Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-18

COuCcptlOu.
"REMINISCENCES OF THE GENEVA
TRIBUNAL OF ARBITRATION:
1877, The Alabama Claims. By
Frank Warren Hackett. Boston:
Houshton Miff1in Company.
Mr.. Frank Haekett of this city has writ
ten an account of the Geneva tribunal
that. for genuine personal interest reads
like story. Those habitually brushed up
in their history recall the "Alaoama
Claims as by-product of the civil war,
one whose portentous front faded away
before the paciilc influence Of arbitration.
Leaving the formal aspects of this COM
mission to state and other historic rec
ords, Mr.. Hackett turns his time to the
personnel of this body and to the exposi-
ton of arbitration in action. Himself
the secretary of Caleb Cushing. who. with
William Evarts, acted as United States
counsel in these deliberations, the author
stood throughout their course close to
their most intimate phases. These, by
way Of Renaissance. he gives out now
nearly forty years lie between. 1t was
stressful time, when temperament and
qualities stood clear In the exercise of
atomen, toferaticn. finesse--lest agree
ment fail OF contamination and, in conse-
quence, International disaster ensue The
author, intuitive and comprehending,
draws clear pictures of these men, ten
stoned by the urgency of their mission.
-, ~ x
and Secretary of State Hamilton Fish,
with innumerable side lights on the gen.
eral features of this after-the-war period
of American history. The urbanities of
diplomatic combat are spread in warm
colors here-the high courtesy. the in
vulnerable self-control the social cere-
monies where wives and daughters serve
the cause gallantly. Mr.. Hackett makes
very clear his opinion of Englands part
in the civil war. By an insistent reiter-
alton OF this point, he leads these recol-
lections to the verge of imperfect pro-
portions, and, what is more regretful, he
remembers what is best forgotten. The
book is, however, most interesting first
hand account of a significant matter. And
with arbitration at present an uppermost
measure of concern, 1t is. moreover, a
piece or trSt-rate opportuniSm.
THE ART OF THE MUNICH GAL
LERIES. By Florence Jean Ansell
and Frank Roy Fraprie, s. NJ, F. r.
r. s.. author of Among Bavarian
Inns etc. illustrated. Boston: L.
q. Page & Co.
One setting out for the Munich gall
l.ries can hardly do better than to fol-
low these two authors. y guide. whether
In the flesh or moving through the pages
OF a book. is commonly an automaton,
inumbling hurried wooden words out of
which routine has drained the sap. These
guides, however. are Of another sort.
HaDitude has not stalled them. They are
fresh with personalities of their own,
claiming and using the right to indi-
vidual views and preferences. They go
about \his art business buoyantly, refus-
ing TO take IL solemnly, and so refusing,
tinge 1t with the gladness for which art
exists. In word. il is an enjoyable
book. as well a useful one. The round
OF this picture study sets off with the old
Pinakothek collection. early concern OF
princeiy Bavarian patrons, and closes with
the Setback gallery. work of single mod
Grn Inlf Sot.a IL
The first is marked as the spot where
Rubens, i'm particular. offers the most
and the best of himself. The last is the
place where old art and new meet in
comparative exposition of motif method,
encct-a clear call to the student grouped
here in close neighborhood. arc both mod
ern paintings and the wonderful Lenbach
copies of NeiasqueZ, Rubens. Titan, Mu-
rillo. Giorgione. Between these two linn
its are studies of the old and new Dutch
schools, the lower Rhenish, the Flemish
and the Latin schools-Italian Spanish.
French-each the subject of vivid. we'll or
ganiZed description and estimation All
are brought into unity along certain lines
of relationship. This unit stamps the Ba-
varian city as fun center of art i'll it's
history, it's meanings. its varied appear
suces. book, this. not only for the
know ing ones in this field. but, better
still, a book for the traveller or general
reader, desiring to learn about these
things from which he is commonly shut
off by the jargon of cryptic talk in
which the art critic so often swathes his
particular set of ideas.
THE SEEKERS. BY Jessie L. Sampler
With an introduction by Prof
Josiah Royce. New York: Mitchell
kennerley.
Merely as a short cut to intent and
substance here, examine the main points
OF any one OF the outlines appended to
the body of this text. Each supplements
a chapter. condensing its matter to this
outline form. For example:
What Is Goodness?
I. Zach Life to Be Good or Beautiful
must be symbol of that Perfect or
Complete Life for which we long minor
topics a. b-t, =: III. False and True
Good. III. The Measure OF Self-Expres-
endless higher Rebirth.
There are seventeen OF this Sort repre-
senting the proceedings of many
meetings. No. these are not the atten-
uate vaporings OF some philosophic cult.
This is the work of children, ranging in
age from fourteen to seventeen and band
ed under the name of Seekers" Their
leader is teacher. These children did
not sense at first, that they were seek
ers-but they were. All unknown to
themselves, they were questfng for the
great common values OF life-religion I'M
mortality, beauty. self-fulfillment. and
the like. It took a school teacher to find
this out about them. Then. to draw UP
an outline. Then, to organize band,