Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-05


RRR RHEN the conception of history
and the teaching of it ceases
AAk to be the common tiresome
=" tracing of national and in
ternational quarrels by way
of battles won or lost, and by the naming
of generals who no more resemble living
men than a drawn sword does, or a
cooked gun. then book like Mr.. How
ellis new novel will be significant part
of history. In that day, when views are
broader and of truer proportions. it will
be of Importance to know how the people
of any period lived day by day, as we'll
as to know how soldiers behaved in the
between whites of war. Then one will
look to the upbuilding of the nation by
the slow growth of a national character,
rather than to it's down-casting through
the catastrophes of war. And in the
meanwhile mere readers have a double
source of pleasure in New Leaf Mills"
Here is, first. broad and realistic picture
of how the grandfathers and grandmoth-
ers of the grown folks of today lived in
what was then the far west, but now the
near east That was the day of the log
house, factory as well as home, suffi-
Gent to the needs of the family or at
in bees of one sort or another-ra1sing
and husking, apple pairing and quilting
bees. Out of this early household stun
Mr.. Howells creates "a mellow picture
ingrained with the truth of the period
which it portrays. In addition to TINS
broad picture, or rather part of 1t,
there is Owen Powell-a man to carry
around in the soft spots of memory-and
the folks roundabout him. Owen Is
Seformer of the impossible but also Of the
fS scheme
New Leaf Mills is as simple, and not
anything like as intellectual as that or
Brook Farm. The plan envisioned by
this dreamer of dreams falls to pieces
before it is fairly begun. and Owen, with
his sore-tried wife and family, launches
upon d new adventure in the simple life.
just a finely drawn picture of idealism
trying to make it's way in materialist1c
world.
THE JUDGMENT HOUSE. BY Gilbert
Parker author of The Right OF
Way" etc. New York: Harper &
Bros.
Not at any time in the long course of
Sir Gilbert Parker's novel does one lose
the sense of being in the swell of big
events An enormous stage spreads out
Momentous history is building in its back
ground. Moving at the front are men
and women of stature and girth to sus-
tain these impressive surroundings. This
stage stretches from London to South
Africa. The air above it is electric with
the approach of the Boer war. Here and
there in the middle ground the policies
and plans of England take on form and
feature and attitude, while at the wings
every country of Europe stands watching,
In this spacious adventure Rudyard Byng
is Sir Gilberts fttest Creations power
full unreffned man, an adventurer to
South Africa along with thousands OF
others. But where these others work out
success he builds fortune, and place, and
the fear of men, Set off against Rudyard
Byng is Ian Stafford, finished gentleman,
suave diplomat. most lovable man. Donli-
mating every page of the romance is Jas
mine Grenfel-this year wife of the South
African millionaire magnate; last year
the promised wife of Ian Stafford. Jas
mine Byng is made of beauty, brains.
vanity. willfulness and a native turning
toward ways that are dark. She is, more
over, possessed of that most fatal of
feminine delusions-the belief that she is
return to earth of some ancient siren,
more than likely the "old serpent Of the
Nile. or Helen of Troy-a mischievous and
incurab1e malady this. The novel sepa-
rates into books. The first one, used to
foreshadow subsequent events. opens the
story at the opera in London, where a
frightening fire on the stage is followed
by dramatic rescue by Rudyard Byng.
From this point to the last book the story
has to do with the personal concerns of
social complex wrought by the double and
twisted nature OF Jasmine Byng The
last book moves on over into Africa,
where with the war and this strange new
country Mr.. Parker does his finest work.
One goes along in the colorful current
of this story agreeing delightedly with
every part of IL, until, at the last moment,
the author obtrudes miracle upon the
plain surface OF consistent and believable
event. Up to the eleventh hour of this
story Mr.. Parker, with painstaking and
penetration, leads the reader through the
tortuous ways OF Jasmine Byng's charac-
ter. These disclose only a clever, cal
culating, d.shonorable woman Of surpass-
ing external charm. Then at this last
hour he wheels one squarely about. to
the daZed contemplation of a fine, noble
selfiess Jasmine Byng. One naturally
makes protest against this flawing of an
otherwise splendid story.
LECTURES ON THE AMERICAN
CIVIL WAR. BY James Ford
Rhodes. LII D.. d. Lift, author of
The History of the United States
from the Compromise of 1850 to the
Final Restoration of Home Rule at
the South in 1877" ETC. New York
The Macmillan Company.
The lectures making up this volume
were given at Oxford. Mr.. Rhodes fits his
discussion to a foreign audience-one not