The sun., 1916-12-23
CRITICAL REVIEWS
OF THE LATE BOOKS
Pictures Of Feudal Life-Talcs
to Entertain and Instruct
the Children.
PRACTICAL GUIDE BOOKS
War Impressions Of Judge
Grant, Granville Barker
and Others.

A visit to a picturesque little me-
diaval town in the Bernese Oberland
and the castle that overlooks 1t has in
duced Mrs. Reginald dc Koven to delve
into the chronicles and the history and
to produce a delightful series Of pic
lures Of feudal life in The Courts Of
Gruyerc (Dufield and Company.
which she illustrates with beautiful
photographs and a brilliant frontis-
piece In color In the story she tells
II is not 80 much the dry facts of
history as the traditions. the romance,
the ways OF bygone days that attract
here. She dwells on the amiable char
acteristics OF the people and the pas
toral life. the herds Of cattle and the
abundance OF milk. but she omits the
product that has made the name ia
nous throughout the world. the noted
fromage de Gruyere, which We call
Swiss cheese.
The town lies In the border district
between the Latin and the German
tongues. and the author describes
vvidly the conflict even In the early
days. when Rome conquered the land,
between the Celtic nationality, which
has persisted in "A mea sure. and that Of
the invaders. and of the language,
which In the form of Romansch. as
well as French. vies with German.
When the Teutonic tribes overran
western Europe the land fell into the
hands OF the Burgundians. who were
far greater than the Franks. and when
later Charlemagne's empire was par
titioned and Lothar's border kingdom
broke up 1t was to the later Kingdom
OF Burgundy that Gruyere elonged.
In the later feudal confusion It's posi-
ton on the border between the do
mains OF the Counts and Dukes of
Savoy. OF the Dukes of burgundy and
OF the Holy Roman Empire, and the
Swiss cantons struggling for free
dom, gave to the district and its rulers
a prominence far beyond their i'm
portance.
The first Lord OF Gruyerc. Turhn-
bert. goes hack to Carolingian times. .
his home was in the Chateau dock.
Mrs. dc koven Is telling of tho struG-
giles for their lands between his sue
cessors and the church in the later
centuries: shows clearly and brilliantly
the nature OF that contest in detailed
pictures which are applicable to all the
Europe at the time. After Berne and
Frieburg became important towns the
Counts OF Gruyere had their troubles
with them and with the mountain
cantons. From the thirteenth CEN
tury on the things that happen to the
Counts IN tho home land and In the
foreign countries into which they ad-
venturcd arc dramatic and romantic
and give Mrs. de kovcn ample OPP
portuni'y for poetic and artistic de-
scriptions: she presents fascinating
pictures that convey admirably the
spirit and the life OF feudal Europe
Especially interesting is the account OF
the last spendthrift Count, who cut a
figure at the court of Francis |. of
France and his successor. and was
driven from his estate at last by his
Bernese creditors.
The story OF how the ruins Of the
castle were bought hy "A French artist
in the nineteenth century, just as they
were about 10 be torn down. is interest
ing. lie restored tho building. gathered
his friends there and they decorated
the walls. Corot was one of them
The enthusiasm with which Mrs. dc
koven writes Is conta giouS; she makes
the olden times live again and. through
the pictures. brings out all the present
beauty OF the country and of this
relic of the olden days of Switzerland.