The Washington herald., 1921-04-02
THE HERALD BOOKSHELF
THE USES OF DIVERSITY, by G.
X Chesterton. (Dodd. Mead and
REVIEWS

THE USES OF DIVERSITY, by G.
X. Chesterton. CDodd, Mead and
Company.
In one of the most entertaining of
the essays of this volume Mr.. Ches-
tcrton writes: Il need not say do
not mind being called fat; for de-
prived of that Jest. 1 should be al
most a serious writer. l do not even
mind being supposed to mind being
called fat. But being supposed to
be contented, and contented with
present institutions of modern So
ciety, is a mortal slander 1 will not
take from any man" Later on he
says that, The typical institutions
of today are divorce court cutting
dp families with the speed of a sau
sage machine: science which
breaches the destiny without the
divinity of Calvinism: and a finance
that crosses all frontiers with the
same enlightened Indifference that
is shown by cholera" Mr.. Chester
ton might perhaps be described as a
radical reactionary. He is a radical
in his discomfort with things as
they ought to be. These essays il
lustrate the uses of consistency as
well as of diversity. for while the
author writes on almost every sub
ject under the sun, his method OF
approach is consistent throughout.
One likes Mr.. Chesterton or does
not. There is nothing in this new
book to reconcile those who do not
approve nor dismay those who do.
Among the subjects of his essays
are Lamp Posts" The Domesticity
of Detectives" George Meredith.
christian Science" "On Pigs as
Pets" "Mormonism," The Plan for
a New Universe"
MASTERPIECES OF ADVENTURE.
in four volumes. Edited by
NeIla Grady. Doubleday. Page
and Company
These four little volumes are call
ed Adventure Within Walls"
Stories of the Sea and Sky"
SStories of Desert Places. and Orien-
tai Stories" There is no eXplana-
tion of this classification. but the
editor does remark that "adven-
ture'' is here used in its broadest
sense covering "all things that have
to do with the great adventure of
living" and then adds the super
fuous statement that, of course,
everyone cannot expect to find his
favorite story here. The truth is
that. contemplating the breadth of
her subject. we are moved to won
der how the editor got the thing
down to twenty-eight stories, as
she did: They are, after all, fairly
representative. De Maupassant, Bal
zac, Poe, Stevenson, the expected
standbys are there-even Dickens,
but there is a strong infusion. also,
of 'moderns." Conrad, H. G.
Dwight. Jack London, Sir Hugh
Clifford, Chekhov and o. Henry,
have their places. apparently, with
the rest.
ROADS TO CHILDHOOD. by Annie
Carroll Moore. George H. Doran
and Company
(which shall it be. Aesop's Fables.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit or Grimm's
Fairy Tales?" II you are in this
mood, turn to Miss Moore and she
will advise you first of all to know
your child before selecting books
for him. And. secondly, she will
warn you to choose only the best.
"As wise as a child years old"
she quotes, and when you are writ
ing for. children do not assume a
style for the occasion. Think your
best and wriee your best. Let the
whole thing live" I'VE are tired of
substitutes for realities in writing
for children" she says. Patronage
and propaganda, moralizing. self
sufficiency and sham efficiency, mock
heroics and cheap optimism"-these
are the things to get away from.
But lastly and perhaps most i'm
portant of all. Miss Moore pleads for
humor and fancy in books for chill
dren. She is head of the work with
children in the New York Public
Library. and an authority on her
subject. But she does not make the
mistake Of laying down hard and
fast rules. Instead, she has evolved
charming volume, written with.
rare understandings. and full of clear
interpretations of children'ss books
and their needs in the way of books.
It Is worth the while of everyone
who WaUta. A Miaa Moorn ssvs sssx<,