THE BOOK SHELF.
[Conducted by ALBERT LEE, '91.] :
Of all the editions of Izaak Walton’s
“Compleat Angler,” probably none
have ever surpassed in good book
making that one recently published by
J. M. Dent & Co., of London (New
York: MacMillan). It has the ad-
vantage of a long introduction by Mr.
Andrew Lang, and its pages are nice y
strewn with illustrations from the pen
of Mr. Edmund J. Sullivan. His are
just the kind of pictures to set off the
text of the gentle Izaak—fine: pen and
ink sketches of old English scenery,
quaint manor houses, and _ sluggish
streams with tall reeds on ether side.
There is a touch of Abbey in Mr. Sul-
livan’s work. ‘The cover of the book,
too, is most appropriate, being of a
deep trout pool green.
Of course, as Mr. Lang very justly
says, the “Compleat Angler’ is to be
read for human pleasure, and not for
instruction, although I yet believe that
any man who reads the book—if he
has not already read it long since—
will get a good deal of information
out of it, though not necessarily about
angling. He will get a look into the
fields and hhighways of old, England,
and almost into the hearts of the jolly
fellows that wander through the pages
with Izaak. Amid all this modern
overstock of reading matter that hun-
dreds of printing presses turn out each
year, it is like meeting an old friend
to see the “Angler” come posting in
again—especially when he comes
dressed in such elegant apparel.
The editor of the “Chap Book,”
Messrs. H. S. Stone & Co., of Chicago,
have gathered into one volume a num-
ber of the tales that have appeared
from time to time in their little mag-
azine, under the general title of ‘““Chap
Book Stories.’’ I cannot say that they
are giving us the cream of. their short
fiction, although it is probable. that
the reason for this is that most of the
cream thas already gone between other
covers. .the tales..of..Galloping. Dick.
Ryder, for instance, The chief in-
' the folio.
terest in the present volume seems
rest in the fact that here you have no
monotony of style, and that if your
literary palate is not tickled by es
oysters, yousemay pass on to the soup.’
or even to the fish, or, further still,”
until you come to that course which,
most appeals to your taste.
an advantage in this, but
have the story which represents them)
for.
their work. Mr. Clinton Ross, *
example, has done better thing than.
that drivelling. dialogue which is in-
cluded in the present collection. ‘
I spoke above of the “little maga-_
zine,’ but the Chap Book may be no.
It seems that, in
the opinion of the publishers, what=)
ever charm the small size of their pe
long \
since destroyed by the deluge of min-|
iature magazines that has flooded the)
land since the Chap Book first ap-'*
longer so-called.
riodical may ever have had, was
peared. Of course, this is a matter of!
opinion only, and the enlargement of
the Chap Book to its present dimen-
( if i n eX=! a *3¢ x
sions must be looked upon as a candidates for other track events are
doing indoor work in the Gymnasium.
periment.:
be many advantages coming to us in)
However, the new suit fits well,
the little boy seems at home in his
long trousers. ‘
In his story of ‘A Sturdy Beggar’’ ;
Charles Charrington treats again of
an abnormal state of affairs, but his:
selection of plot this time is not so
happy as it was in his previous story™
Neither”
so well
There is scarcely. ~
any action in the tale—it being ae
ee _ ciation will occur during the lavier
(New York: Stone & Kimball),
of “Lady Bramber’s Ghost.”
does he handle his characters
in this last effort.
made up of a long recital by one man.
The first two chapters promise wells
but after that the quality falls, andy
the interest which held the reader o
the “Ghost” story is here in no. rag
_.awakened or sustained... The. ending oil give a concert in Providence. on
of the tale, too, is weak;
it was bad |
There is).
it is pe za
haps not fair to all the writers toy
There was much in favor
of retaining the small size—there may,
Perhaps we shall get more:
But quantity is not what we are after...
and
enough to have one crazy man, but
Wholly unnecessary to have two. Mr.
Charrington had the materials for a
good plot, but he hurried in the build-
ing of his story.
$$$
Winter Work of Athletic Teams.
Candidates for Yale’s various ath-
letic teams are already preparing for
in this book, stand as an example of
the contests of the coming season. The
Freshmen Crew candidates were called
out immediately after the Christmas
vacation. About a hundred men re-
sponded to the call, but this number
- has now been reduced to about seventy.
The candidates for ‘the University
Crew were called out yesterday and
will begin regular work at once.
Captain Keator of ‘the baseball team
is not a believer in long cage practice
for baseball candidates... The Winter
work in baseball, therefore, will be
light this year. The battery candi-
dates for the University Nine will be
called out the first of next week, and
the Freshmen candidates soon after.
The bicycle squad of the track team
is now doing light training, and the
: : PRRERE BEES) LC ME ROE TAD CAT
Chicago Alumni Association.
At a recent. meeting of the Yale
_ Alumni Association of Chicago the fol-
lowing officers were elected to serve
for the year 1897:—President, Wash-
ington Hesing, ’70; First Vice-Presi-
dent, Lloyd W. Bowers, ’79; Second
Vice-President, Dr. George F. Fiske,
*83 M. S.; Secretary and ‘Treasurer,
Clarence T. Morse, ’87; Executive Coim-
mittee, Henry E. Mason, ’87, chairman;
George W. Meeker, ’79S.; Hugh J. Mc-
Birney, 75; Edward J. Phelps, ‘80, «nd
Richard T. Crane, Jr., ‘958. “he
thirty-first annual dinner of the Assc-
part of February.
~<> <>
ww Ss
The University Glee and Banjo clubs
Fepr find 24th.
trial,
TIFFANY & CO.
Makers of Corporate and Frater-
nity Seals and Dies Silver Testi-
monials Athletic Prizes Class Pins
Society Emblems Engraved Invi-
tations and Stationery for the
Leading Universities Colleges and
other Educational Institutions.
Cuts of Watches
and Chains sent
upon request,
UNION SQUARE
NEW YORK.
Yale Mayflower Descendants.
At the congress of delegates of the
various state organizations of May-
flower Descendants held at Plymouth,
Mags., on Jan. 12, the following Yale
graduates were elected to official posi-
tions in the General Society of May-
flower Descendants, established by the
congress:
Governor-General,
Howland, 54, New York; Deputy-Gov-
ernor-General for Pennsylvania,
Francis Olcott Allen, ’62, of Philadel-
phia; Deputy Governor-General for
Connecticut, William Waldo Hyde, ’76
of Hartford; Secretary General, George
Ernst Bowman, ’83, 623 Tremont Build-
ing, Boston; Ejlder-General, Rev.
Roderick Terry, D. D., ’70, New York;
Surgeon-General, Orlando Brown, M.
D., 58, Connecticut; Member of Board
of Assistants, Percy Coe Eggleston,
"92, of Connecticut; Historian-General,
Richard Henry Greene, ’62, of New
York.
Hon. Henry E.
A New Course.
{Clarence Deming, "72 in N. Y. Post.]
Among the new and _= interesting
courses is one for graduates by Prof.
John C. Schwab on the civic, indus-
and economic history of the
Confederate States of America as dis-
iinguished from its military history.
There has never been any course of
the kind at Yale, and none is known
of here at any other institution.
ALL THE WORLD'S BEST LITERATURE. IN
This is indeed an era of unread books.
In this bustling, feverish age of ours
few are the favored individuals who can
The
vast majority of educated people finish
lay claim to being ‘‘ well read.”
their ‘‘serious”? reading just as they
begin to be able really to appreciate the
treasures bequeathed to us by the mas-
ter minds of the past.
The Need of Condensation.
There are many, however, who hon-
estly desire a large acquaintance with
the great authors and books of the
world, but the task is so enormous that
a lifetime would seem too short to ac-
complish it.
The realization of this fact has pro-
duced a unique ‘‘ Library of the World’s
Best Literature,” the simple yet daring
plan of which is to present, within the
limits of twenty thousand pages, the
The
lines upon which this work has been
carried out are as broad as literature
itself. It offers the master productions
of authors of all times, irrespective of
cream of the literature of all ages.
the personal predilections or tastes of
any one compiler or group of compilers.
Although Charles Dudley Warner is the
editor-in-chief, with Hamilton Wright
Mabie, George H. Warner, and Lucia
Gilbert Runkle as associates, the assist-
ance has been sought of an advisory
council, consisting of one eminent
scholar from each of ten of our leading
universities, thus insuring the widest
possible breadth of literary appreciation.
A Few of the Famous Contributors.
The arrangement is not chronological,
but alphabetical, thus diversifying the
matter and avoiding the heayy monot-
ony of ancient or medizval literature.
There are also elaborate articles upon
all great authors, great books, and the
literatures of different ages, nations and
periods, and these articles have been
intrusted to over three hundred of the
foremost critics and writers of the
United States, Great Britain, France
and Germany, and signed by such
authorities. as Dean Farrar, Andrew
Lang, Mrs. Humphry Ward, Dr. An-
drew D. White, W. D. Howells, Henry
James, and many other literary celeb-
rities. These articles greatly increase
the interest in the contents, and adda
tremendous educational value by col
lecting for the student the most schol-
arly literary judgments of our own
time.
Some Special Features,
One must search long before finding
any similar combination of the scholar-
ship of all lands called into harmonious
and effective collaboration. The wide
range of subjects is indescribable. The
reader may compare the oratory with
which Demosthenes stirred the souls of
his fellow Athenians with those colossal
utterances of our own Daniel Webster ;
the finest essays of Bacon with those of.
Emerson ; the style of Herodotus with
Macaulay ; in wit and humor the best is
to be found, while all that is vulgar or
debasing has been eliminated. In that
most popular form of literature—fiction
—the choice of writers extends from
those of ancient Egypt to Bunner, Kip-
ling, Stevenson and Bourget ; while in
poetry, it extends from. Homer to such
modern singers as Tennyson and Long-
fellow. In Politics, Letters, Biography,
Sciences and Philosophy, Theology and
Pulpit Oratory, Drama and the Theatre,
likewise, the names of the greatest ex-
ponents are to be found. There are,
moreover, a host of legends, fables,
antiquities, mythologies, folk-songs and
folk-lore,
More than a Thousand Illustrations.
The work is embellished with more
than a thousand full-page and vignette
portraits of authors, which enable the
reader to obtain a perfect idea of the
appearance of nearly the entire list of
literary celebrities. The exceptional
typographical beauty of the Library,
and the attractive bindings, will endear
the edition to the most fastidious book-
lover.
THIRTY VOLUMES.
A Literary Education.
No one with any aspirations to liter-
ary culture or taste can afford to be
without this monumental compendium.
In a word, if one reads at all, it is in-
valuable. With the aid of this great
library which Mr. Warner and his able
associates have so admirably wrought
out, one May acquire in a season's easy
reading a wider grasp of literature than
could otherwise be obtained by the in-
dustrious study of a lifetime. Although
this proposition may seem startling at
first, these thirty volumes really contain
a well-rounded literary education.
How to Secure this Great Work.
A limited number of sets is being dis-
tributed through the Harper’s Weekly
Club to introduce and advertise the
Library ; these sets are at present sup-
plied at less than one-half the regular
price and on easy monthly payments.
Club No. 2, now forming, will close in
February, after which the price will be
advanced.
The introductory sets available will be
so quickly claimed that arrangements
have been made with the Club to reserve
a limited number of sets for the special
benefit of YALE ALUMNI WEEKLY
readers. Those who first apply, men-
tioning this paper, will secure them.
Applications for special prices (and
sample pages) should therefore be made
at once to Harper's Weekly Club, 91
Fifth Avenue, New York.
