Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-22

- Florida blanca, prime minister
of Spain, lis acting like Don
Quixote." That was nearly
century and a half ago,
and by this the prime minister meant
that during our war for independence
France behaved toward the colonies as
this beloved knight-errant Of romance did
toward every phase of virtue in distress.
And so France did behave. James Brock
Perkns-scholar. special student OF
French history and author, member of
Congress and for long time head of the
committee on foreign affairs-here. in
brilliant way, reviews the chivalric serv-
ice of France to the colonies in this
crisis. short initial chapter sets the
Observation-Disclosures, apprehensive and
anxious; the colonial army at extremity
to maintain the struggle; substantial sup
port Imperative. The chapter closes
with tentative question as to the value
of the service rendered to us at this
point by France. The remainder OF the
book gives answer to this query. Two
separate paths are followed In this DE-
velopment. Each lays down a DISTINCT
motive under the action OF France; eacn
follows its motive to issue. Inc nrSt
nath is the familiar one-a highway of
common acceptance, so to speak-that OF
an ancient enmity between france ana
England, a sustained mutual hatreo
whereby any means of political or COM
.nercial advantage of one over the other
vas eagerly seized. This, a motive to
s.ir monarchs, statesmen. arlstocrats.
The second, less open way, was the
Terment of new French thought tnat,
under the spur of scientific discovery and
the agitation Of philosopher and littera-
teur. made all things possible. NoitaIie
appealed to our intelligence. Rousseau
touched our hearts. We talked of inde-
among the mobiles, Of philosophy at bahs'
of morality in boudoirs. Every one pc
heved he was marching to perIectlon
without being embarrassed by obstacles
md without fearing them" This, the
wlirlwind of public opinion that caugnt
up the American revolution and heipeo
4 to successful outcome. The nrst
motive produced a brood Of patriots ana
.oldiers of fortune as we'll: the second
made for open, organized, sustained sup
port. The first engaged individuals; tne
second. the nation 10 americans .nrs
ample of this. read the chapter con
Reaumarchaise. Then, as an onset,
read the one on Franklin. Sober ana
scholarly, this well ordered study reaos
like a swift-moving romance. One leaves
il with the conviction that it de-
serves general attention from Americans:
A nation like a person. may lose It's Soul
through neglect OF the Things upon Whie ~
the soul thrives. Gratitude is one OF
these things. This study makes clear
our debt to France; equally clear is the
fact that the debt is not fully appre-
ciated BY way of introduction and IN
dorsement as well, Mr.. ]. ]. Jusserand
gives an interesting summary of TINS
notable consideration Of the 1nnuence o1
France in the American revolution.
CONRAD IN QUEST OF HIS YOUTH;
an ExtravaSance of Temperament.
BY Leonard Merrick. author OF
when Love Flies Out O. the VIM
n.
nerley.
This hero is bent upon the universal
adventure Of maturity and age. He goes |
a-questing for the beloved places where |
he was once young and sanguine and |
infinitely glad" And. out of the one !
single valid reason, We keep him COM !
pany on this sadly pleasant trail, droop-
ing rememberfngly toward all sorts of
subtle fragrances that rise along the way
and settle, finally, to those of lavender
and rue alone. Committed to this par
ticular WAyfaring, no better guide for it
exists than Conrad, for when the pity of
1t all grows nigh to overwhelming. then
Conrad's humor laughs. and we laugh,
too, and are saved, till another waymark
Of youth melts US again to tears of self
compassion. 1t would not do at all to
venture on this quest with other than
Conrad, for no other could SO artfully
divert one out of misery into gentle
regret with just the right alloy of relief
and bring one home again with hands
comfortably holding fair requitals and
compensations. This charming romance
Is one of the perfect little things that an
Nrtist now and then builds in Moorish
effect of lightness and grace. upon a
base sufficiently broad and deep to sup
port, had different purpose inspired, a
ESSAYS ON RUSSIAN NOvELIsTS.
By William Lyon Phelps. NJ A,
Ph.D., member of the national insti-
Essays on Modern NOvelists," etc.
New York: The Macmillan Com
pany. Washington: Brentano's.
In the hope of turning readers toward
the splendors of Russian literature which
he declares to be like German music
the best in the world William Lyon
Phelps. by means of Geographic studies,
gives critical analysis of the literary
character and service of the great Rus
sian novelists. Added to this is a full
list Of the novels, important dramas and
poems of each. soUe of which are so far,
unfortunately. accessible to American and
English readers only through the French
or German. In the beginning, the author
draws some interesting contrasts between
Russian and American literature. Rus
STA Is old: her literature is new. Russian
history goes back TO the ninth century;
Russian literature, so far as IL interests
the world. begins in the nineteenth. Rus
sian literature and American literature
are twins. But there is this strong con-
trast. caused partly by the difference in
the ages of the two nations. In the early
years of the nineteenth century, Ameri-
can literature sounds like a child learn
ing TO talk, and then aping it's elders;
Russian literature is the voice of giant,
waking from a long sleep, and becoming
articulate. 1t is as though the world had
watched this giants deep slumber for
long time. wondering what he would say
when he wakened- And what he has said
has been We'll worth the thousand years of
waiting The big men in Russian ltera-
ture are all realists-Gogol standing as
the founder of this school of realism.
Following him is Ivan Turgenev, In whom
Russian literary art and the art of the
moder L novel reached their utmost. Then
came DostOevski more naturalist than
realist, and finally Leo TolstOi-tO Eng
lish readers the most familiar. and so the
best beloved. In considering Russian nov
elists OF today and tomorrow, Leonid An
drew according to Prof. Lyon, seems
to be the man best worth watching-the
most gifted artist of them all" But the
great names in Russian fiction are now.
as they have been for forty years, Gogol,
Turgenev. TolstOi, Dostoevski. While
literature itself may, or may not, give
pleasure, essays upon this subject, more
often than otherwise, are not sources of
unmixed delight One, however. has