Evening star., 1923-03-24
The Library Table
BY THE BOOKLOyER.

not the de luxe kinds an indica-
tion that many people would be glad
to drop out of the super-civilized con-
ditions in which we live and would
like to have a part in the tanning OF
tho wilderness, such as our fore
fathers and our western near con-
temporaries of yesterday experienced.
At times they think they would like
TO be the first to fell the virgin forest
and bring new lands under cultiva-
tlon. But the frontier once known
to many men now living, has disap-
peared before the march of civiliza-
ton, so that now We can only hear
and read about it. Recently I have
been reading three books. all publish
ed during the last few years, which
have given me a vivid picture Of the
American frontier. One Is a history,
the second is a biography. and the
third a novel and all are devoted to
settled country and the unbroken
forest and paririe.
x y
The historical work is entitled.
The Frontier in American History"
by Prof. Frederick J. Turner Of
Harvard. The opening paper in the
volume, ''rhe Significance of the
Frontier" was originally issued in
1898. when the author was professor
at the University OF Wisconsin, and
it's publication has recently been pro-
nounced by historians as an epoch
making event in the investigation OF
American history. The authors
thesis is set forth in the following
extract. which also shows something
Of the quality Of his writing:
ITO the frontier the American in
teIlect owes it's striking characteriS-
tics. That coarseness and strength.
combined with acuteness and fnquiSi-
tiveneSS: that practical. inventive
turn Of mind. quick to find eXpedi-
ents; that masterful grasp Of material
things. lacking in the artistic, but
powerful to effect great ends; that
restless. nervous energy; that domi-
nant individualism, working for good
and for evil. and withal that buoy
ancy and exuberance which comes
frontier. or traits called out else
where because of the existence of the
frontier"
Professor Turner points out that
the original American frontier eX-
tended through western Massachu-
setts ard also through the present
site Of the District Of Columbia. and
that it constantly shifted westward
as the country was settled. until az
! last within comparatively recent
years. it may be said TO have dis
appeared before the onward march Of
the pioneers.
Then DER the hills In 1esions. boys,
Fair feedOm's star
Points 10 the sunset regions, boys.
Again and again tho song of which
these lines are the refrain, are sung
in the pages of Hamlin Garland'S S
autobiography. "A Son OF the Middle
! Border" Garland's father was true
frontiersman. Born in Maine he
early went to Wisconsin. His rest
less. pioneering spirit led him first TO
! Minnesota, then TO Iowa and finally TO
Dakota He rejoiced to sing the song
of onward movement, but Mrs. Gar
land. though she Loyalty Joined in
the song. with each move away from
friends and comparative comfort. on
to repeated hardships. sang it with a
heavier heart, so that the reader s
sympathies are enlisted because she
had to bear what seems an unneces-
sary amount of pioneering. Any
reader who has been brought up on
a farm, whether in the west or in the
east. will rejoice in retrospect IN
the author, in his boyhood life on the
various prairie farms.
GEt. < y
Ny third pioneering book is Her
! bert Ouick's "Vandemark' Folly.
the principal theme of which is the
settlement Of Iowa. In the earlier
CHAPTERS the Dutch boy hero. who
tells the story. roughed it as driver
on the Erie canal, went to Wisconsin
in search of his lost mother, only to
find her grave. and from there drove
a yoke of cows (gaining himself the
name of Cow Vandemark") down
into an unsettled part OF Iowa The The
and hence called by his neighbors
"IIell Slew" OF his experiences with
prairie fires, blizzards and horse
thieves, and his love story, MI the
book with plenty OF exciting adven-
lures and interesting incidents; But
tho reader is also Impressed that
this is a true history of the part that
real people had in the rapidly chang
ing and finally disappearing phases OF
typical American prairie frontier Ire.
F, This book is a soundly rooted chapter
| in the making of America and Amer
lean history.
That the trees of Washington are
one of the largest factors in the
city's charm Is fully recognized in
| the new book, Trees as Good Citl-
zens," by Charles Lathrop Pack, pub
lfshed here by the American Tree
! Association The author states that
the purpose of his book is to sim
| plify the problems Of those who
| would grow shade trees. He gives
as the final test of a city's beauty
it's shade trees. holding that city
without an abundance of shade trees
| is incomplete. OF Washington he
| writes:
when ths traveller gives thought
| to the worlds most beautiful cities
he thinks instinctively of Washing
| ton and Paris. and in thinking OF
| them he delights in the memory OF
| their wealth of trees. The
chief charm of both cities is found
| in the magnificent shade trees which
| line their streetg and beautify their
| lawns, parks and public grounds
| Who can picture 18th street or
| Massachusetts avenue or any of the
| streets of Washington deprived OF
shade tree beauty?"
=! The book does not simply dilate on
tho beauty of trees, but contains an
on their selection, planting, care
pruning, repair and protection from
| pests. 1t has numerous illustrations
| some in color.
x y n X
! The collected works OF Nikolai
Gogol, translated by Constance Gar
nett. are soon to be published in the
United States and Canada. Gogol
who was born in 1909 and died in
1852, was one of the founders OF mod
ern Russian fiction, which Prof. Will
liam Lyon Phelps Of Yale considers
| the greatest of all fiction. Gogors
chief novels are "Tarass Bulba," "The
Inspector General and Dead Souls
! Toward the end of his life, actuateG