The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-03-16
"GREENwIsH VILLAGE"


tons by Allen G. Cram. Dodd, Mead
& Co., publishers. New York.
An exquisitely illustrated volume is
Greenwich Village" with drawings by
Allan 9. Cram, and the interesting read
ing matter from the pen of a cultured
and erudite scholar, Anna Alice Chaplin.
Greenwich Village as pen pictured
by the author, begins with the Greenwich
Village Of the past and later she graphic
ally and charmingly tells of the Green
which Village of today.
AT the beginning the author introduces
US to the checkered history of Washing
ton Square. showing taht she has ia
miliarized herself with everything which
has been Of any great Importance in co.,
nection with what formerly
lage," indeed, q 800. ..y,) and
tells some fascinating tales of the past
the narrative of Sir Peter Warren, the
story of the house on Richmond Hill
(about where the Buterick building
now stands), the connection of Tom Paine
with Greenwich, and some shorter but
not less romantic bits of history and
biography. She calls up for us, too,
those days when the Brevort was the one
famous and fashionable hotel of New
York city, and the society Of New York
flocked to hear great singers at the
Academy of Music on Fourteenth street.
1t is all a charming tapestry, this
bright woven bit of New York in the
past. From it the author turns abrupt
ly-it would be impossible TO make the
transition in any other way-to the
Latin Quarter OF today.
The author. in following up the his
tory of Greenwich Village" quotes from
the Washington Square Of Mr.. Henry
James, in which he says:
81 know not whether it is owing to the
tenderness of early association, but this
portion of New York appears to many
persons the most delectable. 1t has
kind of repose which is not of frequent
occurrence in other quarters or the long,
shrill city; it has a. ripper, richer more
honorable look than any or the upper
ramifications of the great longltudina,
thoroughfare-the look of having hao
something Of a social history"
OF the studio quarter, with It's queer NJ
tie restaurants, it's funny shops its pic
turesouely clothed denizens, and us
much-talked- "Bohemanism, the au-
thor writes fascinatingly. She tells ABOUT
the strange and delightful places, the
unconventional villagers, the atmosphere
of make believe that they nave thrown
over this quarter of crooked streets ana
artist haunts. She relates some anec-
dotea that are exceedingly funny and
probably characteristic. And she mas
much that is sensible TO say ABOUT me
"freedom'' of Village life. she WRITES
Of it, III part, as follows:
There is a great deal Of nonsense
talked about the wickedness OF -
least the improperly, OF Green~ ien
Village-and some of the lalh - ~
people who ought to know oetter. Ine
village is. to be sure, entirely uncon-
rar,tfonal and incurably' romantic and
dramatic in it's tastes 1t is appdihnsy
honest. dangerously young in splrie'
and it is rather too intense sometimes,
KEYED UP unduly with ambition ana
emotion and the eagerness OF liVlne.
But wicked? Not a bit OF II!
In the village there is very niue scan
dal and practically no slander. Iney
are very slow to think evil. Ana thls
in spite of their rather ridiculous way
oe tallxing They do. number of them
give the uninitiated an impression OF
moral laxity Their phrases do, when
jumpled up sufficiently, make a COM
posite picture of strange and lurld as
pect. But actually, they are not one
atom less moral than any other group
Of human beings-in fact, THANKS 70
their unouestionable ideals and their
haD1L OF fearless tHlHHiii6, LAZY - -
think, good bit more so.
while lived in the village writes
one shrewd man, II heard of more i'm
propriety and saw less of it than any
where I've ever BEEN"
CAVALRY OF THE CLOUDS"
BY Contact" (Capt Alan Bott, M. Z.
royal flying corpse Introduction by
Mai Gen w. S. Bracken. Doubleday,
~ lichn "a ~
New York.
In Cavalry of the Clouds" by Con
tact, Capt Alan c. Bott of the royal
flying CORPSE, one Of the most inter-
esting accounts Of the development OF
aviation from sickly infancy to a
vigorous manhood is given. The volume
tells the story of the personal eXpe-
riences of Captain Bot and 1T is one
OF the most thrilling of all the ac-
counts OF personal experience the war
has produced, with the added glamour
OF the romance and novelty that halo
round about adventures in the air, and
it Is told with skill in the art of
writing that is almost as notable as his
skill in the art of flying.
The air squadron to which Captain
Bctt belonged was a crack squadron
in the British aviation forces, and he
was one OF it's crack filters. In its
did record its casualties for August
September and October. 1915. not hav-
ing been excelled, to the present time
by any one flying squadron during
any three months of the war. 1t Is
with his work in tho air during those
three months that his book mainly
deals, and he tells OF prowls across
the enemy's lines during the night, OF
ccmbats in the clouds by day. of OBJ
servation flights and bombing raids
of the Joys of swift flight and the
thrills of combat of the tense moments
of danger and the absorbing relief OF
tho safe return. One gathers from the
book that the airman's greatest anX-
iety and almost his only fear are In
spired by anti-aifcraft guns-known
also as the "Archies." and often re-
ferred to by Captain Bott as "Archi-
bald the Ever Ready"
Under the chapter heading, "A Sum-
mer Joy Ride" there Is an account OF
an adventure In the air that holds the
reader tense with interest from begin
ming to end. At height of 5000 feet
he encountered some German planes.
and was making ready to give battle
when they dived and aecoyed him
that being their sole mission--into the
range of some "Archies" Flying away,