Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-26

rN order that the monstrous tragedy
may appear in something of its
real Significance. owen W1ster
sketches the Germany of today
against the full and mellow back
ground of Germany as it was a year
and a half ago. Summing it's peacefui
and ordered life. it's prosperity. its un-
paralIeled efficiency. it's brilliant prom
Use at that time, the writer says sup
pose that soul, arrived on earth from
another world wholly ignorant OF
earth, without any mortal ties what
ever, were given it's choice after sur
vey of the nations, which it should be
born in and belong to? In May. June
and July, 1914. that soul. had it been
mine would have chosen not France,
not England, not America, but Ger
many" And then he adds. touching the
very core of Germany's malady: ut
was on the 9TH day of June, 1914,
that Frankfort assembled her school
children in the opera house, to further
their taste and understanding of mu-
sic, Germany's supreme national art
Exactly eleven months later, on May
Z, 1915. a German torepdo sank the
Lusitania: and the cities of the Rhine
celebrated this also for their school
children" These two occasions lead the
writer to a picture of the dualism OF
the country, to the fatality of its Prus-
sianizing process. And then the writer
passes to the question of what particu
lar pentecoSt will come to Germany out
of this catastrophe of war. And here
he pictures the Holy Ghost of pure
patriotism and uncomfortable courage
and profound devotion and great nobil-
1ty of soul that have descended upon
Belgium and France. as the pure PEN
tecoSt of calamity. Can Germany "un-
learn it's PrusSian lesson and regain its
own noble sanity" out of this madness
of national aggression? That is for the
future. and in this future Mr.. Wister
defines something of the signifcances Of
the present and something of the spe-
cial obligations that in that future will
descend in particular upon our own
country. This is a little book. but
it contains the heart of this whole
matter. viewed from the standpoint of
an idealism that is quite within the
realm of realization. One can read the
book in half an hour, and he should
do it, for it will give him the sum of
many historic years.
THE INNER LAW: A Novel. BY Will
N Harden, author of "Abner Dam
iel," etc. New York: Harper &
Bros.
THE Inner Law" is a serious novel.
and. for the most part. gloomy one.
Obviously it's purpose is not primarily
to please. Rather is it designed to
make concrete and convincing demon
stration of the fact that man is, in es-
sence, under the dominion of his own
inner life, under the inevitable tyr
amy of his own secret thoughts and
deeds. These it is that set the quality
of his body, give shape to his mind, die
tate his outlook and determine his at
titude toward the external world. This
theme takes on the characteristics of
the novel here through the story of
prominent and influential southern
family. 1t is family whose men are
rather conspicuously under the control
of pure impulse. And these impulses
spring in the main. from a preponder-
ance of f1eshly instincts. young son
of the family stands the center of
interest in this case. He is high mind
ed, idealistic. untainted in the begin
ming, without any smrch of the fam
lily devil. But by very natural COM
himself to be a full member of his own
family. Thereafter the story progresses
through the bitter reactions and inevi-
table consequences of his own ill-doinS
toward a helpless girl. much beneath
him in social grade. Pressing blackly
around him are a brother, an uncle, and
his own father, all in different stages
and phases of deCadence through the
operation of laws that they themselves
have set going and of which they are
themselves the greatest victims. The
book is as grim as Brieux's Damaged
Goods" and as complete in its realism.
1t is mastery in this respect. Whether
or not ii has right to end as il does
end will be matter of controversy.
Some will contend that this annuls the
force of the thesis, that it is no more
than sop to readers. Others will
maintain that there are limits beyond
which. in Difference to human feelings,
even the logic of pure truth may not go.
a
Charities, author of THE Devour-
ers." etc. New York: The Century
Company.
A few years ago there took place in
Venice the famous trial of Russian
countess Marie Tarnowska. for insti-
eating the murder of one of her lovers
by another of these. The sentence is
suing from this trial was long term
of years in an Italian prison. Recently,
however. the King of Italy pardoned
the prisoner in order that she might
serve as war nurse in Russian hos
pitfalls. While Marie Tarnowska was
still in prison she WAS visited by Anna
Nivanti Charities, novelist dramatist.
poet. To her visitor the countess made
a full confession not only of her part
in the murder of Count. Paul kamar-
owsky, but confession well of the
main facts in her wild and tempestuous
career. At the suggestion of Prof. L..
NJ. Bossi of the University of Genoa, the
Italian aiienist and gynecologist, that
confession was published. because of it's
clear demonstration of the close rela-
ton that exists between criminal i'm
pulse and morbid physical condition.
The skill of Mime. Chartres has given
10 this publication form and proportion
and unity. whereas in recital the con-
3ession must have consisted of a
shocks of self-avowal The nature of
this confession of abnormal impulse
imposes a somewhat abusive treatment
dressed to the general reader. One is OF
the opinion that the proper place for
this book is in the hands of the path
oiogist. the criminologist- In that case.
however. its abusive character would
OF necessity make way for specific de-
scription and scientific thoroughness.
AS il stands, open to the general read
er, the most that it can do for him is to
reveal something of the fearful depths
OF human thought and impulse Clear
~ this book, full and free as it already
is. should have been made more specific
more analytical. more pointed. and.
having been made in this manner. il
should then have. been confined to the
special class of experts to whom it's ma
ture relegates il.
THE MEASURE OF 4 MAN. BY Amelia
T.. Barr, author of THE Bow of Or
ange Ribbon etc Illustrated by
Frank T. Merrill. New York: d. APP
pleton & Co.
One of the fine points Of this alto