Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-23
Reviews Of New Books

/ W " OOON0
all the birds on the home farm. Nov
ing forward from that new dating of
events, the account covers not only
the more or less familiar economy of
everyday bird life. but it takes in. as
well. innumerable bird secrets that
come at first hand to but a privileged
few. Here-as plain as a picture-is a
bird courtship and the setting up of a
home. Here are family jars-a great
to-do Of futter and frill and chatter.
once, genuine orgy on old apple
Juice sets up Volsteadian shudder
In the reader. What the birds are
talking about. what they are singing
about. what their endless busy-ness
is about-all comes out here. With
her own camera the writer makes pic
lures at almost any step of. her OBJ
these pictures are no
small part of the interest of the story
itself To one just casually interested
in birds-that is, of a deeply friendly
but limited acquaintance with them
the book is absorbing. To a genuine
pro boy or girl it would, without
doubt, be delight and a strong urge
toward pressing acquaintance in this
fruitful direction.
AMERICAN PAINTING; And Its Tra-
didon. By John c. Van Dyke, au-
thor Of "Old English Masters" etc.
Illustrated. New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons.
1S76-1915. This forty-year period
developed the tradition of American
That is to say-within this
time American painters arrived at the
accumulated viewpoint, at the unified
theory, practice and method of paint
ing which constitutes an American
tradltion OF art as distinct from that
OF other countries. This period of
american achievement forms the sub
Ject CT Mr.. Van Dykes informing and
readable discussion. The treatment is
concrete one. This is what makes it
SO well worth the while of the reader
N,ne american painters objectify and
Illustrate the theme under considera-
I1on. These are Sargent, La Fargo,
Toner Martin, JohnNAlexander, Wins
Chase. Together they trace the e root
OF the American tradition, Just as
they illustrate also \certaiu legiti-
mate variants from this URINARY
stem. In the case of each this writer
gives enough of geographic detail to
indicate native influence, enough of
personal idiosyncrasy to account for
ultimate art individuality. The bulk
OF the discussion is, however. critical
analysis of the work of these paint
ers, both according to the general
standards OF this art and to the stand
ards set by the inherencies of it's
American source. The study is quite
informal. quite happily free from the
special terms of the painting craft
1t Is, therefore, accessible to the gem
eral reader who has an interest in the
subject and who wants just this kind
tn tI
erfng a period that is well nigh
rounded, this study serves also to pre-
pare one for the new movement in art
that is here and there manifesting
itself SO markedly.
THE BELLS OF SAN JUAN, By Jack
son Gregory, author of Wolf
Breed" etc. Illustrated by Frank
Tennsy Johnson. New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons.
An adventure of the. southwest.
Thieves of mongrel border brand;
gamblers of every stripe; outlaws of
all nations. on the one hand. On the
other. sheriffs and deputies that are
prodigies of detection and capture.
This Is a familiar layout for the
fiction maker in the fields of western
adventure. A touch of novelty comes
IN mere by way of young woman
doctor from the east, who, staidly
JACKS up her sign and calmly pro-
ceeds to heal the sicknesses of
much afflicted community. This young
woman serves also, as a matter of
course, to provide cause for the emo
tional disturbances that are set up
in the hearts Of the men of the To-
cality. The population is overwheim-
fngiy male. The disturbance is cor
distributed and acute. A
somewhat fresh atmosphere is famed
up by judicious use of the bells of
San Juan. echoes from the old mis-
sion past that appeal to the imagi-
nation and superstition of the popu-
lace by their weirdly uncanny inter-
Ignacio Chaves, the young bell ring
err. is one of the picturesque minor
people in this. drama of the remote
The others play their
part set in this somewhat stereotyoed
line of action with vigor and cour-
the familiar western fiction.
NOT ALL THE KINGS HORSES, A
Novel. By George Agnew Cham
berlain. author of "John Bogar-
dus." etc. Indianapolis: The
Bobbs-MerFill Company.
This is a serious novel. Indeed, it
is so serious as to come near not
being a novel at all. That is to say,
the author is so surcharged and emo
tionalized with the message inspired
by his consular service in Mexico
that the story, as such, is often side
tracked to make way for the message
itself. At base, misgovernment and
the Latin soourge of Mexico is the
theme of this story And this is the
theme that oyerrides the drama it
self, obscuring it as literature. The
book is nine-tenths political exposurt
and one-tenth literary fiction Fac.
is quite all right when brought 10
gether in a we'll proportioned blend
The book goes back to the old con
tention as to whether the novei Is,