Book Review Digest Devoted to the Valuation of Current Literature Reviews of 1917 Books (continued 37)
Reading edition
“Exciting, wholesome and will be popular.”
+ A L A Bkl 14:98 D ‘17
Reviewed by H. W. Boynton
+ Bookm 46:342 N ‘17 40w
“The essential touch which makes the charm of the story lies in the character of the little Otto.” D. L. M.
+ Boston Transcript p6 O 24 ‘17 630w
+ Cath World 106:552 Ja ‘18 130w
Dial 63:598 D 6 ‘17 110w
“There has never been a better picture of the cruel contrast between court life and the heart of youth than this tale of a prince in a petty European monarchy who tries to extract a little boyish fun from a choking atmosphere of foreign intrigue, Nihilist conspiracy, ceremonious etiquet and cold-blooded statecraft. ... All of the characters of the book are real human beings.”
+ Ind 92:108 O 13 ‘17 340w
“It may be described as a Zenda story ‘with a difference.’ It lacks the usual conquering Anglo-Saxon, his nearest representative being a small American boy who inadvertently gives a happy turn to affairs at the critical moment. Here is a tale of humor as well as sentiment: towards the end it imposes a somewhat larger burden upon the good-humored credulity of the reader than the traffic need be called upon to bear.”
+ — Nation 105:486 N 1 ‘17 340w
“The tale is highly romantic, it possesses a complicated plot, there is much and constant action, and if there is little humor, its loss is made good by much sentiment. ... The author has written a story that is different from any of the others of that sort, and has made it plausible, interesting, and appealing. The figure of the Crown Prince is particularly appealing in its wistfulness, its lovableness, and its real manliness.”
+ N Y Times 22:361 S 23 ‘17 710w
“Otto is a natural and friendly chap even if he is a prince, and his adventures with his American boy acquaintance are jolly.”
+ Outlook 117:184 O 3 ‘17 50w
“An engaging but rather pathetic story.”
+ Springf’d Republican p17 O 28 ‘17 270w
RIVES, HALLIE ERMINIE (MRS POST WHEELER). Long lane’s turning. il *$1.50 (1½c) Dodd 17-22567
Henry Sevier, the brilliant young southern lawyer, knew that his besetting sin was his dependence upon stimulants at times of crisis. Only one other knew this—Cameron Craig, the head of the liquor trust and Sevier’s rival for the hand of Echo Allen. Craig had another weapon—an old letter, the publication of which could bring scandal upon the Allen family. How Craig trades upon these two secrets and enmeshes Sevier in a net, how Sevier wins out both from his own weakness and the ruthlessness of his rival, is told in a series of vivid chapters.
“Published in the Red Book under title, ‘The heart of a man.’”
A L A Bkl 14:28 O ‘17
“Drink is the theme underlying the somewhat artificial structure of ‘The long lane’s turning.’ It is a story of romantic contrivance based upon the working out of a preconceived idea. ... Yet whatever flimsiness may be discerned in the plot there is none in the style.” H. W. Boynton
+ — Bookm 46:98 S ‘17 300w
“A melodramatic temperance novel, so far as its style and characterization are concerned. ... The story moves at a brisk pace, and is entertaining.”
N Y Times 22:343 S 16 ‘17 220w
“Melodrama with a vengeance.”
— Springf’d Republican p13 Ja 20 ‘18 290w
ROBBINS, EDWARD J., comp. Universal drill manual. il *$1 Sherwood co. 355 17-16555
A complete résumé of the really necessary and important points which should be the common knowledge of every private, compiled from strictly official sources by a captain in the Major officers reserve corps, with illustrations from the same sources.
N Y P L New Tech Bks p17 Jl ‘17 50w
ROBERTSON, ERIC SUTHERLAND. Bible’s prose epic of Eve and her sons. *$1.75 (3½c) Putnam 222 (Eng ed A17-80)
The author has made a study of those parts of Genesis attributed to the authorship of “J.” The opening of Genesis is the work of “P.” J’s narrative breaks in with the fourth verse of the second chapter. Mr Robertson says, “The writer known as J has a narrower outlook on the cosmos than P, but it is a more human, a more sunny outlook. This writer or editor is, like Herodotus, a gatherer of legends at old shrines.” The text of the “J” narrative is given in an appendix.
“What we know is that the book tells us what would have been Mr Robertson’s mind if he himself had written the ‘J’ document. And that is enough to make the book like a charming work of fiction.” G. LaP.
Boston Transcript p6 My 23 ‘17 900w
“On reading the book, one gets the impression that all this paraphernalia of scholarship is merely a passport to recommend the book to modern readers, while the author’s real interest lies in moralizing and exegesis of the time-honored variety which allows one to deduce anything under the sun from no matter what text.”
– + Dial 63:350 O 11 ‘17 500w
“There is no doubt that the book is very good reading, partly, we think, because Mr Robertson writes so very well. The story as he tells it reminds us very much of the Bible, partly again because of the identity of the names.”
Spec 118:20 Ja 6 ‘17 650w
“Mr Robertson brings to bear on his task an alert and unconventional intelligence.”
+ The Times [London] Lit Sup p323 Jl 6 ‘16 180w
“Literary criticism should welcome in this book an original, gallant, and successful attempt to turn to the account of poetry some of the results of scholarship in a field where it has been said science was destroying everything spiritual and inspiring. ... Mr Robertson brings out the inherent romance and the inherent primitive theology in these old tales. We get from his book a sense of geographical values which readers of the Bible too seldom feel. ... He has based his speculations upon sound scholarship.” G: M. Harper
+ Yale R n s 6:415 Ja ‘17 700w
ROBERTSON, LIONEL, and O’DONNELL, THOMAS CLAY. Healthful house. il $2 Good health pub. co. 640 17-16902
“The authors of this book have not confined themselves to details of hygiene and sanitation, as these terms are commonly understood. They have attempted rather to emphasize ‘the health importance of beautiful colors and beautiful lines and masses, beautiful wall and floor coverings, equally with fresh air and light—in short, to present to the reader a house that is healthful because it satisfies the demands of hygienic and esthetic sense alike.’”—R of Rs
“The discussion of interior fitments is sane and informative.”
+ Nation 105:608 N 29 ‘17 220w
R of Rs 56:332 S ‘17 70w
+ St Louis 15:369 O ‘17 20w
475ROBINSON, CYRIL EDWARD. Days of Alkibiades; with a foreword by Prof. C. W. Oman. il *$1.50 Longmans 913.38 (Eng ed 17-26255)
“One of the criticisms most frequently made on the teaching of Greek and Latin is that it teaches the pupil to deal very cleverly with words, but tells him nothing about things. ... Mr Robinson’s book represents an attempt—and a surprisingly successful attempt—to provide the modern schoolboy and general reader with the background of things, for lack of which classical teaching in the past has so often been dull and dead. ... The result is a series of sketches of the various phases of Greek life which are not only lightly and charmingly written, but also embody on innumerable points of detail the result of the latest researches.”—The Times [London] Lit Sup
A L A Bkl 13:311 Ap ‘17
“The book is an entertaining mixture of known facts and acknowledged romance.”
+ Boston Transcript p7 Mr 24 ‘17 250w
“The book reads like a romance. A boy will learn more from these sketches, as the author modestly styles them, than from many a ponderous, old-fashioned textbook.”
+ Cath World 105:410 Je ‘17 200w
+ Ind 91:514 S 29 ‘17 60w
“Gilds the pill of Greek antiquities more attractively, than does Bekker’s ‘Charikles’ or the ‘Alkibiades’ of C. H. Bromely. Out of actual or possible scenes from the life of Alcibiades he has composed a sequence of readable chapters that covers the chief topics of Athenian private and public life strung on a thread of story that adds interest without distracting the reader’s attention. ... Many of the descriptions are admirably clear and vivid. ... The illustrations based on the author’s sketches, whatever their artistic merits, are well adapted to the purpose of visualizing and schematizing precisely the information that the reader needs and the student may remember. They cannot, of course, take the place of the two-hundred and sixty-three authentic reproductions from the monuments in Professor Gulick’s ‘Greek antiquities.’ The book is one of the best companions to the reading of the Greek classics that we have met in many a day. It makes Greek life ‘seem real.’”
+ Nation 105:266 S 6 ‘17 500w
Pratt p32 Jl ‘17 40w
“He is sound in scholarship; he bases his scenes on actual events and anecdotes. ... His style is agreeable, but a little elaborate.”
+ Sat R 122:420 O 28 ‘16 220w
“Our only serious criticism of his book is that, while unconventional in his scheme, he is almost too conscientious in the use of his material.”
* + Spec 117:478 O 21 ‘16 1100w
“Mr Robinson is not only a very careful and well-read scholar, but he has made the rare imaginative effort to realize his knowledge; and he has laid the reader under an additional obligation by being modest enough not to flaunt it. ... A volume like this is a challenge, not a ‘work of reference.’ The value of the book is enhanced by some skilful pieces of translation and a series of drawings.”
+ The Times [London] Lit Sup p16 Ja 11 ‘17 450w
ROBINSON, EDGAR EUGENE, and WEST, VICTOR J.[2] Foreign policy of Woodrow Wilson, 1913-1917. *$1.75 Macmillan 327.73 17-31893
The aim of the authors has been “to present an account of the development of the policy followed by Woodrow Wilson in dealing with the foreign relations of the United States during the years 1913-1917, and to provide in convenient form the more important statements of the president and his secretaries of state in announcing and carrying forward that policy.” The authors point to a fuller understanding of the president’s policy to be gained from an examination of the earlier period of his administration and furnish ample excerpts from his speeches and messages. The three divisions of the subject treated are: The development of the policy; More important events in American foreign relations; More important utterances of the administration.
“The treatment of the subject is both comprehensive and detailed. It is also clearly reasoned and judicially presented. For the book is in no sense the work of uncritical, enthusiastic admiration. ... The book must be especially recommended to those casual readers and superficial thinkers who allow themselves to be unduly influenced by headlines in newspapers and the flippant comment of ‘the man in the street.’ The work deserves every praise, also, for the clear succinct logical manner in which its analytical discussion is carried on. Every help is afforded the reader for intelligent investigation of the subject.”
+ N Y Times 23:1 Ja 6 ‘18 1950w
“The work is an admirable piece of bookmaking, and its reference value is great.”
+ Outlook 118:114 Ja 16 ‘18 100w
ROBINSON, EDWARD LEVI. 1816-1916; one hundred years of savings banking. 50c Am. bankers’ assn. 332 17-13470
“This little volume, comprising twenty-nine pages of text and sixty pages of bibliography, has been prepared under the direction of the Savings bank section of the American bankers’ association. The text is written by Mr Edward L. Robinson, vice-president of a savings bank in Baltimore, and the bibliography prepared by Marian A. Glenn, librarian of the American bankers’ association [and Ina Clement]. ... The topics covered by the bibliography are as follows: Thrift and savings; Individual thrift; Domestic thrift; Evidences of thriftlessness; Economics of thrift; Industrial thrift; Business thrift; Banking thrift; National thrift; International thrift; Thrift agencies; Nation-wide thrift movement inaugurated to celebrate centennial anniversary of savings banks in America.”—J Pol Econ
“The volume is chiefly valuable for the extensive bibliography.”
+ J Pol Econ 25:760 Jl ‘17 160w
“This is a timely little book. The bibliography, covering the whole subject of thrift and a number of allied topics, is not altogether successful.” B. L.
+ — Survey 39:74 O 20 ‘17 360w
ROBINSON, EDWIN ARLINGTON. Merlin. *$1.25 Macmillan 811 17-8576
Mr Robinson has retold the story of Arthur, Merlin and Vivian, altering the outlines of the traditional tale very little, but reading new meanings into the situation. He has chosen for the time of his narrative, the eve of the downfall of Arthur’s court. Merlin, after the ten years spent with Vivian in Broceliande, has returned with the purpose of again lending Arthur his counsel, but in thinking out the problem he comes to see that he must turn back without seeing the king, leaving him to the fate he has prepared for himself.
A L A Bkl 14:121 Ja ‘18
“His people are as strongly individualized and speak as naturally as though their author had been putting them into a novel instead of into a narrative poem of mediæval setting. This brings their problems much closer to the reader. ... Mr Robinson has always deservedly been placed by critics among the few of our really great poets. He is a very complete master of his art.” D. L. M.
+ Boston Transcript p9 Mr 31 ‘17 550w
“On the whole, in spite of Mr Robinson’s literary power, we prefer the terrors of ‘mid-Victorian morality’ and the symbolism of the ‘Idylls of the king.’”
+ — Cath World 106:255 N ‘17 400w
“One must feel it was a malicious elf that suggested Arthurian romance as a subject for Mr Robinson’s pen. The subject is new to him, 476but his method and manner are unchanged. Subject and method do not harmonize. Upon a style which has shaped itself in the delineation of modern types of mind—complex, eccentric, intensely individualized—is laid the task of depicting certain very unmodern characters which throughout a long and august tradition have been treated as simple, conventional, naïve. The result, in less skilful hands, would have been burlesque. ... Mr Robinson resembles his own Merlin, who has much to say about what he has seen and known without giving much notion of what it is, and who seems to rely upon our remembrance that he has been impressive in other scenes.” Odell Shepard
– + Dial 63:339 O 11 ‘17 1500w
“It is pleasant to take up Merlin and read as one reads mere poetry. ... Mr Robinson in ‘Merlin’ has plainly felt his work in Tennyson’s quality. It is clear at once that the style, and often the quality, are very like Tennyson’s. In ‘Merlin’ there is more smoothness, more expected proportions, leisure and fluency [than in much of Mr Robinson’s] previous work and less of that effect of rather trenchant rhythm, of brusque acumen and passionate shrewdness, and of a kind of analytical excitement for the mind, that have made a distinguishing quality in his poetry.” S. Y.
+ New Repub 12:250 S 29 ‘17 1650w
N Y Br Lib News 5:78 My ‘17
“It is not a great poem, though its failure is not intrinsic in its subject. The subject simply betrays more openly than a modern one certain defects in the author. He has neither the singing magic of the old school nor the swift, egotistic vitality of the new. He is a respectable poet, but he is heavy.”
– + N Y Times 22:313 Ag 26 ‘17 490w
“The state of the modern world is subtly symbolized in this fine poem, which has amazing beauty of texture and ventures a new philosophy.”
+ R of Rs 55:660 Je ‘17 90w
“Of all our modern writers, Mr Robinson most resembles Meredith, never in his technique or in his choice of subjects, but in the solidity of his work and in the sense of intellectual force. Much of our contemporary verse is painfully thin; here the foundations are dug deep. ... Each volume of Mr Robinson’s deepens the conviction that he is our foremost American poet.” E: B. Reed
+ Yale R n s 6:863 Jl ‘17 350w
ROBINSON, HARRY PERRY. Turning point; the battle of the Somme. il *$1.50 (1½c) Dodd 940.91 17-18381
“This account of the battle of the Somme is written by the official correspondent of the London Times. In preparing it he has used his dispatches to his paper as a basis, and so has made a consecutive narrative of the operations of the British troops in that action. He explains that he has made only incidental reference to the co-operation of the French troops because he was not sufficiently familiar with their share of the battle to write about it. His narrative covers the four and a half months from the 1st of July, 1916, to the middle of November.”—N Y Times
+ A L A Bkl 14:124 Ja ‘18
“Mr Robinson has here told the story of the British part in it as well as it has yet been done.”
+ N Y Times 22:399 O 14 ‘17 260w
“He strikes his own note, which is a more matter-of-fact note than that sounded by Mr Gibbs. ... He can tell either a plain or an exciting story lucidly, picturesquely, eloquently, and thrillingly when the need is; and where he has to speak of the larger issues, he judges soberly. ... The book is full of good stories in all veins, and will take its place as a most satisfactory popular history of one of the most important episodes of the war.”
+ The Times [London] Lit Sup p208 My 3 ‘17 700w
ROBINSON, LAWRENCE EUGENE. Domestic architecture. il *$1.50 Macmillan 728 17-12502
This book tells how to plan, build and furnish a house and how to arrange the grounds. It is illustrated with diagrams, gives a glossary of architectural terms, and at the end of each chapter, references for further reading.
A L A Bkl 13:437 Jl ‘17
Cleveland p114 S ‘17 60w
“A non-technical, well-balanced treatment.”
+ Ind 90:516 Je 16 ‘17 50w
N Y Br Lib News 4:110 Jl ‘17 50w
“An elementary book, useful to those building or remodeling their own homes.”
+ Pratt p29 O ‘17 10w
“This book has to do almost altogether with the simple, every-day things about the house, and its suggestions are meant as much for the owner and builder as for the professional architect.”
R of Rs 56:332 S ‘17 90w
St Louis 15:332 S ‘17 10w
ROCHE, ARTHUR SOMERS. Plunder. il *$1.35 (2c) Bobbs 17-9706
The three richest men in the United States meet together in one room. One controls coal, one transportation, one the food supply. An agreement is drawn up and their signatures are added. A gust of wind flips the paper out of the window! By chance it falls first in
477“The tale is more commonplace and not nearly so ingenious or interesting as are ‘Loot’ and ‘Plunder,’ but it is entertaining.”
+ — N Y Times 22:318 Ag 26 ‘17 320w
“A sensational story, exciting, but not as carefully wrought out as one or two of the author’s previous books.”
+ — Outlook 117:64 S 12 ‘17 40w
“Mr Roche displays much intimacy with the technic of the track and the betting ring, and ingeniously bares the methods that may be employed in turning racing and betting into dishonest channels. Altogether, it is one of the best racing stories that have appeared in a long time.”
+ Springf’d Republican p15 Ag 26 ‘17 320w
ROCKWELL, FREDERICK FRYE. Around the year in the garden. il *$1.75 (1½c) Macmillan 635 17-24266
“A seasonable guide and reminder for work with vegetables, fruits, and flowers, and under glass.” (Sub-title) Altho the author begins with the first of January and follows the year around, week by week, he insists very strongly that gardening can not be done according to any such set scheme and warns the reader against following the directions of the book blindly. “Let the gardener, then, read this book with a diligent eye for such advice and suggestions as he can apply to his own problems; ... for the real work, like the profit there may be and the pleasure there is sure to be, must belong to the gardener, and cannot be put between the covers of a book.” (Introd.) The book is designed for the busy man and woman who garden in the spare time afforded between other occupations.
Cleveland p124 N ‘17 10w
“The clearest and most helpful kind of information for the busy man or woman who wants to get ready for next year’s gardening.”
+ Dial 63:408 O 25 ‘17 70w
ROGERS, ALLEN, ed. Elements of industrial chemistry. il *$3 Van Nostrand 660 16-23460
“This volume is an abridgment of a larger book entitled ‘Manual of industrial chemistry,’ a work which was written by forty eminent specialists in chemical engineering. In its almost 500 pages of text it covers widely, but perhaps not deeply, the whole field of industrial chemistry.”—Coal Age
A L A Bkl 13:277 Mr ‘17
“The book will be of value chiefly to those who have not affiliated themselves with any particular industry and who want a generalized view of the whole field.”
+ Coal Age 11:641 Ap 7 ‘17 350w
+ Pittsburgh 22:464 My ‘17 30w
“The matter is descriptive and not detailed enough to be of value to the works chemist, but would be understandable to the average reader interested in the subject. ... Dr Rogers is in charge of industrial chemistry, Pratt institute, Brooklyn.”
+ Quar List New Tech Bks Ap ‘17 90w
ROGERS, ALLEN. Laboratory guide of industrial chemistry. 2d ed il *$2 Van Nostrand 660 17-25806
“In presenting this thoroughly revised edition, the author has endeavored to make the laboratory experiments touch more closely upon present-day problems than was possible in the first edition. ... In many instances, it will be noticed that the methods are those in common use at the present time, and, whenever possible, actual factory practice has been followed.” (Preface) Contents: General processes; Inorganic preparations; Organic preparations; Dyeing of textile fibers; Pigments and lakes; Driers, varnishes, paints and stains; Soap and allied products; Leather manufacture; Wood fiber, pulp and paper; Useful data.
ROGERS, JULIA ELLEN. Trees worth knowing. (Little nature lib.; Worth knowing ser.) il *$1.60 (2c) Doubleday 582 17-13206
The introduction is addressed directly to the beginner in tree study, for whom this book has been prepared. Part 1 is a discussion of The life of the trees, and the remainder of the book is devoted to descriptions for purposes of identification. There are sixteen illustrations in color and numerous others in black and white.
“A compromise between the author’s comprehensive ‘Tree book’ and her small ‘Tree Guide,’ recently published. Of a convenient size to carry about for purposes of identification.”
+ Dial 64:82 Ja 17 ‘18 80w
+ N Y Times 22:254 Jl 8 ‘17 200w
ROGERS, LINDSAY. America’s case against Germany. *$1.50 Dutton 940.91 17-19161
“A good, brief account of the origin and development of the controversy which became the immediate cause of war between the United States and Germany. The author furnishes in this book a chronological record of the Wilson policy. His method is narrative and explanatory, not critical or defensive. ... He treats the points of international law involved, briefly and untechnically, particularly with regard to the submarine as a new weapon, the status of armed merchant ships, the problem of munition exports, and the difference between the English and the German ‘blockade.’”—R of Rs
“Clear and non-technical, it explains many misjudged and misrepresented points at issue.”
+ A L A Bkl 14:43 N ‘17
“The author of this volume is convinced that there is a real need for the average loyal American to understand that the legal grounds of our contentions with Germany are as much of the code of international law as the moral grounds are of the ethical code of Christendom. ... The book is written in untechnical language, but the case is argued with the care of one who has mastered international law, and the result that our position is legally correct is fully proved.”
+ Boston Transcript p6 Ag 18 ‘17 580w
Cleveland p118 N ‘17 40w
N Y Call p15 S 2 ‘17 400w
+ N Y Times 22:305 Ag 19 ‘17 800w
Pittsburgh 22:764 N ‘17 40w
+ R of Rs 56:325 S ‘17 110w
ROHMER, SAX, pseud. (ARTHUR SARSFIELD WARD). Hand of Fu-Manchu (Eng title, Si-Fan mysteries). *$1.35 (2c) McBride 17-14178
Nayland Smith and Dr Petrie again take the field against the terrible Dr Fu-Manchu. They are enforced by the Scotland Yard police; he by the mysterious and far-reaching organization known as the Si-Fan. The field is London, from its foreign embassies to its lowest underworld. The weapons employed by the Asiatics in their machinations range from animal magnetism to the crudest of missiles. The peril that threatens is the wholesale slaughter of the white race and the domination of the world by the yellow. The book is the fourth of a series of which the first “The insidious Dr Fu-Manchu” was followed by “The yellow claw,” and “The return of Dr Fu-Manchu.”
“Of the experience they go through in these and other places, it would be unfair to give the reader even the faintest hint. Suffice it to say, that if he be a reader with a liking for thrills and able to put an extinguisher on his sense of probabilities, he will do well to choose a comfortable chair, make sure that there is plenty of oil in his lamp, and plunge forthwith into the mysterious occurrences and deadly perils brought about by ‘The hand of Fu-Manchu.’”
N Y Times 22:230 Je 17 ‘17 320w
“The story comprises a succession of episodes which could be easily adapted to a thrilling movie serial. ... The author is skilful in 478creating a state of suspense, even though neglectful of the rule that the miraculous should be fortified by plausibility.”
Springf’d Republican p13 Je 17 ‘17 250w
“The reader gallops through a number of rather inconsequent scenes in which poisonous flowers, kidnapped surgeons, hypnotic mandarins, marmosets, disguised assassins, treacherous Greeks, and secret passages play slightly unconvincing parts, aided largely by an easy incapacity on the part of the hero which is unrivalled by the most fatuous efforts of Dr Watson.”
The Times [London] Lit Sup p238 My 17 ‘17 120w
ROLAND, pseud. Future of militarism. *2s 6d T. Fisher Unwin, London 940.91
(Eng ed 16-23382)
“In this volume ‘Roland’ counters Oliver’s ‘Ordeal by battle,’ a denunciation of British unpreparedness, by arguing that preparedness could have had but one of two immediate goals—either war against Germany or an alliance with her. From this he contends that preparedness for war must inevitably lead to war sooner or later ... and that the sole means to secure an enduring peace is a league of the allied nations to found among themselves an absolute pacifist policy, and until such time as Germany becomes sane enough to accept it whole-heartily, to enforce this policy upon her.”—Ind
Ind 91:109 Jl 21 ‘17 170w
“It does not clearly state its case or present its arguments. Instead, it heaps scorn and irony upon Mr Frederick Scott Oliver and turns what might be a reasonable and readable counter-argument into a silly and vituperative personal attack. ... Aside from the irrelevant question of one’s sympathy with them or with what he calls ‘the Oliverians,’ this book is good where the author states impersonally and coherently what he believes, and bad where he does not. Which is to say that a small part of ‘The failure of militarism’ is definite and readable.”
– + N Y Times 22:35 F 4 ‘17 550w
“We should have gladly parted with scores of controversial pages, not wanting in acrimony, for the fulfillment of that which the chapters ‘The way out of militarism’ and ‘The psychology of militarism’ promise but do not carry out. ... The whole book, or over-grown pamphlet, written with no small ability, leaves an impression of wasted or misapplied labour. ... ‘Roland’ can give us something better.”
— The Times [London] Lit Sup p458 S 28 ‘16 730w
ROLFE, AMY LUCILE. Interior decoration for the small home. il *$1.25 (5c) Macmillan 747 17-9832
A book on house decoration and furnishing for people of moderate means. The house planned by the professional decorator does not meet with the author’s approval, for it cannot have individuality, but she realizes that the amateur who is to do his own decorating must be guided by general principles and it is for him that this book has been prepared. There are chapters on: Walls and ceilings; Windows and their decorative treatment; The finishing of floors; Domestic rugs and carpets; A brief history of furniture; Modern period furniture and its use; Furniture of modern design, etc. The author is instructor in home economics in the University of Montana.
+ A L A Bkl 14:47 N ‘17
“A simply schemed and simply expressed book like this, that is also sound, comprehensive and sufficiently detailed, should fall in fertile ground.”
+ Boston Transcript p6 Je 13 ‘17 250w
Cleveland p114 S ‘17 20w
“A neat summary of such parts of several works on interior decoration as apply to the small house is the substance of Miss Rolfe’s unpretentious but useful little book. Her expositions read like college lectures revised for a larger audience. They will help to bring many middle-class Americans to the next plane of appreciation.”
+ Nation 105:607 N 29 ‘17 210w
N Y Br Lib News 4:75 My ‘17
Pittsburgh 22:652 O ‘17 10w
+ R of Rs 57:216 F ‘18 70w
St Louis 15:333 S ‘17 30w
“A good supplement to Quinn’s ‘Planning and furnishing the home’ and Daniels’ ‘Furnishing of a modest home.’ Good illustrations taken from Good Furniture.”
+ Wis Lib Bul 13:155 My ‘17 60w
ROLLAND, ROMAIN. Beethoven, tr. by B. Constance Hull. il *$1.50 (3½c) Holt 17-12724
“I do not give the name hero to those who have triumphed by infinite thought or by sheer physical strength—but only to those made great by goodness of heart,” says Romain Rolland, and it is in this spirit that he writes of Beethoven, “the most heroic soul in modern art.” The book includes in addition to M. Rolland’s account of Beethoven’s life, a selection from his letters, a copy of his will, and an analysis of his symphonies and sonatas made by A. Eaglefield Hull. There is also an introduction by Edward Carpenter.
“Contains a bibliography (10p.), a classification of pianoforte sonatas, and a complete list of Beethoven’s works (12p.).”
+ A L A Bkl 13:388 Je ‘17
+ Ath p104 F ‘17 40w
“Altogether one of the most valuable works in music of the present year.”
+ Boston Transcript p8 Mr 7 ‘17 350w
“The present volume is rather a disappointment; of its 244 pages only 54 are given to M. Rolland’s sketch of the composer’s life. As a character study it is far from satisfying, containing nothing new in fact or interpretation. ... The chief value of the book is as an introduction to the study of Beethoven, and in this respect the copy of his will, a selection of his letters, a bibliography, and the complete list of his compositions are useful.”
– + Dial 63:30 Je 28 ‘17 150w
+ Lit D 54:1710 Je 2 ‘17 250w
Reviewed by H: T. Finck
+ — Nation 105:546 N 15 ‘17 90w
Reviewed by Paul Rosenfeld
New Repub 11:57 My 12 ‘17 2600w
Outlook 115:622 Ap 4 ‘17 30w
“The intimate quality of the work is unusual. Rolland brings us the living Beethoven. The philosophic basis of the musician’s life is brought out in order to explain his profound and spiritualized music.”
+ R of Rs 56:445 O ‘17 100w
“The title-page reveals its composite character, and an examination of its contents shows that M. Romain Rolland’s contribution only occupies about a quarter of the whole. This is his charmingly enthusiastic but somewhat uncritical essay on Beethoven, which has been competently translated by Miss B. Constance Hull. ... The new matter is thus confined to Dr. Eaglefield Hull’s analyses, which have the merit of brevity and sum up the outstanding qualities of some works pleasantly enough. Unfortunately the editor’s style is undistinguished, and at times not even grammatical.”
+ Spec 118:138 F 3 ‘17 1400w
“M. Rolland writes as a worshiper, but his worship is discreet. He paints a true picture, even though he leaves out details of Beethoven’s eccentricity, and the reader receives an inspiration from the glowing pages, and this in spite of infelicities in the translation, which, nevertheless, is not without spirit.”
+ Springf’d Republican p15 F 25 ‘17 400w
“We become absorbed in this book mainly because of the author’s driving power, the way he arrays his facts and uses them to impel his argument. ... The second half of the book consists of a Baedeker to the symphonies, sonatas, 479violin sonatas, and quartets. A good many points of interest are touched upon, and the writer has looked well round his subject. But as a plan it falls between two stools.”
The Times [London] Lit Sup p16 Ja 11 ‘17 750w
ROLLINS, MONTGOMERY. Village pest. il *$1.35 (2c) Lothrop 17-23754
This story of a lively boy of thirty years ago has many of the marks of autobiography, and the author tells us that the incidents are drawn from life. David is the young son of a United States senator and his time is divided between Washington and a New England village, either place affording him a fruitful field for mischief. David has two intimate friends, one a village boy, one a Washington chum who spends a joyous summer with him in New England. David has another friend, also, a yellow mongrel dog named Alfred.
“Founded on fact the escapades will amuse this generation of elders as much as they must have exasperated and entertained David’s elders.”
+ A L A Bkl 14:98 D ‘17
+ Boston Transcript p9 D 1 ‘17 350w
“The pictures in ‘The village pest’ are almost as funny as the story itself. Young people will enjoy Montgomery Rollins’ account of David’s pranks.”
+ Ind 92:449 D 1 ‘17 24w
“Although one rather wonders how his longsuffering parents managed to keep out of the insane asylum, David’s pranks are very amusing—to read about.”
+ N Y Times 22:349 S 16 ‘17 250w
ROLT-WHEELER, FRANCIS WILLIAM. Boy with the U.S. weather men. (U.S. service ser.) il *$1.35 (2c) Lothrop 551 17-24855
This story, dealing with blizzard, tornado and flood, is not the least exciting of this series for boys. As the author truly says, “There is no battle greater than the battle with the weather, which is both our enemy and our ally.” The story opens with a Mississippi flood. Ross and Anton, two boy chums who barely escape from the dangers of the flood, become interested in the work of the weather bureau in forecasting storms and enlist as volunteer observers. Like some of the other books of the series this one is a call to service: “High, high in the atmosphere, is a world all unexplored, where no man can dwell; where, as yet, no human-made instrument has reached. This unknown world calls for explorers, it calls for adventure, it calls for daring and patient work.” It is the author’s hope that some of the boys who read the book will answer the call.
+ Ind 92:448 D 1 ‘17 50w
“The illustrations are authoritative photographs.”
+ Lit D 55:57 D 8 ‘17 90w
“A story full of thrills and appealing interest told in a way to be of great educational value.”
+ Springf’d Republican p15 D 1 ‘17 120w
ROLT-WHEELER, FRANCIS WILLIAM. Polar hunters. il *$1.35 (2c) Lothrop 17-13187
This is the second volume in the Museum series. The author describes life within the Arctic circle and gives an account of Peary’s discovery of the pole. The boy hero, who is called Kood-shoo, appears at first to be an Eskimo. He has grown up as a member of the Smith Sound tribe, and his ways are their ways, but when the Peary expedition comes to the region, the white men recognize in the boy traits that are not characteristic of the Eskimo. Eventually the two “magics” in Kood-shoo’s possession lead to his identification.
Outlook 116:232 Je 6 ‘17 20w
St Louis 15:401 N ‘17 20w
“No boy can read the story without having his imagination fired.”
+ Springf’d Republican p19 My 20 ‘17 130w
ROLT-WHEELER, FRANCIS WILLIAM.[2] Wonder of war in the air. il *$1.35 (2c) Lothrop 623.7 17-30275
“To give the boys of the United States a fair idea of what an aviator must learn, how an aviator must live, in what appalling perils an aviator must risk his life, to build up in our boys a still greater admiration for the men who hold the honor of the nation in their hands, and to urge the heroic and high-spirited young Americans to a higher love for their country and eagerness to serve it, is the aim and purpose of the author.” (Preface) As usual in his books, he has devised a story of more or less definite plot as a means for conveying his information.
“Packed with information, mostly accurate and brought down to within a very few months.”
+ — Lit D 56:40 Ja 12 ‘18 250w
“The author is doing a useful work by making his books accurately instructive as well as entertaining.”
+ Springf’d Republican p15 D 1 ‘17 160w
ROOF, KATHARINE METCALF.[2] Life and art of William Merritt Chase. il *$4 Scribner 17-30892
“For many years before his death last year, William Merritt Chase was regarded as perhaps the most characteristic of American painters; and Miss Roof was appointed by him to write the story of his life. This she has done in cordial cooperation and with the assistance of the artist’s family. With the inclusion of many letters and personal reminiscences and much illustrative material she tells the romantic story of Chase’s discontented boyhood in the West, his escape to Paris, and apprenticeship to art, and his subsequent crowded and picturesque career in New York. The work contains an introduction by Alice Gerson Chase and many reproductions of the artist’s works.”—Lit D
+ A L A Bkl 14:167 F ‘18
“Her book abounds in piquant anecdotes. Somewhere she speaks with scorn of the inadequacy of the literary man to understand art; this is perhaps a sort of boomerang; for her style is far from literary. The volume will be prized by all art-students and especially by those who remember the genial artist.” N. H. D.
+ — Boston Transcript p6 Ja 16 ‘18 1700W
“This authorized biography, therefore, is much more than the life of a man; it is in many ways a history of the American spirit in art during the last generation.”
+ Lit D 55:51 D 8 ‘17 170w
“Very entertaining and well balanced book. Its pleasant, straightforward style is not at all inconsistent with the fact that Mr Chase chose Miss Roof because she had a painter’s and not a writer’s attitude toward art.”
+ N Y Times 23:31 Ja 27 ‘18 1050w
“Though clogged with unimportant and unnecessary detail, the text will be read with interest for the sake of the pictures of the painter’s early struggles and later achievements. Some of the anecdotes relative to Chase’s experiences with Whistler are delicious.”
+ — Outlook 118:194 Ja 30 ‘18 110w
“A sympathetic but hardly adequate biography. Though a considerably larger volume than the Inness, it fails to give as clear a picture of the man or as definite an idea of his art. The author was at one time a pupil, and she gives an interesting account of his methods of teaching.”
+ — Wis Lib Bul 14:31 Ja ‘18 880w
Rookie rhymes. il *75c Harper 811.08 17-25361
“A collection of rhymes, parodies, jingles and songs written by members of the 1st and 2d Provisional training regiments for officers, at Plattsburg, N. Y., during their encampment from May 15th to August 15th, 1917, accompanied 480by line drawings. ... About one-third of the verse is written to be sung to familiar tunes.”—R of Rs
“More pep than poetry is contained in this volume of songs and parodies. As the expression of the mental attitude of men torn away from the ordinary vocations of peace and in training for sanguinary conflict, it has a certain psychological interest. Two or three are real poems.” N. H. D.
– + Boston Transcript p8 N 17 ‘17 390w
“Interesting chiefly for their high spirits and fun.”
+ — Cleveland p5 Ja ‘18 60w
“The Plattsburg rhymes are, in the main, mediocre. ... A few of the verses, such as ‘The Plattsburg code’ rise distinctly out of the mediocre rut; but too often the motif is nothing more important than the relative superiority of company A over company B.” Clement Wood
— NY Call p15 O 21 ‘17 100w
“Well worth the attention of our army and navy students and their friends.”
+ N Y Times 22:371 S 30 ‘17 420w
Pittsburgh 22:647 O ‘17
“As a bit of fun to drive away homesickness, it will undoubtedly find its way into many soldiers’ kits.”
+ R of Rs 56:442 O ‘17 90w
ROOSEVELT, THEODORE. Foes of our own household. *$1.50 (2½c) Doran 304 17-25965
Mr Roosevelt thinks that “in the long run we have less to fear from foes without than from foes within. The men who oppose preparedness in our military and our industrial life; the business or political corruptionist or reactionary and the reckless demagogue who is his nominal opponent; the man of wealth and greed who cares for nothing but profits, and the sinister creature who plays upon and inflames the passions of envy and violence: the hard materialist, the self-indulgent lover of ease and pleasure, and the silly sentimentalist—all these are the permanent foes of our own household.” (Foreword) Contents: The instant need; and the ultimate need; Must we be brayed in a mortar before our folly depart from us?; The children of the crucible; Washington and Lincoln; A square deal in law enforcement; Industrial justice; Social justice; Socialism versus social reform; The farmer; The word of Micah; The parasite woman; Birth reform. “Chapters 2, 7, 10 and 11 are based on articles that have appeared in the Metropolitan; chapter 8 on an article that has appeared in the Outlook; chapter 3 on a speech delivered on the Fourth of July last.” (Appendix A.) There are seven appendices. Appendix B is a letter urging that loyal Americans be not discriminated against because of their parentage; C deals with Mr Roosevelt’s speech concerning the East St Louis riots; D with the conscientious objector; while G gives the correspondence with the President and Secretary of war concerning Mr Roosevelt’s offer to raise a division for foreign service.
A L A Bkl 14:77 D ‘17
+ Boston Transcript p6 N 24 ‘17 550w
+ Cath World 106:543 Ja ‘18 350w
“Even when Mr Roosevelt’s mind is in a state of general conflagration, as it has been much of the time since 1908, it seems to continue more or less automatically its two-handed motions of balance and compensation. And so his new miscellany, ‘The foes of our own household’ falls easily into two parts. Just as one of them was written by a judicious, progressive, and patriotic Aristotelian, exactly in the same way the other was written by a wilful, angry, and furiously inequitable extremist.” S. P. Sherman
– + Nation 105:532 N 15 ‘17 5850w
“The foes of our own household are those who dare to differ from Colonel Roosevelt. And he verbally flays those foes with all the vocabulary—and it is by no means a small one—at his command. There are stripes here for everybody. For the pro-German, the pacifist, the conscientious objector, the ‘parasite woman’—meaning or, rather, including the one that won’t bear children—the radical, the socialist and the trusts.” Joshua Wanhope
— NY Call p14 O 28 ‘17 650w
“The diligence with which he berates the President and his advisers and the frequency with which he airs his own personal grievance bring vividly to mind the incessant fault-finding and the determined attempts to rouse anti-administration feeling of some of the men in public life during the Civil war. ... It is very much to be regretted that Colonel Roosevelt was not better advised than to give permanence to some of his criticisms. For they deal with crises left behind us, ... and their tendency is to foster and increase distrust and disapproval of the government’s conduct of the war. ... These blots are the greater pity because they mar a book that in its far greater part is intensely patriotic, devoted to the betterment of American life, helpful and important.”
N Y Times 22:379 O 7 ‘17 950w
Outlook 117:350 O 31 ‘17 200w
“The book is vital with the unimpaired vigor and moral force of its distinguished author.”
+ R of Rs 56:549 N ‘17 270w
+ Spec 119:680 D 8 ‘17 1700w
“Mr Roosevelt’s opening chapters express a desire which can only be the interpreted as having for its object the militarization of mind and heart of the United States. ... His book is about as philosophic as a volcano—and only a little less picturesque.”
– + Springf’d Republican p6 N 26 ‘17 600w
“When Mr Roosevelt writes on a topic of actuality one always gets the exhilarating impression of a determined pugilist who has his opponent’s head in chancery and does not mean to stop pounding it until he has made the world a better place to live in. It is a prose style which suits the writer exactly.”
+ The Times [London] Lit Sup p536 N 8 ‘17 800w
ROOT, ELIHU. Latin America and the United States; col. and ed. by Robert Bacon and James Brown Scott. *$2.50 (2c) Harvard univ. press 308 17-16739
“The collected addresses and state papers of Elihu Root, of which this is one of several volumes, cover the period of his service as Secretary of war, as Secretary of state, and as senator of the United States. ... These addresses are not arranged chronologically, but are classified in such a way that each volume contains addresses and speeches relating to a general subject and a common purpose.” (Introductory note) This volume contains the addresses delivered during Mr Root’s trip to South America and Mexico in 1906, and in the United States after his return. The addresses of welcome and congratulation accompanying Mr Root’s addresses have been translated from the language of the country in which they were delivered. The first 200 pages are devoted mainly to “after-dinner speeches and toasts or answers to toasts delivered at diplomatic meetings.” The more valuable part of the book is the last eighty pages given to “Addresses in the United States on Latin American relations,” delivered from 1893-1915, the last of these being the address of welcome before the Second Pan-American scientific congress. Mr Root’s South American speeches have been published by the government of the United States in an official volume.
A L A Bkl 14:43 N ‘17
“Will be invaluable to the future historian who seeks to trace the origins of that fraternal spirit which has brought to our side in the war with Germany the great majority of our southern neighbors.”
+ Ind 92:256 N 3 ‘17 480w
Nation 106:94 Ja 24 ‘18 700w
+ N Y Times 22:582 D 30 ‘17 650w
481“We must not forget that the invaluable spadework of Mr Root more than ten years ago was, to no small extent, the cause of the present harvest of goodwill and friendship between the two Americas. This book is one to be read and to be kept for reference. It contains in the speeches of Mr Root and in those of his South American hosts the distilled essence of that Pan-American sentiment which will be one of the greatest of peace-compelling forces in the future.”
Spec 119:328 S 29 ‘17 1000w
“The more substantial part of the volume is to be found in the last eighty pages or so, and in the form of addresses delivered in the United States. They do to some extent afford real help to the reader who may wish to learn what is meant by ‘Pan-Americanism.’ The term is not free from ambiguity. ... On the whole, an examination of Mr Root’s addresses confirms old doubts whether the only practical Pan-Americanism is not Pan-North Americanism.”
The Times [London] Lit Sup p459 S 27 ‘17 650w
ROOT, ELIHU. Military and colonial policy of the United States. *$2 Harvard univ. press 355 17-414
“Mr Root was Secretary of war from Aug. 1, 1899, to Feb. 1, 1904; Secretary of state from July 1, 1905, to Jan. 27, 1909; United States Senator from New York from 1909 to 1915. The latest volume of his addresses and reports, edited by Mr Bacon and Mr Scott, covers his services in the cabinet of Mr McKinley and in that of Mr Roosevelt, the larger part being allotted to his work in connection with the Philippines and the reorganization of the army command.”—N Y Times
A L A Bkl 13:292 Ap ‘17
“The editors have increased the value of the book by prefacing each article with a note giving its historical setting, and inserting relevant documents such as the protocols and treaties concluding the war with Spain, the instructions for the military government of the Philippines, the militia act of 1903, etc. There is also an index of some value.”
+ Am Pol Sci R 11:359 My ‘17 300w
“They record the activity, the originality and the constructive service of the most accomplished and devoted public servant that the American people have had since the death of Alexander Hamilton.”
+ Educ R 54:97 Je ‘17 100w
“A volume which is of direct pertinence to the problems of to-day.”
+ Nation 104:686 Je 7 ‘17 230w
“No student of the history of the United States on the morrow of the Spanish war can ignore the contents of this most interesting volume.”
+ N Y Times 22:143 Ap 15 ‘17 700w
“Addresses and papers which should, and will serve as a reservoir of material for editorial writers and federal legislators.”
+ Outlook 115:208 Ja 31 ‘17 80w
“It deserves, and we hope it may get, a wide reading throughout the British empire. Rarely have such official utterances had a higher political and even romantic interest. ... Perhaps the most thrilling and absorbing part of the tale modestly and quietly set forth in these official pages is that which deals with the disposal of Cuba. ... Mr Root’s admirably sensible and unanswerable defence of his Philippine administration may be commended to British rulers of India, from the secretary of state downwards.”
+ Spec 118:592 My 26 ‘17 1550w
Springf’d Republican p17 Ap 22 ‘17 130w
“The whole collection, when completed, will form a lasting monument to a statesman whose great qualities have long since gained him recognition, as far beyond the borders of his own country, as perhaps the most eminent of living American men of affairs. The present volume covers but part of his immense and varied activities, but it is the part which in the circumstances of the present time, is perhaps of the most vital interest to the American people and to the world at large.”
+ The Times [London] Lit Sup p183 Ap 19 ‘17 2350w
ROPER, DANIEL CALHOUN. United States post office. il *$1.50 (2c) Funk 353 17-24056
Authoritatively sums up the history and present condition of the postal service of the United States and points out its potentiality for still greater service to our country and to mankind. Contents: Postal service and civilization; Colonial post offices in America; British control of the American post office; Early development of the Federal postal system; Rise of the modern postal system; United States postal history since 1847; The post offices; The network of post roads; The post office lobby; The workings of a post office; Railway mail service; How the farmer gets his mail; Collection and delivery in cities; Addresses; Postage and mail classification; Parcel post; Special services; Postal banking; Postal inspection and control; Policing the mails; World mail service; Economic utility of the post office; Foreign trade by post; Postal engineering; The human element; The post office department; Relation of the department to Congress and the people; Postal perspective; Comparative postal service; Philately.
A L A Bkl 14:77 D ‘17
“Mr Roper has succeeded in giving a readable history of the beginnings and expansion of postal facilities with a very clear explanation of the workings of the post office and interesting information as to the difficulties to be solved, such as would hardly be possible for an author without actual experience in postal administration. The bibliography is incomplete and faulty.” Lindsay Rogers
+ — Am Pol Sci R 12:150 F ‘18 400w
“Mr Roper writes with the authority of four years’ experience as first assistant postmaster general (1913-16). His enthusiasm for his subject promises a good book, and the promise is fulfilled. Especially interesting are the chapters on the workings of the various departments of our postal service, as also the account of certain significant differences between our own system and those of Europe. A chapter entitled ‘Postal perspective’ presents a suggestive vista of possible future developments in our post-office department.”
+ Dial 63:596 D 6 ‘17 210w
“The information afforded should be at the command of every citizen.”
+ Lit D 55:48 D 1 ‘17 240w
ROSENAU, MILTON JOSEPH. Preventive medicine and hygiene; with chapters upon sewage and garbage, by G: C. Whipple; vital statistics, by J: W. Trask; mental hygiene, by T: W. Salmon. il *$6.50 Appleton 614 17-21957
“The third edition of Rosenau’s ‘Preventive medicine and hygiene’ may well be called a special or military edition, for it is obvious that it has been prepared to meet the needs of the present emergency. To the consideration of the fundamentals of hygiene have been added sections on military hygiene as follows: Examinations of recruits, Diseases of the soldier, Duties and organization of the sanitary corps, Sanitation of troops in camp and on the march, etc. In the discussion of the new diseases which have arisen in the present world war, the latest information is given concerning trench fever, trench foot, war nephritis, shell shock, and gas poisoning, while other diseases, as tuberculosis, meningitis, and the venereal diseases, are presented in the light of war conditions. The discussion of the newer diseases peculiar to war is accompanied by a comprehensive bibliography of the recent literature.”—Nation
A L A Bkl 14:143 Ja ‘18
“With this new section superimposed on the one thousand pages of the former editions ... 482the work becomes the most comprehensive, as it has always been the most authoritative, treatise on hygiene in the English language.”
+ Nation 105:434 O 18 ‘17 320w
+ Survey 39:171 N 17 ‘17 170w
ROSENBAUM, SAMUEL. Rule-making authority in the English supreme court; with an introd. preface by T. Willes Chitty. (Univ. of Penn. law school ser.) $3.50 Boston bk. 17-9474
“Delegation of the power to make the rules governing the trial of the cases brought before them to the judges of the supreme court working with members of the legal profession, has been a feature of British jurisprudence since 1875 and has been less thoroughly adopted in most of the British colonies. Mr Rosenbaum undertakes a description of the development of the rules now in force and of their content. ... There are frequent comparisons between English and American methods of rule making to the disadvantage of the latter though no analysis of these is presented.” (Am Pol Sci R) “Mr Rosenbaum’s conclusion is that the regulation of civil procedure should be entrusted to a professional body rather than to a well-intentioned but overworked legislature.” (Ann Am Acad) The contents of this book first appeared as articles in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, the Law Quarterly Review, the Law Magazine and Review, and the Journal of the Society of Comparative Legislation.
“The material first appeared as articles in law magazines and the subsequent editing has not eliminated references to local conditions and practice justified only in the original publication.” C. L. Jones
Am Pol Sci R 11:590 Ag ‘17 420w
“Mr T. Willes Chitty of the Royal courts of justice, London, who writes the introduction, speaks in highest praise of the painstaking research and labor which the author has devoted to his task, and of ‘the practical, detailed, and accurate knowledge of our procedure which he has acquired’ and lays before his readers. This estimate by an English jurist is an estimate that can be taken at its face value, as it comes from one who is thoroughly familiar with the rules which Mr Rosenbaum describes and discusses.” C. L. King
+ Ann Am Acad 73:239 S ‘17 140w
ROSENBLATT, FRANK FERDINAND. Chartist movement in its social and economic aspects. (Columbia univ. studies in history, economics and public law) pa *$2 Longmans 342.4 16-25226
“The volume, which is introductory, summarizes the English radical movement previous to Chartism from the beginning of the last quarter of the eighteenth century, describes in detail the economic and political situation in England at the time of the origin of Chartism, sketches the careers, personalities, and beliefs of the leaders of the movement, traces its emergence from the existing political and economic conditions and its development until the end of the Newport riot in November, 1839. The war has delayed the completion of this study for the subsequent period.”—J Pol Econ
“There seems no particular reason for the qualifying phrase in its title since the political side of the movement is as much to the front as the social and economic. The preliminary chapters are inadequate and disappointing. In the opinion of the reviewer they should either have been made much more exhaustive or cut down to a few introductory paragraphs. The narrative chapters bring out clearly the conflicting attitudes of the ‘moral force’ and the ‘physical force’ factions. The work is thoroughly and impartially done; but one has a feeling that the material had not been well enough digested and assimilated to enable the author to write with breadth of view and sense of proportion.” H. E. Mills
+ — Am Econ R 7:605 S ‘17 330w
“It is a little over sixty years since a book wholly devoted to the history of the Chartist movement was issued from the English press; for not a single book on the subject has appeared in England since Gammage published his history in 1854. As far as it goes his study is, on the whole, a satisfactory piece of work. It is particularly so as regards the sketches of the leaders of the movement, and of the spirit in which they preached the gospel of revolt. He is less successful when he describes the political, industrial, and social conditions that gave birth to the Chartist movement.” E: Porritt
+ — Am Hist R 22:649 Ap ‘17 580w
“His exposition of the causes behind the Chartist movement is marred in places by inexactness of statement, and a tendency to exaggeration in language out of harmony with a scholarly presentation of historical facts.” E: Porritt
+ — Am Pol Sci R 11:340 My ‘17 650w
+ Ind 89:232 F 5 ‘17 120w
J Pol Econ 25:635 Je ‘17 190w
“Three ‘Ph. D.’ monographs on Chartism, together constituting volume 73 of Studies in history, economics and law present from different points of view a survey of a movement too much neglected by historians, especially by those of England and the United States. ... Dr Rosenblatt gives more attention than his fellow-authors to the narrative of events; so his essay serves well as an introduction.”
+ Springf’d Republican p6 Jl 18 ‘17 330w
“An immense amount of information in a very readable form is packed into 244 pages.” I. C. Hannah
+ Survey 38:288 Je 30 ‘17 260w
ROTHSCHILD, ALONZO. “Honest Abe”; a study in integrity based on the early life of Abraham Lincoln. il *$2 (2½c) Houghton 17-25451
“The unique and comprehensive library of Lincolniana” which Mr Rothschild had collected, recently donated in his memory to the Widener library of Harvard university, evidences the thorough research and study which he gave to his chosen subject. Mr Robert Lincoln has been quoted as calling “Lincoln, master of men,” Mr Rothschild’s first book on Lincoln, the best book about his father he had read. “‘Honest Abe’ traces the development of Lincoln’s honesty as exhibited by his active life from childhood through his election to the Senate. An additional chapter, unfortunately cut off by the author’s sudden death, was to have been added. The work, however, is an entity as it stands. ... Two of the chapters are concerned with Lincoln as a lawyer; one, with Lincoln as a politician. ... Following the text is a short biography of the author written by his son.” (Boston Transcript) “A list of books cited” occupies eleven pages and is followed by thirty-eight pages of “Notes” in which there are frequent references to secondary authorities. The frontispiece is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln taken from a woodcut by T. Johnson after a daguerreotype owned by Mr Robert T. Lincoln.
A L A Bkl 14:128 Ja ‘18
Reviewed by L. E. Robinson
+ Bookm 46:595 Ja ‘18 300w
+ Boston Transcript p6 O 10 ‘17 800w
+ Cath World 106:693 F ‘18 230w
“An inspiring and absorbing book.”
+ Cleveland p12 Ja ‘18 50w
“That any new thing could be said about Lincoln seemed impossible until Mr Rothschild’s new volume appeared. Of Mr Lincoln’s honesty other biographies have told us, but in rather a passing way: here we have the fact set forth in clear detail, with an amazing array of proofs, from widely scattered sources, exciting wonder how they could all be obtained.”
+ Lit D 55:44 D 1 ‘17 140w
+ Nation 105:723 D 27 ‘17 100w
“A unique method of treatment of Lincoln’s life and character.”
+ N Y Times 22:445 N 4 ‘17 380w
Pittsburgh 22:803 D ‘17 40w
483“The steadily running stream of anecdote finally becomes somewhat tiresome, yet the cumulative effect is undeniably impressive.”
+ — Springf’d Republican p8 D 14 ‘17 390w
ROWLES, WILLIAM F. Garden under glass. il *$2 Lippincott 716.3 17-29979
“Mr Rowles gives the data of greenhouse construction, from cold frames and pits to the finished structure, illustrating his descriptions with many diagrams and drawings. ... He divides his subject into six sections: The construction of glass houses and frames; popular greenhouse plants; fruit under glass; vegetables under glass and greenhouse work. The concluding section holds miscellaneous data: the construction and use of amateur frames; the character of greenhouse pests and the best methods for their extermination; a ‘greenhouse calendar’; a glossary, etc.”—Boston Transcript
+ Boston Transcript p6 Ag 18 ‘17 320w
“An excellent exposition of English greenhouse methods.”
+ N Y Times 22:449 N 4 ‘17 40w
ROXBURGH, RONALD FRANCIS. International conventions and third states. *$2.50 Longmans 341.2 17-22005
This monograph is published as one of the Contributions to international law and diplomacy, edited by L. Oppenheim, who says that it deals with a problem that has never before been made the subject of thorough research. Authors of different nationalities have approached the subject with a biased viewpoint. “They take it for granted that the principles and rules of international law are to be construed and interpreted according to views upheld by their municipal law and their national jurisprudence.” Mr Roxburgh covers the subject in seven chapters: Introduction; Third parties and contracts in municipal law; The opinions of publicists; Treaties unfavorable to third states; Treaties beneficial to third states; The influence of custom: Exceptional cases. The work was prepared in the years 1913 and 1914, “in accordance with the rules governing the Whewell international law scholarships in the University of Cambridge,” but has since been revised and largely rewritten. A list of authorities referred to is included.
“It must be confessed that the author’s treatment of his subject is somewhat sketchy and not at all points conclusive. ... It might perhaps have been a better arrangement to have made the study of municipal law follow rather than precede the precedents of diplomatic practice. ... But these are minor points and they do not prevent us from agreeing with the learned editor that the author has ‘brought together a considerable amount of material, and that he has come to very valuable conclusions which require thorough examination and consideration.’” C. G. Fenwick
+ — Am Pol Sci R 11:777 N ‘17 700w
“Excellent index.” F.
+ Eng Hist R 32:626 O ‘17 150w
RUGG, HAROLD ORDWAY. Statistical methods applied to education. (Riverside textbooks in education) il *$2 Houghton 370 17-29584
A textbook for students of education in the quantitative study of school problems, prepared by an assistant professor of education in the University of Chicago. It has been written for the average school administrator limited in mathematical equipment. The writer believes that it is necessary to equip school men with a thorough-going knowledge of statistical methods as a background for discriminating use in improvement of their school practice. A preliminary chapter explains The use of statistical methods in education. Other chapters deal with collection and classification of educational facts and data, the method of averages, the measurement of variability, the frequency curve, the use of tabular and graphic methods in reporting school facts.
El School J 18:239 N ‘17 90w
“The bibliography is remarkably well chosen and annotated and covers a wide range of studies on school administration. Mr Rugg’s book is a real contribution to the science of education, and one ventures to prophesy that it will be found on the desk of every progressive school man in the country.” P. C. Stetson
+ El School J 18:314 D ‘17 1300w
School R 25:693 N ‘17 90w (Same as El School J N ‘17)
Reviewed by P. C. Stetson
+ School R 25:765 D ‘17 1300w (Same as El School J D ‘17)
RUHL, ARTHUR BROWN. White nights and other Russian impressions. il *$2 (4c) Scribner 914.7 17-13589
The first chapter, The road to Russia, gives Scandinavian impressions. The author tells how the people of Norway and Sweden look on the war, describes Stockholm on a sunny morning, and gives an account of a visit with Ellen Key. The Russian chapters that follow are: White nights; At the front; The Moscow art theatre; A look at the Duma; Russia’s war prisoners; A Russian cotton king; Down the Volga to Astrakhan; Volga refugees; Rumania learns what war is. There are over twenty photographic illustrations.
“Very well written and readable.”
+ A L A Bkl 13:446 Jl ‘17
“Mr Ruhl is perhaps the best equipped, in sympathetic understanding, charm of style, and intellectual preparation, of the American journalists now in Russia. ... Throughout the trip Mr Ruhl keeps America in mind, and his contrasts and comparisons with life in our own land help to throw into relief the manners and customs of a foreign people.” L: S. Friedland
+ Dial 63:266 S 27 ‘17 650w
+ Ind 91:77 Jl 14 ‘17 50w
“His description of the strong pro-German feeling in Sweden as compared with the almost as strong pro-Ally sentiment in Norway and his glance at the causes for the difference will illuminate the situation in Scandinavia for many American readers.”
+ N Y Times 22:209 My 27 ‘17 670w
+ Outlook 116:233 Je 6 ‘17 70w
“Mr Ruhl is a skilled reporter, and here he has a worthy subject. His book makes no bid for permanency, but as a presentation of varied aspects of Russia it has not been bettered since the war started—praise which does not consist wholly in the fact that Russia has not been ‘written up’ so extensively as have most of her allies and enemies.”
+ Springf’d Republican p8 Je 7 ‘17 370w
RUMSEY, FRANCES. Mr Cushing and Mlle du Chastel. *$1.40 (1c) Lane 17-11701
While one’s American instincts lead one to side with the American husband, it is a tribute to the author’s power that she more than once forces the reader to see the situation from the point of view of the French wife. After their marriage Paul Cushing brings Anne-Marie to his New York home. Clashes of temperament are inevitable. The husband’s ideals are more than once shocked by his wife’s insistence on exact materialistic interpretations. Her French bringing up has taught her to overlook what she considers the normal delinquencies of men; but she sees delinquencies where none have existed, and it is on this rock that their marriage breaks. The meeting of the two in Paris, after Anne-Marie, true to her code of conduct, has left her husband to live with another man, brings out definitely the absolute divergence of the two points of view.
“Well written with a limited appeal for sophisticated readers.”
A L A Bkl 13:452 Jl ‘17
“Seldom have American and Parisian conflicting standards been more cleverly analyzed and contrasted than in this distinctively ‘international’ novel. Seldom have human emotions and values been more convincingly interpreted. ... The story is not for all. But to those who appreciate originality of ideas and perfection of 484artistry, its daring plot, the Gallic precision of its premises, its gracious diction and its pitiless logic will bring a unique pleasure.” F. B.
+ Boston Transcript p6 Ap 25 ‘17 800w
“Worthy of respect and thoughtful perusal.”
+ Dial 64:77 Ja 17 ‘18 600w
“The people are carefully dissected and nonliving intelligences, not human beings.”
– + N Y Times 22:163 Ap 22 ‘17 300w
RUSSELL, BERTRAND ARTHUR WILLIAM. Political ideals. *$1 (5c) Century 320.4 17-24663
Mr Russell examines our present political ideals, our economic system, the dangers of state socialism, and the proper limits of individual and of national freedom, and concludes that our institutions should lay stress on the creative rather than the possessive impulse in man, that there should be a diminution, if not a total abolition, of rent and interest, that “the state should be the sole recipient of economic rent, while private capitalistic enterprises should be replaced by selfgoverning combinations of those who actually do the work,” that there should be “autonomy within each politically important group, and a neutral authority for deciding questions involving relations between groups,” that “the whole realm of thought and opinion” should be free, but that “in all that concerns possession and the use of force, unrestrained liberty involves anarchy and injustice”; that “the boundaries of states should coincide as nearly as possible with the boundaries of nations,” but that the external relations of states should be decided by “some international instruments of government.” Contents: Political ideals; Capitalism and the wage system; Pitfalls in socialism; Individual liberty and public control; National independence and internationalism.
“A sane and succinct statement of the philosopher’s well known views for individual and community ideals. This is not a book of pacifism and will be stimulating to thoughtful readers in any community.”
+ A L A Bkl 14:78 D ‘17
Reviewed by F. W. Coker
+ Am Pol Sci R 12:137 F ‘18 750w
+ Boston Transcript p7 Ja 2 ‘18 750w
“We feel that it is around the ideas expressed in this book that the younger generation will rally for a clear faith and a well-grounded hope. Mr Russell has expressed these ideas in his other books. But here they are organized into what is virtually a primer of revolutionary idealism, written with a passionate soberness that stirs the mind as deeply as it moves the heart.” Randolph Bourne
+ Dial 64:69 Ja 17 ‘18 550w
“Many will not accept the war convictions of this noted English philosopher; but they demand respect.”
+ Ind 92:536 D 15 ‘17 460w
“Mr Russell’s keen dissection of the evils of modern industrialism and the obstacles to free thought is at least wholesomely disturbing, but we cannot discover in his vague constructive suggestions any well-thought-out plan that can be adjudged practically workable.”
– + Nation 105:459 O 25 ‘17 400w
“Mr Russell is almost a Socialist; but he eludes all attempts to pigeonhole him. The danger he sees in the socialist program is the loss of that very freedom for the individual which is the summum bonum for all thinkers. Mr Russell predicts that the result of the realization of the present socialist program would be the domination of officialdom and bureaucracy. The answer to the problem is: ‘Autonomy within each politically important group, and a neutral authority for deciding questions involving relations between groups.’ This, of course, is guild socialism, deprived of the anarchistic freedom of the different trades. Mr Russell’s position in the present world crisis must command attention from every Socialist who is open to intelligent and constructive criticism of the socialist movement.” Bertram Benedict
+ N Y Call p14 O 7 ‘17 700w
“In ‘Political ideals’ we have Mr Russell at his best. He is still impractical, and he admits the fact. But he is seldom capricious to the point of irresponsibility. In his criticisms of the life of to-day a keen and almost unnaturally disinterested intellect achieves a happy union with ethical courage and the two qualities are fused in a style of the utmost poise and clarity. ... While not entirely friendly to the state, Mr Russell does not abolish the state. On the contrary, he holds that in economic matters the state should exercise wider control than at present; while granting to the individual greater freedom in thought, freedom, religion and ethical questions governed by individual conscience. ... He is a critic of socialism and syndicalism, but his own ideas of ownership and control do not take definite form in this book.”
+ — Springf’d Republican p15 S 30 ‘17 1400w
“In simple language, the five essays contained in this slim volume give the author’s political credo, more fully developed in ‘Why men fight.’ The reconciliation of liberty with government to him is the chief problem in economic and political relationships which must be solved before the world can be made safe and at the same time open to every form of human advancement. ‘Political ideals’ will help the reader who sees all the ruin wrought by capitalism and the possessive motive in world politics, and yet is prevented by fear of the ‘servile state’ from embracing the doctrines of socialism. It gives no new political system, no visionary scheme of revolutionary change, but formulates the philosophic basis for a program of immediate and consecutive reform.” B. L.
+ Survey 39:202 N 24 ‘17 300w
RUSSELL, BERTRAND ARTHUR WILLIAM. Why men fight; a method of abolishing the international duel (Eng title, Principles of social reconstruction). *$1.50 (2½c) Century 172.4 17-1513
In this new book Bertrand Russell makes a study of the springs of human conduct. Responsibility for the war is placed by one group of people on the wickedness of the Germans, by another on the tangles of diplomacy and the ambitions of governments. Both groups, Mr Russell thinks, fail to realize the extent to which war grows out of ordinary human nature. “War is accepted by men who are neither Germans nor diplomatists with a readiness, an acquiescence in untrue and inadequate reasons, which would not be possible if any deep repugnance to war were widespread in other nations or classes.” The springs of human activity are impulse and desire, and of these, thinks Mr Russell, impulse is the stronger force. The pacifists are defined by him as “men in whom some impulse to which war is hostile is strong enough to overcome the impulses that lead to war.” What is needed then is a social reconstruction that will set free those impulses that lead to life rather than death. There are chapters on The state; Property; Education; Marriage and the population question; Religion and the churches, etc. In the preface to the London edition the statement is made that the lectures were written in 1915, and delivered in the beginning of 1916.
A L A Bkl 13:292 Ap ‘17
“A book which it is very difficult to review with fairness: it is a book by a big man, who cares intensely for intellectual freedom and has achieved a European reputation by his work in his own very abstract field, but it is at the same time a book by a man out of heart and out of temper with the world, written hastily, left (as the preface tells us) unrevised, and dealing with a subject on many aspects of which he is ignorant, and on which his training and temperament debar him from writing with real insight. Perhaps the best and most charitable thing to say about it is that it is unworthy of its author.”
— Ath p577 D ‘16 1600w
Reviewed by Nathaniel Pfeffer
Bookm 45:197 Ap ‘17 300w
Cleveland p54 Ap ‘17 150w
485“Particularly for Americans, it contains a warning and a programme, because America is in greatest danger from the evils it denounces, and nearest to attainment of the excellences it urges. It is a handbook for patriots whose concern is the soul of our country.” H. M. Kallen
+ Dial 62:233 Mr 22 ‘17 4000w
“The Honorable Bertrand Russell affords perhaps the most striking example in this generation of powerful intellect working in vacuo. ... In his volume entitled ‘Why men fight’ there is very much that is fine and splendid, but this is almost invariably accompanied by a lack of appreciation of the realities of human nature and of life.”
– + Educ R 54:98 Je ‘17 90w
“Like all that Mr Russell writes, these pages are full of stimulating suggestion, of vigorous criticism, and of fresh and original thinking. Yet I venture to predict—as it is, no doubt, safe to do in regard to any writer upon social questions just now—that if, in future years, when the passions of these stormy days are stilled, Mr Russell returns to the topics here discussed, he will handle many of them differently and from a wider point of view.” G. D. Hicks
* + Hibbert J 15:692 Jl ‘17 3050w
“His book remains a turning point in constructive social theory.” C. D. Burns
+ Int J Ethics 27:384 Ap ‘17 1300w
“In no other war book or peace book known to the present reviewer is there to be found so thoroughgoing an investigation of ‘the various influences, social and political,’ which explain why men fight.”
+ Nation 104:367 Mr 29 ‘17 1500w
“To read ‘Why men fight’ with any sympathy is to be entranced by the honesty, the concentration, the intelligence, the equilibrium of its author. ... While many of his criticisms are unsparing, none of them is devious or poisoned. The principles of democracy and liberty are frankly and utterly his principles. ... He understands perfectly well that the enemy has to be fought, as the fighting insect has to be crushed. ... Many passages in ‘Why men fight’ indicate that Mr Russell is neither omniscient nor entirely consistent. He seems to dispose of incompatibilities easily, and yet to demand radical changes.” F. H.
+ New Repub 10:24 F 3 ‘17 2300w
“A much more solid piece of work than his previous book on ‘Justice in war time.’ Here he has his feet partly on the ground, and is seemingly much more inclined to examine the economic foundations of society.” J. W.
+ N Y Call p14 F 25 ‘17 1050w
“Much of his thinking is of a very radical complexion, although it is individual in its radicalism and is not to be labeled with any existing brand of reform.”
N Y Times 22:46 F 11 ‘17 500w
“Bertrand Russell is perhaps the greatest of England’s living thinkers. ... It is just because the impulse to fight which swept this country off its feet when the Maine was blown up, so easily becomes uncontrollable that this calm, clear voice from the midst of the conflict bears a particularly timely message for the United States.” Robert Lynd
+ Pub W 91:590 F 17 ‘17 800w
“Although Mr Bertrand Russell lives in a political solitude as lonesome as that of Coleridge’s ‘Ancient mariner,’ he is manifestly able, to a limited extent, to combine with other groups on the vivifying basis of a number of common hatreds. ... Mr Bertrand Russell has written a thoroughly mischievous book, and it is all the more mischievous because, being a cultivated man, he has at his service a felicitous literary style which may possess some attractions for the unwary minds of prejudiced partisans and loose thinkers.” [Earl of] Cromer
— Spec 117:702 D 2 ‘16 2250w
“Much that Mr Russell says in criticizing the social order will be accepted as true by the philosophical thinker, who will, however, see that Mr Russell has failed to do any constructive reasoning that might lead to improvement. ... Mr Russell’s book is written with his wellknown brilliancy and force, but one fears that few persons will be able to read it through with patience. Mr Russell is too individual to agree at all points with the ‘philosophical anarchists,’ but his reasoning runs in that direction.”
– + Springf’d Republican p6 Ja 25 ‘17 500w
“To have said these things now, to have given fearless and eloquent utterance to ideas vaguely formulated and uncoordinated in other minds, has given to Bertrand Russell an intellectual leadership which will win him crowns both of laurel and of thorn.” Bruno Lasker
+ Survey 38:45 Ap 14 ‘17 1100w
The Times [London] Lit Sup p552 N 16 ‘16 80w
“In the chapter on war is matter for the meditation of the pacifist as well as the boisterous patriot. ... It is not a convincing book. The author has too many grievances with the social world as it is to be fair to it or wise, but it is a book to stir and stimulate and promote that ‘creative impulse’ which it extols.”
– + The Times [London] Lit Sup p566 N 30 ‘16 650w
RUSSELL, GEORGE WILLIAM (A. E., pseud.). National being: some thoughts on an Irish polity. *$1.35 Macmillan 342 (Eng ed 16-22450)
“‘A. E.,’ the author of ‘The national being’ believes that Ireland must be free to work out a destiny for herself among the nations of the earth. He believes that it is possible for her to solve the problem, too, not necessarily by fire and sword—for small nations are seldom wise in taking up the sword—but by the more patient and effective method of making Ireland economically free. When that is accomplished, the political freedom will follow naturally and will mean more than the creation of a new Parliament of stupidity to replace the present body which rules Ireland. ... ‘A. E.’s’ plan for a commercially liberated Ireland begins with a scheme for co-operative production instead of the multifarious and futile competition that exists at present.”—Springf’d Republican
“Beautifully written and inspiring, even if he is somewhat inclined to idealize the situation.”
+ A L A Bkl 13:246 Mr ‘17
“His ‘imaginative meditation on the state of Ireland’ is, indeed, addressed to youth. It breathes a note of confidence, of hope triumphant and undismayed, of spiritual adventure and high courage that only the ears of youth can catch. A. E.’s message is not to the politicians of to-day, but to the future nation-builders of Ireland.”
+ Ath p524 N ‘16 950w
“A suggestive and splendid vision of industrial energy and justice and a plan of universal service for the state.”
+ Ind 90:469 Je 9 ‘17 40w
“It is in truth a considered summation and codification, at times attaining to a noble eloquence, of the author’s social and political philosophy. ... The writer of this stimulating book has deserved well of his native land. ‘The national being’ is sure, even in the present, to realize the author’s modest hope that it may ‘provoke thought on fundamentals.’”
+ Nation 104:163 F 8 ‘17 700w
“We have had in the last two years half a hundred volumes on political organization. Of a certainty we have had few so penetrating or so wise.” H. J. L.
+ New Repub 10:270 Mr 31 ‘17 1550w
N Y Br Lib News 4:8 Ja ‘17
“An outline of the author’s conception of a coöperative commonwealth in Ireland, and a summary of his social and political philosophy. His message implies the establishment of a communal control in agriculture and industry, with an aristocracy of intellect dominating politics and government.”
Pittsburgh 22:527 Je ‘17 43w
“We confess to leaving: ‘A. E.’s’ imaginative meditation about the character and future of the state of Ireland with more admiration for 486the beauty of the language in which it is set forth than for the practicability of its suggestions.”
Spec 117:446 O 14 ‘16 1050w
+ Springf’d Republican p8 Mr 8 ‘17 650w
“National safety can lie only in national harmony. By stressing and reiterating again and again this point, the author is driving home a lesson which may well be heeded also in other lands.” Bruno Lasker
+ Survey 38:549 S 22 ‘17 500w
“There is a class of writers, practical men, whose thought has grown out of experience, who are not only clear expounders but also leaders. Of these the Irish poet, painter, economist, and apostle of cooperation, known as ‘A. E.’ is one. ... He has written a simple, practical, wise, and cheering book. It stands out among the innumerable social books that stream from the presses like a gentle giant among a crowd of clamouring pygmies.”
+ The Times [London] Lit Sup p459 S 28 ‘16 1000w
“The discussion of rural, agricultural, and labor problems have special reference to conditions in Ireland, but they are applicable in considerable degree to any country. It would be a pity if any serious student of these problems should be deprived of this remarkably stimulating and original work, which is notable for its literary quality.”
+ Wis Lib Bul 13:123 Ap ‘17 70w
RUSSELL, GEORGE WILLIAM (A. E., pseud.), and others. Irish home-rule convention. *50c (2c) Macmillan 941.5 17-24526
This book discusses the questions before the Irish convention now sitting in Cork. John Quinn first states his position regarding the European war, then considers the Sinn Fein and the Dublin insurrection, setting forth the English, American and Irish opinions of the insurrection and concluding with two short chapters on G. W. Russell and Sir Horace Plunkett. These seven chapters (ninety-four pages) are called on the title page (but not in the table of contents) “An American opinion.” Following Mr Quinn’s chapters, we have “Thoughts for a convention” (sixty-six pages), by George W. Russell (“A.E.”), who has here “put into shape for publication ideas and suggestions for an Irish settlement which had been discussed among a group whose members represented all extremes in Irish opinion. ... For the spirit, method of presentation and general arguments used, he alone is responsible.” (Note) Mr Russell does not believe in ‘dual government of Ireland by two houses of Parliament,’ but believes in a selfgoverning Ireland, in which Ulster should consent to play her part. The last part of the book consists of Sir Horace Plunkett’s “Defence of the convention” (twenty-three pages) delivered at Dundalk, June 25, 1917.
“John Quinn’s attitude is one of optimism throughout and his presentation of the facts involved is both clarifying and weighty in significance. ... The fundamentals suggested by Mr Russell cover all phases of Irish misunderstanding, and if they could be carried out would work wonders in that much-perplexed country.” H. S. Gorman
+ Bookm 46:331 N ‘17 1700w
“Every lover of Ireland will rejoice that brains so keen and spirits so well disposed and conciliatory are at work on the most difficult problem of the future constitution of the Irish nation.”
+ Ind 92:260 N 3 ‘17 90w
“Three intelligent, illuminating, and hopeful views of the Irish question as it stands today.”
+ N Y Times 22:544 D 9 ‘17 90w
“Mr George Russell and Sir Horace Plunkett have provided Irishmen with an opportunity to meet and work together on a plane above the region of official animosities. They have done in the economic life what the creators of the Irish literature have done in the sphere of art-given a common ground to distracted men. And because they have always been aware of the national scope of their work they are peculiarly fitted at this time to address their countrymen on behalf of national unity. The great hope for the future which waits upon the performance of the Home rule convention is that Ireland may have been informed and guided by the spirit which shines out in these appeals.” C: A. Bennett
+ Yale R n s 7:441 Ja ‘18 460w
RUSSELL, GEORGE WILLIAM ERSKINE. Arthur Henry Stanton: a memoir. il *$3.50 Longmans A17-1384
Father Stanton began his ministry more than half a century ago in St Albans, Holborn. “He was opposed to what is referred to as the Establishment, and in early manhood became a member of the Liberation society. The alliance between church and state was hateful to him. He devoted himself to the poor and outcast, and his methods showed a complete disregard of the scientific treatment demanded by social workers.” (The Times [London] Lit Sup) He was not a scholar and never attained either worldly or ecclesiastical dignities, “yet he gained a reputation and wielded an influence such as can only be compared with that of the leaders of the early days of the Tractarian movement, Newman, Froude, Keble, and Pusey. For over fifty years he occupied a unique place in the English church, and this was due solely to the fact that he was himself. ... He figured prominently and as something of a firebrand in the bitterest and most acrimonious ritual disputes of the nineteenth century.” (Sat R) A man of narrow views, quick-tempered and combative, yet a broad humanity and tolerance governed his intercourse with his fellowmen.
“Has special interest because of the insight it affords into the history of the High Church movement in England since 1862.”
+ Cath World 106:260 N ‘17 270w
“If the Right Hon. G. W. E. Russell wrote his memoir for those who are personally familiar with Father Stanton’s ministry at St Albans, Holborn, or are otherwise deeply concerned in that union of Catholic sacramentalism and radical socialism which Father Stanton so fervidly represented, then the book is none too long; but for the ordinary reader, even for one who can find interest in a pretty strong dose of English ecclesiasticism, there is certainly three times too much of it.”
+ — Nation 105:152 Ag 9 ‘17 200w
“We have nothing but admiration for the way in which Mr Russell has compiled the biography. Who combines so curiously well as he the refinements and fastidiousness of the man of letters and the man of the world with the things that spiritually matter?... Wherever possible Mr Russell allows Father Stanton to speak for himself, and the copious extracts from letters, speeches, and sermons have been well selected to present a complete picture of the man.”
* + Sat R 123:480 My 26 ‘17 1100w
“A volume of engrossing interest, and a worthy memorial of a true servant of Christ and humanity.”
* + Spec 118:591 My 26 ‘17 2100w
“Mr Russell’s narrative is a plain and restrained statement, offering just what is necessary to set each period of Stanton’s life in its proper perspective, and the book gains in force through this absence of discursiveness and laudation.”
* + The Times [London] Lit Sup p234 My 17 ‘17 1050w
RUSSELL, GEORGE WILLIAM ERSKINE. Politics and personalities, with other essays. *$2.25 Scribner 17-25966
“In his latest volume, Mr Russell’s range of subjects extends from Gladstone to ghosts, from casuistry to chivalry and from thrift to tyrannicide. ... 487Especially does Mr Russell find the nineteenth century prolific in demagogues. ... In his list of demagogues Mr Russell includes Henry Brougham, Sir Francis Burdett, Lord Randolph Churchill and Joseph Chamberlain, the last two being ‘the most consummate demagogues whom England has ever produced.’ And with such famous men in his list, he is certain that Lloyd-George will not be offended when he finds himself included in their company.”—Boston Transcript
A L A Bkl 14:158 F ‘18
“Not all, however, seem to us worth reproducing; and the best can be described in Oliver Wendell Holmes’s phrase about his own later essays as the wine squeezed out of the press after the first juice that runs of itself from the fruit.”
– + Ath p672 D ‘17 110w
Boston Transcript p9 O 17 ‘17 670w
Cleveland p8 Ja ‘18 50w
“The book itself is thoroughly engaging. It is one of those comfortable books which one can take up at odd moments with the assurance that they will prove good moments—a book genial without loss of seriousness, thoughtful without being profound, and (grateful virtue) contemporary without being harrowing.”
+ Dial 63:644 D 20 ‘17 400w
“Mr G. W. E. Russell’s new book of essays is exceedingly good reading. Whether he writes of politics or persons, he is never dull; and whether he provokes us to argument, agreement, or only to a smile, he is excellent company.”
+ Spec 119:sup625 D 1 ‘17 1400w
“Like most of Mr Russell’s books, this new volume is rich in political principle and memory, in details about leading men of immediate past and in constitutional knowledge.”
+ The Times [London] Lit Sup p524 N 1 ‘17 960w
RUSSELL, WALTER MARVIN. Operation of gas works. il *$2 McGraw 665.7 17-5554
“Mr Russell’s book ... deals with management and operation primarily and with apparatus and construction secondarily. ... First are presented organization and general management, both of plant and men. Then comes chemical control of product. One chapter is devoted to problems peculiar to coal-gas plants, another to water-gas production. Chapter 5 groups the general plant problems—handling materials, keeping cleaned up, fire protection, proper steam and water lines, keeping a good boiler house, etc. The final chapter discusses calorimetry and photometry, and an appendix gives miscellaneous useful tables.”—Engin News-Rec
+ A L A Bkl 14:47 N ‘17
“Simple and clear instructions for operating standard types of apparatus usually found in small or medium sized gas works.”
+ Cleveland p95 Jl ‘17 20w
“The growing use of manufactured-gas fuel in industrial plants and the increase in number of gas-works owned by manufacturing concerns have brought home to a wide circle of engineers outside the gas industry the lack of concise, easily read treatises on gas-works construction and operation. There has been of course the ‘catechism’ of the Gas institute, but this has not apparently been much utilized outside of the industry. Mr Russell’s book fills at least half the void, although not written with the industrial-plant engineers particularly in view.”
+ Engin News-Rec 78:364 My 17 ‘17 180w
“It is stated that the operations described have all been successfully tried out upon a commercial scale. The most recent developments, however, in mechanical operation, mass carbonization, and water gas operation have been omitted.”
+ — N Y P L New Tech Bks p5 Ap ‘17 110w
Pittsburgh 22:464 My ‘17 40w