Evening star., 1924-01-05
The Library Table
BY THn pOoHLovEa

BY TlaE uOOKLOvEn
Dr.. Edward A. Ross. the distin-
Euished professor Of sociology In the
University Of Wisconsin and wsrld
traveller, has Just added q third to
his series Of books on Russia during
and since the war. The first, Russia
In Upheaval." was q sociological study
OF Internal conditions In Russia dur
Ing the latter half Of 1917 the second.
''The Russian Bolshevik Revolution" !"
ended with the expulsion Of the con-
stituent assembly by the bolshsvfki
in January, 1918; the third, '-Ths Rus.
sian Soviet Republic" recently pub
lished, brings the tale to the close OF
1899. The author states that hs will
not continue the series. He says that
"the revolutionary epoch In Russia
has closed. Nothing Of the old So
cial order remains, SO that all mems
thoughts are bent on reconstruction"
The author twice visited Russia to
study the situation.
Tho temper Of Prof. Ross book
IL indicated by the fact that he ad-
mits--'nay. proclaims--that he writes
In wrath, "but not at bolsheviks or
antf-bolshevikA" II am wroth," he
says. with tho forked tongue propa-
gandists who, almost from the be-
ginning, have hidden Communist Rus
sia from the eyes Of the world by
enveloping It In a jungle growth of
lies" His book Is an attempt to
tell the truth about the present Rus
sian government, as he believes 1t to
be. The author gives an exceedingly
sympathetic account of the soviet
anything but square deal from the
rest of the world, including the
United States.
None the less, Prof. Ross re-
system as mad. In his concluding
chapter he says: "One outcome Of
the Russian experiment In production
on the public account Is the vindica-
tion Of the so-called ORTHODOX eco
nomics from the onslaughts Of the
followers Of Marx. The po-
litical economy taught even in some
istic.' Instead Of being q body Of
thought designed to justify the for
tunes OF wealthy donors, has been
vindicated as q reasoned, honest ana
trustworthy account Of the modern
and Of the institutional bases on
which the whole affair rests.
1t seems safe to say that the existing
capitalistic system of production for
profit is now in q securer position
than 1t has been for q generation"
Prof. Ross final thought IL
that. in Wow Of the Russian object
lesson in tho unworkableness OF COM
munism, the revolutionary spirit
which has spread throughout tho
world as q result of the war and OF
where fight to make the system OF
private capitalism "in very truth
serve society-as It processes to do
instead OF plotting to dominate and
exploit It," From it he expects that
the old arrogant labor-crushing type
grief, and that new, more humane.
suave and reasonable type will come
to be representative Of capitalists"
The early days Of the Virginia
colony, which formed the subject OF
Mary Johnston's ITO Have and to
Hold" Prisoners of Hope" and
Audrey" are again presented to the
reader in the authors recent novel,
"Croatan." The personages Of this
romance are the adventurers sent by
SIR Walter Raleigh in 1887 to settle
Virginia. Virginia Dare. the first
white child born in the group, is the
I, rhA rvsan fo~ IT,
the friends Of these colonists, and
from the name OF their tribe Is taken
the title OF the book. The rescue of
virginia Dare from Indian captors
forms the climax
The prospects are that bridge" as
a game will soon be as nearly extinct
as the horse 10 in transportation. Up
family own its box Of mah-jong,
whether in pasteboard or thin ivory.
whether costing IS or $50. Societies
are being formed to promote knowl-
edge Of the game. and already these
societies are almost split by disputes
over the spelling and pronunciation
of the name. There is q wide choice
NAH -jong, ma-chiang, ma-Jung, ma
cheuk and pung.chow. A handbook
by Edgar 8. Winters, recently pub
Usher, bears the title Ma -Cheuk."
gives variations In the Chinese and
American methods of playing.
A postwar novel that has some
similarity to Ernest Poole's Danger"
in Its presentation Of the effect Of
war service on nerves and character
Is Alexander Blacks 80 Ellen" The
plucky, red-haired heroine. 10 Ellen.
has not been enthusiastic over the
war and has done little to help 1t
along. but when Marty comes back
with a limp she cannot bring herself
to refuse to marry him, though she
does not really love him. A tragic
comes evident on their wedding day,
and 10 Ellen courageously takes up
her burden as her share in the war.
When q rnother-in-law Is added to
her burden-comparable to the sister
in-law in Poole's "Danger"--Jo Ellen
begins to wonder IL she will be able
to carry IL indefinitely She wonders
still moro and almost runs away
from the situation when she dis
covers that Marty is not really q war
own sins. The ending, like that in
Danger" can only be tragic, but 10
nllen comes through heroicatly.
\ Z
Harry A. Franck has won q wide
reputation as . literary tramp. and
has furnished pleasure to many read
ers who have some OF the instincts
OF the tramp without the willingness
to endure the hardships and dangers
Of tramp life. He Is now in China
for o two-year stay, and already q
new book is the result-"Wandering
in Northern China" He has pene-
trated the interior with only native
guides and native conveyances; has
slept, eaten and lived in native novels
~