Evening star., 1924-02-24

ANC" AoIh. SudIicS . oc''D.
"HE great majority are more
quickly and more deeply in
terested in persons than In
things. Nor is this ina
jority" made up Of the undeveloped
and the unframed alone. 1t includes
as well the educated and cultured.
This general fact is. In reality. an
expression OF the fundamental kin
ship Of humanity. with its sequence
OF Intensified interest in the personal
element. 1t follows, therefore. that
an approach to any subject by way
Of the persons composing that sub
ject or responsible for Its content
gains immeasurably both In dra-
matte appeal and in interpretative
directness and power. Many sub
jects are not susceptible of such ap-
proach. Sometimes, too, clrcuIn-
stances advise. other treatment I Tor
The book in hand Is an example Of
this personal approach to theme.
1t is a study of the building. Of this
nation by way of the, men who were
chiefly instrumental in its building.
Here are those who led in preparing
the way-Samuel Adams and Benja-
min Franklin. Then Washington.
Then Hamilton and Madison. master
democratic spirit. John Marshall.
Daniel Webster, Andrew Jackson,
solidifying the whole in law and pub
lie opinion. Abraham Lincoln. who
saved the unity of the country. Be
ceeding half century. Through this
form OF approach, this method Of
treatment, the salienctes of the great
experiment of nation building stand
Il NJ NJ
santasf stsar m the Of Of
reader comprehension. Another fea-
ture Of this study-the broad back
ground that IT spreads. showing the
America Of that period to be but a
part OF the world spirit itself. to be
moving along line that was being
followed by England. The revoiu--
tion simply part OF the general
movement, not a violent and anoma-
lous outbreak. A broad and under
start in the consideration OF Ameri-
can history.
\ STORY-TELLER, Forty Yenrs I'm
London. BY ". Pett Ridge. author
of "Mord Emily" etc. New York:
George II. Doran Company.
story-teller is Irresistible. So is
London. The former goes back to the
latter reaches deep into the hearts
of all English folks. whether these
fought for independence here in
America or have remained under the
is a kind Of homesickness that makes
English blood turn eagerly toward
the great city OF England-its his
toric streets, its ancient buildings. It's
names of both the past and the pres
eEt. The triumph OF Londoner Is
half gained through the name alone.
rhe other half only is Up TO him.
Forty years tn London" Is SUI
this is added here the fact of novels
written in London about London.
Then this book Of stories" drawn
A most engaging book. because It,
curiously, takes up the things that
we like best to hear about. How
could the man have known: Have
our hikes" in this respect become
patterned and STANDARDIZED? Never
mind. He does talk about the really
Interesting things, going back to
when London was younger by two
score years than 1t is now, walking
along streets that time and men have
made famous. dropping into places
that beloved Observation-Disclosures and
Thackeray and others of their day
have kept fresh to the heart. The
most of these stories, however. have
neighbor in the past. One will select
here as his taste leads-to this club
or that, to this function or another,
to this artist or that other one. En-
borly, sparkling bits here that serve
to make one have an intimate sense
Of partaking in this panorama of
London life. a fascinating book.
PAULINE. BY Baroness de Knoop.
New York: d. Appleton & Co.
In both substance and form this
novel gives a high rate of pay for
the time a reader puts upon II. The
theme Is d big one. The manner of
its projection is that which sets
personality off from a mere person.
The theme is that disillusionnent
may be a means of true development.
Not the dtsillusionment of the spec
tator who. looking through glasses
green or yellow, passes the whole.
world up as rotten. Not that. Rather
the successive disillusionments of the
Individual which stand, in truth, as
stages of growth rather than as
isolated signs of a world out OF
joint. This story is a journey-Pau-
lines journey from girihood to love
and marriage, and on to what looks
like definite and complete failure.
Somewhere within this woman, how
ever, is the power of self-investiga-
tion. the ability to coordinate soul
events. the vision to realize that this
road TO Calvary has covered the
crucifixition of, smaller selves. That.
In reality. tt has been an ascent into
higher atmoSpheres, each seeming
catastrophe but another trial of her
strength to stand alone. Just a story,
though, given like a story, with no
obvious strain after spiritual truth
AS a story alone It has way with
it-a clear. staccato, crystal way, that
is as captivating as 1T is Illuminating.
THE OWLS HOUSE. BY Crosbie Gar
stin, author of THE Coasts of
Romance" etc. New York: Fred
erick A. Stokes Company.
Pure romance, clear adventure.
Both of the exciting and colorful sort
calculated to relieve many a drab
day Of realism in both literature and
Cornish coast after the disfigured
John Penhale, having married a
strollfng gypsy for want of a better
wife, had died leaving TWO sons to
carry on here. One of these sons /:
Of the clear mother strain, pure
Romany. 1t is to him that one look:
for the daring adventures that rae
through this story, vagabond adven
lures of smuggling and lighting,
pirate work along the Barbary coast
of fierce wooings and occasional win.
nings. The other son partakes o.
for life as well as for love. is be-
tween these two, the mother even
fiercely on the side of the son of her
own blood. Not minute to spare
for delay of any sort in this story.
So get the work done, thee closed,
or the cows milked and the dishes
washed before sitting down to this
racing and absorbing tale of sheer
adventure.
JIMMIE. The Story Of u Black Bear
Cub. BY Ernest Harold Baynes.
author of "Polaris," etc. illustrated
by Louise Brit Baynes and the
author. New York: The Macmillan
Company.
To know a bear cub, even through
the nakeshift agency of the. 200"