Evening star., 1923-01-20
The Library Table
By The Boekiover

The4recent publication of "A Short
History of the World" by II. @. Wells.
suggests u comparison between 1t and
Mr.. Wells. earlier book, The Outline
Eof History" But first comment is In
order on. the remarkable and per-
sistent popularity of the outline"
Published in November. 1890 it
straightway became the most-taiked-
OF book before the public. and by
May, 1921. 1t appeared at the top OF
the Bookman's list Of books OF non
fiction reported as most popular by,
public likrarles the country over.
With the exception OF one month,
March, 1922, when strachey's Queen
Victoria" and THE Mirrors OF Wash
ihgton" temporarily outstripped It,
the "outline" has held first place In
library popularity ever since. What
ever one may think of Mr.. Wells COM
petence as. an historisn-and histori-
cal critics like Prof. Carl Becker OF
Cornell have written approvingly OF
his work--certainly his book gets
read for the chief reason, 1 think. that
he makes bygone days as much alive
as the events of yesterday.
1t is reported that the State De-
partment has ordered for each Of its
legations and consulates the world
over copies OF Charles C. Hyde's I'm
ternational Law, Chiefly as Inter-
preted and Applied by the United
States" The author is professor Of
international law at the Northwest
ern University Law School, Chicago.
q + r. II
The Outline did not claim TO be
a universal history. II was episode in
ITS selection of events, omitting many
things that presumably did not inter-
est the author or did not seem to him
of special Significance. The "Short
History" is still less complete. but
somehow the author has managed in
a little more than 400 pages of large.
broadly-leaded type. plentifully inter
spersed with we'll selected illustra-
tlons. to give a wide-sweeping gen.
eral view OF world history. In some
ways this book seems almost as much
OF a triumph as the earlier one. am
inclined to think that a large element
in the popularity Of these histories is
their complete modernity, secured. in
part, by colloquial. even at times
slangy language. For example. how
vivid he makes the Roman republic
by comparing II with the republic of
the South Africa Beers and with the
northern states OF the American Union
before 1850: "a free farmers repub-
lic," he calls it. This is intensified by
his reference to voting In the town
meeting in Rome" In his preface Mr..
Wells says that this history "is meant
to be read straight -forwardly almost
as a novel is read" 1t meets that
specification.
fancy that most readers Of this
column are now aware Of the identity
of the writer of the mirrors of Wash
ington" and Behind the Mirrors," the
authorship of which remained till re-
Gently a mystery. He is Clinton w.
Gilbert. Washington correspondent OF
the Philadelphia Evening Ledger. I
could tell a lot more about wallace,
as he was always called when ] was
in college with him. and when later
was his colleague on the editorial
stan of New York newspaper. He
was always an odd, silent fellow, so
clever that I am not at all surprised
at his achievement. now that know.
though. like most people. never
picked him out as the writer Of these
books whose scene is our own Capital
city.
The modern impressionistic method
SO popular in painting has In recent
years invaded the field of fiction. One
OF the most thorough OF the fiction
impressionists is Dorothy Richard
son. She applies her method alike
to her descriptions, the conversations
and the subjective reflections Of her
characters. In her novels are no old
fashioned conversation. with "he
said" and "she said" often repeated,
and complete, we'll formed sentences
issuing from the participants. In
stead we find this sort of thing:
Aren't you glad you are alive to-
day. when all these things are hap
pening?"
what things. little one?'
well, cycling and things. You
know, girls. when I'm thirty I'm GO
ing. to cut my hair short and wear
divided skirts
ct can't face doing my hair and
brushing skirts and keeping more or
less in the fashion-that means about
two years behind, because never
realize fashions till they're just GO
ing, even If I could AFFORD to--all my
life"
"Rut why thirty? Why not thirty
one?"
Because nobody cares what you do
when you're thirty; they've all given
two going to have any pudding?'
NO. But that is no reason why
you should not"
What a good idea-to have just
one dish and coffee
That's what we think; and it's
cheap"
Well. couldn't have had any din
ner at all only I'm cadging dinner
with you tomorrow"
1t cannot be denied that this i'm
pressionistic style reproduces very
we'll the incoherence and scrappiness
Of verbal interchange in real life; Just
as the following suggests the way
in which associated fragments of
thought flutter through ones mind:
This is hearing about death. in a
thing In the room holding you in.
The death sentence-people would
not die If they did not go TO con-
sulting rooms-doctors make you
die-they watch and threaten"
These extracts. taken from "rhe
Tunnel" are typical of Miss Rich.
ardsons other books.
X i
The prevailing interest in South
America is evidenced by the many
books published on South American
countries Bolivia is the subject of
three recent books. asElx YAarr a.,