The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1922-08-11

sY ALICE LINDSEY WEBB.
Questions gladly answered Write
ME IN care of the editor.)
BOOK CHAT
BOOKS are finer world within the
"oriu' SAID Alexander Smith in
Dreamthorp, discussing Men of Let
tiers.
mere is recipe for a most intar-
esting and amusing book for tbosa
poor snut-ins bound by business or
o'ner urgencies so that they can not
get out into the open for a vacation
Jaunt Take a big, jolly Englishman
Win long pair of hiking legs. a pen
iuli OF humOr and keen improvisation
Vi the line things to be found in man.
peast, and landscape; mix well with a
gentle-minded American poet with a
twinkle in his eye and enough grit to
carry his short legs wherever the long
Ehgiishman may lead Put both into
the Rocky Mountains with small
PACKS, no guns, and taste for the
trackless places. Add several bears.
INDIANS and thunder storms. and
serve with hot coffee. If that sounds
attractive, you should read Stephen
Graham's "Tramping with Poet in
the Rockies (AppletOn,' $2.) Vachel
Lindsay is the poet, and never was
gamer one, If We are to take Graham's
story literally. What narrowing ex-
perlences they had in their haunt to-
gether last summer At one time. on
terrible precipice, This is no place
TO bring ladies" says Graham. And
no place to bring a poet, either" saws
Vachel. Look here, Stephen. make
one rule. III only be scared out of nv
wits once day" The book goes on
to say: The poet riveted his eyes on
me, and | was a curious sight, being
torn to tatters from head to foot.
mad been mending my trousers with
the stuff OF my vest and the lining of
my coat. Stephen cries Vachel, when
get tired of looking at the scenery
look at your pants" That is the
way they went on, the whole journey.
They discussed serious subjects, and
found deliciously witty things to say
about them. They took light heartedly
the most tremendous experiences, like
finding themselves up on the contin-
entail divide, a saw-toOth edge of rock
with dangerously steep descent each
side, no trail, black night, and storm
coming on. Graham calmly crept onto
a narrow ledge and slept. Lindsay,
"hypnotized by the abyss, would not
lie down for fear he might fall off, or
might get up in his sleep and jump SO
he set the whole night through, look
ing up, waveringly on one fixed
spot" Yes, if you can't get away
for a vacation in the mountains, the
next best thing is to get Graham's
new book and read it, Vernon Hills
clever drawings add much to the at
of the volume.
1t is perfectly evident that Maurice
Hewlett does not think the world is
going to the 'demnition bow-wows",
even though the Dean of st. Paul's
poor, as nation and individually,
in worldly goods and in mental and
physical stock. The Dean says that,
because of the cost of living and the
high standards that have been set, the
people of education and refinement
20 NIT nd dr.
ally dying out, while the degenerate,
the worst of the human stock, still
breed like rats, and will soon over
run the earth. Hewlett takes issue
with him. He says that the clean, solid
peasant class that has been in Eng
having large families and bringing
them up with simple tastes and vir-
tues to suit the scale Of living their
small wage permits. What matter,
then, If the nation be poorer in goods?
1t would be a good thing, he thinks, If
the nation became once more peas
ant nation, as it was long ago. How
much simpler and freer from annoy
ances, external and internal, the ma
ton would find life. This is one of a
collection of thirty-three familiar es-
says in volume just issued by the
Oxford Press-a volume pleasant to
hold in the hand, such as the English
printers know well how to produce. 1t
is called Wiltshire Essays" as the
author explains, because they were
all written in my county, and many
of them are directly concerned with 1t.
Some deal with the dOings of my
neigbbors as / view them from here;
some deal with literature as ! think
about it here" | like Hewlett's style,
and | like his cheerful, optimistic
I'm glad to have his BOOK,
and | hope it may find many readers.
What kindly wise person, as to
the workings Of the minds and hearts
of men and women. Cora Harris is.
Her new book, THE Eyes OF Love
(Doran, $1.75) has the same charming
sort of people in it as her previous