662 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



well to consult the valuable hints of the 

 chapter upon equipment. Mr. W. D. 

 Wilcox, already a favorite authority 

 upon 'Our Switzerland,' has really given 

 us a continuation of his former work in 

 'The Rockies of Canada,' published by 

 the Putnams of New York. He treats 

 this wonderful mountain region from the 

 standpoint of the enthusiast, having 

 spent many seasons in the acquisition 

 of his experience. It is easy to see that 

 he is more of a 'mountain lover' than a 

 sportsman, in spite of his creditable ac- 

 counts of the hunting and fishing to be 

 found in this part of terra incognita. 

 Some space is also given to the charac- 

 ter of the Indians. It is almost a pity 

 that he has adopted the 'diary' style, 

 as it detracts somewhat from the liter- 

 ary character of the work. 



The past year has been productive 

 of many volumes bearing upon the East 

 and its problems. The most helpful of 

 these works, two volumes which should 

 be read together, are 'China's Open 

 Door,' by Hon. R. Wildman, and 'The 

 Crisis in China,' by a group of authors, 

 most of them well known. The first 

 volume is the most readable account of 

 the dreary history of China that we 

 have had up to the present time. The 

 bright introduction by the Hon. Charles 

 Denby is a very fitting opening chapter 

 to the volume. It is published by Lo- 

 throp, of Boston. The other volume was 

 issued by the Harpers, and discusses the 

 vexed problems of China from various 

 points of view ; some of them, curiously 

 enough, having been answered by the dis- 

 posing power of events, others showing 

 a helpful insight, which it is a pity the 

 'powers' did not follow. Another volume 

 on America in the East, by W. E. Grif- 

 fis, published by Barnes & Co., of New 

 York, consists of a delightful series of 



'Fourth of July' orations gathered into 

 book form, mainly from the 'Outlook.' 

 From the author's standpoint, Ameri- 

 cans have apparently left little for any 

 one else to do in China, Japan and 

 Korea. The last chapters are the best 

 because the most serious. We should re- 

 member that while the world moves 

 largely through the influence of enthu- 

 siasts, we shall not conquer in the East 

 as much by arms, as by brains and vir- 

 tue. Still another work published or 

 rather republished by Barnes & Co. is 

 written by an able naval officer, En- 

 gineer John D. Ford. Its pleasant ac- 

 counts of his visits to various portions 

 of the Asiatic coast are well worth the 

 new edition which is brought down to 

 date by a sketch of the Battle of Manila. 



A valuable book on the Colombian 

 and Venezuelan republics, prepared by 

 our minister and envoy to these coun- 

 tries, Hon. W. L. Scruggs, is timely, be- 

 cause of its practical hints, its compre- 

 hensive study of physical conditions and 

 its descriptions of the magnificent moun- 

 tain scenery and the luxuriant tropical 

 life. The book will be more attractive 

 to the real student than to the popular 

 reader. Another volume of a different 

 character, rather more of a journalistic 

 effort, on the broader subject of South 

 America, is published by F. G. Carpenter. 

 It is a collection of letters, first pub- 

 lished in newspapers and then gathered 

 in more permanent form. The book is a 

 pleasant companion, even if the sketches 

 are somewhat superficial, as is apt to be 

 the case with the traveler away from 

 his authorities. The frontispiece is in 

 rather bad taste, as it is a composition 

 picture of the 'Pretty Girls of Chile.' 

 The volume is printed by the Saalfield 

 Co., of Akron, Ohio. 



