Evening star., 1924-06-08
THE REAL SARAH BERNHARDT.
BY Nine. Pierre Berton, Translat-
I'd by Basil Woon. Illustrated.
New York: Roni and I1iVeright.

lowed even herself to aVoW
in her own autobiography. Much of
1t was written and accepted during
the life of the great woman. The
chronicler was her friend and author
Ized biographer. One is justified,
therefore, in looking for a complete
picture-that is, picture as COM
plete as any individual human is like
ly 10 uncover when il comes to actual
Stlf-disclosures. Here, throughout, is
the essence of drama distilled from
the temperamental soul of great ge-
MUS. High courage, indomitable Will,
lerCe pride of art, scorn of Conven-
tion and every other brand of inhibi-
tIon or restraint, generosity with one
hand, misers grip with the other,
erratic, unexpected, disappointing
az of these and more. except, invaria-
bly,. that where her art was con-
cerned, there Sarah Bernhard was at
the highest pitch of devotion. There
Is a great deal here about the per-
Sonal life of the woman, about her
open interest in every form of art,
about the men in her life and the
women. about her sweeping furies
and her sudden generosities. 1t is a
book of many intimacics, of many as
this sort of book One wonders Why
1t is not enough that Bernhard was
surprising genius, contributing
something to the world that no one
SO much concern about the lover of
ihls week the new dog of the week
before. the grizzly coffin, the whole
Ciaptrap OF superficial stuff. Nobody
knows why we have this kind of
curiosity, but we have il. So, this
cook is bound to be received with
great satisfaction generally. Aside
from what il has to tell, its way of
telling. this is quite cut of the usual
order iii its straight and simple and
pleasing frankness
THE LIVING PAGEANT OF THE.
NILE. BY Robert Forrest Wilson.
Illustrated by r. F. Ward Indian
apoiis:' The Bobbs- Merrill Com
pany.
The excellence of this story of
Egypt lies in the fact that the mind
or the author runs along with the
mind of the reader who has an in
telllsent interest in all matters OF
human interest. This reader is keen
I" those things that are alive, in con-
trast to those that are irretrievably
dead. as the finding of arChaeolo-
gusts are certai to be. This writer
iS Interested, also. in the living AS
poets OF human existence. He pos
Sesses, moreover, an imagination of
the constructive sort = a clear gift
Tor setting historic fragments out in
completeness of form. in unity of
erect IN an appeal that is vital and
immediate. So, in Egynt at the timn
CT the Tu-tank Amen discovery, and
greatly stimulated by the rich quail
ity of this discovery, he began a cor
sideratlon of Egypt from the stand
point of living men and women who
ages ago, lived and loved and honed
ahu uied-Just as We are doing. En-
rernais different, and OF these hs
makes splendid and EraDhic recon
Structiens, but beneath the .sumptu-
Gus parade of those ancient days we
Hhn ourselves. A clean line of story
mere. Tree from the clutter of un-'
at-l- - f,;1.
history in very momentous period
i'eSt or all, as the title promises, q
IlElng pageant - one that moves he
fore the reader like life itself Ad-
miribie both in it's good intent n
reach many readers equally admir-
abie In the fair promise for that in
tent "
RED HEAR OR YELLOW DRAGON.
By Marguerite +. Harrison, au-
thor of "Marooned in Moscow IL
Iustrated. New York: George H.
Doran Company.
An incurable adventurer, this Jour
nalist, who never finds herself Guite
so content. seemingly. as when in
some outlandish region she is hese;
with difficulties PFivations even dan
gers; \ Moscow prison during thu
revolutionary period appears merely
TO have given her case fresh point to
Of Rabelais. Appetite comes with !
eating Promptly another prime ad- |
venture follows that earlier one
This, too, of the strenuous sort Att
It's close another, journey into Russia
AN involuntary" one. rounds cut and |
tops off, travels through Ia,.an.
Korea. China and Manchuria. out Of
this experience the writer secured
conditions in eastern Asia with
hints here and there of the human
factors involved in the current course
of eastern affairs But, after all, it
L.. H. 1,,,-
IS paramount. Naturally. therf1re
II Is this effect of adventure that
stands conspicuous here. However,
along with the pure joy. of the thing
the writer gathers much of suhstan-
tial interest-political movements
and symptoms, economic agitation,
touches of history. natural featu-es.
friendly intercourse with the plain
people and some, not so plain. 1t is
experience promptly set to paper. Out
of this immediacy of contact and
capture the reader gets a fresh and
vivid picture, informing and interest
ing. An engaging and communica Bile
adventure.
ROBERT Il. LEE; An Interpretation.
BY Woodrow Wilson. The Univer-
sity of North Carolina Press.
To the intellectual insight and ideal
ism of outlook so generally recog-
nized in the words and writings of
new element in this considered in
depreciation and noble appreciation |
of the character and work and in |
f1uence of Robert f. Lee. Mr.. Will
son himself feels and names this new
quality of approach to the theme in |
these words: "It is all very well to |
talk of detachment of view and of |
the effort to be national in spirit and |
purpose. but boy never gets over
his boyhood, and never can change |
~ inf hinH har
become a part of him, that were bred
in him when he was child. So l
am obliged to say, again and again,
that the only place in the country,
the only place in the world. where
nothing has to be explained to me is
the south. Sometimes. after long
periods of absence. I forget how nat |
ural it is to be in the south. and then
the moment i come and see old
friends again. and discover a country
full of "reminiscences which connect
me with my parents. and with all the
old memories, I know again the re-
gien to which ! naturally belong, 1T
is just this feeling that inspires the
sons Interpretation of the character
of Lee.
THE KING OF NO MANS LAND. BY
Arthur o. Ffiel, author of Tiger
River" etc New York: Harper
and Brothers.
America by way of "Tiger River"
along with Arthur Friel you, In that
case. have a foretaste OF this new
romance of the wilds beyond the
Amazon. A feeling of certainty takes
hold Of one in respect to this authors
work. 1t is a clear satisfaction to
realize that enc is going along with
an author who knows where he is
and why he is there. Mr. Friel knows
the the country down there-what to ex-
pect Of it, what to demand OF It
a Arainrt this familiar BACKGROUND he