Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-29
BOOK REVIEWS.

THE FINER GRAIN. BY Henry James.
author of THE Golden Bowl etc.
New York; Charles Scribner's Sons.
Washington: Brentano'S.
Pr some ingenious person. with his
task NJ heart, were TO invent sNS-
tam to he applied to the reading vi
~ Henry JarieS il would almost GER
tainly serve not only To swell the
number of readers but also to expand the
james cult prodisiousiy. No one questioh7
liz. art of this ,rbane writer. The point
is 10 find a way for coming into rapport
with il After inuumerable unsuccessful
attenpts IL read him straiGht-fron itIt
tn right from top to bottom, according ~
early teaching-the reader set hlhlSeii
seriously to deSisiuc some plan Tor reach
ing the thought of this Suhhmate man
His pages are in the main packed Will
solid bodies OF text. ON an average a"o"N
one 10 the page. This points MN 10 W.
at the sonorous periodic temperament
like Lord Macauav and Thomas lie
Quincy II 50 il be, then the plth OIL
his thought stands squarely AZ the emu
Of the. text within easy reach. And there
II does stand-somctimes- At other times
The literary action reverses. setting OUT
with the moving thought when pushes
Il
trrial This double discovery does NOT
get one very far. however. III Ms pun
suit at the elusiveuess OF MI 'd<heS'
TIL. first of these construction plans re-
calls To- mind nothing else so much az
thus,. tiny dOnkeyS used i'll the pdtHiihe
streets OF old hill towns. little creatures
all legs overtopped ny pannier pilthS
that rock obviously, likely at any mo-
Iueut To s,0arate and litter the SItetS
with mAltitudinOus disagreementS. "llH
both para graph and pack only So
r.matic unloading reveals the charaCttl
Of the load what il is for. where IL l.
going The second plan-the one that SET"
off with the motor thought-plctureS eN
actly the method OF the humble lod'.
VA tumble beetle pushing along It's as
pi-hine burden. Nothing 10 DO mere t"-
10 unit out and loosen the points of con-
tact examining the freed incremeilts iof
intent and uses In either case OF III any
,aS,, the readiE" OF Henry James Is NO
plaV Every movement II So lnteinltte ht' VI
such warrant mold. beGauZed with reflect
i've iGlinss and analytical excursions, that
The reader. for tie most part IL Iel' SIM
.Iy hanging ON till the distinguishes au
thor sees fit To come back 10 iook dltSi
IA. business al haT a. The present Noi-
llne each story in il a finer sonethlns
20 toll and 50 dOubly eXaSperaung In It's
lndirectiUn Of manner, leadS away iIo.,
review and tenpts rather 10 COMPLAINT
that TIRE. author lets an eNaSgeratedly re-
dned difusivcness stand so naZlh-lN ~
'front.' Of what here and there slimpseS 10
la
f. A sheer ccnstraint to skip the allotted
-ask FOR the sake OF making this record
Of long and trying endeavor, iu.lle
one and for the purpose OF i!hl.s d r
est against the obscure In literature.
whether il be OF the cryptic SORT or tuae
rsgarious OF the merely lazy slatterh
Kidd
urRNING( DAYLIGHT. By Jack Ron
don author of The Cab Of the
Wild" etc New York: The Mac
milan Company.
Lined in merely. this Is the story of
fr, fellow up in Alaska who. by per
s.>ientrv following his -lunch, gathers
I'D q dozen million dollars and along WITH
f. hv way o. incident. u store ot enthu-
...,srr, ove.- the game In search or "a
larger table ne turns 10 the outside lis
quest brings him, quite hatusdN!' 20 Ne"
York where. before one can say JAIN
EoI,inson'' the hero 'Da flight, With the
Innocence and good faith of a lamb oIerS
up his golden fleece To a tilo % an
street saearers Following this lHltlal
Stage of the game" he betakes himself
hack TO the coast where amazing hilah-
cal UPS and downs center apou' II III
Each of these IL calculated 10 expose tue
hrisandiy habit of ut"cratS m gene az,
and in particular To st forth the latt:
Degeneration of the hero from the me
fiber OF his first estate CUT rom tlle
stress OF this FIRE bootlns hhaIce: no"
state OF pastoral poverty and passion \
ehack-out Glen Ellen way-a woman, a
COW and q milk pail. endow the nucohc
second birth Of this hero. So the story
ends 1t out of its own inertia. cleaEes
Al the point where Day 'ight' leaves the
rnrth. falling away at this line Of frac-
ture Up IN Alaska, alone. or al the most
viii some dogs. VT. London is undeniably
great The monstrOus Indifference OF TINS
Uuitless zone. the Unsuitable gathering or
cold. and piling of snow, and driving or
frost. the twilight day, the silences The
grim fatefu ncss-al these, and more, go
deep into him, wor6ing there zine chem
istrv of feeling. and issuing in W. yards
artistry OF spirit. In civilization. however.
a<an insurgiug man among men. as
re former. socialist. Nj London IS less
the master of his med The ardor OF
dogma tricks IS focus and wantons with
mis- art suggesting that. for him at least,
The one should not be permitted 10 Geiorm
the other by the euhsting of that other
AZ medium OF economic theory.
THE HOLY LAND. By Robert Hichens.
author q Egypt and It's Monu-
rrentS'' etc Illustrated BY Ju es
Grarin. New York: The Century
Company.
Tn ~ and intPrpre-