Evening star., 1922-11-26

THE BOOK OF WASHINGTON. BY
Robert Shackleton. author Of 1.-The
Book Of Boston," etc. Illustrated
by Henry Pitz. Philadelphia: The
Penn Publishing Company.
T HE easy manner of this book
conceals, temporarily, the
enormous amount OF work
required to cover. with au-
thority, both its general scope and
It's wealth Of intimate detail. Keen
to the vital fact that buildings and
streets get their real Significance
from the people who create and make
use Of them, this author has filled
THE Book Of Washington" with
notable men about whom everybody
has natural and justifiable curl
osity. 1t is this choicely populated
effect. as Mr.. Shackleton has re-
created 1t, that gives to his book is
distinctive charm. Such emphasis Of
tho human element, however, does
not mean that the city as such-a
ma ter of streets and avenues and
parks, of buildings both public and
private has been neglected. Not at
all. These receive fun and inform
ing treatment from the standpoint
of history, and from that of arch
ecture and Its allied arts as we'll.
,, But. for example. the story OF the
White House, in its origin and use
and changes, comes alive with strlk-
ing personalities-Jack Roosevelt
and others. Again. the Capitol, pro-
jected in its wonder of form and
effect. Is still the forum for Webster.
Calhoun and Clay as well as the
arena of modern politics. I'm pro-
portion to its population Washington
is the most classically built of the
ury. the Patent Office and other
buildings for samples of the purely
class C. The splendid Union station
Is Washington's worthy triumpnal
arch, comp irable in every way to the
triumphal arches Of European cities.
Lafayette Park. with it's border of
I'D homes, is a gem OF reminiscence
IS a joy. The wonderful trees of the
capital have honorable place in this
comp ny. Soc ETY. is sketched bril-
liant with diplomats and tho Army.
There is much else of value and de-
light here. The place for this book
is under ones arm. Its use is to
create adventure, to send one forth
with it on an expedition OF discovery
and verification. The sound and en-
joyable substance Of the book, as r
book. is greatly enhanced by the
beauty and suggest!veness Of its
Illus ,rations-initials tail pieces. full
pages-that say innumerable reveal
ing things. A beautiful and desirable
book.
NEIGHBORS HENCEFORTH. BY
Owen Wister. author of "A
Straight Deal" etc. New York
The Macmillan Company.
This is record Of observation and
fact, gathered by Owen Wister out of
two separate journeys into France
and through the war zone. The broad
purpose Of the book is to render more
emphatic, especially to Americans, the
truth embodied in its title, to restate
the fact that an isolated nation is no
longer possibility. and to point out
that a world neighborhood implies
new national OBLIGATIONS of reci-
procity. The first journey follows "in
the footsteps of the Hun" with the
author looking. listening. recording.
along the way, for the sake of a true
picture of the havoc and desolation
wrought by Germany upon France
This is vivid stuff. gathered from
peasant and poilu. from Tommy and
3oughboy. from anybody who has a
tirst-hand accounting to deliver. 1t
,sums-by incident and episode and
wayside talks-to a poignant picture