Under the title, "The Making of the American Republic," Doubleday, Page & Company has just published a popular history of the United States by Archer Butler Hulbert. Professor Hulbert confesses at the outset that he is an optimist, a sincere disbeliever in the theory that the evil men do lives after them. He introduces the tricksters and rogues who play a part in the narrative of the countrys progress only when a knowledge of them is essential to a correct historical perspective. His hope is to show that the national difficulties of today and to-morrow are no more intricate and insoluble than those of yesterday, and that time will solve them as it has in the past.

History demonstrates one fact at least, that in every age a goodly proportion of folk praised the great men of the past but found little of comfort in their to-day and entertained grave forebodings of their to-morrow. In this respect History never fails to repeat itself. Marco Polo in China in the thirteenth century was told that there were "honest" Celestial politicans "a hundred years ago."

Former Ambassador Morgenthan, whose latest book "All in a Life-time" was one of the outstanding biographies of last season, has sailed for Greece on an important unofficial diplomatic mission. He is to take the active chairmanship of the commission under the League of Nations for the settlement of refugees from Anatolia in Western Thrace and Macedonia. 600,000 of these exiles are now given shelter by the Greek government which has deeded more than a million acres of vacant lands to their use. The Greeks have undertaken to raise among themselves 1,000,000 Pounds and the British have made a temporary loan of 6,000,000 Pounds. It is hoped to sell long terms bonds in the total amount of 6,000,000 Pounds for the construction work of setting up these refugees in agriculture and elementary industries.

Mrs. Sidney Porter, the widow of Sidney Potter, better known as O. Henry, the master short story writer, told a friend recently of her visit to Sir James Barrie in London. The author of "Peter Pan" had always been interested in O. Henry, and when he learned that Mrs. Porter was in London, he invited her to tea in his historic old home which looks out upon the Thames. Barrie was eager to talk of the American author. He had often wanted to come to the United States to meet O. Henry but could never make up his mind to take the voyage.

"I want you to tell me about O. Henry," he said, "somehow I've always thought I was like that fellow."