Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-12
BOOK REVIEWS.
MEMOIRS AND ARTISTIC STUDIES
OF ADE.I.A IiISIORI. Rendered


OF ADELAIDE IST0RI. Rendered
into English by @ Mantelltni. IL
Illustrated from photographs and en-
cravings. New York: Doubleday
Page Il Co.
In Adelaide Ristori the dignity of the
art Of the actor possibly reached its cul-
mination. There has at least, been no
one who has surpassed her in influence
upon her times The Italians are proven
bially enthusiastic in admiration of their
own artists. To Rist0ri they gave,
throughout her long career constant sym
patty and species of admring worship.
She was called upon to exert her infiu-
ence in affairs of state. because of her
wish criminals were pardoned. she was
honored by the friendship of the reigning
family. her eightieth birthday was the sig
nal for a national celebration.
In addition to these sources of interest
Is the fact that she was one of the first
of the foreign artists TO cross the ocean
an event in those days-and play for
Americans. One of her last wishes was
that her autobiography might be pub
Hshed in the United States we'll in
her own country. 1t is in pursuance of
this wish that the present volume has
been published in the United States.
The world is more or less familiar with
the life of Ristori, that honorable. hard
working life, SO full of effort and achieve
ment. fun, too. of domestic happiness and
friendships. What will be of novel inter
est to the reader in her memoirs is the
record of her conscious artistic develop
ment. the aims for which she strove the
stages by which she acquired mastery in
her art. She has recorded her interpre-
tations of her greatest roles Alferi's
Myrrha, SChiler's Mary Stuart Eliza
beth Queen Of England: Lady Macbeth
Racine's Phacdra and the MeIea of Lee
gouze. 1t is inspiring to note how clear
cut and intellectual was the conception
which lay at the base of the great emo
tional effects which she produced. The
book closes with a sympathetic account
of RistOris last days by l.. -. Ventura
1t Is illustrated by admirable portraits Of
Ristori herself and of her friends. fellow
artists and contemporaries.
STANDARDS OF PUBLIC MORALITY.
BY Arthur Twining Hadley presi-
dent of Yale University. New York:
The Macmillan Company. Washing
ton: Woodward & Lothrop.
The five chapters which compose this
volume. The Formation of Public Opin-
ION The Ethics of Trade" The Ethics
of Corporate Management THE Work
ings of Our Political Machinery THE
Political Duties of the Citizen" were
originally delivered as lectures on the
John s. Kennedy foundation in New
York The book opens significantly with
the statement: ''One OF the strangest
features in the life of the American peo-
tween its standards of private and of
public morality" Mr.. Hadlay proceeds
TO say that. while individually the typical
American citizen is courteous with the
weak. self-respecting with the strong
helpful with all. In action unselfsh, In
his public morals he is the reverse The
fault lies not so much in the individual as
In the public standard OF morals Each
American citizen is. to some extent, re-
spoons. BILE for the crimes Of the COM
munity. The remedy lies in the education
of the public conscience as to Individual
responsibility for the state of public
morality. In discussing the ethics o
trade President Hadley comes TO the con-
clusion that: "A just price. according to
the traditional and generally accepted
Views, is one which conforms as closely
as possible to the cost Of producing the
commodity, and of that cost labor is the
largest element" 1t is necessary, how
ever. TO modify this view by an admis-
sion that II is necessary to take into con-
s.derauon the possibility of larger profits
than this would allow. Therefore: I'VE
are justified in approving as on the whole
benef1cent the theory that the best price
for society Is that which is made under
open competition of buyer with buyer on
the one hand, of seller with seller on the
other, and that where competition really
exists the ethics OF modern trade are
sound. In the treatment of the other
subjects President Hadley shows the
same traits of adaptation of abstract