The sun., 1918-12-29
Bordeaux's ";Guynemer, j.
Knight of the Air"
By HARRY ESTY DOUNcE.


forgotten, there is mention Of a mono
graph by titled French naval officer;
the narrator (Mr. Kpling is always very
much his own narrator) having read this
monograph. Observes at is the disgrace
of our navy that We cannot produce a
commissioned officer capable OF writing
one page of lyric prose"
| quote him here by way of giving a
local anaesthrtic to soften remark on
the disgrace it is, partly to American
authorship, but by no means ending there,
that after all the leagues Of forest PulPcd
for paper and then ratified forth as Very
Latest War Books, we can scarcely show
one war time war book which as literature
begins TO stand comparison with the
Gaynfmer Of Henry Bordeaux.
His Gumemer makes none OF ITS claims
upon a mere topical transient interest. 1t
abundantly merits attention, peace or no
peace, and would if its appearance had
been deferred till 1920. 1t is finely trans
lated into English by Louise Morgan Sill.
Chasing airplane' may not quite con-
vev 'avion de chasse." but l can put my
finger on no more serious defect and men
ton that one only as a way of commend
ing the translator skill.
VI. Bordeaux knew Guynemcr init
mately. He treats him as an epic hero.
SO he was. In sense. and felcilous
sense to boot, NJ. Bordeaux assumes ad-
vance charge OF the inevitable bewllder-
ing Guynemcr legend; quite willing that
there shall be one, for a legend Is a p'rla-
din's right, but quietly resolute that Its
development shall be, in the French sense,
just.
The books divisions are called eantos,
the conclusion Is an envoI addressed to
little scl0oiboy who wrote "a beautiful
theme" Git isl on Guynemer as a class ex-
ercise and for whom and his like in their
later years NJ. Bordeaux was writing.
And here | think, is the brilliant clue 10
the hrillianee of his work: historians can
get full Guynemer data ont of 1t, the
hardest digging researcher, the most
damnably painstaking encyclopedia con-
tributor could not have put in more facts,
Won could--if capable of doing such
deeds-"paycho-a nalyzc" Guynemer's IN
tensely nervous genius under the Bor-
deaux lens; and YET this record of meteor
is itself living flame. Truly a written
memorial to have died for, counting It
alone a perfect reward.
There will be comparisons with
Richthofcn, as self-revealed in his diary.
Viewing that diary as an APOLOGIZE "a view
that would infurlate Richthofen'S shade)
it serves his memory well. But every
comparison. however unbiased must be TO
the Frruchman's huge advantage. The
German ace was dashing, daring,
clean cut, bolish swashbuckler. Guy
nemer, thc junior by several years, was
not a boy at all, no more boy than Shell
ley. | think his place will be somewhere
near Jeanne d'Arc's-a another strange
and glorious embodiment of the Lofty
soul of France and an immortal youth
who cannot he imagined As living, war
or no war, Ia he old.
W. 4. Dwiggins contributes four imagi-
native charcoals Three have a decidedly
impressive mystic quality one at least,
called GojHg West, must have won for the
artist the authors congratulation. Ii Is
clouds aud sunset glow and Il fading air
plane hardly vislble-no more; 'and you
will turn back TO it many times. The
portrait frontispiece in colors Is from an
engraving on wood by Ruzicka.
The forcword, addressed to NJ. Bor-
deaux, is letter from the pen Of Col.
Roosevelt HIS association with a work
on such subject has special appro-
priatoncs> which every one will feel, but
on which il would be impairment to dwell.
GIINEMER, KNIGHT OF THE AIR. BY
Henry BORDEAUX. Yale University Press.
$50