Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-06-30

where the treasure is sworn to be
hidden, and a world of delight in the
joys Of sea and sky one. completely
In thrall' goes along IN the boat with
the man and the dog and the natives.
A fine refreshment of a story in these
particular days.
THE WIFE: And Other stories. By
Anton Chekhov. From the Rus
sian by Constance Garrett. New
York: The Macmillan Company.
One of the nine short stories by An
ton Chekhov that Mrs. Garrett has
translated here is called "a Dreary
Story" The other eight are also
dreary stories. But they are wonder
full, as well. Each is psychological
study at heart. And each deals, either
with some one of those grim COM
binations of human nature and black
circumstances, or it-within a hands
breadth of print-sets in white light
some mean or pitiful trait that. may
be, has kept to cover under a belying
outside. Whichever dreary side of life
this artist chooses to expose. how
ever, he turns it into the open with
a mastery of detail that compels as
constituent and excites both admira-
ton and fear. These are all specimens
cases, so to speak-of Russian char
actSr that have been brewed and
stewed in the gloom of Russian cir
cumstance. And in this environment
ChekboV picks to pieces the Russian
nature, comparing the parts, discov-
ering their inherent ailments, detect
ing their imperfect functionings, their
poor combinations. And he matches
the least of these defects of body and
ri yyifh do hat
into the unwilling consciousness of
the reader. There is no'hing for the
average story reader here, for the one
who calls for incident and action al
ways on the trail. But there is an
Snfinity of subtle human substance for
those who find the secrets of the heart
to be the hunting ground Of their own
literary choice. There is no question
about the marvel of these stories that
are told by man who used his own
profession of medicine and his own
personal malady as the nucleus by
which he discovered and Interpreted
through literature the bodily ailments,
the temperamental failings and the
soul sicknesses of the Russian people
and Russian life.
ALBERT. FOURTH EARL GREY: A
Last Word. BY Harold Begbie.
New York: Holder e. Stoughton.
That the Anglo-Saxon people are
swiftly moving to a decision which
will either enlarge their liberties and
increase their prosperity or which
may lead to civil commotion ending
in social and industrial anarchy"-this
is the last word of the late Lord
Grey, wise and statesmanly lover
of England and one of the most able
and distinguished governors general
of the Dominion of Canada Within
this little book one is privileged to
meet rare and radiant spirit. Here
is an aristocratic Englishman who
loves all the people Of his country,
one, moreover, who recognizes the
rights, not only of his own class, but
of all Englishmen as well. Here is
a man whose ideas of government rest
upon foundations more substantial
than those of party, one whose the
cries of empire are based upon justice
and statesmanly well-doing. Solidar-
ity and cooperation are the basic
ideas Of government and empire, ac-
cording to the theory Of Lord Grey,
and upon this basis he discusses the
weakness and danger to the empire in
the composition of it's machinery of
government, and in it's attitude to-
ward the units of it's imperial domain.
AS a document Of state, the book is
eminently worth attentive study. AS