Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-12
BOOK REVIEWS.
THE LIFE OF CHARLES SUMNER.
BY Walter c.. Shotwell. New York;
Thomas Y. CroWell q co.

THE LIFE OF CHARLES SUMNER.
Nv Walter c. Shotwell. New York;
Thomas Y. Crowell 4 Co.
EATING over seven hundred odd
pages, each generous surface
packed with c'ose-ranged type
IL the wonder grows that-Dr.
Johnson himself even-can
worthily command So ia.se d s.s.4,. s.
geographic devotion. The outer aspect OF
this volume suggests judicious skippings
The reading test. on the contrary, warns
against the sighting of single page
From cover to cover it moves absorb
ingly In beautiful and noble tribute TO d
great man. In effect 1t bulks larger tnan
biographies frequently do. for here Is
great personality set in portentous times
Mr. Summers life advanced generously,
in big impulses of social, literary, civil
and political activity. His student Gays
present Harvard in an atmosphere that
now constitutes her best tradition ana
example His succeeding trip abroad re-
sembles and equals that Of, Washington
Irving in distinction. His home HE ra-
dates the best of Boston. But II IS ms
nolitical career moving identical with the
struggle for freedom, that consumnlates
Charles Sumner in enduring greatness.
This bographer in complete tredsuiS
house of material. reaches Iar oeS oi'o
mere accuracy and order. With insight
and imagination he moves in dramatlc
swiftness and precision, ohjectity1ng tne
high points of Summers lie ana feia,lIis
these with innumerable revealing pictures
brilliant pictureS-of men, women, d!
fairs policies principles and issues. 30
far as il is possible through letters and
public speeches the author gives way 10
Mr. Summer himself, who speaks Always
eloouently stirrincly, nobly, unsellSniS.
-r.bi nh
flesh as il were-iS a high example OF the
scope and power and inspiration OF do
graphic history.
;aARY MAGDALENE, A Play in Three
Acts. BY Maurice Maeterlinck, au-
thor of 1.-The Blue Bird etc. Trans
lated by Alexander Telxelra ae Mal-
tos. New York: Dodd. Mead 4 Co.
Maurice Maeterlinck's drama meets
fully plays first obligation 1t acts.
Moreover, il acts in two-foid Iash'oi''
one series of events advances in front
If the stage scenes Another one passes
behind them. so to say, keeping pace
with the outer SHOW, experimenting II
BY means of shadows of sights and cen
ues of sounds This secondary move
uent gives to the first one much or its
atmospneIe and al OF its meaning. IN.
theme is of perennial interest, because
:he story of Mary Magdalene, rooted IN
deep and primal things, moves ever on
cutemporaneous with tae marcn OF hu
.nanity. This drama of MaSdalenes re-
standardization is cast in three acts.
ZACH rising swiftly to its own zenith. from
which height it throws its propulsion
INTO the succeeding one. The hrst OF
these suspends with Magdalene torn oy
the mob, and secretly by her own sins
as we'll. The second pauses at her act
of renunciat. on, objecufied by her pass
ing out from the Roman palace at the
call OF Lazarus, new risen from the uead.
.:..lxA 0ho1 a
the travail of her rebirth, consummated
when, in the very essence OF spiritual
love and divination, she saves her own
soul. even at what appears TO be the cost
of the ufe Of Jesus The material aspee.
of this drama of the spirit circles about
the luxury and refinement and philoS-.
uphy of the Roman province. Its spirit
jlal part Is tile story of the sick healed.
and the dead quickened through the
supreme power of love and belief. Mag
dalene Is the change from the old phil
osophy to the new faith. In matters
of medium here-form. circumstance.
Characteristic most and the best that
can be said is that these open clear
straight channel to the meaning, the
heart, of the drama.
JUSTICE: A Tragedy I'm Four Acts.
BY John GalswOrthy. author of "A
Motley" etc. New York: Charles
Scribners Sons. Washington: Bren-
tano's.
The average theatergoer will not be
found at Mr.. Galsworthy's play. Nor will
Tie one in pursuit of a cult be there. 1t
is not a diverting play. 1t is not a sym
bolc one. II is. instead, straight,
sGuare-cornered piece of realism, bit OF
life picked UP bodily and shaped in the
uoignancy of the drama for the purpose
of immediate and keen attack. To go to
il is To- go to criminal trial and to fol
low the condemned man to prison. 1t
points the medieval character of our
treatment of lawbreakers and faces this
outworn thing upon the present aim
toward solidarity. In substance this is
the trial and Imprisonment of a young
man for forgery-a good boy. never vi
cious, but this once overstressed The
play reaches its greatest height. or depth
in drawing the prison life of this boy
The loneliness, the Ioleness, the rack vi
accustomed sights and sounds, fhe re-
straint upon freedom OF movement. the
atmosphere of outlawry attack his body
eat into his mind. consume his spirit
Then comes release-trailed by the stig-
ma of a prison. No work, no possibility
Of work, the woman for whom the crime
was done gone wrong-and SO the final
tragedy, the lesser one, takes place. This
play is completely single in substance
and form and motive. IT Is not adorned
by one artifce. No Difference is paid to
the canons of anything. 1t has, however,
the unity and harmony of n single truth,
With all its implications ranged about it
in the serried order OF their contributory
significance.
IN THE FOOTPRINTS OF HEINE. BY
Henry James Forman. illustrations
by Walter * ng Stone. Boston:
Houghton Miffiin Company.
out of this title the notion strs that
this is book written by some young
enthusiast who has fed upon Heihe
until he simply exudes an over-satura-
ton OF the poets philosophy and meas
ures. The reader expects, accordingly.
~ follow the trail of Heine over the
IIartz mountains in an atmosphere of
poetic upper currents. Nothing of the
kind happens. The title leads to. two
sorts of INSTALLATION, and. so. to a pos
Sible misunderstanding This is in no
sense the story OF ii pilgrimage. 1t
=. instead. sp yhl &
count of walking trip through this
impressive region. marked by the usual
personal experiences of such an ad-
venture. Wet and mud and hunger with
sequent drying out and cleaning off and
feeding up. 1t draws exec. ent, quick,
waysidc pictures of this German coun-
try life, with its oX-peasant type, still
browsing contentedly on legends, fairy
stories and old wives tales. Upon oc-
"asiOn. as at the ancient town of Cos
lar, good CLEANS Of history light UP