“The Death of the Lion,”
  “The Vengeance of James Vansittart,”
  “The Wife of a Vain Man,”
  “The Crime of Henry Vane,”
  “The Son of Old Harry,”
  “The Honour of Savelli,”
  “The Life of Nancy,”
  “The Story of Lawrence Garthe,”
  “The Marriage of Esther,”
  “The House of Martha,”
  “Tales of an Engineer,”
  “Love-letters of a Worldly Woman,”
  “The Way of a Maid,”
  “The Soul of Pierre,”
  “The Day of Their Wedding,”
  “The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard,”
  “The Hand of Ethelberta,”
  “The Failure of Sibyl Fletcher,”
  “The Love-affairs of an Old Maid.”

Of course, in such a division as this, much must depend on individual judgment and bias.  Probably no two persons would divide the list in just the same way, but it is my belief that the general result in each case would be much the same.  To me the possessive in every one of the above-quoted titles would have been more idiomatic, thus: 

  “Hilton Fernbrook’s Shadow,”
  “Stella Maberly’s Statement,”
  “John Wallace’s Shadow,”
  “Morrice Buckler’s Courtship,”
  “A Stoic’s Daughter,”
  “Henry Vane’s Crime,” etc., etc.

In one case, at least, this fact has been recognized by a publisher, for “The Vengeance of James Vansittart,” whose title is included in the list given above, has appeared in a later edition as “James Vansittart’s Vengeance”—­a palpable improvement.

I shall not discuss the cause of this change in the use of the possessive, though it seems to me an evident Gallicism, nor shall I open the question of whether it is a mere passing fad or the beginning of an actual alteration in the language.  However this may be, it seems undeniable that there is an actual and considerable difference in the use of the possessive to-day and its use ten years ago, at least in formal titles and headings.  I have confined myself to book-titles, because that is the department where the tendency presents itself to me most clearly; but it may be seen on street signs, in advertisements, and in newspaper headings.  It is not to be found yet in the spoken language, at least it is not noticeable there, but it would be decidedly unsafe to prophesy that it will never appear there.  Ten years from now we may hear about “the breaking of the arm of John Smith” and “the hat of Tom,” without a thought that these phrases have not been part of our idiomatic speech since Shakespeare’s time.

SELECTIVE EDUCATION[1]

    [1] Read before the Schoolmen of New York.