The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-05-24
1.-THE Last Shot.

nor's Sons.
Ing In our ears, Frederick Palmers
realistic picture of modern warfare,
"The Last Shot comes with peculiar
and grim timeliness-a timeliness
which. quite apart from the interest
ing quality of the story. Will undoubt-
edly cause the book to be widely read
and discussed.
II Is no fanciful. highly colored bit
OF fiction, such as might be penned
by novelist with a glowing magma
tion. that Mr.. Palmer has written, but
veri,abie forecast, II prophecy. OF
what would take place in war be-
tween two powerful Continental ma
tons armed to the last reservtst and
prepared 10 the last possibility on land
and In the air. And this forecast. this
prophecy, is made by a man who knows
whereof he writes, because he has not
learned his lessons from the writings
OF other men, but from personal OBJ
servution on fields of battle.
MIR Palmer has served as war cor
respondent In China, III the Balkans,
in the Philippines, and amid the dread
ful carnage OF the RussO-Japanese
War. He has seen and noted the eff
feet of modern arms OF every descrip-
,ion-feld artillery, automatics. rap
id-hrers. haud-grenades. high power
cred rifles and tho more Wholesale
destruction wrought by exploding
mines and bombs dropped from dirig-
iblcs and aeroplancs Hc has seen
regiments anniAilated, armies deci-
mated, sent TO death by telephone mes
sages from Il stan fifteen miles In tho
rear.
All this he has seen. and with the
memory OF It's horror In his mind he
has projected his schooled imagina-
tion forward into a condition that
might arise at any moment; indeed.
into n condition that many readers
Will recognize rs ono that very nearly
came to pass few years ago And
out of II all he has made a book, IL
notable book.
/, is notable for moro than ono rea-
son. Its vividncss and the brutal real
Ism with which the horrid front of
war Is raised in Its pages mark IT as
perhaps the most conspicuous expo
si,ion OF modern war. that has boon
set before us-an elaborated and de-
tailed drama Of the character that dis
tinGuished the sketch. as It were. done
by Stephen Crane in ''rhc Red Badge
oil Courage" and later tho German
story. The Human Slaughter House.
But the book Is more than that, much
more: In spite of the authors profess
matte point Of view AS "a writer OF
newspaper "storics"-or. possibly. be
cause of these nc is Il Humanitarian
IN the broadcast sense, and his book
- so earnest, SO terrible, AN appeal for
universal peace ms 10 Justify Its class
incation ms a book of high purpose and
achievement.
Furthermore. In mis- treatment of
modern war, he has assigned ~ it,
not Improbable Immediate cause the
personal ambition OF one man, which.
always working toward Its own ends,
scizcs upon every preteXt and magnt-
ies every incident until the whole cul-
ininnte In 4 devastating conflict. And,
going even moro deeply into the sub
3cct. Mr.. Palmer studies tho emotions
the Instincts and the psychology OF
individuals engaged on both sidea
tn" CONSUMPTION that obtains In Eu-
ropean countries furnishes him with
abundant material for this side OF his
book. Sons OF army officers, OF bank
ers, o. butchers. 81 Wallets and of farm
ers. sleep. eat. drll, dig and battle side
by side Old-fa shioned and inherited
patriotism. socialism, altruism. even
anarchism. are found bearing arms to-
Eether. and each manifcsts Itself in its
own manner.
And. whether Il he n Utopian dream
or not, tho author believes and teaches
by means OF his story that the right
VIII prevail even against tremendous
odds. and MAT the awakened force of.
public opinion iupclled toward tho
eide OF Justice Will ultimately bring
peace To tho world
Mr.. Palmer has avoided naming, the
countries that Ii. has involved in war
contentinS himself with dcscribine
them merely as the trays and the
Erowns. But he has como SO closely
INTO details In many respects that tho
average reader viii readily identify
the warning countries "a Gcriiia.uy ,hd
France. To the GRAY NATION, which
VIII be recognized as Germany he has
assigned an army of 100000 aud to
The Browns only 1000. 600. but he has
hAed the responsibility for the war
upon the GrayS, and MAS made them Tho
Invaders or ii country fortified by all
fhe skill of military engineering and
~ the patriotism Of a nation whose
land Is invaded
His theatre of war nc has set upon
fhe frontier just within tho limits OF
the Brown country. and he has clcvcrlv
begun his story at a period ten wears
before the firing of the first shot. so
that familiarity with the officers who
later direct the movements OF both
armies may be formed by this means.
he leads the reader naturally 10 the
very centre OF each camp. and bids
him watch the mechanics Of modern
feneralship. with its intricate and nee
"Ssary para phernalia of telephone
telegraph and wireless service
And, in order that there may be "A
connecting link between the two Sides,
lac introduces q woman, who is sought
III marriage by the highest military
authority OH each side While the love
story element is not Important. IL is
wholly natural In the development or
the book, and the woman's character
Is or the utmost Importance. For IL
leads her, in her ardent desire for
peace ana the cessation of wholesale
slaughter. TO enter into the execution
Of q plan which brings the war to a
speedy conclusion, though II increases
the immediate losses so enormously az
10 sickcn her soul.
II u III the description Of the terrific
battles which practically cause the ter
Inination of the war that MIR I,almer
Is strongest. lie carefully details the
plan by which the Grays are induced
70 launch their human ram" of hun
creds OF thousands into "a very pit of
death and proceeds with page after
page of horrors:
After the survivors IN Tie van Of
the Grays' charge. spent OF breath.
reach ed their goal and threw them
selves down. the earth under them. as
the mine exploded. split and hcaved
icnyeDWard. Buf fitoSn ,a.x