Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-24
Reviews of New Books

with the hazard of news gathering in
war time. Mr.. de Beaufort has rounded
this volume Into an important and IN
many respects into a unique summary
of the outstanding points of the Ger
man situation after more than two
years of warfare.
PSYCHICAL INVESTIGATIONS. By ].
Arthur Hill, author of New Evil
dences in Psychical Research" etc.
New York: George H. Doran Com
pany.
Behind this study are eleven years of
research on the part of the author.
These are significant years since they
changed Mr.. Hill from a skeptic to
sincere believer in the continuation of
personal life after death. In sum. there
fore, the book stands in advocacy Of
this theory. In method, it is 4 body of
evidence. summary of proofs of sur
vival which were personally observed
and accepted by the writer. This evil
denoe is in the form Of literal records
Of sittings with certain well known
mediums. Among these is the notable
sitting, already recorded by Sir Oliver
Lodge whereat his son, Raymond, kill
ed at the Flemish front, is said to have
given direct evidence not only of his
continued existence, but of an active
interest, as well, in matters connected
with his former life on this side of the
line. Beside these records Mr.. Hill dis
cusses certain general topics that bear
directly upon this subject. This compe-
tent record of sincere and conscientious
research viii prove highly acceptable
to those whose minds are open to the
thought that there are still many un-
discovered countries of the mind and
spirit, many unrecognized powers lying
below the surface of our present con-
seriousness.
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A SUPER
TRAMP. By William H Davies New
York: Alfred A. Knopf.
One reads this tranquil narrative
with half surprise elbowins him gen
thy that he does not either lay it down
or put Its authenticity to the test For
is like no other tramp story in the
world. 1t offers no thrills of adventure,
II does not talk In the jargon commonly
communication. 1t chronicles nothing
that any one OF US might not have done.
Its plain. but amazingly fresh. account
rarely MAKES record Of the somewhat
the world without work. Even this
business Is reduced to a minimum by
the philosophic outlook of the tramp
himself: Everybody eats more than is
good 1or MN; clothes are for cover and
not for adornment; shelter is against
wet and cold alone; foot travel is the
best in the world. and, when long dis
tances forbid this mode of locomotion.
an empty car ride or even. a bunker
trip is good enough for any one. Upon
this theory of the simple life our super
tramp reviews his uneventful story,
whose charm, though elusive in source,
is Of such undeniable quality as to hold
one in its thrall up to the last word. An
introduction by Bernard Shaw throws
both the writer and the story into a
characteristic Shaw atmosphere of
book Is joy of fresh outlook and
chaste literary skill.
THE WONDER. BY ]. d. Beresford.
author Of The Story of Jacob Stahl,"
etc. New York: George H. Doran
Company.
After all. 'e's only blasted freak
that's wat e is"'-said Ginger Stott,
father Of Victor Stott. 1.-The wonder" as
he slipped finally out of the picture,
which, in a weirdly effective realism.
portrays an age,old philosophic intel
ligence embodied in the uniformed
body of Ginger Stott's infart SON, A
curious literary experiment, this, whose