Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-09
MEMOIRS OF THE EMPRESS EU-
GENIE. BY Comte Fleury. New
York: d. ADDleton G, Co

HRIVATE letters. personal corre-
r. spondence. family papers and
official documents make up the
material out of which Comte
Fleury reconstructs the court of
France during the second empire.
Each Of these two volumes Of me-
moirs Is, in sense. complete in it.
self. !. The first one deals, primarily,
with the central figures of this pc
riod-Napoleon Ill and Eugene. En-
peror and Empress of France. Around
them Is the flow of court ceremonial,
the tide of civil and domestic events.
The volume opens with the family
and antecedents of the empress and
closes with the death of the en-
peror. The second volume takes up
the foreign relations of the empire
Its relations to the Crimean war. to
the struggle for Italian nationality,
and the Franco-Prussian war, ending
with the fall of the empire and the
escape of the ex-empress to England.
The recent death of Eugene recalls
the period in which she was a domi-
mating figure and gives to these vivid
memoirs most timely appearance.
A PRISONER OF TROTskY'S. BY An
drew KaIpaschnikoff. Foreword by
David r. Francis. New York: Dou-
bleday. Page &, Co.
The immediate purpose of this book
Is to describe it's authors arrest by
year of solitary confinement, without
trial. In the famous prison fortress Of
st. Peter and st. Paul. Its larger
purpose is to analyze, from the stand
point OF Russian, the chief causes of
the complete falling apart of the
first of these Objects the writer
charges conspiracy between Trot-
sky and a member of the American
Red Cross mission sent for RELIEF
work to Russia. This by way Of rev.
citation of certain political relations
that developed between the bolshev1st
government and part of the mission.
Disclaiming any truth in the accusa-
ton against him and supported in
this denial by Ambassador Francis
himself. the writer assigns to this
political connivance not only his own
arrest, but the relative failure. also,
of the Red Cross mission in Russia.
A good part Of the story is taken up
with description of the prisoners
confinement in the fortress that was
the tomb of many a political convict
in the days Of the old empire. The
rest of it deals with the Russian sit
uation as whole. Analysing the Rus
sian mind. taking note of the COM
mon Russian lack of political expe-
rience, of the deep-seated discontents
of Russia as whole out of centuries
of oppression. This writer has lived
In America-lives here now. He
knows the American people. therefore
this story and this revelation.
ROAMING THROUGH THE WEST IN
DIES. BY Harry A. Franck, author
OF "A Vagabond Journey Around
the World" etc. illustrated. New
York: The Century Company.
The swan song of the vagabond.
Harry A. Franck. At the outset of this
West Indian trip the vagabond took
on wife. During it's course a baby
Joined the company. Responsibility
delectable foot-loose days are over.
From now on we shall read of peram
bulatings around the garden walk.
To be sure, Mr.. Franck makes a fine
flair of declaring his independence.
He will not walk, unless he choose to.
prefers to ride. AS matter of fact,
he has got to ride. with all this i'm
pedimenta upon him. However, we
have the book in hand, the story Of
his West Indian "roamings"-soft
word to set up beside the good old
the old f1avors are still here-the
swift picture, snapped off by camera
or pen: the ready episode, the compact
little drama, the touch of history
all together serving to bring out
vivid and picturesque moving picture
of the islands-American. British.
French-that are included under the
common name of West Indies. In
so far as he can. Mr.. Franck pursues
the old method. and to this extent the
travel story is Of the quality that
stamps the whole of his work. Ger
tain. it is that from no other source
can one get more intimate touch
on the everyday life of the islands
than from the sight and insight of
this prince of travellers. More than
a hundred pictures from his own cam
era help the text of this informing
record at many an important and in
teresting point.
AMERICA, Via the Neighborhood. By
John Daniels. New York: Harper
& Bros.
The first volume in this series dealt
with the school as an instrument of
This one considers
the neighborhood from this point of
view In a. measure the work has al
ready commenced for political par
ties, labor and other organizations
have turned to account the immi-
grant groups within the neighbor-
hood The writer gives specific in
formation to show how the racial CO.
herence of these groups may be made
the foundation Of substantial progress
in those qualities and aptitudes that
stand as the ideal and pattern OF
Americanism. The study is broad in
it plan, concrete in it's handling and
of sufficient detail to constitute an
is among the immigrant populations
Of the country.
PETER. By Arthur Sherburne Hardy.
Boston: Houghton Mif1in Company.
This is a debt Of honor paid to Peter
by his master, as 1t Is also an open
appreciation and tribute Of love. Sim
ME. true, beautiful. this translation
of Peter into terms of human under
standing will take it's place among
the few genuine interpretations OF
the dog at the hands of one or an
other Of his friends. The sincere and
deeply touching little. study makes
one wonder, all over again, how it
came to pass that the dog derives
from God himself in the unquestfon-
ing quality of his love, in the serenity
Of his confidence, in the steadfast-
ness Of his fealty. whereas man, in
his deepest affections. is torn with
doubts, assailed with fears. corrupted
nv selfishness peter" makes one
weep over its truth, and its beauty.
THE ABANDONED FARMERS. BY
irwin Cobb, author of The Life of
the Party" etc. New York: George
H Doran Company.
This is merely a bundle of Irwin
Cobb nonsense tied to the usually pro-
saic and painful business of going
back to the farm. A few years ago
there was enough of hullabaloo
about the abandoned farms OF New
England to work up good stock Of
enthusiasm ON the subject, Just the
matter to create fad on the subject