Evening star., 1924-06-21
The Library Table
BY THE BOOKLOvER

The congressional Investigations of
the recent session have been so nu-
merous as to crowd each other out Of
mind. We have, therefore. almost
forgotten that these quests for viii
Iainy actually included an inquiry by
a subcommittee of the Senate COM
mittee on foreign relations into the
award of the Box peace prize. What
ever the motives of the investigation
of this propaganda" we recall that
there were protests at the method Of
the award on the part of some of the
unsuccessful contestants. / am not
sure whether any one proposed that
the 22,165 plans submitted should all
be published by Congress and that the
pick a winner in place of DR.. Charles
H. Levermore. to whom the prize was
actually awarded. Since such a whole
sale job of printing was too great
even for Congress to authorize, per-
haps a better purpose will be served
by the publication in a volume en-
titled ways to Peace" of twenty Of
the plans selected from the most
representative Of those submitted for
the American peace award for the
best practicable plan by which the
United States may cooperate with
other nations to achieve and preserve
the peace of the world" The selection
has been made by Esther Everett
Lape of the policy committee, who
has written an INTRODUCTION to the
book. Edward w. Box, the founder OF
the award, supplies preface, telling
how he came to offer the prize.
X X X
In addition to DIR. Levermore, au-
writer's selected for inclusion in
Ways to Peace" comprise such
names as Charles w. Eliot, David
Starr Jordan, Bishop c. H. Brent.
Profs. Edwin Borchard of Yale and
Manley o. Hudson and Nathan Isaacs,
both of Harvard; Miss NJ. Carey
Thomas. formerly president of Bryn
Mawr College: Gutzon Borglum. the
artist; William S. Culbertson Of the
United States Tariff Commission,
Charles A. Hertner. formerly assist
ant to Secetary Hoover, together with
three lawyers, a chemist, mining
engineer, statistician, an Army Of
ficer and two whose professions are
given as writer's. 1t Is interesting to
note that large proportion of these
representative plans recommend the
use in one way or another of the ma
chinery of the existing league of ma
tions and the Permanent Court of In
ternational Justice. This volume con-
stitutes a compendium of the best
present day thought concerning the
road America must follow il she Is
to find peace for herself and the rest
of the world. 1t is a notable achieve
ment to have led more than $4,000
Americans to write out their ideas
and untold thousands to read and
discuss plans for world peace.
In the foreign relations planks of
the Republican national platform it
is announced that the basic princi-
pies of our foreign policy must be
without indifference to
the rights and necessities of others
and cooperation without entangling
If DR.. Herbert Adams Glib
bons had no part in framing this
statement of foreign policy, at least
his new book, Americas Place in
the World" will serve as An excel
lent exposition and defense of such
a policy. He says that the so-called
isolation policy, the refusal to take
sides OF become involved in the in
ternal political quarrels of Europe is
not only the Oldest doctrine of Amer
lean foreign policy. but that in every
crisis that has arisen in our rela-
tions with Europe it has been re-
affirmed and has met with the ap-
proval of the American people. He
that our Intervention in
of this traditional policy, but that
in our participation in the war and
thereafter we took particular care
TO avoid the appearances of "entan-
Cling alliances. DR.. Gibbons believes
that the United States was entirely
justified in rejecting the treaty of
Versailles and it's league of nations
because we were not permitted to
ratify 1T without the reservations
that would obviate such political en-
events of the past four years, during
which the former allies have been
at loggerheads, have only
served to afford more convincing
league. That Americans are eagerly
desirous of taking an active and
helpful part in world affairs is
shown, according to DR.. Gibbons, by
the nationwide interest in the Box
peace plan contest, and particularly
cooperation of the United States
with the league of nations. He be-
lieves that thoughtful Americans are
in accord with the general lines of
the Levermore plan. which, in turn,
the Booklover finds to be substan-
tally the policy laid down in the Re-
publican platform. American mem
berShip in the Permanent Court of
International Justice DR.. Gibbons
takes for granted.
X X X
Mans Judgment of Death" is the
title of book on capital punishment
written by Lewis E. Lawes, warden of
Sing Sing prison. Warden Lawes went
to Sing Sing believer in the death
penalty. Since then he has witnessed
more than 100 executions, and his book
is record Of his change in conviction
1t deals with many phases of a problem
which is always new.
X X r
Cora Harris confesses in her auto
biography, my Book and Heart" pub
lished recently. her desires for the here
after. my idea would be to choose a
short, stout pair Of domestic wings and
settle down as a peaceful old gray
pigeon saint in Paradise. No harp nor
glittering crown for me, dear Lord.
should leave all that stage costume stuff
for the public-spirited saint"
\ \ X
When the Quaker boy, Edward Mac
DoweIl. played marbles in Clinton street
of the New York Of 1870, and drove in
the old family carry-ail for all-day
picnics to Central Park, he was no more
attentive to his daily practicing on the
piano than the average little boy. Abb
bic Farwell Browns THE Boyhood of
Edward MacDowelI' tells an amusing
story of Edward, who. having been pre-
sented with a coveted new book, retired
with his small brother to the parior,
shut the door, and, bribing the child
with two pennies to play on the piano
and make sufficiently continuous noise
to deceive the family, lay on his stom-