Evening star., 1924-11-25
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
THE WIND AND THE RAIN. Thomas
Burke. George II. Doran Com

All over London with Tommy
Burke O. nights and never a sus-
picion that he was other than an un-
commonly clever chap with a perfect
dog scent for the alien corners of the
East End-Chinatown In Limehouse
Causeway, the Jewish quarter in
Whitechapel. the French in Old
Compton street, the Italians in
workmen from all ma
tions over on the Isle of the Dogs.
Wonderful nights" these, with this
pale and quiet youth. so modest
seeming, yet a master hand at draw
ing out the essence of these trans
planted little nations, each in Its
original savor and tang. Among
these unforgettable nights one above
all others stands shining memory
a music night" when, sitting along
side this young man one was flung
headlong into the lyric raptures of
Enrico Caruso, for the moment Puc-
cinis Rudolfo, the poet On the one
hand no actual partaking, on the
other no supreme service of poet or
painter could surpass the enthrall-
ment Of this music night in the COM
pany of Tommy Burke, who, finally,
Instead of saying Goodnight" said:
THE simplest people can understand
and enjoy Puccinf and Caruso and
Melba because the simplest people are
artists. And, clearly. IL beauty can
not speak to us in our own language
and still retain its dignity it is no,
beauty at ALL
Butt must be getting on
+ * x
For-The Wind and the Rain
gives rise to "A thought which the
Nights In London of a year or sc
ago failed to suggest-that these
were not mere excursions into an
alien element on the part of clever
and ambitious artist trailing a fresh
jaded readers. Not at all. The Wind
and the Rain" stands as evidence
that in those earlier days Tommy
Burke was. at this point and that
one. turning the warp and woof OF
his own young days into these
dramatic and Illuminating nights
What was then presented as touch
and-go contact here and there is now
offered az a full story covering the
high points of Tommy Burke's pill
gr!mage through East London and
out OF II up to the 23-year limit
Now, II this be true. IL there be
no subsequent reservations and re-
ractions-which, of course, there
will not be since Tommy Burke is
neither a coward nor a fool-why
then. The Wind and the Rain" may
challenge without fear any self
"a a
ever has hitherto stepped out Into
print.
THE road Is long, says the East.
ern sage, but IL has many corners
and my London road has corners al
Limehouse CauseWay: at court in
the heart of Bermondsey: at Gale
donian road: at Greenwich: at Pad.
dington Station; at The Barge
Aground: at Lyons tea shop in Hol-
born; at Belgravia, and the Borough
High street; each corner a symbols
Of those other symbols of life which
we call facts"
So the story opens, serving thus
the double purpose of a greeting hand
to the reader and as bits OF frame
work for the fitting in OF periods that
together. inclose the season of boy
hooo anu IndnnOOa." =
In this confession" certain out
standing and inescapable effects reach
out and seize one in lasting hold
One is that this is not.1a book al
all. not story about. boy. 1t Is
instead. a set of embodied, tangible
facts at the vital center Of which
is living boy. And, within these
facts you take modest place beside
the boy-followiitg. : standing by
waiting. ever close to this, boy sc
sloatingly in love with the multitu
dinous sights and sounds and smells
or Limehouse Causeway. And this
sonse or reality persists throughout
the experience. deepening your actua
intimacy with a child who, deep in
his heart, is in love with beauty
hungry for it. untiring in an uncon.
scious quest of it. And this hunger
FED at first on the exotic fiavors OF
Chinatown, continues and is finally
Joined with the real agony of con.
verting the beauty of things into a
counterpart Of lovely and revealing
words. The effect Of this insatfabJe
ardor OF artistry is strong and
beautiful and impressive simplicity.
X X X
Before the window of Quong Lee
child stands by the half-hour, por.
ing upon the, ideographs. then IA.
now) fuller for him of hidden beaut,
than any painted picture. About hin
a narrow street and through Its mis-,
move the calm faces of Canton ant
Malaga Above his head hangs the
lantern OF Quong Lee. and beyond
the window sits Quong Lee himself
gazing out as the boy gazes in. AL
day and all the evening he sits in the
corner seat OF his counter, gains
through the window with unwinkins 8
eyes, as though carYen. His temper
Is fxed, aloof from the disturbance
OF delight or distress. He seems. as
set as his gingerjars, as permanen,
and tranquil as the expressionles.
face of his seven-stomached lord OF
right living. But it was not so
Fluent as his road had been. it ha6
sharp corner. His shop is there
his lantern is there; maybe his spirit
Is there; but the English law had not
the child's feeling for the perdurabIe
and all that the child noWthas of him
In material shape is an old silk: cap
tasseled with devil chasers." And now
among the writings of Tommy Burke
Is The Song Book riof yQuong, Lee
of Limehouse"-tribut of affection
for Quong Lee from the boy who, used
to sit so happily in the silence of the
little store over whose doorway
swung the lamp painted with the
chop of Quong Lee.
X * x i:
"It seems that in those days things
were always happening. life was a
shower of colored stars-Christmas
days, Sundays, bank holidays. tram
rides, bus rides or courses. being
poor, we suffered greatly at the hand.
of the interferers and all those old
women and earnest young men from
the universities who want to leave
the world better than they found it
For such people the East End of Lon
don was their hunting ground. No
pious youth from college ever seemed
TO think of doing a little settlement