Evening star., 1922-10-08


rF Sinclair Lewis keeps on the way
he is going now he is likely TO
achieve somekhing resembling
second "Comedie Humane. Like
~ha author of that work, he deals
-a,one with the type. with the stano-
ardixed prodnct. This he did In MAIN
S.reet" This he has done also IN
rabbit" Mr.. Lewis possesses inc
<>ry special order of gift that IL re-
.outred to create the type ana AZ the
sa me time to produce the human oe
1pr alive and individual. There arr
thousands of Rabbits in the Chi.sa
states and hundreds OF Len'tns, ome
bmstIine home town of this particu-
1sr Rabhitt. George F. Babbitt is
realtor, "ninble in the Calling OF sen.
ior houses for more than peopis eau
AFFORD TO pay" He expresses hin,e
in six-cyiinder cars. in a big. wen sc.
house equipped with sleePIng 20 &c,
and plugs for every varisty OF
sricai convenience. Babbitt has
wife who registers vaguely and tnrev
chiIdren who sQuabble their way
along in the usual fashion. He Is
Booster. Rotsrian; III. an Tr,ends ns' are
ali lust like him-and pretty mucn
morning" yes, it's a mighty nne
morning" Spring coming aions III
now" Yes. it's real spring now, o.
right" Still cold nights. though.
Had TO have a couple Of blankets on
the sleeping porch last night
n wasn't any too warm last night.
And so on for pages OF conses
tional fireworks. All amazingly me
like AL incredibly dull. AS stuGy
this is a triumph. As a story ~
lacks those Alterations of human
duilnsss that readers require AT tne
hands OF novelists.
THE SOUL OF An IMMIGRANT. BY
Constantine NJ. Panuhzio. author
of ..The Deportation Cases OF 1919
1920" New York: The Macmillan
Company.
One of the simplest stories ever
written. II is that of an itanan ooS
a sailor lad, who about nineteen
years ago left his native country anu
through a series of strange incidents.
came TO adopt the United states as
his own country. This story tens
how ne found his way into the inhi,
grant community. how he secured ms
first Job: how he was ensnared lh'o
peonage; how he was robbed ana
then dragged into prison. now nc
was led into unlawful acts; now ne
freed himself from the grip OF un-
scrupulous people; how he secured
education and tried to fit himself
into American life. This is a clTcunl
stantial story. out of whose uirec.
simplicity there stands out the a"iui
loneliness of the immigrant. and
coupled with this. an equally a"tul
strangeneSs to every phase OF tue
new life about him. 1t is pathetic
story. No one can read it unmoved
Few Americans of good intent can
read il without Self-accusatlon. IL
AmericaniZation, plans lncluoe BetT
%ha tyrnFY n
there is no better medium FOR DOING
this than the documentary evidence
given in THE Soul Of an Immigrant.
THE POMP OF POWER. Anonymous.
New York: George H. Doran Com
pany.
One is impressed with the fact that
this anonymous writer knows great
deal: that he has much more than
superficial knowledge of the matters
about which he writes. There is q
breadth of background to each or
these sketches. a wealth of detail. an
intimacy of touch--all pointing to a
firm hold upon significant body OF
facts. The fall of Joffre" has prob
ably not before been set out in the
fuliness that marks the story here.
The various steps also leading to the
rise of Foch and the unique command
of the allied armies are given in clear
progression. The close connection In
France of politics and war Is brought
out here. A study Of Lord Northcffhe,
another of Lloyd George. summary
OF the Asquith "debacle," are among
the topics that spread here a wide
view of both French and English
politics and uncover many a secret
Of the allied armies in the great war.
A substantial book. free from any
SAVIOR of sensationalism and charac-
1erized by discretion and sound judg-
ment.
THE COUNTRY BEYOND, A Romance
of the Wilderness. By James Oil
yer Curwood. author of "Kazan."
etc. Illustrations by Walt Louder
back. New York: Cosmopolitan
Book Corporation.
dog and a girl. The setting Is q long
stretch of wilderness. The business
of the man and the dog turns out
to be that of protecting the girl.
though the mans rightful business
is to keep out of the hands of the
Law. 1t is hard to think of Jolly
Roger as a criminal. but. technically
at least. that is whar he is: and it
Is this fact that gives to the romance ,
Its prodigious activity of pursuit and
evasion. This is a cleveriy managed
man chase-one that keeps the reader
keyed up to anxiety lest something
amiss happen to that man and that
dog. There is a keen sleuth after
them. SO it Is a pitting Of guile
against guile throughout And the
climax is a triumph, for till the last
second of the last moment one Is In
dismay over the certainty OF capture:
and then 1t turns sQuarely around to
ths best possible thing that could
happen to these three fugitives.
Clever work throughout. But 1t is
the spirit of the story that delights
one-the love of the open, the human
companionship of man and the dog.
the freedom from any brutal aspects
that might have been lugged into the
matter. One comes out of the story
with two distinct friendships formed
pne for Jolly Roger and one for Peter,
the airedale.
CANNlBAL LANDI Adventures With
Camera In the New Hebrides. By
Martin johnson. illustrated from
photographs. Boston: Houghton
Miffiin Company
'ln seven months in the New
Hebrides I had exposed $4,000 feet Of
film and had, besides, about a thou
sand stills I was well satisfied with
my work. for j knew that my pic
lures would help the western world
10 realize the life lived by the fast
disappearing primitive races of the
my long-range photographs and the
charred head that ] so carefully
cherished-that -cannibalism is still
practiced in the islands of the South
Seas" This paragraph concludes
vivid account of active adventure in
which Mrs. Johnson took equal part
with the writer in both the hazards
and the pleasures of the enterprise.
The story moves forward swiftly and
informally. introducing new pictures
os savage life and custom. 1t does
more than this. In a companionahle