Evening star., 1923-07-01
Reviews of New Books

gether engaging and interesting than
his own story in "Stickfuls."
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION, 17s0-
1915. BY Smaller Mathews, pro-
fessor in the University of Chi
cago. New York: Longmans, Green
& Co.
John Adams, writing to Thomas
Jefferson, said "The revolution was
effected before the war commenced.
The revolution was in the minds and
hearts of the people," adding later
that the aims and feelings which led
should "be traced back for two hun
dred years. and sought in the his
tory of the country from the first
plantation In America" This theory
that war itself is but the last act
in long drama Of general discon-
TENTS the one upon which is based
this admirable history of the French
revolution. The revolution itself,
therefore, takes up here a minor
place. Rather, it occupies only its
proper place. Time and emphasis
are given. instead, to the years be-
fore the outbreak when the revolu-
tion as a fact had had a faint be-
ginning and a long fnconspicuous
brewing in the. huge inequalities of
life among the French people. There
Sluuy VI Tie COuEl DIS all dDSO-
lutte monarchy. with all privileges
whatsoever the prerogative of the
court, the nobility. the clergy. There
is a clean-cut survey of the economic
situation, this too of heinous in
equalities-the privileged classes on
the creditor side of the accounting,
the poor huddled on the debtor side
This is the vital point the contact
point that. finally. released the revo-
luton itself. The competent work
ing out of the theory that war has
IA long beginning before it's actual
of this work-that and the writing
personality that has given life to
this period of French life. A fine
study that has not only made use Of
all research on the subject in hand
but that has. in equal ADVANTAGE
spirit. looking upon war-or any
other national event of consequence
as growth, a development out of
discoverable causes. rather than as a
sudden catastrophe whose spectacu-
lar front conceals the possibility of
any calculable foundations in fact
itself.
Henry Rickel. Preface by Michael
Monahan. Illustrated. New York
q. z. Putnam's Sons.
The habit of reading Balzac indi-
Gates the student of this great
writer To these the book in hand
will come as thing of prime i'm
portance. For out of the length and
depth and breadth of the Human
Comedy Mr.. Rickel has gathered, in
what must have been enormous toll.
the wisdom of BalZac. A line a
sentence, a paragraph, hidden here
and there in the multitudinous pages
of the Comedy" has been hunted out
ID do h f,, ..x-1 .,.t
others of it's particular company.
Threads OF Balzac's philosophy run
together here TO weave the whole
fabric of his belief in the face Of
life itself Words of wit and wis
dom stand here in maxim and apho-
rism and epigram. And. to conpIrt,
the usefulness of the book. these are
grouped in scenes from provincial!
life, or from Partisan life. from the
life military or political or what not.
Nothing SO complete as this. in re
spect to the work of Balzac has
hitherto been done. nothing so well
arranged and at hand. 50 to speak
one can conceive that Balzac lovers
will seize upon this book for it's high
interpretive value, its condensed sub
stance OF Balzac himself in relation
to lifc and 10 art.
THE IDEALS OF THEODORE ROOSE-
xELT BY Edward H; Cotton.
Robinson. New York: D. Appleton
& Co.
Mr.. Cotton here presents the life ui
Theodore Roosevelt. In each phase
of it's development, in each stage OF
| its outer manifestation in both pri-
vate affairs and public service. Yet
| this Is not another one of the already
numerous biographies of Mr.. Roose-
| velt. Rather is it the story of the
great Americans spiritual life, an
accounting of the ideals out of which
| rose the actions and attitudes of MI
Roosevelt throughout his life. From,
] childhood to his latest days, Mr.
| Cotton moves in orderly fashion
gathering from point to point the
essential character of Mr.. Roosevelt
out of the early years of his boy
! hood. of his college days. out of po-
| litfcal beginnings and on to his su-
preme achievement as President 81
/ the United States. Each of these
! points, and all of them together
| serve to account for the traits tha,
| make Mr.. Roosevelt stand conspicu-
| ously the great American-fearless
| impetuous for what he thought to be
| the right, untiring. outspoken. and
! undoubtedly. a fiery advocate for the
| best good of America in any and al
| directions. The author is deeply
| sympathetic with his subject, fol
/ lowing il in Intelligent sincerity anG
| painstaking detail for complete
! rounding out of the ideals that SC