Evening star., 1917-09-23
Reviews of New Books

tribution to the war for the worlds
SERBIA, A sketch. BY Helen Leah
Reed, author of "Napoleon's Young
Neighbor." etc. Boston.
This little book is written and pub
1ished for the benefit of the Serbian
distress fund. 1t provides a way by
which one may contribute toward the
relief of the Serbians and at the same
time receive a substantial return in
a compact body of Information concern
ing a people whose history and whose
immediate situation are not generally
well known. In it's framework this is a
historical sketch of the Serbian people.
from the time when their records be-
gan up to the present. But within this
frame the writer has portrayed, not
only the historic advance Of the Ser
bians, but with this she has inter-
woven the dreams of the people toward
bright and shining national future.
Here. too. are the gloomy hues of their
disappointments and despairs and SUI
ferings. The whole Is a keenly appre-
ciative work as 1t fs also very satis-
flying combination of historic content
and vitalizing spirit.
HUGO GROTIUS: The Father OF the
Modern Science of international Law.
BY Hamilton Nreeland. jr., LIB,
Phi. D. New York: Oxford University
Press.
When international relations have a
predominant place, then the name OF
Hugo Grotius revives and the legal
opinions of Grotius. "the father of the
modern science Of international law"
again come under scrutiny and analy-
sis. Such a point of time is now at
its height. This fact gives purpose
and objective to a new study of the
life and work of Grotius. Following
the conventional method of biography.
this writer sketches the birth and an
cestry of Grotius. and reviews briefly
the preoccupations that from time TO
time possessed him-the preoccupa-
tions Of theology. poetry, literature.
diplomacy and the law. 1t is to the
last of these that Grotius owes his
lasting fame. and 1t is to the last OF
Of his consideration. Mr.. Vreeland is
a member of the New York bar. so.
in addition to the sympathy Of spirit
and the literary excellence that this
work possesses. there is also here the
foundation of professional knowledge
and experience without whose force
the study would fall far short of its
present substance and value.
ISAAC MAYER WISE, The Founder of
American Judaism. BY Max B. May.
AN illustrated. New York: G. P.
Putnam's Sons.
The author of this geographic study is
the grandson of Isaac Mayer Wise, the
founder of American Judaism. Over
seventy years ago when the subject of
this study came to America he found
the Jews of this country unorganized.
scattered in their interests. unmindful
of their religious institutions. The
writer in the course of this biography
shows that the life OF his grandfather
was bent to the task of Americanizing
the Jew, of recasting his institution and
beliefs in the mold of American out
look and aspiration. 1t is a vivid study,
interesting to the general reader by
reason of it's sympathetic presentation
of a forceful and appealing personality
and invaluab1e-one would think-to
the Jews of this country as the story
of a pioneer in American Judaism
THE MADNESS OF MAY. BY Meredith
Nicholson. author of The House of
Thousand Candles" etc. Illustra-
tions by Frederic Dorr Steele. New
York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Out of one and another of the many
nadnesses that possess the heart in
springtime, Mr.. Nicholson has made a