Evening star., 1919-11-30
Reviews of New Books

characters whose task it is to advance
the drama to it's fulfillment. And
this is a lawful literary eXpedient.
since it was the austere behavior and
prosaic outlook of the little Dutch
burg that drove the hero of this ro-
nance to take the outbound road
the highway of individual life and
personal freedom. The boy is poet
in the making. and so he suffers the
glories and disabilities of his class.
young girl and an elderly scholar
constitute the early anchorage of
this heady youth. Later the girl
supplies him with a very true love
and ordinary common sense for both
of them. The people here are pecul-
! iar1y alive and believable. The story
puts into quietly rich drama the
outfaring of an Independent spirit
into freedom away from an alien and
cramping environment.
THE ABOLISHING OF DEATH. BY
Basil King. author OF The Inner
Shrine" etc. New York: Cosmo-
politan Book Corporation.
This title possesses a certainty of
the substance of the book itself. Mr..
Kings study is not even evidence. nor
does he claim this for it. Rather. is it
the record of an experience of which
the author says in effect: Take 1T or
leave it. as you please. ! do not know
myself what it implies. | only know
that it occurred exactly as I have set
it down here The experience itself
is that of series of communications
to Mr.. King from Henry Talbot. VINO
has passed out of this zone of mortal
existence. The medium OF this COM
munication is the automatic writing
nf oiy~l hn
time. acts in this capacity. The mat
ters of record are. in themselves, SINH
lar to those with which readers are
becoming familiar. They have to do
with the nature of existence upon the
plane from which they purport to is
sue: with the occupations and inter-
ests of that plane: with the desires of
its spiritualized denizens to establish
ties between that plane and this
earthly one: with their quest OF open
channels for the backfow of these
communications. The chief interest
Of the book lies in the high character
and the good faith of its author 1t
constitutes a considerable contribu-
tion to the serious Investigations of
body of we'll known men into SUD-
ject which, for one reason or another
has within late years taken mold or
the general intelligence. 1t speaks in
a sincere voice for the open mind to-
ward this subject, reminding readers
that skeptics have had to give way
before innumerable acllievem ents
which. in their beginnings. were
counted among the lmpossibllltles
and condemned as blasphemy and
sacrilege. |
WAR IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN.
BY Kermit Roosevelt. Illustrated
from photographs by the author.
New York: Charles Scribner's
Sons.
The last chapter of Capt. Roose-
velt's war narrative describes his own
service with the American expedi-
tionary forces on the western front.
Leading up to this point, the story
deals with the war in the east. where
this writer served in Mesopotamia
with the British eXpeditionary forces
under Gems. Allenby and Maude. War
stories are. after all. much alike. Such
differences as set them off one from
another issue, in the main, out OF
the special personality of the writer
himself. Young Roosevelt has clear
advantage here, for to his own de-
'cided and outstanding personality he
Is able to add the gain of rela-
lively fresh and decidedly picturesque
field of operations, When one re-
covers again from the shock of Wis
ualizing a modern war going on in
the Holy Land he falls into the vein
of this young soldiers ardor over the
business. However. it is not all war
with this young captain. He is
reader. like his father. He reyels
in the atmosphere and coiors of Pal
estine. Patrolling the ruins Of Baby
lon is much more to him than the
here military duty. 1t is, as well,
an adventure into gorgeous past.
His sketches of Basdad are more
are snatches at what is left of a
very wonderful civilization. with here
and there many reminiscent touch
out of a long-vanished day: And
there is. as matter of course, fighting
a-plenty in the book-attacks, skir-
war business set down here with
splendid writing punch-again re-
minding one of this boys father. 1t
is. from the personal point of view,
a modest book. That is one of its
good points. Others are its clear
ness. its restraint. it's obvious design
to tell the thing exactly as it took
place before the writer's own eyes
and as a part of his own war ex-
perience.
THE PRINCIPLES OF PLAYMAk-
ING. BY Brander Matthews. au-
thor of "Shakspere as Play
wright" etc. New York, Charles
Scribner's Sons.
The dramatic stage sources the es-
says that come together here out of
the hand of this distinguished dra-
matte critic. From many points of
view the author looks into the busi-
ness of playmaking. The, attitude
a each of these points is that of the
critic-of the appraiser who keeps
tally between the principles underly-
ing the dramatic art and the trend
of practice in creating plays. Many
side lights play around this funda-
mental outlook upon the subject.
With a most enjoya BILE informality the
writer touches here and there in IL
Eliminating suggestion and discussion.
A teacher--he tells how to make a
play. 4 literary mamie talks about
the relation of pure literature to the
play as it appears upon the stage
itself. A mau of ina agination-he
summons Shakespeare back to see
how the modern play strikes this
master hand and to see. as we'll. what
has happened to the Shakespeare ira
dition. a bit of vagabond-oh, a
very Respectable vagabond-he wan
ders off into the pleasant land of
Serbia. that useful country for the
playmaker. where history and geog
raphy and other tiresome and trou
biesome facts give way before the