Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-20
BOOK REVIEWS.

IO for a consldefapie part Va ~
I'm long. waiting months when
q - that country stood ION the
verge of war" seemingly puzzle to
itself. certainly one to the rest OF the
world. Watching from every possible
standpoint. mingling with every Access
sible element. Mr. Herrick soon saw
that a great drama was unfolding, one
that required time for it's rise and
growth and elimination. This was
nothing other than the drama of the
italian people. themselves making the
momentous decision. Independent or
king or ministry. or parliament. or pol
With WHIT the latin f or the Teuton, that was
the question Whether to fly to the
succor of their French brothers IN
blood or to adhere to the P1ss a1ien a.
1iance. Whether TO accept the VISION
of the allies or that of Prussia as
their ideal for the future of Italy: The
decision was. in effect made. one thinks.
from the beginning. But II was di1 .
fused, Unlicensed. unsuitable The agent
that brought this floating neoulous
maze into conference and force was
more other than d poet, one at that, too,
whom the world calls a decadent poet.
AS one reads. laughing and sometimes
weeping. over the fervors of these sun
bred Italian children. he cannot keep
himself from wishing that there We're
in the world more decadent poets of
Gabrielle d'AnnunZio- The words of
this little gray man. fall like mold
ed bronze into the stiffness of the
waiting. GREATNESS multitude. urging
upon them the vision of their beloved
Italy. ever grander, ever purer. with
out shame" In single Spontaneous spontaneous
hymn rises from the Italian populace.
embracing the gray figure on the bal
cony above them in Al: an oyer r Mn Z
piazza" has made its decision.
One loves the part of the wise king
in this drama l. is completely orhs s;ys. en- n,
Savoy exists to do the will of the Ital-
ian people
From Italy. Mr.. Herrick takes the
reader into France. where in the same
surprisingly luminous manner he re-
veals the French, clarifying not only
themselves but the world as well.
through their supreme decision that
the Teuton ideal is not all there is of
life, nor indeed is it any considerable
part of it. and as for themselves and
their country. they will go down, if
need be. in defense of the larger. the
finer, the more sustaining vision of
that civilization for which the allies
are contending. There is only one
word to be said about these spIendidly
intelligent and patriotic French people.
And everybody is saying that word Mr..
Herrick. in particular. is saying it with
mastery conviction and force The two
Latin countries. Italy and France, sum
ment. the salient features of the great
decision From France the writer
comes back to America. to question
pertipently what our decision is to be.
That we have a decision to make is
Inevitable. Three thousand miles of
cool sea-water." cannot save us from
the ultimate necessity of making a
choice. Mr.. Herrick points out our
dangers-our wealth of natural re-
source. our youth with its ambition to
get along, our infatuation with sue
cess. our admixture of race, our ma
terialistic trend. He counts at the
same time. our 1eaven of spirituality
and idealism as the elements of saw
ing grace for this country.
In this book Mr.. Herrick stands as
historian OF quality. As a writer of easy
distinction he has already proved himself
many times over. These powers he
has used in this instance to weave an
impressive drama out of the psychology
of the Latin people and their English
affinities. This drama stands clearly as
one of the profound studies of this
world turmoil. a study of momentous
implication. Of direct and positive ob1i-
CATION Clearly. this is one of the most
important and significant of books.
ranking with not more than two or
three others that stand at the head of
the long line of current war studies.
THE SPIRIT OF FRANCE. BY Owen
Johnson. illustrated. Boston: Lit
tie. Brown K Co.
Owen johnson appears to have gone
the regular round. followed by the
American writer in France. He
roamed about Paris. bewildered and
a good deal depressed, like everybody
else, by the sober mien and plain alb
sorrtion of this other-time bright city,
SO out-farfng in it's welcome to the
rest of the world. He visited Rheims
as other writer's have unfailingly done.
ana threaded the trenches. and watched
the bombardment of Arras and passed
by hundreds of piles Of ruins that were
once smiling hamlets and thrifty viii
lagos. And yet, having done just about
what the others did. Owen Johnson's
story stands out with distinction pc
culiarly its own AS a matter of fact
he saw more than scenes of battle and
ruin. more than broken men and shat
tered towns and SCARED fields more
even than suffering and death. Under
and around and above it all he saw
and projected a great and vivid per-
Eonality-the personality of France.
When he rode past fields rich and gol-
den FOR the harvest. that was France
consciously doing her part toward an
assured end. When he saw a woman
I'm the field or in the shop. that too,
was France. as was every soldier in
the field and in the trenches. All were
parts of great consciousness. work
ing grandly toward it's full destiny.
Partly by reason of his finely consist
ciit .oFk- 50 Tree from OVERRIDING, and
partly by reason of the living truth
out Of which this creation was
wrought. Owen Johnson has succeeded
in passing over to the reader a vital
embodiment of the great spirit of
France. This is the prime distinction
OF his book. In connection with this
achievement, terrifying and compile
menting it, is the writer's portrayal of
Gen Joffre-the spirit of France Itself
done in simple and common lines, one
thinks. for the daily pattern and guide
toward the grand conception. fine
piece of work, book to count as well
worth while in our ultimate readings
OF This stupendous theme.
nHE AFTERMATH OF BATTLE. with
the Red CrOss in France. BY Ed
ward ID. Toland. With a preface
by owen Wister. New York: The
Macmillan Company.
MIR. Toland is American who. with
Out special preparation for the work, save
as a university education may be counted
such. went over to France to do Red
Gross service. This book is a diary Of
that experience. Promoted from general
GRAND boy TO surgeons assistant in the
hospital, the writer came finally into daily
and hourly contact with the unbeiievab Bile
horrors Of suffering that stand here as the
aftermath of battle. Mr. Toland has the
Gift OF restraint under even the most tre-
1nendous pressure. IL * this quality that
makes his book such poignantly painful
reading. In the fewest words and the
hat N