Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-19
AND RECORDS. BY
. Lord Fisher. admiral of the fleet.
New York: George II. Doran Com
pany.

j pany.
~ NE faces here upon an erup-
tive volcano. rather than upon
two staid and orthodox VOL
ures of print. Lord Fisher
himself says that words are corpses''
without the slightest aroma of per-
sonality' about them. So, in so far as
this is possible. he. in projecting the
memories and records of long life in
the sea service of England. discards the
conventionallties of composition. He
walks up and down dicta ting himself
out. One cannot see him with even
this semblance of order about him. In
stead, he ramps, and roars. and spouts,
and thunders- To follow along is an adj
venture of the strenuous and splendid
kind. This is the man that recast the sea
policy and the sea mechanics of Eng
Iand-the man who bullled for big and
bigger ships, for big and bigger guns.
overrunning everything in his way. till
this end was achieved. This Is the
man who made enemies for the we'll
being of England. who cut and slaShed
and sWore and accompli shetland then.
the end gained. turned as gentle as a
sucking dove, for a minute or so. His
long days with men of every degree,
with affairs Of greatest moment. one
likes particularly the ono that tells Of
his :. with his friend. King Edward
MI That is. he calls il a talk. but he
must have been on the rampage at that
OF England. For, at last, the king
asked, gently, Will You kindly leave
off shaking your fist in my face ?" They
were great friends. the King and he.
born IN the same year, and it is likely
that tine one never had a more devoted
subject than the other proved to be in
all great matters pertaining 10 the en-
pire. great experience lies in the
reading of these volumes that violate
every rule of the writing craft but that,
instead. deliver over to one an amazing
complex of actual life itself, and the
living presence, as we'll, of a truly great
man.
THE DOVER PATROL: is15-1sI7. BY
Admiral Sir Reginald Bacon. IL
Illustrated. New York: George H.
Doran Company.
Under the protection of the Dover
Patrol during the war 100000 mer-
chant vessels passed through the
Narrows carrying subsistence to Eng
land. Under the same protection s.
100000 troops crossed to the CONT
nent without accident to single
man. That was the business of the
Dover Patriotic maintain a safe pas
sage for men and food and ships. The
nucleus of this channel fleet was such
ships as could be spared from the
grand fleet. It's outer circles and
fringes were, in the main. fishing
smacks, manned by fishermen. The
achievements of the Dover Patrol
passed beyond the original intent of
the little feet, since it moved out
into actual warfare, combining with
To- g.
the ultimate prosecution of the war.
Here in two packed volumes the COM
mander of the fleet, Admiral Sir Reg
tnald Bacon. tells the thrilling story
of the patrol. The mark of the story
is its vividness. While the glow Of
mander's pride in the feet was still
high he sets down in crowded mar
ratiye the general activities Of the
Dover Patrol, together with innumer-
able individual acts of gallantry and
daring. To the professional sea fight
value. for under each of its definite
war movements the admiral sets forth
the reasons underlying the various
operations. 1t. in this respect, forms
2 striking chapter of the history of
It is q thousand nights tale Of ad-
venture that rivals and even. sur
passes the old centuries Of English
seafaring and sea warning.
QUEEN LUCIA. BY E. F. Benson, au-
thor of THE Tortoise" etc. New
York: George H. Doran Company.
The comedy of the small community
and it's leadership is worked out here
along the quiet lines of humor that
Mr.. Benson is likely to follow with
SO much of enjoyment to his read
iers. This is an up-to-date village
keen to modern spiritual inventions.
like Christian Science and Hindu
philosophy. and psychic powers, and
dietetic rules that are warranted to
eliminate excuses of body for the
emancipation of the soul. The strug-
gle for supremacy is keen here. and
the women hagg1e for it by all sorts
of chicanery calculated to lift the rival
aspirants one above the other. This
story. in no end of amusing incident.
traces the arts and crafts of Queen
Lucia" to maintain her regency
against the odds of somewhat timid
methods by other INSCRIPTIONS candi-
dates for the high post of village
high priestesS. The ups and downs of
this rivalry, the narrow escapes of
Queen Lucia, the childish transpar-
ency of the intrigues either to gain or
hold power-are delightfully."- humor-
ous. and equally true to the way we
do perform in situations of this sort
Just a genial and waywise and art
full comment on life in one of its
serio- comic aspects.