Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-06


Nv Brander Matthews, author OF
French Dramatists of the 10th Cen
tury" etc. New York: Charles Scrio-
ner's Sons Washington: Woodward
Il Lothrop-
QO an American IL stands in lieu
OF personal opportunity 20 be
able TO look at himself and his
countrymen under the direc-
ton OF one so trained 10 OBJ
servation ard reflection as is the author
Of this book. Such tutelage works III
rectly for the virtues OF self-esteem, love
A., country and a sense OF individual re-
snonsibilitv for the worthiness of the
whole This trained American, turning
his n,nd To the fellows of his own land,
discusses them, not at all as oriuc. Out
as one fitted by the accident OF circum-
stance to the office OF self-revelatioh'
The theme of this book is the American
I'm his various manifest ations-character
manners, amusements. humor. speech
wha, not-wth a stable. hopeful forecast
OF his future. In this case Whatever Is
taken as a matter OF consideration Is OF
slight reckoning. The cOuntable eie1neht
4 here is the author himself in his mode or
action-inherently honest, fearless. dlrect'
by Circumstance trained, Impartial re-
served His method of attack Is some
to be respected. Take, for example. any
one of these essay-say, the one on
American Humor."
The subject itself discovers US in the
gusto OF our youth and corliaehce,
preliminarily set up, arms akimbo. In the
certainty that we have oornered IL. Bu.
what does this man of experience ana
culture say of il as an American asset
In his own vigorous American Vernacu
lar he, with ready anecdote and picture,
shows its benefcence In the strain OF
everyday living, quite incidentally defining
IT, by the way. No pedantry mere, just
plain talk that YOU and can understand
Then, in complete simplicity, put out Oh
2 world OF study and a lifetime OF re-
Election, he lifts out of the literature OF
the ages innumerable examples or IT
nation by nation, name ~ name-aii
matters OF laughter and delignt You 90
laugh. not dreaming perhaps that these
are often born from the deepest pnlios-
ophy, tinie-tested pleasantries over
sorry sorry business. Then. fortfled by
this excursion. he comes back to the place
from which he started-America. Here,
by example and comparison and PROOF, he
sets out our own humor and standardizes
it, He calls out the supreme exponent or
its enduring spirit among US and crowns
him source of patriotic pride So with
all OF these essays. matters not at all
what these trained people talk and write
about, so they are sound and sweet AT
the core We of lesser advantage do well
the sinsleness and sincerity of their judg-
ments
toll. OF MEN. BY /. Querido. New
York: G. p. Putnams Sons
1t is unbelievable that so small a coun-
try as Holland, and but a hands breadth
of that-practfcally just garden patch
can hold SO much of misery as this book
portrays The degradation and suffering
are enough to fill all the RussiaS to over
flowing, with Tolstoy. besides, to accent
the depths OF their intensity. Children.
rotting I'm disease. cold. naked, hungry:
youth. naked, too. lusting unashamed
on the highway at noontide; age. drivel-
Ing imbecility. or chuckling over crime
undiscovered. Ugh. A horrible book!
Done too. with the fine finish Of the ma
tive inquisitor. Each chapter seems TO
get point from deepening the hopeless
ness of the one before it. 1t CLOSES in
black darkness. Is this a human docu-
ment for the sociologist and reformer?
Is II literature? What is its mission?
THE SEVERED MANTLE. BY william
Lindsey, author of Apples of Ista-
khar." etc. Illustration by Arthur L.
Keller. Boston: Houghton. Mimin
Company. ---- s--s ~s.- --f
Saint Martin OF Tours. pure OF life and
loving Of deed, saw In the streets Of
Amiens a poor beggar. half naked and
perishins with cold. With plying heart
he took his sword and divided his cloak.
giving half Of II to the beggar. That
night the Lord Christ stood before him
in vision. Covering his shoulders was
the half cloak that Saint Martin had CIV
en- to the beggar. He asked an angel at
tending Him, Know We who hath thus
arrayed me? Ny servant, Martin, hath
done this" When this tale of Saint Mar
tin was told to Raimbaut of Provence he,
young. yearning, elate fell 20 his knees
in an ecstasy of religious fervor, crying.
II swear to our Blessed Lady, by my
hope OF heaven. that I win Hive a life OF
love and purity with the help Of my
patron, good Saint Martin. In whose steps
/ follow. In proof of this, and to re-
mind me of my oath, I will wear sew
cred mantle all my life" The story then
moves easily and swiftly on, absorbed in
the adventures OF Raimbaut of the sew
cred mantle, pledged to purity of life
and nobility Of deed, adventures which
finally make him the leader OF that band
Of troubadouns who, In one Of the mid
dle-age centuries, turned the south of
France into a nest OF nightingales sing
ing in lyric strain OF love and the exalta-
ton Of woman and of pure passion. This
liant, exotic. swift-passing song season
and OF the gay insouciant life that went
singing-always singing-on its flower
strewn path OF love.
BELLA DONNA. BY Robert Hichens
author OF The Garden of Allah"
etc Philadelphia: ]. Il. Lippincott
Company.
In this his latest book Mr.. Kitchens uses
once more with full power his remarks able