Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-03


reading-confning themselves quite strictly
to consideration of his art The facts of
his professional career are recorded with
great fhoroughness. and the critical COM
ments are intelligent and concise.
But the volume is first CT all marvellous
picture-book. There are over fifty repro
ductions, including four photographic fac
s1mileS, and etchings. oils. pastels and
cacy that one may feel the very spell of
Whistler's genius, the magic of that touch
THE BREATH OF THE GODS. By Sid
ney Mccall, author of Truth Dex-
ter Boston: Little, Brown & Co.
1t is not surprising that 431 pages were
needed to develop a plot involving French,
American and Japanese characters; but the
reader is forced to admit that THE Breath
of the Gods" is an extremely long breath
The story opens with an exposition of
Washington society. 1t is to be hoped that
the Interpretation of the orient is more del
icate. and that the writer. has observed
more closely the manners and customs of
the east. Certainly, in the best circles the
American debutante is not heard to de-
scribe one of her mothers guests as "a
young rhinoceros in its little sisters skim
There is a great deal of this kind of repair
tee. and the reader is decidedly refreshed
by that change of scene which Involves the
transportation of all the characters to To-
kyo. While the Japanese conversations
largely depend for local color upon gram
NAUTICAL diversions and floral SMILES, they
are somewhat novel and diverting How
ever. the touch Is at times too free and dec
orative, as in the following: Three long
days! Long as the castle moats when the
mud is showing" The reader is tempted to
ask how mud affects the linear dimension
Of the castle 7noat. Another sentence must
md tn,
Of an lima ginat ton oyer-stimulased by a con-
temptation OF three civilizations at one
time:
There was something sphinx-iike about
the mana gelatinous sphinx, not quite con-
g.aled into q certainly
The leading characters Of this novel are
two American 1oyers-a young French dip
Iomat born OF a Russian mother. and a jap
allese maiden who is forced into marriage
with native prince. National cOmplica-
lions may be mt once inferred, and the pres
ent war serves as the background of the
story
THE POPULAR LIBRARY OF ART.
Edited by Edward Garnett. yELAS-
QUEZ. BY Augusta Breal, author OF
| Rembrandt" New York: IL. p. Dut-
ton & Co.
In the first two or three sentences of his
something quite apart from the usual in
volved analysis. He appreciates the fulfil
ity of elaborate dissertations and confesses
with candor that pictures are made to be
looked alta fact which would seem self
evident: but 1t Is precisely the self-evident
and the simple OF which the enthusiastic
critic Is least conscious commonly. Since
NJ. Breaf accepts the reasonable limitations
of criticism, since he pleads mot guilty.
to the charge Of superfneus speculation,
the reader Is decidedly tempted to study
up Velasquex The little volume Is pro-
fusely Illustrated. and the task Is thorough
ly delightful.
M. HreaI has gnastered his material. ana In
able to present a consistent artistic per-
sonality, simply defined ard clearly under-
stood. The text from beginning to end is
remarkable for It's clarity. ana. at the close
the figure OF velasquex stands out az q dis
tinct identity. This Is saying q great deal.
The biographsr Is apt I'd evolve 4 series
of independent attributes which. la l,is at
tempt at unity. he gathers tngethar into
decidedly confused abstraction But the
grave face OF velasquez that looks out
from the mass OF rich black hair. con-
firms In its eaay pofae and its serenity che
man whom ~ BreaI has found In his PIC
tnres and In the few records Of his lite
long career a. court painter At Madrid. he
"a 10 real az TO seem almost contemporary.