Evening star., 1908-01-18
BOOK REVIEWS.
POLAND. THE KNIGHT AMONG NJ

POLAND, THE KNIGHT AMONG NA-
TIONS. By Louis f. Van Norman
'N,With an Introduction by Helena
!Modjeska. Illustrated New York:
Fleming II. Revell Company
A more ardent champion of the knight
among nations than this American of
Holland blood has not arisen. His pages
are filled with an enthusiasm for his sub
ject which Is delightful to see. 1t is
convincing as well, for when the reader
has been told of the devoted part that
Poland has played in the protection of
Christianity against Turkish violence. of
the part she has played in the art of the
world, of the disnterested champions that
have arisen for the succor. not only of her
own national straits but for that of lib
erty elsewhere-as in the case of the
American war of independence, when
he has known of Sobieski, Copernicus.
Kosciusko, Chopin, Paderewski. Modjeska
he is ready to admit that the Poles are
race of idealists, in arms as In art. The
tragedy of the fate that has oyertaken
Poland Is made more apparent. seen
through the eyes of this sympathetic OBJ
server even though the causes that have
produced 1T, the faults of the Polish tenn
permanent well the virtues, are evil
dent.
Mr.. Van Norman was the first Ameri-
can TO Visit all sections OF OLD tOianQ IOr
the express purpose of writing about it.
He had exceptional facilities for penetrat
ing into all phases of It's life through his
friendship with eminent Polish patriots.
He made a study Of Old Cracow and of
Warsaw. of JaSna Cora, the mecca of
Poles; journeyed over the steppes to
Kamieniec. which Pan Michael in Sien-
kiewiczs romance is detailed to defend
against the Turks. He had experience
of the life of the Polish noblemen on their
a. M If
the cities. But the chief qualification
which Mr.. Van Norman brought to his
task was an open and sympathetic mind
which alone can penetrate to the heart
OF an alien people.
The result is book of rare fascination.
The complex. melancholy. brilliant tenn
permanent of the Slav lives in every page.
The constant allusions to the romances
lie which has already accepted the triogy,
1.-The Deluge." with Fire and Sword
and Pan Michael. as undoubted classics.
And the closing chapter on THE Poles in
America" makes the whole book of even
greater significance to the public than it
would be were it not that 1000, 600 de-
scendants of the Polish race are in pro-
cess of being made citizens of the United
States.
THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE FLOW
ERS. BY Maurice Maeterlinck.
Translated by Alexander Teixeira
Mattos. New York: Dodd, Mead &
Co.
This sympathetic analysis of flower
organisms will reveal the Belgian au-
thor in the new role of naturalist to
those who are mot already acquainted
with The Bee Hive" and The Life of
the Bee In the current volume he
records, with almost reverent wonder
a series of observations of cases where
Howers have evolved marvelously COM
n lTIG fnr h@ /.f
combating adverse forces of nature
The many devices by which cross-fer-
tlization is secured where all of the
/ nower environment seems to be op-
f. posed are described with simplicity. as
we'll as other instances where plant
life has developed eXpedients Tor MAX
lHg possible and prolonging existence.
while the naturalist is revealed in the
accuracy of his observations, the poet
isalso seen in the vividness of the pic
lures and the tenderness with which
he writes. The little volume is a
Thoroughly charming one. The final
this life of nature in relation to the
SEPARATIONS Of man are stimulating.
N oLpE NEW YORK. Sketches of
&sOIdS Times and Places in Both the
: sEState and the City. BY Charles Burr
Todd, author of In Olde C;nnecti-
cut" etc. New York: The Grafton
r Press.
If any one doubts that romance may
J cling about localities he may be con-
WINGED by this book on "Olde New
York" Some of the sketches were
written long enough ago for certain
vanished sources of information about
the earlier days to be still present.
From this fact and because of the
skill of the author for reconstcucting
past scenes. picturesque phases of the
history of Manhattan live again for
the reader. Too much can hardly be
said in praise of so able an attempt
to preserve the traces of faSt-van-
ishing past The fascination Of the
sea. with It's tales of many ports, is
in the first sketch, The Old City Dock"
Each dock of mercantile New York
with it's distinctive line of trade Is Gel
ebrated by "a gentleman of leisure"
who, whenever an attack of ennui
threatens. fees to the city docks" The
dubious romance of the colonial pirates
when a New York governor openly
connived at their protection. the Cali
fornia and Canton clipper built ships
lines of steamships become merely eff
ficient machines; all of the departed
glory of amanship and sailors yarns
are represented today only by a few
battered veterans and by an occasional
fruit schooner from the West Indies.
In the same manner the modern dwell
er in Gotham will read with wonder
of the simplicity of the city in 1927 or
school of American literary craftsmen
found in the records of old booksellers.
The chapter Two Marble Cemeteries"
is full OF memories of past greatness,
while the sketch of Pierre de Landais.
the stubborn enemy of Paul Jones, is
full OF interest to the man who has
hitherto known of his career cnly from
it's connection with the life of the ia
nous sea fighter. OF the larger field
of state history 1.-The Story of the
Palatines' opens up half-forSotten
tragedy. But 1t is impossible to give
more than a few scattered suggestions
of a work that is full of meat
THE HOUSE OF THE SPHINX.
Novel. BY Henry Ridgely Evans, au-
thor of The Spirit World In
masked" etc. New York: Tie Neale
Publishing Company.
With the publication of THE House of
the Sphinx" another Washingtonian has
entered the field of novel writer's. M.
Evans is already we'll known for his re-
searches in occultism. and as a NEGRO
mancer has attained considerable fame
His previous publications. like The Old
and the New Mage, indicate the bent
OF his interests, and it is not surprising
that his novel should have a more than
romantic setting The story. moving in a
land Of erepuscular shadows and unrea,