Evening star., 1924-09-28

III honest in this book. All
N of the time / shall try to
lV1 be honest. Because of
this pledge l am going
to tell you that the purpose of the
title is at once to enmesh your in
terest Madagascar has been called
The Land of the Man-eating Tree
since prehistoric times, as our vain
and insufficient chronology goes. L
do not know whether this tigeriSh
tree really exists or whether the
bloodcurdling stories about 1T are
pure myth. 1t is enough for my pur-
pose if it's story focuses your interest
upon one of the least known spots
in the world" This is the way that
Chase Salmon Osborn takes to open
the story of his eXperiences-his OBJ
servationS and adventureS-throug
the length and breadth of the reia-
lively unknown island of Madagascar.
This is also the KY to which the
long and useful ~ry is pitched.
Long" because there is much TO tel
about this somewhat neglected region.
Useful" because the author has held
himself to scientific accuracy IN
gathering up the story of Madagascar.
1t is the manner of the man, however,
that sets the key of this narration.
The manner of Marco Polo and Sir
John Vaudeville. and the great
Raleigh and HerodotuS. He has the
fascination of these great tellers.
while at the same time, he is as
authentic and reliable as the dryest
old historian that ever buried himself
and us-alive in dreary facts.
A most orderly man in his thinking,
this He begins with the making of
the island, d great geological epic.
And from that point he proceeds with
the aborigineS and on up to the pres
ent time. the whole perfectly au-
thenticated information. But 1t is the
man himself who makes the whole OF
it alive and Immediate to our absorbed
interest. Time has nothing to do with
such "A man. He converts the remote
past into an urgent present, relating
it to us by every legitimate art OF
vivid portrayal. You read ii. Beside
il the South Sea Islands fade to
vapidity. Out of it you will stand
around hoping to get a glimpse OF
this Chase Osborn, one-time Governor
OF Michigan. Think of it, The
governor of anything when he can
write such story.
GOLD. By Jacob Wassermann. au-
thor of The Worlds Illusion"
Translated by Louise Collier Will
cox New York: Harcourt, Brace
! & Co.
This is the story of Ulrika Woy-
itch 4 story, development, upon
which Jacob Wassermann has ex-
pended enormous labor of infinite de-
tail to bring to the surface in CO.
herent unity of effect the elusive
self that hides so successfully under
the external appearance of the in
dividual. You know Ulrika Woytich.
You remember that woman of a vi
tality so overabounding, of an inter-
est so inclusive, of a response so i'm
mediate and forceful, that the con-
Germs of others Immediately became
her consuming concern for the time
being. And upon these she expended
herself in perfect fury of zeal.
That's a marvellous equipment, you
say-the very essence of unSelnSh-
ness. Maybe so. But that is not the
point--not the point with Jacob Was
sermann in Gold" His point is to
follow the effect of this tremendous
individual force, unremitting and un-
resisting, upon the character pos
sesSing it and upon the inevitable
outcome In so far as the person her
self is concerned. only touching upon
others as these come within the range
of this VoraciouS influence affecting
the course of its development and de-
clariug the quality of it's elimination
upon a time would have been called
uncanny. Today we know more about
the human. about his depths, about
the far and warning sources of his
being. SO we read along here won
dering but agreeing out of our own
secret selves. There is only one draw
back to this remarkable story. Al
most nobody is going to read it. 1t
looks heavy. 1t is long. 1t holds
does get into it, even if he follow il
to the end. he is likely to wonder
why any sensible reader should put
the time required by this story to fol-
Tow the Step-by-Step course of a
character to the inevitable disaster
that this one so painfully portrays.
New York: The Macmillan Com
pany.
One comes out of this story think
Ing How easy it is to write playn'
The essentials are a typst and an
author-like Marguerite and this
Peter Millard. They both do the
thinking. That is they ponder min
ute or two over theme. Almost at
once it comes, as likely from Margue-
rite and from Peter. After that there
is nothing to it, Peter talks off bits
of sparkling dialogue, enough to
make little play. And that night
Marguerite puts it in type. The next
move is to take it down to the Green
wich Village theater. or studio. or
whatever it is. 1t goes a-humming,
Then pretty soon some producer from
BroadW Way-the golden goal of every
pldyWright-hearS about that amaz-
Ing play down at the Village. Several
producerS-not one-then begin to
hight over the purchase of the new
genius. The story does give Just
about that effect. though, upon think
Ing over the details of it, there do
come to the surface some setbacks for
Peter Millard in his dramatic career.
Not many. And no permanent ones.
In the course of them one reads here
what is safe to call A good picture of
the life that behind the scenes is for
ever on the stretch to get right up
close to the footlights. or maybe il
Is the spotlight now. Just about like
the rest of us, those folks. All eaten
up, each with his own Individual i'm
portance and out to satisfy his own
desires. Possibly a little more natural
and unreStrained in their manifesto
tons. Maybe not. upon the whole
This Mr.. Roland Oliver in the midst
OF what appears like very plausible
to-do-1 certainly is clever and
interesting one-has had the good
luck, or the good inspiration. to pro-
duce few people that we are likely
to RENE mber for some time There is
Peter himself And Marguerite. And
"Birmy bless him. A good
stage story and no mean love story
Quite an achievement for Roland
Oliver or any other young-or young
tsh-hand at the writing business.
AMERICAN GRAPHIC ART. BY f.
Weitenkampf. L. Fl. D., curator of
] prints, New York Public Library;
| author of How to Appreciate
Mt atn In .tx-rt tad