Evening star., 1921-12-25
rHE MID-souTH, And Itx Builderr.


and Historical Association.
A S piece of workmanship.
~ alone, this big volume-a
n thousand pages big, or there
abouts-impresses one with
its dignity and seemliness.
Size and proportion, paper. text and
illustrations; the color and decora-
ton of the binding-these come to-
Eether in a distinguished book per-
sonality that, by virtue of Its con-
tent, is designed for the use of libra
ries, chambers of commerce, and for
press reference. The purpose OF the
work is to set out in adequate man
ner the outstanding facts of develop
ment, during the past twenty-five
years, of that section of the United
States known to it's citizens as the
id-Sou;h." The record is calcu-
lated to stand as a permanent chap
ter in the history of this section. A
subordinate purpose is to pay tribute
to those who, within this Quarter-cen-
tury period. have given themselves
with foresight and enthusiasm to the
promotion of the mid-south. This
proper special recognition covers
about two hundred geographic sketch
es of professional men, manufacturers.
planters, bankers. publishers. poll
ticians. and so on, throughout the
common list of occupations and inter-
ests. Leading chapters OF general
character approach this Geographic
field. The first of these places the
mid-south in history dramatic.
panoramic view. this. by Mr.. Mooney
same author deals with the climate
and soil and productions of the sec
tion. The geology of this region.
streSsing its soil resource and eco
nomic significance. IS given by Prof.
L. n. Lowe. E. NJ. Holmes tells the
of the soil against the ceaseless wash
of the Mississippi. Cotton in this
area is discussed by Maj. George L.
Fossick. and the hardwood forests by
F. d. Beneke. The region as an agri-
cultural empire is portrayed by Prof.
c. w. Watson-these all men of spe-
cial training. And just where is the
mid-south? Its heart Is the city of
Memphis. Lying on both sides of the
Mississippi. it extends from south
eastern Missouri to northern Alabama
and Mississippi, with slices of east
ern Arkansas and western Kentucky
and Tennessee in between. An ad-
mirably intelligent work OF industrial
propaganda coupled with substan-
tlal and interesting study Of local his
tory.
ROBERT HENRI; His Life and Works
With forty reproductions. Edited
by William iarrow and Louis
Bouche. New York: Boni 6 Live
right.
This monograph is the first of Sc
r1eS which, in full, is designed to con-
stitute an American art library. The
prime purpose of the enterprise is to
promote larger interest in Ameri-
can art to diffuSe more widely the in
olVldual pleasure of this quickened
interest and to stimulate, generally.
an intelligent appreciation of art. To
meet the purpose these monographs
will present American artists of rec
ognlZed distinction. AS one means to
the desired end. they will set aside
the obstructive technic of art Ian
guage, substituting for this the COM
mon currency of everyday speech.
When artists and art critics begin to
talk there is nothing to debut run.
This plan is set to make one, on the
contrary, stop. look and listen. Rob-
ert Henri heads the list here because
he is an American artist of "unques-
tlonable' achievement. He has, more
over, with great independence and
freedom. contributed substantially to
an American outlook upon art, to a
modern attitude before it, to a for
ward-looking spirit of Interpretation
Not only a painter. he is great
teacher as well. And. best of all. he
is human being-has profoundly
main lines of his study and training,
where independence is the outstand-
ing mark. 1t takes account of his ac-
complishment and of the recognition
which this has brought. Forty exam
pies of his work are reproduced here
work whose keynote Is vitality, the
seizure of a person himself, rather
than the picture of a person. A beau
tiful and instructive book that makes
fair promise for the success of the
whole enterprise.
POTOMAC LANDINGS. By Paul Will
stach, author of Mount Vernon"
etc. Photographs by Robert B.
Whitman and others. New York:
Doubleday. Page & Co.
The joy of this book lies in the. re-
creative skill of it's author. Today
q pilgrim to the landings along the
Potomac would see few of the signs
and would catch none of the atmos-
phere of the old manor and planta-
tion life bordering the banks of this
stream. In the company of this
guide. however, the pilgrimage be-
comes a vivid repartaking of that
life. The sources of intimate history
were at the complete command of
this author. With these to draw
from he leads one back to the Poto-
days of the great land grants, to the
picturesque mode of life developed
from these huge holdings. At many
a point on the Maryland side of the
river MIR. Wilstach reconstructs a ia
nous old manor house in it's prime,
just as on the othe- side OF the
stream, he sets up many a flourishing
virginia IN: . sion at some command
Ing point OF it's own plantation. But
he does much more than to rebuild
houses. He reconstructs the life
within them. One sees these people
at their play and at ther work The
book is a complete and delightful
picture of life along the Potomac
from the early days forward. Good
photographs show the present state
OF many OF the famous houses that
figure in the text. One can hardly
think of a more enjoyable experience
than, with this book as guide, to go
over the route indicated in this high
1y interesting and competent study.
SMALL FRENCH BUILDINGS. By
Lewis A. Coffin. jr; Henry NJ. Pol
hemus and Addison f. Worthine-
ton. New York: Charles Scribner's
Sons.
Some contend that architecture is
the most noble and interesting of the
arts. And many agree that the COM
mon architecture of a country is the
history of that country in the con-
crete. showing the stages by which
1t has reached it's present status of
civilization. The book in hand en-
bodies this theory. Walking or cy-
cling through Brittany. Normandy,
the Dordogne section. and through
some of the adjacent interior valleys
of France, these three wayfare-s
made the camera captures of which
this book is composed. These are
photographs of small buildings-peas-
ant cottages. farm groups. the manor,