Evening star., 1919-04-13
Reviews of New Books
MExICo TODAY AND TOMORROW.
BY e. D. Trowbridge.' New York
The Macmillan COMPANY

MExICo TODAY AND TOMORROW.
BY e. D. Trowbridge. New York
The Macmillan Company.
TH1s book is addressed to the
general reader. It's purpose Is
to give a body of practical in
formation on the subject of
Mexico; The bulk of 1t. therefore.
deals with the present of Mexico. with
IT'S immediate past and with slight
touch upon its future. 1t is an all
upon it's resources, it's industry, its
financial state, its surint organization
and upon the fundamental conditions
OF unrest and revolution. 1t is above
all, an unsentimenta1 survey-one that
deals with facts as these have been
gathered up by an intelligent observer
in an impartial manner, and given
out in a terse and buSinesslike fash
ion. This is the kind of estimate
that carries itself into the conscious
ness of the reader for the reason that
its information is free from any arti-
fetal support drawn from the preju-
dice or partisanship of the writer.
Condition and result, cause and effect.
y
understand "A situation that would ex-
ist anywhere-provided the conditions
were the same. The book sets Mex
leo and its affairs in the common run
of events, instead of leaving the coun-
try as a fantastic and unexplainable
phenomenon of peoples 1t is an ad-
mirable study that does exactly what
it was designed to do-to give prac-
tical body of Information about Mex
leo.
THE FLAIL. BY Newton A. Fuessle.
New York: Moffat, Yard & Co.
The story of Rudolph Dohmer-son
of German immigrants. A successful
business career gives momentum and
direction to the action, portraying in
its course a realistic background Of
modern American life. 1t is, however.
the inner content of this novel that
gives to it the stamp of Importance
and distinction. The prime purpose
here is to depict the German nature
expressing itself through set of cir
cumstances that are both new and
alien. The author meets this con-
dition at the point where it is able
to contribute most freely both to the
sum of individual character and to
the effect of powerful immigrant
strain upon the pattern of our COM
mon national life. Out of the little
German home. in Chicago. where the
mother is the kindly German haus
frau and the father is still wor-
shipful subject of the kaiser. he fol-
lows the boy into the American school.
into American shops and clerkships.
into an independent business stamped
with the efficiency and the sharp prac-
tice of its Prussian origin. For the
boy is a Prussian. He wants to be an
American. He hates. in his surface
layers, the foreign look and outlook
of his parents. He loathes the stigma
of "Dutchy'' with which the careless
brutality of friends stamps him. But
the German roots of his being run far
and deep through centuries of German
feeling and desire. Ground for trag-'
edy here and the study is of tragic
import, because it pursues in fine and
faithful lines the slow and painful
process of the dying out of blood and
share the new forces and new condi-
tions that surround a transplanted
life. In this strange country the home
sicknesses of innumerable dead-and-
gone Germans weigh the new Ameri-
can down. A thousand instructive
resistances to the fundamentals of
American life assai1 him. But-though
the road be tortuous and rough-it is.
after all, an uproad of good readjust-
ment. Not too good" however. else
the story would be less of a story
than it is. For, in the heart of it, it
is documentary thing. a record of
psychological insight, as well story
of sympathetic spirit and notably fine
technic. A book for readers who like
to think a bit on their own account.
THE DUCHESS OF SIONA. By Ernest
Goodwin, outhor of THE Caravan
Man." illustrations by w. T. Benda,
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
'The Duchess of Siona" stands in
sharp contrast to The Caravan Man."
the idyllic, out-of-doorsy romance.
through which most readers made the
acquaintance of Mr.. Goodwin. This is
an exciting tale of love and war. This
is a prime adventure. flashing with
the iridescence of THE Prisoner of
Zenda," emitting the pungent f1avors
of that same delightful old story. A
lovely lady. wicked lord, a reScuing
around which the age-old urges of
love and war here circle. These three
the author sets away back in feudal
times. The lady is duchess of a petty
domain. Adverse fortunes of war have
made the sinister prince overload to
her tiny realm. Odious marriage plans
beset the unhappy duchess. AT the
critical juncture of affairs. enters the
knight The whole human adventure
is surrounded by the seductions of the
Italian landscape, and by the rude
ceremonials of feudal courts. an ad-
venture with the buoyant virility of
the Italian renaissance animating it.
1t is this illusion of a remote time and
place, brought under the immediate
sight of the reader. that constitutes
the distinction of Mr.. Goodwins new
novel. Curiously. touch of 1.-The
Caravan Man" reveals itself here, de-
spite the fact that the two romances
are far apart in theme and treatment.
Now and then, Pedro the knight, in
this old story, takes on the whimsical
appeal of the wandering caravan man
Mr.. Goodwin himself, no doubt, not
quite able to keep out of the affairs of
these heroes of his own making. Since
this whimsical humor. this fresh touch
are among the best features of both
books, no one can find fault with the
authors diffusion of himself among
his best characters. One ought to
mention the pictures that go along
with the story of the duchess, since
they are so fitting in conception and
SO beautiful withal.
RAVISHED ARMENIA; The Story of
Aurora Mardiganian. Interpreted
by II. l.. Gates. New York: King
field Press.
Aurora Mardiganian is the young
Christian girl who lived through the
great massacre Of the Arfnenians by
the Turks, and who, moreover. escaped
to this country, where she now is.
This book embodies the story of the
girl who makes her own recital here