Evening star., 1924-04-27
Reviews of New Books
WAYS OF PEACE. Preface by Ed
ward w. Box. New York: Charles
Scribner'S Sons.

7HIS book presents twenty rep
resentatives peace plans out
of the hundreds submitted In
response to the American
peace award made by Edward
W. Box. Among them is Mr.. Lever
moreS winning plan. In an introduce
tion to the volume Mr.. Box gives, in
his own way, the story Of the origin
and projection of the award. He says
that it started with the American
people themselves. That his part in
the scheme was to supply a channel
bipartisan and -political-for the
expression of a deep and general dis
content that, since the war, so little
has been done to achieve and main
tain real peace. Through this chan
mel of his own providing there flowed
a stream of opinions on this subject
SO varied In source, so increasing in
volume, as to convince Mr.. Box that
the essential condition of productive
action was being fulfilled-that the
great body of people desiring peace
were thinking, seriously and unani-
mously, in terms of peace. That con-
dltlon was the necessary point of ac-
ton. So the award was made. The
Skeptic declared that the 100000
was the actual point of departure
ana Mr.: Box readily grants that it
was hlgh lnducement, Il natural and
logical response to his own theory
that an idea must be set to drama of
one sort or another in order to ge:
IT'S contacts Well made and imme-
dlateiy influential in the desired di
rection. If serious and general
thinking were the fundamental pur-
pose here the award is already a huge
success. Only beginning" Mr.. Box
asserts. The American peace award
IS first step" And the book in
20 20 gamer the substance and to sift
the values of this group of repre-
sentative peace plans
HISTORY OF ASsYRIA. By A r
Olmstead, professor of history. GU
rator OF the oriental museum, Uui-
yersity of Illinois. New York:
charles Scribner'S Sons.
Confident that the ancient Assyr-
ians are worthy of 4 history separate
from that of the Babylonians' with
whom they are as a rule considered
Prof. OlmStead here offers a quite
Spiendidly complete and convincing
proof of the SoundneSs of this the
orN. From original sources of in
fpTmatlon, from actual contact with
the areas held by this ancient civ
tlon, from what he considers to
De the best of the derived means of
Information and confederation, the
author has drawn the material for
this work. The true carrying point
OF the old story is, however, the mar
ratlve power of the author under the
spur of what is to him a great theme
Not that this projection, so abound
ing IN enthusiasm, takes the place of
actual substance. Not at all. What
one wants to say is that this wealth
of research, this richness of mate
rial, this fine historical outlook. this
new new and completer vision of theme
that Is, today actively significant,
becomes in every respect alive, Gy-
mamie, pointed, through the partieu-
lar medium of its projection. One is
brought close to the quality of these
ancient people, to the character of
duration of this influence, to the
bearing of their civilization. upon,
subsequent civilizations, upon sue
ceeding centuries. In it's quality, as
n book of distinct beauty and dignity,
of rich illustrations, of general ex-
cellence in every respect, this volume
stands as one of quite exceptional
value in addition to its intrinsic sub
stance as an important contribution
70 history itself.
THE COLOR OF A GREAT CITY. By
Theodore Dresser, author of sis
ter Carrie" etc. New York: Boni
Liveright
Dresser was walking the streets of New
York city, just as a little earlier he had
walked the streets of Chicago. In both
situations he was upon the same errahd.
And, indeed, he has been upon that sin
gle errand ever since. In all this time
he has been hunting for himself and
for the plain truth of the innumerabie
things about him Trying to capture
the whole in its essential truth, trying
to get it down on paper in a clear in
Nfr f~I-i irlcr fr az
to readers as the truth about the par
ticular thing in hand. THE Color of
a Great City goes back to that year,
1894, or thereabout. 1t is book of
moods-many moods each of
which MIR. Dresser has drained some
passing bit of the great city life. THE
Waterfront" THE Car Yard" Six
O'clock The Pushcart Man. The
Man on the Bench" and other men of
hard lot. Occasionally the mood is
wise it is the prose mood of literal fact.
Within this thirty-year period real
changes have come to the texture of
the big city. Mr.. Dresser projects this
book for the sake of holding fast to
some of the vanishing aspects of that
earlier period. The book gives Dresser
readers a chance to see that then,
now, fidelity to fact was the great Je-
hovah of Dreiser'S art
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIANS. Ed
itor-in-chief Charles Alexander
Rook. Pittsburgh: Compiled un-
der the direction of the James o.
Jones Company. Published by the
Western Pennsylvania Biographi-
cal Association.
A big and handsome volume Of i'm
portant information-depen and
hereby made available for the use OF
newspapers and libraries. The dou-
bic purpose of the book is to give an
nf c.
trial development of western Penn
sylvania and to present by way or
geographic sketches the men VINO
have made possible the phenomenal
material progress OF TINS secuon. IN
general substance it is the story of
coal iron, steel, electricity, projected
into the successive stages of this in
dustrial growth. In particular, 1t IS
the story of personal initiative, busl-
ness acumen, industrial vision, PUBIC
snirit-these applied to the hundreds
of men whose stories are given mere
in proof of their substantial service
to the great commonWealt The oook
is a model of condensation as, upon
its face, it appears also to have been
inspired by clear aim toward
authentic statement. These two
factors stand in tribute to the COM
lpany of editors whose avoWed pur-
pose was to fit this monumenIai oouy
! of knowledge to a definite and use
full end.
/ MY FAIR LADY. BY Louis Hemon,
author of Maria Chapdelaine,
etc. Translated by. William Aspen
wall Bradley. New York: The
Macmillan Company.
That which made Maria Chap,
deIaine" a triumph to its author and
;. source of deep joy to the reaoer Is
in full measure, here in this group OF
hort stories by Louis Hemon. The
clear seeing, the tender feeling, the
sense Of dramatic content, these IN
tit word and companies OF Woros
.to,d hacl, of these stories as they