Evening star., 1923-09-16
PEOPLE AND POLITICS, Observed
ny 2 Massachusetts Editor. BY
solomon Bulkley Griffin. Boston:
Little, Brown & Co.

AE AND FoLATbCSt observed
py 2 Massachusetts Editor. BY
solomon Bulkley Griffin. Boston:
Little, Brown & Co.
IN HE continued edjtorship of a
newspaper that has devel-
oped character and standing
makes the best possible
watch tower for the survey of events
ana movements, for the organization
OF these into bodies of significant his
tortc fact Such point OF advantage
as held by Solomon BulkIey Griffin,
Who for forty years was the n1anag-
ing editor of the Springfield Republi-
can Looking back upon this forty
year term of service, Mr.. Griffin has
ssthered out of 1t many notable peo-
pte' many events of political signifi-
cance, many movements. of national,
1-nu even international, Importance.
from the Wilson administration these
commissioners reach back for almost
half century eYoking, along the
way, politicians and statesmen; po-
Iitical campaigns, conventions and
elections: the rise of new men and
measures; critical points in the his
tory of the country; turning points in
Lne affairs of the world at large.
Naturally. the politics of Massa-
chuSettS receives emphasis here. Not
in any sense, however, to the exclu-
sion of the national aspects of this
theme. There is an intimacy of effect
here, a familiarity with the whole
field of national life that give these
recollections q vital cast that tends
TO make the body of opinions set
forth all the more substantial and in
ttuential. The first part of the book
is given over to pictures of New Eng
land life. The second part deals with
state and national politics. Different
n - 4
cnt also in spirit and treatment. The
former has more leisure about Il.
There is time here for picture after
picture around ali of which there is
clearly the soft. and reminiscent at
mesphere OF youth. Delightful, these.
The other part with its recollectlons'
of, politics and politicians becomes
more strenuous and urgent, more pos
itfye in statement, more conclusive in
Judgment. Different, and highly in
teTesting because of this difference in
attitude that bespeaks. however no
difference In general purpose. An un-
usual opportunity hero has been met
in a full measure, and in beautiful
manner. out of the rich storehouse of
a highly useful and influential life.
THRIFTY STOCK, and Other Stories,
By Ben Ames Williams, author of
."Black Pawl," etc. New York: E.
2. Dutton & Co.
To be sure, the drama of life is
eyerywhere-out on the street, down
the alley, off in the woods upstream
and down. in the tear-smudged face
of a child, in n dogs laugh or in his
reproachful eye--everywhere. But the
thousand never see 1t. Then the
thousand and first man sees 1t and.
just maybe, he can gather il up and
hand IL over to the rest of US. Ben
Ames Williams can. He is the thou
sand -and-first man, who can do that
very thing. You read this book of
short stories. YoulI see. 1t must call
for great art to write the story
these short stories. One has q notion
that knowing just when to stop, just
when TO withhold the hand, Just what
point to seize, have much to do with
the making Of this kind of story. Now
this man appears to pick up almost
anything, just a bit of anything so
that it is alive. And out of what ap-
pears to be trifing incident he turns
heart. and stirs his sympathy. and
blesses him with a sense of beauty,
and a feeling that we are all home
folks after all. Robust stuff, this.
Clean cut and straight. Economy
thats the word that one has been
feeling for. A regular New England
economy in the use OF material, not
word wasted, not word doing the
other fellows work, no cluttered cor
packing Fine! One has the wish to
pick out certain OF these stories as
better than the others-but it's no use.
They are all fine-"The Coward"
Mine Enemys Dog" (great on the
dog story, this Ben Ames Williams
and, certainly there Is no finer theme.
no better measure of man either)-
but, it is not possible TO choose where
all are so fine, each in Its own pat
tern of some genuine and living
thing.
DOCTOR NYE. By Joseph c. Lincoln.
author OF "Galusha the Magnih-
cent" etc. New York: D. Appleton
g. Co.
Another Lincoln romance set in the
New England coast life to which this
perpetuity. In this story DR.. Nye
has come back home again, 10 North
Ostable, after having served a prison
term on being convicted of theft. The
story itself deals with the small town
reactions 10 this adventurous return
on the part of the once popular and
prosperous village doctor. Anybody
knows just what Joseph Lincoln
would do with that sort of theme.
Tho doctor, in reality, is not guilty
The village folks. in reality, are not
SO small and bitter and mean as some
of their surface manifestati would
lead one to think. That is the Lin
coin foundation-a belief that human
nature is good stuff after all, in spite
of many performances that look quite
the other way around. And this be-
lief serves as groundwork for the
story in hand. One likes il through
out. likes its sound freshness, It's re-
Juctant exposure of sentiment, its
hard-headed sense. its curious humor,
its general rightness under some