Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-29

MO other Englishman. save
NJ Field Marshal French him
self could have written this
account, since no other one
was in a position to command the
facts set forth here in such COM
plete coordination and detail. 1t is
a great story. merely as history. 1t is
a great story. too. by virtue of its
dignity. its noblity-the writer's UNI
conscious contribution to his plain
statement of fact. The record opens
with the mobilization of the British
expeditionary force for France. 1t
covers. i'm the exact close cut phrase
of the trained military technician. the
retreat from Mons. the battles of the
Marine. the Aisne. the siege and fall
of Antwerp. the four phases OF the
battle of Ypres. 1t reviews the plans
of the allies for the west after the
first battle of Ypres 1t recounts the
entry of the territorial army ana re .
views the operations of the close OF
the year. 1914. From the writer's ad-
vantage point of command compre
henSive and authentic chapter of mill
itary history is produced Reaching
out to meet this widespread plan are
units of orderly military detail built
into a mosaic of military activity that
| WlQenS SteHully TO ODJectliS anu Soli-
summate the general plan itself. In
rigorous exactitude. advance and re-
treat. offense and defense. are cover
ed here in the multitudinous panoply
of modern warfare. Valuable as this
story is to the profession of war, it
is no less worth while to the lay
reader of general events. The mas
terly arrangement. the great picture
that this arrangement spreads. the
tswift movement, the rugged word. the
N1ay, Ntrtf
reader in hand and do not let him go
till the very end Along the way of
| this story there are bright illumina-
tions of the French and Belgians and
stands out like mountain here.
There are other lights-not so bright
I-elimpses of interference from those
who want to fight the war from their
desks in the war Office in London. One
is more or less familiar with this
phase of desk warfare However
| these are minor points-but very in
| teresting ones. 1t is big account
as whole-and in detail, too-an
account of great sincerity and no
bility.
RECONSTRUCTfON AND NATIONAL
| LIFE. BY Cecil Fairfield Lavell,
| Phi. d. New York: The Macmillan
| Company.
| A serviceable and interesting study.
It's practical purpose is to promote
the experiment in world friendship
that lies (the vital issue) beneath the
| formal framework of the league OF
! nations covenant. Friendship. among
| nations as we'll as among individuals.
/ implies acquaintance. perspective and
comprehension, acceptances, loyalties.
DR.. Lavell. by way of the study in
h. and socks augment in America.
this complex content of active friend
ship toward the nations of the pro-
jected league. A better Acquaintance
is the indispensable element in Amer
ica's acceptance of the responsible
, ties of such an attitude. And this,
not merely an acquaintance with
France, or Germany. or Russia. in the
delirium of warfare. But, rather, a
full seizure of those high points OF
determining purpose that have shaped
that are shaping-each of these ma
tions to the fulfllment of its Unborn
destiny. The movement of all is away
from kings and toward the people.
Some are far along this road-France.
Italy, England. America. Some have
just set out-Russia. Germany. And
in every case-Saye that of America
the way is beset with wars and revo-
lutions. DR.. Lavell's purpose, in large
part. is to show the nature of the
readjustm after these crises of
upheaval-to show how far the move
ment still remains a forward and
progressive one. 1t is a very inform
ing study-a study that is calculated
to season ones opinions with compre-
hension, to balance his judgment with
the truth of facts. Historical in
source. philosophical in treatment.
most interesting in manner. the book
is one of immediate force and appli-
cability. In effect, it is square
fronting of the nations upon the OBJ
legations that underlie true interna-
tionalism.
THE HOME AND THE WORLD. BY
Sir Rabindranath Tagore. New
York: The Macmillan Company.
The west is familiar with the theme
of Tagore's novel. 1t is a common
place, now, for the woman to break
out of the home into the world. The
various modes of this breakaway
have been tried out many a time both
in life and literature here in the west.
But the theme transferred to the east.
where ancient customs die hard. offers
the promise Of novelty, of an old prob
lem set with new factors. 1t turns
out. however, that the cardinal points
Of the matter are identical in these
two widely separated zones. Human
nature appears to be pretty constant,
whatever it's special habitat may
chance to be. A husband and wife
and the extra one-in this case. a
man-are the three people to whom
Tagore intrusts the fulfillment Of this
modern domestic drama. The extra
male is the prime inspirer of the
whole to-do. He understands the wife.
The husband does not. Familiar, in
deed. He alone has plumbed the depths
of her phenomenal soul. He has dis
covered her true mission in life. He
has OWNED her magic powers. Old
story. And the matter ends fp do
mestic mess-just as it does over this
way Tagore is himself a kind of
male god here. willing disaster out of
the experiment in world freedom for
the woman. He would be. The beauty
Of the story. and it has a very real
beauty, lies in the poetry of Tagore's
own art of writing, and in the pic
! lures of oriental life that he sketches
upon every page of this invention. 1t
| lies. also. in large measure. in the
attitude and spiritual quality of the
! truly oriental husband. The action
and artful substance.
! TEMPTATIONS. By David Pinski
! Translated from the Yiddish by Dr.
| Isaac Goldberg. New York: Bren-
| tanos.
| An honest artist absorbed in the
strange why's of human behavior.
David Pinski with true instinct turns
his queries and problngs upon the
men and women of his own race.
| thereby securing to himself the blood
tna - I'D % h 10 ~ hn