Zenger trial; Rise of the fourth estate; The assumption of political power; The “Boston Gazette” and Samuel Adams; Journalism and the Revolution; Adams and the alien and sedition laws. Other chapters cover the newspapers of the west, suffrage and slavery and the Civil war. Special chapters are also devoted to such great dailies as the Sun, the Herald and the Tribune. There are closing chapters on Editors of the new school; After-war problems and reform and The melodrama in the news. Interesting documents and statistics are given in appendices. There is a valuable bibliography of twenty-nine pages, followed by an index.

“The story is compact, but it moves to a lively tune, and is widely allusive. The personal human interest is widely kept in the foreground, and Mr Payne reveals a keen perception of the dramatic values of his subject.” C: H. Levermore

“Will be useful to students of journalism, but it will have an interest of its own to the general reader as it traces the growth of journalism with the development of democracy.”

Reviewed by H: L. West

“A swiftly written and vigorously phrased volume.” D. C. Seitz

“It is hard to tell which impresses one most in reading this book—the author’s sincerity or his thoroughness. The book is very valuable and intensely interesting.” C. W. T.

“He has done a creditable piece of work, amassed adequate material, used it with discrimination and an excellent sense of selection, has not forgotten that he had a ‘story’ to tell, and that one of the prime requisites of a story is that it shall be interesting.” E. G. L.

“Mr Payne’s history of American newspaper publication is well written and well proportioned. He has made the story interesting from beginning to end.”

“Mr Payne’s treatment of the press in the years before the Civil war is much the more satisfactory because, while involving little original research, it deals out information suggestively. The last part of the book is intelligent in general outlines, but is a brief and inadequate summary and seems less frank in comment. The appendices are somewhat haphazard.”

PEABODY, ROBERT SWAIN, and PEABODY, FRANCIS GREENWOOD.[2]New England romance; the story of Ephraim and Mary Jane Peabody, 1807–1892. il *$2 Houghton

20–19929

“Aside from the interest it has of a faithful account by his sons of one of America’s earliest and most distinguished preachers, it possesses value as revealing the life and manner of a period. No conscious attempt has been made to do this, however, and whatever of history the reader may get comes to him as from between the lines and is therefore the more subtly impressed. The early eighties, prior to the Civil war, are revealed through the lives, ambitions, and struggles of the minister and his wife.”—N Y Evening Post

“A quaint book for lovers of New England.”

“Because of its very evident qualities of naturalness and sincerity this little volume should escape the limbo which awaits the major part of commemorative literature and be preserved among those works classed as human documents.”

“Told with a simple and natural beauty of language fitting for such a theme. Incidentally it gives a graphic picture of revolutionary and pre-revolutionary days.”

PEAKE, C. M. A.Eli of the downs. *$2 (2c) Doran

20–18768

The narrator of the story found Eli as an old man in his cottage, Beulah, on the downs, where he spends his last days carving fiddles, and surrounded by the few treasures he had garnered from his wanderings over the earth. He had always been a rare character, this shepherd, with a rich inner life. Early in life he had married a mate worthy of him, but it was a short happiness, and then the young widower took to wandering. For some eight years he followed the sea and saw many lands. Then it was surveying and ranching in Canada where an old Chinese cook instructed him in the wisdom of Confucius and Lao Tsu, but with failing health he turned his steps once more to England. At Beulah cottage, lonely to the last, but emanating a silent influence for good over the neighborhood, he ended his days in peace.

“The author cannot leave his characters to speak their mind, he must speak it for them, and even reinforce their statements with a kind of running commentary and explanatory notes which are very tiring to keep up with.” K. M.

“It is, on the whole, well written, and while not a particularly engrossing volume, neither is it a dull one.”

“Apart from its idea, or animus, this is a narrative of sincere and fresh quality, varied in substance and by no means artless, though it agreeably lacks the art of the professional story-teller.” H. W. Boynton

“‘Eli of the downs’ is more than a work of promise: Mr Peake tells the life-history of one who was ‘a shepherd at heart as well as by profession’ with a wealth of illuminating detail, with a love of his subject and an intimate knowledge of Wessex country life that combine to make the story memorable and delightful.”

PEARCE, FRANCIS BARROW.Zanzibar; the island metropolis of eastern Africa. il *$12 Dutton 967

(Eng ed 20–8651)

“A very substantial work by the British resident in Zanzibar, embracing the history, politics, anthropology, resources, and archæology of the island.”—The Times [London] Lit Sup

“For a leisurely pursuit of odds and ends of knowledge, or for the scholar, geographer, historian, or student of Arab dominion I recommend his volume. No thrills, few laughs, but the book marches on in a pleasant and profitable path of facts and comment.” F: O’Brien

“He has taken immense pains in the compilation of his book, he has ransacked the chronicles, consulted the retailers of legends, referred to modern authorities and drawn upon his own experiences to produce a well-constructed and agreeably written compendium of all that there is to be told of Zanzibar.”

PEARL, BERTHA.Sarah and her daughter. $2.25 (1½c) Seltzer

20–11892

The scene of the story opens on Henry street in the Ghetto and portrays the American Jew in every nuance of his racial peculiarities. The abject poverty and suffering, the breaking under suffering, the resiliency, the ethical slips in the fierce struggle for existence, the hysteria and nervous breakdowns, the seriousness and absence of a sense of humor and the fundamental goodness of heart that always has the last word to say, are all there and every type finds its place down to the tragic figure of the orthodox survivor of a dead religion. In Sarah and her daughter Minnie, the immigrant Jew and the first generation, with the resulting sad conflicts between parent and child, are represented.

“Not a pleasant story, but worth while as a sincere interpretation of a type of life which the author understands intimately.”

“As a story it is very little more than a string of episodes reported with pitiless minuteness. If ruthless and harrowing verisimilitude is of service to you, accept it in this book. Why the publishers should assert that it is a new thing, is not clear.” H. W. Boynton

“There is real emotional power in the author’s handling of her calamitous theme. She seems to lose subtlety at times because of her very sincerity; the book is in spots too wooden in its realism, and there is some careless workmanship. But the characterization is acute.” F. E. H.

“There is no relief, even in the scenes between the young children, and we wonder if the story is not too photographically realistic, missing some worth or beauty under the bald surface.” L. W. M.

“A rather amorphous but by no means talentless book. Miss Pearl has a very keen and clear eye for the physical conditions of her people’s lives—both in the Ghetto and beyond it—and a genuine gift, despite her blunt and sprawling style, for rendering the atmosphere of bleak and homeless places. There is no reason why Miss Pearl should not do admirable work as she grows in self-discipline of both style and feeling, and acquires a cooler spirit and a more tempered surface.”

“It does more than present a partially new viewpoint of matters with which we are familiar, it brings a new range of material within our understanding. Here is an American book with a straightforward story, in the main well told and without sentimentalism.” R. V. A. S.

“Her descriptions are so true that one can’t help but feel that the story is equally as true.” Rose Karsner

“It is a work that is noteworthy in American literature, suggesting Dickens and De Morgan modernized and Americanized.”

“To the American reader who has previously known little or nothing about that life, it is like the brilliant illumination from the inside of a dark room.”

“Whatever criticism may be offered lies in the possibility that even tenement existence is not always as barren of sunshine and joys of life as the author would have us believe. But that is not sufficiently outstanding to detract from the authentic interest of the story.”

PEARL, RAYMOND.[2]Nation’s food. il *$3.50 Saunders 338

20–4023

“Mr Pearl was chief of the statistical division of the Food administration, and as such presents ‘unbiased statistical data rather than my own opinion as to their interpretation.’ The book is made up for the greater part of clear classifications and tables.”—Survey

“With his usual thoroughness and breadth of view he has included in his inquiry so many ramifications that his investigation covers Europe also. It thus possesses extraordinary interest at the present time.” E. J. Russell

“As a source book, this volume is warmly recommended.” B. L.

PEARSON, EDMUND LESTER.Theodore Roosevelt. il *$1.75 (5c) Macmillan

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