The Spanish pupils of the Waller High School, Chicago, presented with great success the four playlets, “La Joven Médica," "La Criada Astuta," "Caperucita Encarnada," and "Los Hados," on the 15th of January, under the direction of Miss Edith Cameron, teacher of Spanish.

The Spanish students of the High School of Commerce and the Washington Irving High School of New York City presented on December 14 the well-known playlet, "Castillos de Torresnobles," by Carolina Marcial Dorado. A large and enthusiastic audience applauded the good work of the students. In a final notice of the Bulletin of High Points for November, 1918, we read that with that number the publication of the journal ends. The Bulletin of High Points has been generally received as the most helpful guide published within recent years for the modern-language teachers of secondary schools. It is difficult to see how New York teachers can get along without it.

The modern-language teachers of Philadelphia have founded a new modern-language publication, called The Modern Language Bulletin. In the leading editorial of the first number (September, 1918) high praise is given to the Bulletin of High Points, published in New York under the editorship of Mr. Wilkins. The first three numbers give promise of a scholarly, dignified, and practical journal for the modern-language teachers. The editor is Benjamin Reibstein, of Northeast High School, Philadelphia,

OBITUARIES

EDOARDO SAN GIOVANNI

Edoardo San Giovanni pasó a mejor vida el 21 de octubre de 1918, de pulmonia.

Nuestro finado compañero venía de la cepa de los estudiosos. Nació en Nápoles en 1877, y heredó de su padre, Tito San Giovanni, el amor al arte y a los libros. Vino a los Estados Unidos en el año 1900 para dirigir el periódico italiano Il Progresso, tarea que abandonó en 1903, para dedicarse a la enseñanza. El estudio de los idiomas le fascinaba, y entre ellos el del latin. Con sus versos latinos había ganado varios premios. Además de su propia lengua, el italiano, hablaba con rara perfección el español, el francés, y el alemán. Conocía la literatura española tan a fondo como si se hubiese dedicado a su estudio toda su vida. Al fallecer dejó el Dr. San Giovanni una nutridísima colección de libros españoles, que había leido y releido con fruicción de enamorado.

Eso era nuestro querido colega: un enamorado de los libros, y al mismo tiempo un ambicioso en su profesión. Esa ambición fué lo que le impulsó, a pesar de la indiferencia que sentía por todo lo que sonase a teorías pedagógicas, a dedicar años de estudio en prepararse a oposiciones para el cargo de maestro de lenguas modernas.

Trabajador infatigable, fué profesor de idiomas en el Manual Training High School de Brooklyn, en la escuela nocturna del College of the City of New York, en el colegio de San Francisco Xavier, y en el Adelphi College durante el curso veraniego. Pero sus multiples ocupaciones y actividades jamás le apartaron de sus deberes de padre de familia, que lo era ejemplar, así como fué excelente esposo, excelente amigo e intachable ciudadano.

A San Giovanni le debi, durante su vida, más de un momento de esa grata y amena conversación de que se goza con personas de ideas afines; y ahora, para remate, le debo después de su muerte, el privilegio, tan grato en sí mismo como penoso por la causa que lo motiva, de escribir por primera vez un pequeño articulo para la revista de nuestra Asociación.

ALFREDO ELÍAS

COLLEGE OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

JULIAN JUDERÍAS LOYOT

En Madrid ha fallecido el 19 de julio de 1918 D. Julián Juderías Loyot, autor de interesantísimos trabajos históricos cuyo mérito acababa de ser sancionado recientemente con la recepción del autor en la Real Academia de la Historia.

Aunque el Sr. Juderías había dedicado gran parte de su actividad el estudio de los problemas sociológicos, favorecido por su conocimiento práctico de los principales países europeos, su renombre estaba vinculado principalmente en sus publicaciones de carácter histórico, entre las que sobresalen las monografías tituladas Un proceso político en tiempo de Felipe III, Don Pedro Franqueza, Conde de Villalonga, y España en tiempo de Carlos II, el Hechizado. Pero ninguna de estas obras valió al Sr. Juderías la popularidad que su trabajo de divulgación histórica, La Leyenda negra le conquistó rápida

mente.

Es La Leyenda negra la obra entusiasta y valiente de un patriota. Expone el Sr. Juderías con gran claridad el proceso histórico de la formación de esa opinión casi universal que simboliza en el espíritu español todos los pecados de crueldad, fanatismo e intolerancia, y con gran riqueza de datos históricos demuestra que hay en esta opinión un exclusivismo injusto que la falsea. El autor examina y combate todos los aspectos de este cúmulo histórico de columnias, imputaciones y desdenes que sombrea la historia de España en el concepto de casi todos los extranjeros y no pocos españoles, y opone, en breves y sencillas afirmaciones, los indiscutibles resultados favorables de la investigación imparcial sobre la colaboración de España en el progreso histórico de la humanidad.

En su discurso de recepción en la Academia de la Historia, pocos meses antes de morir, el Sr. Juderías disertó sobre La reconstrucción de la Historia de España desde el punto de vista nacional.

Los españoles deben gratitud a este investigador, malogrado en plena juventud, cuyo patriotismo no fué una palabra vana, ni una veleidad sentimental, sino una actividad generosa y fecunda. Los hispanistas del mundo entero reconocen en él un historiador justo e imparcial.

STANFORD UNIVERSITY

FELIPE M. DE SETIÉN

CALIFORNIA

REVIEWS

CONTEMPORARY DRAMA TEXTS

The foreword to one of the series discussed below says: "Parece evidente que el estudio del español se dirige ahora más que antes a las realidades actuales de los pueblos hispánicos, y que por lo tanto la literatura que debe ser conocida y utilizada generalmente en las clases debe ser la literatura de hoy, la literatura actualmente viva, la que representa el espíritu y los ideales actuales de la gran comunidad hispana." This spirit and these ideals are nowhere more manifest than in the drama; theatrical works offering at the same time a conversational vocabulary and a rapidity of action that holds the interest of the student. For this reason the series of contemporary drama texts inaugurated by two American book companies will be very welcome. The following three volumes have already appeared in these series:

(a) Teatro de Ensueño, by G. Martínez Sierra. Edited with introduction, notes, exercises, and vocabulary, by Aurelio M. Espinosa, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Spanish, Leland Stanford Junior University. World Book Company, Yonkers-on-Hudson, New York, 1917. 12mo., xviii + 108 pp. (65 text, 12 exercises, 26 vocabulary).

(b) El Príncipe que Todo lo Aprendió en los Libros, by Jacinto Benavente. Edited with introduction, notes, exercises, and vocabulary, by Aurelio M. Espinosa, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Spanish, Leland Stanford Junior University. World Book Company, New York, 1918. 12mo., xvi + 87 pp. (44 text, 14 exercises, 26 vocabulary).

Los

(c) Tres Comedias: Sin Querer, De Pequeñas Causas Intereses Creados, por Jacinto Benavente. Edited by John Van Horne, Ph.D., University of Illinois. D. C. Heath & Co., Boston, 1918. 12mo., xxxvi + 189 pp. (105 text, 23 notes, 60 vocabulary).

(a) Professor Espinosa in his introduction emphasizes the “deep feeling" and "inspiration" of Martinez Sierra's prose. As Professor Owen says, in his recent review of this edition (Modern Language Journal, November, 1918, Vol. III, No. 2), this is somewhat a matter of opinion. To some of us his prose seems artificial and studied, rather than inspired, but all will agree that in beauty and grace it is unsurpassed in modern Spanish. This is ample justification for the publication of this text, and both high-school and college students will find the three short plays very pleasing. The vocabulary is not so poetic that it has no practical value, though some may doubt the wisdom of using it as a basis for composition. However, the exercises are well written and some may find them of service.

The short introduction is evidently written for the student and gives a sympathetic glimpse of the modern Spanish stage. The book is well printed and typographical errors are few. Professor Owen has called attention to what he calls "trifling infelicities of detail," so these need not be mentioned

here. Some are of little importance, some merely variants in choice of English readings. A note to p. 22, 1. 16, reads: "La reina que dices: 'the queen whom you mention.' The use of decir with this meaning is now archaic." Professor Owen's statement that this is common colloquial Spanish of today is open to question. P. 58, 1. 20, reads: "El rey quiso morirse también de pena," and we find in a note: "Quiso: the preterit is used to express the intensity of the wish." This Professor Owen doubts, and says: "The past absolute of querer is best translated 'tried'." Would he have it translated "The king tried to die of grief"? This would be obviously absurd. The best translation is probably: "The king would willingly have died of grief, but could not." In Don Quijote (Chapter III), “y jamás quiso (levantarse) hasta que le hubo de decir," etc., the meaning is very similar, expressing the intensity of his will. Certainly one should not translate agosto (p. 32, 1. 6) "harvest," though the vocabulary might have glossed it "the harvest-month”. In the hands of an appreciative teacher these little plays should prove an inspiration to even the high-school student and awaken him to the beauties of the Spanish language.

(b) is a play written for a children's theater and can be read earlier in the course and by younger students than (a). The introduction gives a clear outline of Benavente's work and defines his place in contemporary Spanish literature. The Biographical References might be more complete and would be more useful if they mentioned some articles and reviews published in English that would be accessible to the high-school teacher, for example, the excellent introduction by John Garrett Underhill to his volume, "Plays by Benavente" (New York, 1917).

The book as a whole is better edited than (a), the translations in notes and vocabulary more happily chosen. A very few variations and omissions may be mentioned. P. 3, 1. 9, si.. no hubiéramos de faltarle, is translated, "if . . . we did not have to fail him". "Fail" is rather unusual in this sense; a better rendering would be "to leave him". P. 9, 1. 14, acabara should have a note on this use of the subjunctive. Principal is given in the vocabulary, "principal, chief". These would hardly do for p. 10, 1. 18, and p. 12. 1. 23; "important" would be better. P. 17, 1. 23, venga should be explained either in notes or vocabulary. The archaic vos is explained, p. 30, 1. 1 note, but this explanation should be given before (p. 15, 1. 11). But one serious typographical error may be noted (p. xv, 1. 16), confusa for confiada in the title of the second part of Los intereses creados. We miss a more extended discussion of the latter, certainly the best known and by many considered the best of Benavente's plays, but perhaps space would not permit.

Every student of Spanish should know something of Benavente, and no play is better suited to introduce him to the master than this children's drama, and it is especially adapted to high-school classes. The exercises are practical, and in this case will be very useful, since the text is simple and affords excellent and varied material for conversation and composition.

(c) From this simple text, practically edited for students' use, one turns with trepidation to the stupendously erudite volume of Benavente's plays called Tres Comedias. A twenty-page introduction discusses Benavente's