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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 1908)
THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, " PORTLAND. SUNDAY MORNING. DECEMBER 8.' 1908. and their iVblLtieiiv-v "A' of today. T IARGK, by Arthur Christo- pher Eenson That the essay 1 again being recognized and demanded la the most hopeful sign In the literary firmament Once the vehicle of the moat advanced and mature thought, the esiay took the highest rank In literary excel lence, but the demand for a more mod ern and feverish mode of expression haa for tome years relegated the essayist to the shades of the pant. The essay Itself, perhaps, had something to do with it, for, as A rule it i3id not meet the de mand of a newer, thought and s newer - dispensation. . - - Mr. Benson, however,' has seemed to recognize this defect and in the collec tion before us has brought his matter in close touch with-the modern and exact ing demands of an age pulsating with life and activity, and whose attention can only be caught, and held by the things that are present and practical. - He haa furthermore made the 18 essays contained in "At Large" readable and understandable. He- takes every day experiences and emotions., such as con tentment, travel, optimism, Joy, etc and writes of them in a pjeasant, fluent manner, and with an engaging literary style, avoiding entirely the obtuse or ' grandiloquent phraseology that - sounds the literary death Knell of bo many es sayists. Mr. Benson possesses two qualifications absolutely necessary for the author of a successful essay, Vis., courage and humor; he has strength to mt . what he thinks and tones it down with the saving grace of humor. - That he thinks too along the most advanced lines of psychological research is. evi denced in many passages throughout the book, noticably so In the essay on "Joy.4 Mere, for instance, he says: "In hu manity we have merely a certain por tion of this large life, which may spread, for all we know, beyond the visible unl- vaM." crlrkliA,! anA )iftilniirt. Ilka Hi spray of a fountain, into little separate Individualities. Some of the argent In explicable emotions which visit us from 'time to time. Immense, far reaching mysteries, are, I believe with all my heart, the pulsations of this vast life outside us, stirring for an instant the silence of our sleeping splrtt, It Is pos sible, I cannot help feeling, that those people lire the best of all possible lives who devote- themselves to receiving these pulsations. Why, then, lastly. It may be asked, do these experi ences befall us so faintly, so secretly, so seldom: if it is the true life that beats so urgently into our souls, why are we often so careful and disquieted, why do we fare such long spaces without the heavenly vision, why do we see, or seem to see, so many or our reiiows to wnom suon tnincs come rareiy or not at aiiT I cannot answer that; yet 1 feel that life is there, and I can but fall back linnn the rrentle words of the old saint who wrote: 1 know not how it is. but the more the realities or heaven are ciotned with obscurity, tne more tney Aaliaht and attract: and nothlnr so much heightens longing as such tender reruaai. - Most of Mr. Benson's subjects, bow ever, are more earthly than this, , and deal with the material more than with the spiritual side or lire. indeed the entire book appeals so stronelv to the practical, and is so full of strong wholesome! food for living, one would never associate tne tnougnt or the spiritual very largely with it. It is a collection of essays, In short, that must command a large circle of thoughtful renders, and it is a volume wen worm nnaina 10 any one s norarv, George W. Putnam's Sons. Pries 11.25, "The Ruest of Queens v. bv Booth Tarklnaton A hiehlv interesting and decidedly unique story of modern life with France as a background. A tale of a wealthy young American whose nace is of the fastest. Who sains tho love of a beautiful girl who elopes with him aealnst the wishes of all her feople; and after two years of vainly rylng to reclaim him. Is forced to leave him anA apply for s divorce, . ine story opens wiin van picture oi vnun Htrman seated In the tonneau of a large white touring car, threading its way tnrougn tne traiiie on tne doui vard. The countenance of the man had been extremely handsome, but riot ous living had bloated, coarsened and distorted all lines of beauty in his face and figure; tne latter being very rat, loose ana sprawling, tsesiae mm sat well known -dancer enameled. 11ns startling carmine, eyelids painted blue. A purple veil dotted with gold held the green -o yea ostnen piumes on ner nat in place. . Later at the rate of seventy miles an hour on a country road this great machine comet to grief, breaking the leg of the dancer, who never can dance again, and pinning young Harman un der the. body of the ear. When he is rmauy rescued the top or nis neaa seems crushed In. He Is taken to hospital and the papers read, "No hope of his surviving.'' In a week's time the natters reoort him as "Llnaerlne and so the curtain goes down for two years. - , Been two opens at an inn In rural Normandy and finds there a dlstln gulshed professor of science and a young companion a jroutn smguiariy handsome, but with startling prema turely wnite nair. une oays are spent In instruction on the professor's part study on the youth' A short distance away from the inn is a chateau which Das Been rentea oy some Americans a brother and sister by name of Ward. With them visiting is their cousln. Ijouise Harman, the beautiful wife of the dissipated American. ine renon servants speak of her as Mde, d'Armand, Here come in several cretty woodland scenes described with a grace and deli cacy of touch which remind one of Henry Harland's "Cardinal's Snuff Box" scenes. One grows attached to the vouth, Oliver Saffron, whom some people pronounce mad, but those who know him think him sane enough, only lacking at times tn woriaiy wisdom. Listen to what he says himself "You can't understand. When you want to know what to do, you iook oacit into your life and It tells you; and when I look back It's all blind. I haven't had my life, It's gone." So the youth meets tho beautiful Mde. d'Armand. as he hears her calleJ, and falls desper ately in love with her aided and abet ted by the professor of science. Then appears at the inn a notary, a de tective and the aancer grown enormous ly fat since the advent of the broken i he yonth Is coming back from a meet ing in the woodland glade with Mde. d'Armand and is crossing the courtyard of the Inn whtn a tat double chinned maree, greaav, roured female fantastic ally a Hr bed la green and gold, bounded out of a pnHHnge and throwing her arms tl'oiit his neck cried out, "Kmhrace me, rrab Harman my husband." be flung her off with loathing uuapeak-TTa it the fat li lleve this?" cried Harman to the pro fessor. "That I made life unbearable for Louise, that dearest angel Louise, fhom I love now to distraction that ever drove her from me and took this hideous painted old woman in her place. It's a lie. . You can't make me believe such a monstrous He as that. You can t, you can't- - . "My poor boy, it's true," sighed the professor. 'It is what a thousand men are doing' every day. Wherever life haa become anuiciai ana poor, luuueu voiintr men have too much money and nothing to do. Then you were blind your soul hid away, down Inside you, with its hands over its face. But In your present suffering you must re joice; the triumph is that your mind hates that old life as greatly as your soul. hates it. For a man who shakes off his sin Is clean; he stands as pure as if he had never sinned but there is a law that he cannot escape from the results of all . the things be ha done. But that Is a little thing that suffering compared to what you have gained. For you have gained your own SOUl." .: , r -.v 1 '.,. :: I "I must be redeemed," ' says Harman to the professor, who has labored with him as a psychological case for two years. "I must be, for her sake." And eventually he was, and quits to the satisfaction' of -the reader. The style and character of the story is a far call from "The Conquest, of Canaan," and some of Mr. Tarkington'a other stories, but ' it Involves soma scientific problems that have ever been introduced in his other books. It will not perhaps touch the large majority of readers with the same chord of sym pathy that much of his previous work has done, but it is none the less Inter esting for this. The McCluro company. Price 11.50. " "Instinct and Health," by Dr. Woods Hutchinson-It would take no reviewer's pen to Insure a warm welcome in Ore- fon to anything' bearing the name of )r. Woods Hutchinson as its -author. Rlsht well the people he served so faithfully, knew his sound, practical, common sense method of dealing with the physical necessities of the human machine, and the manner of obtaining the greatest efficiency from It. There Is no "beating about the bush," in any thing Dr. Hutchinson has to say; hej buikcs irnmiii irum tne enouicier out and leaves the faddist, the fanatic or the "mossback" to get over the- shock the best they can, and they are pretty nearly sure to wake tip reallilng the turth of what he has said, i "Instinct and Health" is made up of 18 essays, or articles dealing with sub jects of every day importance; of the things that contribute So largely to the health and happiness of the individual yet are so common they receive little, if any, attention from the ordinary per son. , While these articles were origin ally written to be published in book form" they have almost all of them pre viously appeared in the most Important magazines and periodicals, and few Of the many people that have read, and profited, by them but will be delighted to have them In permanent form. Dr. Hutchinson la a man who has contributed much to science through his pen, and is a student of deep research, yet the theory upon which he invar iably bases his opinions, may, in every case, be simmered out to the statement with which he opens a comparatively un important chapter of the present book when he says: "Reason is always trying to play tricks upon Instinct, to teach Its grandmother how to suck eggs, as the old ear runs. Instinct is a old as the hills, reason was hatched onlv yesterday, and has the boundless self commence or youtn. its favorite game is to improve upon nature, sometimes successfully, sometimes not,' Dr. Hutchinson is a great exponent of the fresh air and sunshine cure, and nis strong ana abiding raitn tn nature, gives one renewed strengtn and cour age, lie nas sometimes been called an extremist, and perhaps with some Just ness, yet every reformer knows that to make people think, they must be snocaea by .tne extremist into sensi bility, and Dr. Hutchinson's extremes never carried him over the borderland or common sense. Doau Mead & Co. fries ii.zu. "Judith of the Cumberland. i." by Alice MaoOowan The story is evidently written with a purpose the purpose -of giving a Just, honest and faithful pic ture of the mountain people, with their environments, dialect and standards of morality, as well as their viewpoint in regard to the moonshiner and his writs aey sun. Ana excellently well has Miss MacOowan carried out her purpose In her portrayal, and character sketches. me nero or tne story is a young idealist. a lawyer, who returns to his native land "The Turkey Track" to teach his people the value of the law. Nat urally his first attempt creates strife and contention, and he finds himself involved in numerous family feuds. An incident, which will illustrate his diffi culties, is iouna upon one occasion when he settled a law suit, giving Judg ment against a poor widow and then, out of his own pocket, reimbursing the widow to the amount of the fine, which contrary to his expectations offends ooin claimant and widow, and brings troubles thicker and faster about him. Judith, the nature woman. Is a strik ing character sketch, and illustrates most rorelbiy tne facts and fancies the author wishes to bring out in her ap preciative description of the people of the Cumberland s. She Is a brave, pas sionate and Jealous creature, with the superstition that is natural to those who constantly dwell amid the myster ies of nature, but who, like the trees ana rocks oi her native land, stands tsTL a. : V V, - WTC.- aisstsSi' jSlAmi . ip '"! rl f-"'V.lMr 3 the test when the stress comes. Judith's "play party" has a dramatic- climax when the hero, all unintentionally, dls covers the moonshine still and narrowly escapes death. The book 4s full of beautifully painted word pictures of those picturesque mountains, with the mountaineers a faithfully told as though caught with brush or camera; among them, and one of the best, being Jeptban Terrentlne who is as true a representative of that '"purest American strain left to us of that changing and vanishing type." The book Js well bound and Is Il lustrated in handsome rich coloring. O. P. Putnam's Sons. Price fl.60. "Carrie Who?" by MaxImWlan Foster. In reading the book one is - almost forced to believe a Dickens has risen up among us, so Dickensesque if we may coin the only word that seems suit ableare the exaggerated descriptions, the Intricate and complicated plot, the grotesque but, withal, expressive names such as Mrs. Plnchln, Mr. Gelkie, Mr. Tollbee, etc., and the characters all so extremely bad or good they seem blocked out after ' the pattern of the great novelist, except for a decided stamp of originality that Mr. - Foster has given them;, and then it is New York and not London, and th heroine Is an American. Instead of an English girl... Corrle is Introduced to the reader when she Is a young woman of 19, liv ing with' Mrs. Plnchln, ostensibly a Mrs. Flnchln's companion, but Corrle is always asking, "Corrle who?" or "Corrle what?'' for she has no Idea who she is or who Mrs. Plnchln is, or who ny of the people are that frequent Mrs. Flnchln's "Sunday evening social func tion." Dim recollections of a big brick house, a garden, a boy peeping through a broken fence, fill Corrle' mind until she is Impelled to find this house, and, if possible, learn who and what she is. At this point the plot beglas to de velop, and a young architect, falling in love with Corrle, takes a hand in un winding themystery. The book Is full of Intense human ac tion and cannot fall to touch a chord of sympathy for Its fine, appealing quali ties, while the plot and romance Is so compelling and full of Interest the reader finds himself racing through It, quite as much interested as the girl, to learn "Corrle who?" or "Corrle what?" The book has some-Very good Illus trations bv Ceora-e Brehm. and has striking and unusually handsome and original cover design. Small, Maynard ae.vo,: fries Jt.ou. "The Man Who Ended War," by Hollls Godfrey. As one reads this most thrill ing story he is almost forced to believe Jules Verne has again returned to earth. ror no story, since tne time or tnat nov elist-flclentlst. has appeared which car ries such improbabilities and -yet con tains such possibilities in the unknown world of science. It is a Wild tale of a man who alone and single handed un dertakes to destroy the. navies of the world, and succeeds to a certain extent Two rood, wholesome., well educated American men. and an ud to date Ameri can girl, start but to solve the mystery ana una mo man wno wouia ena war. The scenes shift from New York to London and from one place to another, with an ever and ever increasing inter est. Much of it assumes the character of a detective story, and yet it is far removed from this rather questionable class of literature. It is a story full of wholesome and exciting Interest and one of unusual strength and stability. It would, be a very superficial reader. Indeed, who would not detect under the attractive tale and pretty romance a deeper purpose than mere narrative for entertainment or who would not recog nise in the author a writer jof more intense conviction than the ordinary novelist It was, therefore,-no surprise to learn that Mr. Godfrey was a careful follower of International disputes and for several years has made a collection of war clippings. It is said the mass of material he has collected Is appall ing, and that he realises how hard It is for peaceful folk to appreciate that hardly a month goes by without some war cloud threatening the world. This we are told was one of the reasons which led him to deviate from his usual line of work the scientific .article 4o write a novel dealing with war. The book is well Illustrated by Charles Grunwald. Little, Brown & Co. Price $1.60. . - "Wulnoth. the Wanderer." b H. Es- cott Inman. A strong dramatic story of the northland. in the viking days before Thor was supplanted by the "White Christ," and when "fair words were few and men gloried in bold taction and com bat witn neavy oaas.- Wulnoth. of rovsl lineaare but wear ing the thralls collar, is caretaker to the little Princess Edglva. These two, with the brother of the princess, form as interesting a group and as pretty a picture of child life as the Imagination could well conceive. When later the prophecies for the kingdom come true, when trouble, over takes them and the fierce Dane con quers the land, Wulnoth becomes the defender and preserver of the prince and princess. It is one of those le gendary stories full of poetic fancy, growing fascinating almost to weird ness at times, and with a full vocabu lary of old English names that lend a charm to the tales- of the court of King Alfred. The foreword is In fact a foretaste of the quaintness and beautiful style of the book. It says: "The song of Wul noth, the born thrall, who was called the wanderer; the sons) of the name less and the landless mart who aided two kings to gain kingdoms. The song of his friendship for Guthred, the prinoe; the song of his wanderings to find his friend. The song of his perils and war rings, and of his slaying of Hungwar L . - - . - ' X "'- V V A. Conan Doyle. tne Dane. The song of his friendship with Alfred the Bretwalda of the West Saxons, and of bis love for Edglva the Beautiful. The song of his turning to the Life Giver; the song of his last fight with Jarl Eric, on the field of the great slaughter. This in the song, 'And this sons: did Gvso the Gleeman sing by command of Edward the king, the son or Alfred, that the name and tne deeds of Wulnoth might not perish, but be remembered hy all men.' " Like the many works of this charac ter from the same Dress, the book Itself is a thing of beauty, with its rich col ored frontispiece, substantial binding and attractive illuminations. A. C. Mo Clurg A Co. Price tl.SO. "Santa Claus and All About Htm. The nl.tnra Aro-urn .fill alAfv r1A kr Boyd Smith. One would never imagine to associate love and kindness with there was anything original left to say about Santa Claus. but they find their mistake after looking through this new history and record of events in the life of that fascinating gentleman from the north that comes out of his ice palace onoe a year to make glad the hearts of the children of every land. It has become quite the fad with pres. ent day reformersf?) to decry the pop ularity of this ancient legend, giving as their basis of objection that it teaches what is untrue to children and some thing they will have to unlearn later In life. And what If it does? It does not in volve any principle of morality, re ligion or civic righteousness. It mere ly excites their poetic imagination, and gives them a few years of unalloyed pleasure with which to anticipate the great Christian holiday, and helpa them the holiday they are all too prone te forget when the cares and trials of later life are upon them. -,- No, let us give the little ones all the Joy of Christmas time, even if we have to draw upon an utterly foundationless legend but withal a beautiful and the longer, the delusion the better for the child, , In giving the children this, pleasure there lias not come this year a greater contribution to it than Mr,. Smith's pres ent story of Santa Claus, with its irre sistible pictures 1 full page Illustra tions in colors and many others in black and white, all of which are an interest ing study and never ending source of entertainment for the child of tender years. . Frederick A. Stokes Co. J. K. QUI. Portland. Price 12,00. "The Way of the Indian," by Alfred B. Gilbert, M. D. This is a little Christ mas book that Portland may well feel proud of, as it is an entirely. "Made in Oregon" product Dr. Gilbert, the au thor, has lived In Portland for- some years, but previous to his coming here resided in Dakota, where be became in timately acquainted with the Indian in his truest and most natural condition. He did not observe htm from afar, as most of our authorities upon the life and habits of the Indian-have-done, but he studied him at close range, and found the man. as well as the Indian, In him. With this sympathetic appreciation and devoid of a sentimentality' that belongs to still another class of writers upon Indian lore. Dr. Gilbert is eminently fitted for the task he set himself and so well accomplished in this little bro chure, "The Way of the Indian.' It is simply a little personal sketch of eight famous Indians, Sitting Bull, Multno mah. Chief JoseDh. Seattle. Ansellne. Geronlmo, Wallulah ftna.SacaJawea. In most cordial sympathy with her husband's literary work. Mrs. Carrie Gilbert, the well known artist, has most effectively illustrated the book. Mrs.' Gilbert makes a sneclaltv of Indians. ana some or ner wvrjc nas xounq ics way Into the collections of the most critical connoisseurs. Each page of the book contains an illustrative sketch from her pencil, which' greatly enhances the beau ty and value of the work. The last, but by no means a small at traction is the manner in which the,, book is printed and gotten up. -Seldom if ever haa a Portland firm turned nut da fine a piece of work. Miss Frances Gotschall, the only woman publisher on the coast, is responsible for this part of the book, and taking its tasteful cover with embossed design, the good paper ana rine coloring in connection with the valuable literary matter and original drawings. It Is in every par ticular a work of unusual merit Its moderate price (50 cents) must make it one of the very desirable holiday at tractions. The cornerstone of thet60.000 T. M. C A. building for Poughkeepsle wss recently laid by the donor, William W. Smith. In his remarks the mayor said, "No city Is better than Its cltlsens, hence this institution will be useful for the publio good." Rev, W, P. Swarts gave a piece of strikingly Interesting history. He said 41 years ago a well grown bov came to the oity to sell candy, and to the parish house to see the pastor about his soul's salvation. That was the cornerstone laying f the Christian service of Mr. Smith. Forty years ago he was proposed for member ship in the association. The minutes of that meeting and only those in the whole book, are written in red ink, truly a red letter day for the association.'' The Perkins Hotel Pharmacy The Squibb Drug Store Why Is Fa! Is It because one is bern' with the ten dency? Or is it one of "life's trials," or Is it due to Just plain, hearty appetite? The doctors say not any one of these phrases the question correctly. They say fat IS because the fat person's digestive organs are defective. Such organs, it seems, don't change the fatty foods eaten by stout persons into heat and energy, as they should. Instead the food fats pass on into the system un- consnmed. Hence fat layers accumulate under the skin In quiet spots, such as the chin, abdomen, shoulder blades, etc. Let that, digestive defect be corrected and the formerly fat person goes back to his or her original shape. You can prove this on yourself. Seventy-five cents will secure from your druggist one of the large cases of Marmola Pre scription Tablets recently licensed for sale by the Marmola Company of 'De troit, Mich. Take one of these tablets after each meal and at bedtime and the demonstration starts right there. Very soon you will experience a new sense1 of digestive comfort and a delightful feel ing of Increased energy which should be followed in due season by a gradual, uniform decrease of your fat . eat and drink as formerly; remember. The tablets need no help .from either dieting or exercising, nevertheless the aaity toss should approximate ten , to sixteen ounces a aay. J.OW. wilt is ityou get tninT wny 1 iBP cr, 'vs? 7: sw- mjmrrtm am j A Splendid I 'Mr I Line of Nez g. L ifr Perce Indian An ideal Christmas gift, The Great Parker Fountain Pen In beautiful holiday boxes. A written guarantee of highest perfection goes with every pen. Prices $150 to $10 Our Christmas Present to Our Customers With every purchase amounting to $1 or over, we give you .Baby Free The dolls are nicely dressed and very pretty, in fact, such a doll as will generally retail from 35c to 50c each. From now until Christmas you get one free, every time your purchases amount to the value of $1 or over. A Calendar for 1909 free. Ask for one. See Our Splendid Common Sense Holiday Line Gillette Safety Razors in splendid leather sets, from, each. .$5 to $45 Post Card Albums, and beauties, too, a fine assortment, each.. 35 to $1 Hand-Painted Bon Bon Jars, Cold Cream Jars, Powder Boxes and Hair Receivers, price, each $3.50 to SjSlO Travelers' Toilet Rollups, in nice complete sets, or just the empty roll, and you fill in the articles wanted. .Price, each, $1.50 to $45 Gentlemen's Shaving Outfits, with magnifying mirror, as well as aft or dinary one. They make swell pres ents. Price, each $4 to $10 Razors, each, from. . . .$1.50 to $3 Shaving Brushes, ea., 25t to $1.50 Shaving mugs, each 50 to $1 Razor Strops, each 50 to $2 Fancy Talcum Powder Jars each ...75t to $1.50 Fancy Cold Cream Jars, each.. 75 Fancy Nail Powder Jars, each. .50 Fancy Powder Jars, each... .$1.50 Fancy Hand Mirrors, each $1 to $5 Fancy Stand Mirrors, ea. $1 to $10 Fancy Boxes of- Stationery, 25 to .$1.50 Fine Hair Brushes, ea., 50 to $10 Good Combs, each 25f to $2 All Our New Line of Ladies' Handbags and Purses To be closed out at actual cost. We need the room for other lines, and you get the benefit Beautiful goods at Almost half the regular price. hi. i ha iirofor ancaars. arastvs ths Jrtmtti amiy anil sweeps him ti his r"m, miirre tii mm r nis rami corrects mat dige li! irvtu ti t!) automobile Acd-I stopping further I !i-t;r which 1tliirr- tb nininry. . , -1 enabling the body 1' "V"4 U.:. 1 i 'ot can rnako tn b-1 dissolve what has s . leaving your , flesh smooth, - Arm and wrinklelessT SlmDly because llartnola corrects that digestive defect, thereby rat accumulation and forces to harmlessly already gathered, A man is known by. the candy he gives. Buy LOW NEY'S. There's quality right down to the last piece, and Oh t so much class to the package. No Christmas Candies Like Eowney's 50c to S4 Package No such line of Cigars in Portland. All. the fine brands. Cigars by the Box $1 to $10 Per Box Swell Imported and American Perfumes and Atomizefs. No-such fine line can be found elsewhere; bottles ...,...". .",25tjto $5.00 r ThePerkms Hotel Pharmacy The Squibb Drugr Store Perkins Hotel; Building - Free Delivery STBISSTSSSSBSSSWS M SSB rsTSH SSSTSSS MM-MSJ SsSBaSSBTSra SfeTS-STaSTSSTSTMSsrsSBS hn - ' ' .: &'S$ty 1 ;: - Our Christmas line of Umbrellas certamlyjl swell And - they're rJ&&&fi' chcaP to- vWe bought them that I iPMs Prices $1 to $15 Each m:ffl.:&0ur:Speaaltjrr;l h I flig E'&i A nrst-class $1-50 Umbrella for .... I . I ?f 1 " - 7- ' ' - I 1 t i Nq such value anywhere . j r v ;. . ' ' -'. - . ' ' ' , I - -I -