Non-Classifiable Books

PREFACE On a mild February afternoon I was waiting for the train at a wayside station in north-western Banat. So unimportant was that station that it was connected neither by telegraph nor telephone with any other station, and thus there was no means of knowing how long I would have to wait. The movements of the train in those parts could never, so I gathered, be foretold, and on that afternoon it was... more...

BIRTH AND EDUCATION Of the many biographies of Robert Burns that have been written, most of them laboriously and carefully, perhaps not one gives so luminous and vivid a portrait, so lifelike and vigorous an impression of the personality of the poet and the man, as the picture the author has given of himself in his own writings. Burns's poems from first to last are, almost without exception, the... more...

For combined beauty and interest—varied beauty and historical interest—there is no place “within easy reach of London”, certainly no place within the suburban radius, that can compare with the stately Tudor palace which stands on the left bank of the Thames, little more than a dozen miles from the metropolis and, though hidden in trees, within eye-reach of Richmond. It is not only one of the... more...

FOREWORD On May 30, 1961, President Kennedy departed for Europe and a summit meeting with Khrushchev[A]. Every day the Presidential tour was given banner headlines; and the meeting with Khrushchev was reported as an event of earth-shaking consequence. It was an important event. But a meeting which was probably far more important, and which had commanded no front-page headlines at all, ended quietly on... more...

KALLIHIRUA THE ESQUIMAUX.   Kallihirua, notwithstanding the disadvantages of person (for he was plain, and short of stature, and looked what he was,—an Esquimaux), excited a feeling of interest and regard in those who were acquainted with his history, and who knew his docile mind, and the sweetness of his disposition. Compliance with the precept in the Old Testament, "Love ye the stranger ,... more...

THE PRICE OF A SOUL The fact that Christ dealt with this subject is proof conclusive that it is important, for He never dealt with trivial things. When Christ focused attention upon a theme it was because it was worthy of consideration—and Christ weighed the soul. He presented the subject, too, with surpassing force; no one will ever add emphasis to what He said. He understood the value of the... more...

PETER THE HERMIT. The Foreground. The great movements called the Crusades followed the leading of universal religious instincts.The Cause of PilgrimagesBelong to all ReligionsThe Impulse of To-day.Pilgrimages and Historic MemoryWherever a great leader has been born, has taught, has suffered, died, or been buried, the feet of his followers have been glad to stand. At such spots religious emotions are... more...

Making a Lawn THE SMALL LAWN, OLD AND NEW TO the thousands of anxious inquirers, seeking solution of lawn difficulties, it would be more than delightful to say that a fine lawn could be had by very hard wishing, but honesty compels one to change the words "hard wishing" to "hard work," in order to keep strictly within the truth. A well-made lawn is a testimonial to a hustler, whether... more...

THE SHAH NAMEH According to the traditions of former ages, recorded in the Bastan-nameh, the first person who established a code of laws and exercised the functions of a monarch in Persia, was Kaiumers. It is said that he dwelt among the mountains, and that his garments were made of the skins of beasts.   His reign was thirty years, and o'er the earth  He spread the blessings of paternal... more...

INEGAR, or dilute acetic acid, is produced by a process of fermentation from certain vegetable substances. After alcoholic fermentation has taken place there follows, under suitable conditions, a further decomposition, by means of which the alcohol is converted into a more highly oxidized body, acetic acid, with water as a by-product. These conditions require that the liquid shall contain alcohol,... more...