The Washington herald., 1921-11-06

luton II has been possible to be-
lieve anything one likes about Rus
sia and to find confirmation of ones
chosen beliefs in books which have
been written about Russian affairs.
There have been books about Rus
sia without number. but so contra
dictory are not only the opinions
but the facts they contain that the
seeker after truth is left hopeIessly
confused. So confused is he, thai
should truly authoritative book
appear, he would never be able to
recognize 1t. The only people who
can possibly find the present output
Of Russian books wholly satisfac-
tory are those who seek conffrma-
ton of their prejudices. At the
present moment people of this state
Of mind are clearly in the majority,
but the connection with the Russian
people which is being established
through the American relief in the
famine areas VIII create a demand
for books on Russia which are
neither prepared as propaganda nor
written in ignorance.
The book which has every ap-
pearance OF Being an unbiased at
ernment of the Bolshevists and to
examine without prejudice the re-
suits OF the application of that
theory in Russia is Leo Pasvolsky's
The Economics OF Communism %
(Macmillan). Mr.. Pasvolsky has
based his study on facts gathered
from Soviet official sources. His
analysis OF Communist economic
theory is derived from the speeches
and writings OF the leaders of
the Communist party His state
ments showing the results Of the
Communist experiment are taken
from Soviet official publications.
The final chapter of the book, Sum
mary Of the Situation by the End
OF 1920' is a fair estimate Of the
situation and the degree of respon-
sibility for that situation which
may be justly attributed to the at
tempt to put Communism into prac-
tice in Russia.
Among the chief merits of Mr.
Pasvolsky's exposition are its cIar-
ity and its brcvity. He is able to
do what most writer's on economic
questions cannot do; he can explain
an economic theory without making
his explanation more complicated
than the theory Itself. If one wishes
to know what the Russian Com
munists are trying to do. what they
have succeeded in doing and what
they have failed to do. this Is the
book to read.
"FAIR TO MIDDLING.- by Nalbro
Rartley Doubleday. Page and
Coz
The title describes the novel ac-
curately. It just escapes being
good. and yet is interesting and we
believe better done than anything
else we have read of Nalbro Bart
.Ieys. It suffers from obviousness,
from too much insistence on its
theme, and from a style that tries
too hard. Conversations. for in
stance, among Nabro Bartley's char
acters sound like books and not life.
They say high-sounding things in
high-sounding phrases. They also
stick persistently to their pigeon
holes and never do anything out Of
character. It would be dull but
true to call them types. Yet there
Is plenty of truth in their char
acters. plenty OF action in the book.
II Is the story Of Dare Willoughby,
niece of the aristocratic Madam
Reid, and her cousin Martin. Mar
tin marries a stenographer, Fanny,
and Dare marries an unknown,
Amos Larkin. Fanny turns out
vardly into the kind of social
success that Martin, who Is wealthy,
desires. and Amos turns into a
ne'erdowell until Dare challenges
him to success by going to work
and making money. 1t is primarily