Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-04-20
Reviews of New Books

..puraway Russia" BY Florence Mac
Icod Uarper 81 illustrations from
photographs by Donald Thompson
Nov York City: The Century 90,
25S Fourth avenue. Price, -, net.
This book presents the Russian revotu,
t,on as seen through n woman 5 eyes, anu
Nth sneciaI reference to the cataciySm
a. i affected women. woman secs
things of course that escape man :
n,cs. and Mrs Harper was IN tue tiiVN
nj the revolution from ITS beginning ull''
tb, nassing of kercnsky. 1T WAS mourning
short of luck that an American woman
with the special equipment ct MrS- tArpel
,,as ON the scene TO catch the tremendous
fascinating event rs IT happened, ana set
:, down ON paper She ista trained news
n,pcr correspondent and veteran cam
nsicncr. 50 she plunged into the IhuS'
If turbulence and violence. ana WIN h'.'
eyes and ears alert for a story ol prop"i
tions trulv magnificent. But thaI II n.y.
m. sb, has the dramatic instinct, the
lists cvc for color and movement and
nrnnortion and the literary craftsman
fcclinc for the right word To get 10 inc
reader the right shade of meaning. Kun
,,,ay Russia not onlyprcsents the colossus
M us epic struggle for freedom but 'c'iS
tho story with a narrative sweep INA, II
hrcath-tskinG and with VIVID uaSfes
that nrlnt upon the reader s lmaginaIloh
p,cturrs that he will never forget. ne
,Ican audscitv of the author gives her nooh
:, gratifying distinction: 1t Is nj the ia' =
tbcst remove from the dry and conVeh-
tional in both subJect-mattcr ana s'Sic-
Mrs. Harper gives the following account
OF herself:
.sWhen | was eight wears old my mother
was afraid | WAS going 10 he some hlnn
Of a dwarf As my father died apou'
that time. She took me to England 10
school The first seeds Of diStrust OF
,,cn vcrc sown in nv childish heart on
ehc TIM across One OF the passengers
,oId me that tho tame whale oi the SNIP
.,,rnc IN every morning 50 the saltorS
..n,,Id write Pears Soap on ITS back
got up four mornings at dawn 10 water
for the whale " hen no whale appeared
ihe oaptain. sorry for my mistaken trust
told me the truth II was \ bitter lesson
onc from which | have never recovered
SIX wears in England CAV me NJ
English accent, groundwork IN th'
three RS and . fondncss for outdoor
hfe Twice week during those 81
v~,rs VIC were solemnlv marched tor rnlie'
,t-risS country. That probably accounts
tor the fact that today can stand rouu
march az we'll as most seasoned troops
The. three succeeding years were spent =
schoo, in Toronto, Canada. where speed
~ lost nv English accent Now m,
ascent is Just PLAIN monGrei ],
The following wears were hlled WIZ
,otfnc. dancing, travelling, IN fact an.
-n,rt that happened ~ he convemen
K thc time. Two years OF that time
,nent in Australia and New Hrslan
yIe,tinr rrlativcs. Was seldom long y
one place. spending the winters IN Fgyp
and ItaIv. and knew more about Lon
don and PARIS than did about New ! ORR
In 1914 | was camping ont N n
British Columbia woods, making IN
acquaintance OF 2 new rite prrpara'or
Ia a trim INTO the CasStaT country att
nc game. when the news ot the declars
nor of var brought me back 10 Nancouvcl
ana from there without stopping eNo'r
Ia change from tran to boat | WEI
straight 10 Paris arrived IN P"r
at half past two one morning alter
tourney Of thirty hours from London
during twentv-four OF which had ncl'h'
food nor drink
Il have listened 10 shells and The rat,
q; machine guns | have been in 4
front line OF today and Yesterday Il
battlefield Of the Marnel in RussIs
came through the revolution without
scratch. after railing the mot Tor cig'
davs have been IN Pctrograd durr
A.. EolsheylL uarjsines. sometimes OIL
iii niobt hnye been in street riots
Noscow mrs, d AT the front q
t1anch fever and trench foot. crossed Il
ToTth Sea sailing on transport thi
fo,v submarines chased. and am 81
alive and well Aly trends say To-
tAey will have To tel Of hrlng squad =
me- on Judgment Day