Evening star., 1924-10-26

AROUND THE WORLD IN NEW
YORK. BY Konrad Bercovici. H.
Illustrated by Norman Borchardt
New York: The Century Company
T took Mr.. Bercovici 20 years to do
it, to go around the world in New
York-to go through China and
i Syria and Turkestan and Bohemia
and Poland and Italy and Greece
and the others-all in New York,
And by way Of Ihis 20-year jour-
ney, round and round, we are en-
abed to sit at home and still see, in a
face-to-face effect, the panorama Of the
world spread out in the peoples of Man.
haitian Island 4 captivating book, a
memorable adventure, this turns out to
he for the reader. Appreciably better
than tourist trip or even better than
the lesurely travelling of the individual.
For 20 years have gone into this jour
ley, years of study OF the intimate,
friendly. sympathetic sort such as in
vites confidence and lack of concealment
and an open living before the eyes Of
this friend and investigator. Aside from
this great fact-the fact of the Old
World seated in New York-there are
tremendous implications stepping out
here before one. There are, besides.
poignant moments when the alien is pitt
fully aware Of his loneliness. submerged
impression is that of the racial char
acteristicS Of these peoples each sep
aTate and distinct, each contributing its
share to a greatly picturesque effect.
You'll have to take this particular jour
ney around the world. No one can tell
YOU about it, since il carries the moment
OF dazzied bew,derment that a specially
original and ingenious gesture always
carries. \ young man. pencil in hand.
goes along here with Konrad Bercovici.
This is Norman Dorchardt Of the good
Gift Of portraiture, who sketches little
live pictures to deliver some specially
revealing moment in one or another
Part of this O,d World set down in New
Io,k.
As LIkE II. BY William Lyon
Phelps. Lampson professor OF Eng
lish liiers sture at Yale. New York:
charles Scfiiner's Sons.
This volume is the second gathered
from William Lyon Phelps monthly
chronicles in SCribners Magazine.
These contributions appear to have
made q playground for the doctor of
literature. Here he makes his own
choice Of subject, or. better, almost
any topic feels at liberty to step
up and choose him. So il appears.
one reads along till his mind is quite
for sudden shifts-like reading the
dictionary. But. get the hang OF it.
and things move forward better. You
20 a-playing with the doctor and
his cats. You listen to long stories.
arSumentative in drift. bearing upon
the clear superiority of the cat when
drawn un beside the dog. You do
not agree. positively you do not. And
you have a mind to write him let
.,l>. y. i =,
written him a letter. some writing
about III" cat-and-dog matter. others
about belonging TO one or more of
the numerous clubs OF which the doc
tor is the founder 1t takes nothing
AZ all to make him found club
about il. No fees, no family tree,
no income taX-nor any other Of the
usual obstacles to club membership
attend these club foundings. Just
you have, or YOU have not, done
SomethinG-for instance, you have
read Sponsors "Fa erie Oueene" clear
through, and, there you are, a mem
Der Of the F'aerie Queene Club upon
notifying DR.. Phelps of your achieve
nleat. All hit-or-miss work, all gem
ial. some of it seasoned with thought
out opinions. Not much of the last
Rather, it is piaytime, and in it the
doctor plays in joyous and cnjoya BILE
dcanQOn.
A LOTT1iRER IN LONDON. BY Helen
w. HENDERSON. author Of a Lott
crer in Paris etc New York:
George II. Doran Company.
If you have already loitered with
Helen Henderson through Paris or
New York or New England, you will
with even greater Zest take up this
new adventure with her in London.
Partly because London is so old and
rich, partly because our own Amer
ican roots are there, and partly be-
cause the author herself feels the
potency of the place SO keenly-you
take up this adventure with eager
zest. Then. too. this is such salts
fyingly leiSured adventure-a true
lettering. Time to see it all, time
10 hear it all-hstory, legend, long
hearSay and report. clustered about
place and people in a delight of sea-
soned and mellowed chronicle. Each
man. they say'-Helcn Henderson
alking-'discover his own London.
] suppose there is no city boasts so
many discoverers, nor any city loved
for 50 many different reasons so log
ically sustained, nor any place to
which visitors so variously claim
kinship. London in Il sense belongs
TO all Of u.s. And it is this feeling
oI l1ulNlQudl CnOlce lndC lne autnOT
encourages, letting her own expert
cnce go along with yours, supple
menting it and enriching it instead
of blanketinS it, as one in her place
might SO easily do Again, emphasize
ing readers already acquired friend
ship for London this writer says: ITO
write of London is to write of what
everybody knows. for travellers turn
to London as to an old friend. They
-, 4
its stones, its marts. it's inns, it's
churches, its monuments before ever
they set foot upon these shores; London.
d somebody OF other has said, is the
only real place in the world: to arrive
here is to achieve the grand destina-
ton" And Helen Henderson contrib
uteS to this arrival" intimate knowl-
edge, seasoned intimacies, leisurel
talks. and, in general, a most enjoy
able and stimulating adventure with
the streets and stones" of London
and with the ali-together OF London
besides.
LOTTERY. By w. L. Woodward, au-
thor of Funk" New York: Harper
& Brothers.
Potentially. there are millions Of
him in America. Actually, there are
many thousands of him-of this
Jerry Garrison, hero. Beloved child
OF chance this boisterous, laughing,
Soodfellow Of fellow who without
any special brain endowment, with
out education or training. OF any
actual equipment whatever, rounded
up, nevertheless, a cool million be-
fore he was 80 years old. w. T..
Woodward has, as a matter of fact
picked off from the surface OF
American life one of it's outstanding
and extra ordinary features. The