New-York tribune., 1921-01-03
Books

We see by the papers that Betel-
geuse, a star in the constellation of
Orion, has just been measured by a new
method, which indicates that its d.
ametcr is 26OoO0,oO0 miles. 1t is 27,-
100000 times larger than the sun, and
1T would take trillions Of our earth to
equal it. And yet, so great is our faith
in the Fundamental sameness Of uni
versal nature, we'll wager that when
one Betelgeusian meets an old friend
unexpectedly he remarks, "Well, we'll
it's a small world, after ALL
II the thcosophists are right in be-
licving that the soul Of man emigrates
after death from one planet to another
Magellan will some day receive a test
worthy Of his mettle and so will Nellie
Bly,
Still we haven't doubt that the real
estate agents in Brobdingnag, the cap
ital city of Betelgeuse, explain the high
rents on the ground Of ovcrcrowding.
And there are wars in Betelgeuse, too,
in which rival nations compete with
each other for more territory and a
place in the sun.
A wonderful book IS Jacob Wasser-
mans The Worlds Illusion, published
by Harcourt. Brace & Howe and trans
lated by Ludwig Lewisohn. However,
we must confess that We found this
tvo~volume novel hard reading and
that We began to skip q little after the
first 500 pages. For US It flickers. Like
tugboat In a hesvy sea, 1t appears to
as at one minute to be glowing with
sparks and power at the very top Of q
wave and then it drops into trough
beyond our comprehension and our in
terst. Many of the folk in it have
the grotesquc, gnarled quality which
one associates with the work of the
Scandinavians, although Wasserman is
Viennese, We believe. Consider, for
instance, the case OF Eva Sorcl, the
dancer. In time We came to know her
when we met her first on page AZ or
Whereabouts, and read:
ut was on December night, when
the snow was banked up at the win
dows that Ivan Michailovitcl, Becker
had talked with Eva Sorcl for eight
hours in the little room spread with
Italian rugs. In the adjoining room
Susan walked shivering up and down,
wondering when her mistress would
call for help. Sho had AN old shawl
about her shoulders. From time to time
she took al almond from her pocket,
cracked it with her teeth and threw
the shells into the fireplace.
But on this night Eva did not 20 to
bed. not even when tho Russian had
left her. Shc entered her sleeping
chamber and let her hair roll down un-
restrained, SO that it hid her head and
body, and She sat on low stool, hold
ing her fevcrcd checks in her hollow
hands. Susan, who had come to help
her undrcss, crouched near her on the
floor and waited for q word.
AT last her young mistress spoke.
Read me the thirty-third canto of the
Inferno, she begged"
Yet Eva never seemed to US half SO
outlandish as Stephen Gunderam from
the Argentine. HE was SO strong that
he could bend horseshoe. But he
was afraid of spiders, believed in evil
omens and suffered from frequent head
aches. At such times he would lie in
bed and drink warm beer mixed with
milk and the yolk of eggs"
We never felt that ws knew Stephen
very we'll. We even doubt if Was
serman did. He describes him as
marvellous poker player, and yet
few paragraphs further on he Is quoted
as saying, MAY ask for four cards ?"
Just az frequently however. Was