The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-08-20

Four books have been recently pub
 lished, among the many, which stand
 out conspicuously for their originali- ty, their "readability," and their
 diametrically different subjects.
 These four books are Behind the
 Mirrors" (The Psychology of Disin-
 tergration at Washington, "The Me-
 moirs of the Crown Prince of Ger
 many" "The Glimpses of the Moon," ..and "Adrienne Toner"
 ." Surely even the most discriminat-
 ing reader can find recreation and pleasure In one of the four, not to say !. all of the four-for Behind the Mir TOTS at Washington" gives us a clear
 call to the political capital of our na-
 tion; "The Memoirs of the Crown
 Prince of Germany" takes us back war when Germany disturbed the en- tire world and nearly every nation under the shining sun was at wsr or threatened with war; "The Glimpses CA tAS NbNAi lS 1 di VI II Oitt VteANA
 of these aforesaid mentioned books with it's society" atmosphere and it's 1. study in hearts" while "Ardienne 2 Toner" presents another phase of life
 that which carries the reader into 1n- hypnotic realm where cures are effected by the laying on of hands"
 So much for so muchl
 "3cbind the Mirrors"
 In recalling the chapters In Be . hind the Mirrors" sub-tit1ed "The . Psychology of Disintergration at . Washington" by the author of '9rhe Mirrors of Washington" c. P. Put nam's Sons, publishers, New York city
 which I thoroughly enjoyed I think if I had to choose from among the many, I'd say I derived tho greatest 7 pleasure from that one entitled, "The Happy Ending"-which happens Gas
 would naturally be supposed) to be - the last
 In this chapter the author declares: q have hesitated for a long time : over writing this last chapter because i. of the natural desire to give my book happy ending"
 : Which shows that political books follow, or try to follow, the oonven- tional best seller" ending And they lived happily ever afterward." 7 Quoting:
 l, "One may write critically of Amer !. ica and things American. but only if one ends In q mood of hopeful conf- dence. There Is so much youth, so much latent power here, that one can not fail to have faith that the spirit of man will gain some enlargeme mt from the experiment in living which we are carrying on In this country" - One of the "crities" or reviewers" what you will-of Behind the Mir TOTS" has pessimistically observed as Follows:
 'Is our grand old ship of state drift lng on uncharted, stormy seas. with out @ rudder, and with no one at the helm to steer, if happily there were a rudder? Really these United States are, governmentally, in a terrible way. if the dope and deductions of the anonymous author of the two books of Washington Mirrors are correct. He secs the constitutional ship floundering about, not only without a firm and competent captain in com maud, but manned by a thoroughly in- capable crew, and with any number of passengers aboard ready to scut- tle the vessel to suit their own self ish ends.
 An Attack
 Tt will be remembered that the -Mirrors of Washington, was series pf acidulous character sketches of leading men in the present adminis- . tration and in Congress modelled on c
 similar book, Mirrors of Downing
 Street which castigated British
 Statesmen and statesmanship. The
 present volume is more directly an attack upon the Harding administra- tion with the heaviest guns of sar- casm and ridicule leveled at the Pres ident himself.
 'The author of the Behind the Mir TOTS boldly aserts that there Is no longer any authority in our govern ment-no leadership. Once, he points out. the government was led by big business, In the days of J. P. Morgan, -Sr E. H. Hartman and Mark Hanna, pr by parties, as when the words dem- ocrat and republican were som ethin g more than a name, or by autocracy, es when Mir. Roosevelt and MT. Will son constituted themselves-forces stronger than big business or par ties.
 Now, however, he declares that 5 business refuses to take the lead, and there is so much difference of opin- : ion within the two big parties, e5pe- eially the republican which nominaliy
 is in control, that government by