out of line, a strong force has acted. The present volume is too hurried and fails to cover the case, but we shall all profit if the Professor will extend it to an exposition calmly written of the German view of the Russian menace. For obviously he feels that to be the real danger and of it most Americans know little. His present work interests us, but fails to carry the point. We want more argument and less assertion without backing. And if Professor Münsterberg will carry on his writing and explain in a more extensive way the pros and cons of the question we shall be indebted to him for "The War and America" for arousing our sincere interest, though failing to carry conviction. J. C. P. The Choice of Life. By Georgette Leblanc. Dodd, Mead & Co., New York. Always the essential thing in any work of thought is the expression of the author's personality. The continuity of subject, plot, theme or whatever superficial structure may serve to exhibit this is unimportant. If we are to appreciate the thought we must have the real person speaking to us. Thus it is that we feel "The Choice of Life" to be a success. The whole book breathes with a personality, not merely that of its heroine, as do so many, but with the vastly more necessary personality of the authoress. After reading this single volume we are sure that the vital, brilliant, and artistic soul of Madame Maeterlinck stands revealed in its pages. It is her thought, her appreciation, her point of view, and as such is infinitely valuable. The machinery of the book is briefly as follows: The authoress, seeing a strikingly beautiful peasant girl near her summer home in Normandy, is taken with the idea that here is a person to whom she can impart the real joys of life, real love, true beauty, true knowledge. She tries, doing all that she can to carry success, but in the end is baffled by the inborn nature of the girl, who must work out her life as her fathers before her had done, her glorious beauty useless and unknown even to herself. The book recounts in three parts the authoress' efforts and her failure. We are not sure if Rose ever existed or if Madame Maeterlinck has merely used her as an outlet for her own thoughts. Nor do we care greatly who or what she was or how created. She has served to illustrate the great French actress' ideas of how women should live, and has inspired an almost unlimited wealth of beautiful thought. In such sentences as: "The swift walker goes alone upon his road; there is never any but his shadow to follow him." "Do we then behold only what we seek? It is a sad thought." "Past errors are dead branches that make our present life burn more brightly." -We see a soul able to rise to heights that the greatest poets might not be ashamed to reach. And we could quote almost indefinitely. "The Choice of Life" is really the first book from Georgette Leblanc. She has given us a glimpse of a new and very valuable author. If we must criticize the work, we are forced to wish that it had been a series of essays and that Rose had been left out, for her presence sometimes obscures the view of the authoress. This, however, is all. We are pleased to regard the book as an exposition of Madame Maeterlinck's views of life. And as such it is more than worth reading, more than charming, and opens before us hopes of many volumes from the same artistic pen. J. C. P. Writing to Sell; A Text-Book of Literary Craftsmanship. By Edwin Wildman. Wildman Magazine & News Service, New York. A well-known dramatist once said, "You may be as highbrow as you please, but if the Public turns down your play that play is no good." Something of the sort is Mr. Wildman's opinion in the little volume at hand. He publishes it not for the man who desires to address the small groups of scholars and literateurs, but for those whose living depends on the approval of their works, for those whose field is "the ninety per cent." His advice is clear-cut and comprehensive, and though some of his illustra tions seem startling and rather unliterary, they are always effective. A man planning to earn his living by his pen is sure to find much worth knowing in this little handbook, and a look within its pages will not harm one with even the highest literary, aspirations. J. C. P. The Question of Alcohol. By Edward Huntington Williams, M.D. The Goodhue Co., New York. In this volume Dr. Williams discusses the various aspects of the use of alcohol. Its effect as offsetting the use of cocaine, etc., to a more or less evident degree is pointed out with especial reference to the increasing drug habit among the Southern negroes. From this point he rapidly progresses through "temperance education," labor legislation and alcoholic medicines to an exposition of his views on what should be done. The book is carefully and interestingly written and should prove of value to students of the subject. J. C. P. EDITOR'S TABLE. "This narrowness of views," proclaimed Cato, leader of the advocates of Lemon, "is beyond belief. Not only do my benighted opponents uphold the antiquity of the sacred cow, but they even lower themselves before this most modern of golden calves. For instance, my essay, 'The Paradoxical Features of Parliamentary Procedure Under Connecticut Rules,' is ousted, ousted, I say, for-for the sublimest thought of the Dreamer. Such pulsing threnodies as these-" Leander rolled his eyes skyward. "Pulsing threnodies as these," he murmured, “can not be understood save by those who live by the divine gift of the sacred cow. Oh, delectable cream," he went on, raising the little brown pitcher aloft, "how wonderful are thy-" "Bull," roared Mr. Thoreau in stentorian tones, and gentle Ossawatomie slunk behind the door to comfort weeping Culture. “I say," continued the member from the tall timber, "that this rapture stuff is great. It has such a lot of-of rapture, you know. Listen to this: "The blustering rush of bloody blast Swept o'er our heads that angry day, To tell that this was Corinth's bay;"" Mr. Thoreau nearly wept with emotion. This was more than Harlequin could stand. "Well," he exclaimed, "what has all this got to do with Cato's first remark. I want to know just what he means by sneering at us. I always use cream and I am not narrow in my religious sentiments either. But when a poor heathen upholds Lemon against the sacred cow he has got to prove his words. He-" but a wellaimed cracker toppled his cap and in fury Harlequin lunged forward, challenging his Roman assailant to a duel. Hastily Leander and Mr. Thoreau stepped between, sobered by the impending disaster, and another encounter of might against maybe was avoided. And as the glaring combatants resumed seats, Ossawatomie, beatifically smiling, led Dame Culture to the seat of honor, Mr. Thoreau promising to forego his passion. "Wasn't that lovely?" asked Ossawatomie, pushing back his disordered golden curls. And if we are to be frank we must admit that it was. H. D. THOREAU. THE present era of unparalleled growth of higher education, of extraordinary expansion of university training, threatens seriously the former national position of Yale. Amidst the establishment of so many institutions of apparently similar aims, she may forfeit almost wholly the prestige that was once hers. Yesterday but a handful in number, degreegranting institutions are now counted by the hundreds: whereas once the possession of a diploma was a distinction claimed by few, thousands yearly receive it with a careless indifference. Essential a generation ago for a professional career only, a college course is to-day sought by the many who wish to enter on a business life. The demand for pure knowledge and the study of the humanities has been replaced all along the line by cries for applied knowledge and technical training, whose value in terms of money can be brought to an immediate realization. Everywhere the man of affairs has taken the place in the popular esteem once occupied by the man of thought. The quest for the practical and the immediate has superseded the search for the ideal and the ultimate. And in |