Evening star., 1923-07-29

~ OR bacfg~ound7-ihe civil war
IL For action and story interest
the interrupted romance OF
southern girl and boy, the
worldwide distance between north
and south separating them. for the
boy enlisted in the Union Army. For
ienveloping spirit--sometimes remote
and less tangible. sometimes near and
immediately supporting--that OF
abraham Lincoln. as time through the
intervening years has come to inter
pref and understand that great spirit,
The story itself Is a stirring one.
Bearing himself with great bravery III
the Union ranks. the hero of TINS war
adventure was taken captive and con-
'demned to Libby prison. In exciting
and plausible action. he escaped from
the prison. made his way north, ana
thercaft.r acted. with the organized
secret service, making GOOD use OF
the knowledge gained through MS
various experiences for the advantage
of the northern cause. The gIrl ne
/ came nurse In southern hospitaL.
, In part, a quest, this. for iumors OF
her lovers fmprisonment had come 70
her Enough to say. that notably
Well-sustained action brings the
romance to an ultimate happy fru-
ftion. And the last phase or TINS
happy ending energies from the
kindly heart OF the fr"sident--1ust d
Especial demonstration of Lincolns hu-
man feeling, even as the whole story
is animated. and in part dominated,
by this deep feeling toward the un-
happy everywhere. toward the en-
shaved and the misguided. That
| which makes the story itself vivid
with life. that which brings out the
spirit Of Lincoln in immediate per
! aonalty and power. is the author
triumphant use of the civil war as
a background for these two contrib :
juting forces. First, the proportions or
this background are perfect for the
| action set against II. Next. the au-
/ thor has unfailingly worked for dc-
! curacy of fact and precision OF detall
| In that span OF Civi! war action that
| serves her here as background. \
most gratifying realism to the whole
! is gained by this. One cannot too
strongly praise the intelligence. the
artistic conscience. the dramatic fer
! ,or that hnvr gone INTO the making
| of this thrilling story. drawn OF from
! the most tragic period of our national
life Il peripn embcdying the mission
of one of the great souls in all human
life
MADAME CLAIRE. BY Susan Ertz.
!. New York: ID, Appleton g. Co.
| An uphill job. one would naturally
| assume, to get seventy -year-old
] heroine over Tue Top III any tIiHS lihe
triumphant effect. Yet, this author
has done exactly that and, in the do
| ing of il, has concealed completely
! any signs Of the labor and strain that
the undertaking must have Involved
| Great odds TO work against mere.
! Odds to overcome in creating d nero
! inc Of seventy with convincing charm.
! Odds to overcome in the prejudice OF
! readers against romance for elderly
| folks. in their prepossession that
| youth alone commands this field.
Yet. having met Nine. Claire. one
] wonders H. after all. seventy is not
| just about the right age for really
full favored heroine. either in fiction
or out of il. 1t must take quite that
! time for the testing of knowledge.
for the mellowing of wisdom. for as
sorting the few things that count out
! from the millions of useless things.
! Then when, 4s in the case OF Mlle.
Claire, the spirit Is refreshed daily
years seems the high point of per-
sonal power and charm. Children
and grandChildren-an interesting
! group picked of, In good diversity,
| from the intelligent and well-to-do
open the avenues along which Nine.
Claire progresses in her unconquer-
| able youth of good sense, broad out
look, modern attitude. sympathy and
understanding Infinite finesse in any
| number of difficult and delicate stu
ations adds steadily TO ones admlra
| ton of this delightful woman. this
| young old woman. The author has
| worked In deep sincerity here. No
| suggestion. no shadow of OVERRIDING,
! OF caricature. comes here to blur a
| remarkably fine conception and por-
| trayal
THE NEW OLD WORLD. BY Thomas
H. Dickinson. author of The
! United States and the League"
! New York: T.. p. Dutton 4 Co.
Mr.. Dickinson was a member Of the
| United States food administration
during the war. He was also a mem
ber of the American relief admins
tration in Paris and New York. This
| extended official relationship with the
/! fundamentals of bare existence in the
! war-ravaged areas of Europe per-
F.! mitted Mr.. Dickinson to gather at
/ and concrete fact bearing directly
! upon the efforts of the new. states in
! central Europe to build themselves
| into efficient and prosperous state
hood. To obstructive elements in this
situation, the author points upon as
| fundamental--lack of food, housing,
; work, money. A physical let-down
| from the scarcity of essentials weak
! ems the moral man, too, with special
diseases and the problems of illegiti-
of construction. Certain mental
! states-fear distrust, lack of CO.
operatIon-follow, inevitably, in this
| train of evils. Together they cover
! the economic field and industry, the
social and moral field, all combining
Z, to block the progress of a sound and
| secure statehood In very earnest
! spirit the author goes painstakingly
| over the entire ground in order that
| readers may have some adequate
| idea of the poignancy of this situa-
tion both in its immediate effect and
| in it's inevitable effect upon the future
| well being and stability of these
4 states OF eastern Europe. Wisely
| cautions. the author offers no specifics,
| but he dwells, instead, upon a situa-
| tion that must be improved in the
plain everyday ness of human COM
| fort before considerable things can
be hoped for in political and social
| stability.
CANADIAN. CITIES OF ROMANCE.
By Katherine Hale. author of
+ by Dorothy Stevens. New York
I George H. Doran Company.
/ Word pictures and pen sketches
come together here in beautiful bit
of artistry. Their combined effect of
| swift gayety of movement sets OF
genuine skill from the more common
crudities of gesture that are designed
to pass for skill. From Halifax to
Vancouver the cities of Canada pass
before one. here in a pageant of
natural setting, historic founding,
individual growth, personal char
each stands i'll Its own intangible rs-
sence. in that elusive, but very real
and supreme thing that we call,
spirit" This last. this subtle evo-
cation of the spirit of place, is, per-
Yet, substantial history, coupled with
legend and old story and scenic back
ground, are the substance out of