Evening star., 1924-04-26
The Library Table
BY THE BOOKLOVER

At last the book about the city of
| Washington for which the BookIover
! has long been waiting. Your Wash
ington and Mine" by Miss Louise
Payson Latimer. just published, we'll
meets long recognized need for u
book that should contain much de-
sired information about the Capital
City, but should also adequately in
terpret that Information in order
properly to place Washington in the
American scheme. In her title Miss
| Latimer has furnished a slogan and
expresses the attitude that all Ameri-
cans should hold toward the National
Capital. She then proceeds to justify
her title by painting the picture Of
| the Capital City that is now cher
ished by all Americans, but that
merits more intelligent devotion in
| order to make il worthy of the ma
| tion whose responsibility it Is.
| = i r
Thnre are already a number of ade-
quato Washington guide books. There
are also several valuable histories of
Washington, most of them covering
certain periods Of our annals Then
there are books on certain phases of
Washington affairs or objects of in
terest. such as the government, the
social life and the art treasures. Miss
Latimer's book will not take the
place OF the useful guide book for
the Washington visitor and will not
make unnecessary the more elaborate
! and specialized books in the case oil
those who wish 70 make minute
study of certain phases Of Washing
| ton affairs But for the person who
| ,ioh fn 10
facts and stop short of more detailed
| studies. Your Washington and Nine
furnishes the desired information ana
| Interpretation, intelligently and ade-
! quately.
| The first and second sections OF
| Your Washington and Mine" are de-
| voted TO the earlier and later history
of the Capital beginning with the
| Indians and the first white settlers
| and proceeding with tho choice and
! acquisition of the site of tho Capital
the transfer of the government to the
| hanks of the Potomac, early transporta,
| tion, newspapers and theaters. the burIi-
! ing of the public buildings in the war
| of 1912, the effect of the civil war on the
Capital, the Shepherd development, the
en1rrgence OF Washington as world
! Capital and the effect of the world war
| on the Capital. The third part Is de-
voted to the public buildings and hlsIoric
| places. the romantic stories or the Capl-
| toll the White House and the Monu-
| ment, the travels and vicissitudes OF the
| government when at times 1t was home
! less, and interesting non governmental
public buildings, historic houses ano
| other buildings, occupied by government
or by famous or Infamous characters
! The recent impetus given to the develop
! ment of the city plan make parts fonr
| and five, devoted. respectively. TO streets.
parks, monuments and city planning ana
| to the Potomac River, of unusual IN
| terest Section seven is concerned with
Mount Vernon, Arlington and George
town.
The Booklover confesses TO have been
most Interested in Miss Iatirner's part
six. devoted to municipal affairs, sub
jects neglected in most books about
Washington, but here treated under
standingly and convincingly. 1t is hoped
that this book will be widely read
! Throughout the country, that copies will
be carried away by visitors who come to
| Washington in ever-increasing numbers,
especially at this season of the year.
! and that all such viii not overlook
| these chapters on the form of the local
government, the method of support ana
| the political disabilities of the residents
| Of the District OF Columbia. If they are
widely read there will BE- fewer people
! who think we pay no taxes whatever
| and more who will know that we nave
! no vote. This section also contains en-
cellent chapters on our municipal lnsti-
| futions, our public schools ana library,
| our Fairgrounds. courts police and fire
| departments and our non governmental
educational institutions and our indus
tries. including our chief industries, the
federal and local governments. Among
| the abundant and well selected illustra-
tions are included many unusual pictures
| of points of interest not often shown.
| 1: < x
| The character and dialect of the
Kentucky mountaineers are the
framework of Percy MacKaye's new
play. This Fine, Pretty World Mr.
| Mackaye lived among these noun
taineers for a time and studied their
habits and language, which he re-
corded in several typewriter VOL
umes. In his preface TO the play he
states that his intention is to write
! a series of plays which shall preserve
| the regional characteristics of vari
| Gus odd corners of the United States.
| In Yankee Fantasies" a volume of
one-act plays published several years
ago he treated parts of New Eng
land. What his next venture will be
| is a subject for interested guessing
! The plot of the present play is some
1
| tant episode is situation in which
| a baby in Sacking bag is miStak en-
| for a shoat. Possibly this was sug-
| gested to the author by a we'll known
known as The Second shepherd s
| Play" in which a sheep stealer, Max
| conceals a stolen sheep in his wife s
| bed. where 1T plays the part of n new
| born child until its bleats reveal the
| trick to the pursuing shepherds who
have been robbed.
| y * X X
Even though Washingtonians. ex-
cept those who happen to have legal
residence elsewhere, cannot par
ticipato in the primaries, conven-
tions and the balloting of a presi-
Dental election year, they are vitality
affected by the results of these
events and so are interested in the
| processes. An informal and intimate
account of the everyday facts about
| politics, politicians. political ma
| chimes and candidates and their
Game Of Politics. by Frank Z. Kent
| The author states that ''the country
| is really run by the political ma
| chimes, and the political bosses are
| in the confines of their own COM
munities. our most influential set OF
| citizens. Incomparably they have
| more power than any group among
| US" This book is an attempt to give
| accurate information about these ma
| chimes and the people who run them
| He begins with the smallest political
unit. the precinct, and the smallest
| machine cog, the precinct executive,
| and gives the practical and human
side of the political machine from
| bottom to top. The author, who is
| distinctly not opposed to woman suf-
! frage claims that thus far at Least