Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-14
AUTUMN BOOKSHELyES
HOLD MANY VOLUMES
OF SERIOUS INTEREST
~America's Coming Of Age" and
"Confessions of a Physi-
clan" Lead Fall
List
OTHER TIMELY BOOKS

-. .9eot OF ~America's Coming OF Age"
W. wyck Brooks Oh. w. Huebsch. New
x.,.,. Is TO make one feel more than usually
-. awake. II Is a brilliant criticism OF
= -.-.-,s.n tendencies, iit with the humor OF
k-.r mind. A certain swing and vibrancy
= .tv,e carries one from cover to cover on
. h,rh wave Of stimulating thought. making
a. and seem all too abrupt The light
..,rxn upon our national characteristics
!. !, searching that few could doubt the
--..,, ~ The reflection shown In Mr.. Brooks's
-.xror. But after all we are left weiterlng
q .h.t he calls the "ssrsasso Sea" OF
.,.r,can life. with but meager indications
q ne way out -
~ book. however. that so clarifies the life
- our times Is invaluable. II shows the
<-~reasurahie distance between our theories
~ cur practice the folly Of yoking use
- ,deaiism, exemplifcd by the baccalau-
c-~te sermon. TO present-day business prac.
>,c> with the expectation OF their pulling
. karmoniousiy together.
me author finds our national traits best
e>s<alcd in American literature and devotes
~. major portion OF his book to an analy-
- ~ II. These chapters will interest the
s<ndeut Of literature aside from their appll-
<<,ion 10 the social problem In our litera.
sure we have a distinct division between the
.hlrh brow" and the low brow" just as
ne have in life. Somewhere in between
these undesirable extremes Is a social middle
ground where we may hope to find the uni
wing element of the future. 1t already ex-
I<fs 10 some degree, but inartlculate. watt
ing for great personality to quicken IL into
rs
How many Of us think OF physicians as
human beings, prone TO human weakness
and folly? How many realize that the de-
rree OF n medical school and the title OF
Doctor show merely the intellectual attitude
Of the recipient, and do not for moment
show the subtle mental. emotional. psychic
loxical and even physical attributes which
are necessary to practice successfully the
complicated medical profession? The con-
tact Of any young practitioner with his fe-
male patients, for instance. ignored by oil
except those who suffer directly. The medi-
cal adviser. whether young or old, Is treated
o sthough his personal feelings had forever
passed away when he obtained his official
title Nor do we realize what complicated
diseases a physician is asked to diagnose,
and how he Is often bitterly and unjustly
censured when he has found himself In
error and how the profession as n whole
suffers from the lack Of apprec alton which
It's clientele bestows upon Its problems.
II veressaey accomplishes nothing else in
his memoirs OF n fnyblClan tAlIreu huOpi
New York;. than to put his profession upon
human basis we could and should be
grateful, for this excellently translated con-
fesslon. In many minds there is always room
for doubt when II comes to exposure which
might shake the confidence OF the public"
The more fearless. both In and out of the
professo on, sec only ultimate good in these
exposures And the best thing about this
enc Is that the author leaves no nook and
corner unrevealed, With a sincerity and a
bravery Of unusual character he explains
the pros and cons Of the troubles Of patient
and healer which, though they may have
no absolute truth for all countries and all
times, have merits Of boldly facing issues.
even II unpleasant and disiliusioning.
well-meaning pacincists, who are prone
70 base their arguments for a universal
and lasting peace after the great war
upon the assertion OF principles rather than
facts, will ind considerable food for
thought In n scientific analysis of the
worlds wars contained in rs War Dimin-
tshing7" a medlum-sized volume edited
Jointly by Frederick Adams Woods and
Alexander Baitzly (Houghton Mifnln
Company. Boston). In his Introduction
MI Woods shows a lack OF patience with
those humanitarians who have shown little
liking for exhaustive research. but for the
most part he allows the reader to con-
clude for himself II universal peace Is pos,
sble. A chapter Is devoted to each bf tie
treat European nations their wars for
me last 500 years are tabuiated.