Evening star., 1918-12-01
Reviews of New. Books


the hurt to himself the kaiser makes
many an exposure of his malign
spirit, and of his evil intent. 1t is
not possible to come upon a more
intimate inlook upon this curiousiy
distorted personality than one is able
Of his professional services to the
kaiser and his family, and by way.
also, of the somewhat personal M
timacy to which these services led.
SECRETARY BAKER AT THE
FRONT. By Ralph A. Hayes. H.
lustrated with photographs. New
York: The Century Company.
Mr.. Hayes was, at the time of Sec
retary Bakers visit to the war front,
the private secretary Of that official
Therefore this account is. one as
sumes, next best to Mr.. Bakers own
story Of his going to war. The private
secretary shared the experiences or
his chief. More than this, he shared
his states of mind, his particular
points of view, his attitudes Of spirit
else he hardly would have been the
private secretary. BY virtue OF these
Hayes story is, In effect, a first hand
offering to the public from the Secre-
tary of War. Authentic, certainly, the
account takes on also certain unique
meanings and interpretations that
originate in the official mind Of the
distinguished visitor to the front; and
added thereto Is the purely personal
outlook that gives color and life to
the experience. 1t is a little book of
brisk narrative and wide-awake Inn
pressions-an interesting. account.
Mr.. Baker himself opens 1t with an an
general, out Of which one draws the
special qualities of one particular
member of this guild-Mr. Hayes, his
own confidential secretary and the
writer Of this book.
CAN GRANDE's CASTLE. By Amy
Lowell, author Of Sword Blades
and Poppy Seed" etc. New York:
The Macmillan Company.
Amy Lowelrs theme is of.no conse-
quence. Here 1t chances to be the
theme OF war-primarily Of war in its
historic panoply. but. by implication. OF
war In its present aspects Of horror and
waste. But the theme might as we'll
have been anything else. In SO far as its
appeal to the general reader is concern
ed. One takes 1t, however, that an ap-
peal to the general reader ls not Miss
Lowelrs concern. Nor is +, In any con
exclusive reader. Rather IL 1t, 20 far. q
contention. Rather Is Il an in
by which the writer seeks for
her poetic feelings and thoughts We
hicle of larger Accommodations than the
cramped but stately equipage OF the
silly fashioned by vagarious tinkerings
with that ancient coach to give the later
vehicle current carrying power. And
while Amy Lowelrs poetry is In this eX-
perimentnl stage Is 1t not rather science
than poetry? Something for % the Literary rr,
poetry IL lawful phase In the evolution
Df literary development. and go. OF
fruitful promise. or whether It is the
personal literary caprice OF an original
and gallant champion OF new verse. To
be sure. IL this poetry were OF Kind to
his struggles against innovation, to
swesp him of his feet-why, then. wise
men might argue to their hearts con-
tent, while general readers would march
happily along IN the swing OF this new
Irse verse. But this y not the case:
thoughts and feelings,
lone up in outlandish and unrecogniz-
able garments Of word and phrase. One
would like to like it. To like It puts one
with the cult that recognizes truth
which to the ordinary looks like nothing
It all but nonsense. SO one hopes that
With more study and with more light
1e. too. will como out into the glow that
his new poetry is designed t. create.
In THE HEART OF A FOOL. BY Will
liam Allen White, author Of "A
Certain Rich Man," eto. New
York: Tho Macmillan Company.
A long. strong novel; in which the
author Of IA Certain Rich Man" dra-
matixes the fact that character grows
IN obedience to the habitual attitude,
and gesture. and action OF the man.
this tSs Gass tnS 1S.t thass
Is no God and conforms his lirs to
this pronouncement. The story pro-
crosses by way Of the relationships
vet UP by this man with the neighbor-
hood in which lle lives. These rela..
The life Of that Locality. In the color
Ind savor of-thls Kansas setting the
writer produces q fine piece OF re.
allan. And In this environment OF
rich detail lie places human beings OF
'e,narkably appealing personality. In
Is Of ss sy9ss ass the
Of his own behaviors up to the point
where he gives way before the vol
urne OF homely proof that overthrowe
his mistaken theory. A serious story
worked out in All uncommon richness Of
letail.
rHE LAUGHING GIRL, A Novel. BY
Robert w. Chambers. author of
1.-THE Restless Sex" etc. 1llustra-
tions by Henry Hutt. New York:
d. Appleton & Co.