Evening star., 1918-07-07
Reviews of New Books

DER the diverse externals of French
me. AS such agent he becomes here
soldiers. From every part Of the
country he collected letters. diaries
and thousands OF personal condolences
between man and man in support of
his gospel OF union-of holy union,"
truce Of all differences during the
war. These he brought into this book.
not only In declaration Of the faith Of
France, but In the consciousness as
well that this Is an inspiring world
message-as 1t incontestably is. Illu-
minating- the spirit of French unity
and faith the book In the hands Of
this penetrating writer becomes also
a beacon light to the other civiliza-
tions In their support Of those things
OF the spirit for which France has
stood unconquerable during the war.
THE FLYING TEUTON, And other
stories. B r. RiiSe '~I;zsSwn, ~apthor
of THE Prisoner" etc. New York:
The Macmillan Company.
The war Is over. The sea is. once
more. peaceful highway for the
ships of all nations. From north.
south. east and west. they busily ply
on errands Of trade resumed. and as
safe carriers to the peoples of the
world. Among thase ships is Ger
States. Among the passengers 10
Frank Drake, o war correspondent
tardily returning home after the
peace conclusions OF the war. And
cruise. 1t is the story OF phantom
ship--a revival of the Flying Dutoh-
man" turned over to tho uses OF tho
piratical Huna 1t is a|weird story OF
denial-the denial of the whole civil
lied world of the existence of the
iol hp
to an endless sailing to and fro with
no port to receive 1t, no friendly call
from passing ships. no conscious sign
of Its existence from the wide world
of waters.
The most of these stories-and the
best of them-lie like this one Just
beyond the boundary Of the realities
of this life. They are set In that near
place where. today. so largea part OF
tho human courage Of the world is
line there is splendid soldiery bent
upon new hazards that are a veil's
thickness from the eyes OF the most
Of us. 1t Is q place. and a theme, to-
ward which the heart yearns con-
stantly in the present. These are
stories that, In q sense, give comfort,
Ms we'll as mere literary enjoyment of
the writer's power Of invention.
Somehow they make, plausible those
things that we desire, and SO we read
them in q double satisfaction
THE LIGHT AROvE THE CROSS
ROADS. BY Mrs. Victor Rickard,
author of "Dregs." etc. New York:
Dodd, Mead & Co.
Mrs. Rickard takes good care to put
one in love with her hero. young Mar
Gus Janover. One meets him first as
little Had in India, behaving man
fashion-white-man fashion----with the
native servants. who adore him. Then
as a youth in a German school he wins
the hearts Of the German boys and Of
good Frau Pastor Gail. with whom he
lives. As young secretary Of the
English embassy at Berlin he goes
on his conquering way. And then the
war breaks out And there the story
begins Janover Is required by his
country to stay In the household OF ms
country's enemy. In word. Marcus
Janover becomes q spy. Where he has
dreamed of fighting for England he is
commanded to remain in Berlin in Sc
cret service for his country. The
story progresses through the hazards
Of this young fellow. These continue
for so long time and in SO complete
an element of menace that one, COM
pletely in thrall to the hero. despairs
of young Janover's chance to DO the
open and glorious thing that every
However, In a consistent and wholly
dramatic manner the writer releases
Janover from duress and sets him in
the way of his own patriotic hopes
The story has originality. and, what
is equally hard to possess, 1t has the
color of plausibility in time when
this quality Is rather too much neg
lected. A really inspired picture of
Marcus Janover, made by c. Allan
Gilbert works hand in hand with the
author herself to settle the hero of
this novel securely in the heart Of the
reader. .
A NATION AT BAY. BY Ruth s. Far
nam. illustrated from photo
graphs. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-
Merrill Company.
This is Mrs. Farnam's own story of
what she saw in Serbia during her
relief work In that country. 1t is also
an incidental, account of the manner
in which she herself became a Serbian
soldier, an authorised and certified
member Of the 1st Cavalry Regiment
Of the Royal Serbian army-Sergt.
Ruth Earnam. In addition to the
usual var records with which we are
now SO sadly famiIiar-records OF
battle, of the dead, of the dying. OF
the wounded and the starving-Serst:
accounts Of Serbia itself. the beauti--
full country: of the Serbian men and
women in their natural tendencies and
appearances. This is, besides. story
OF personal enthusiasm and courage,
but such the author does not intend
to set before the people Of this coun-
fry something of the plight of the