Evening star., 1925-09-22
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
CHINA. Frank g. Carpenter. Double
!. G.. NJ.

CHINA. Frank G. Carpenter. Double
day, Page & Co.
The travel books of Frank Carpen-
ter stand out conspicuous among
books of this class by virtue of the
single purpose that so obviously con-
trolls them. Never once in his work
does this author stray from the com
plete fulfillment of that purpose. And
to 1t he gives the best OF his years
the best Of his seasoned powers.
travelling the world over. not once
but many times, Carpenters sole OBJ
Jective was to deliver IT, region by
region, to book travellers, not only in
the true form Of its physical existence.
but in it's manifold meanings and
general spirit as well. To meet such
full and exact portrayal this author
chose for his travel writings through
out one of the basic methods of all
teaching-that of comparison and con-
trast We learn OF remote and un-
known things only by way of the
near and familiar ones. And this is
Mr.. Carpenters constant method of
getting far places across to the imme-
diate Consciou sness of readers. Every
page of his illuminates distant regions
by way of the near ones. The Sudan,
Afghanistan, South Africa, India,
Patagonia. all these and other coun-
tries set up in one aspect and another
beside our own Maine and Montana,
California and the Carolinas, Michi-
gan and Mississippi. 1t is exactly
this method in it's perfected use that
produced the Carpenter readers on
the geography of the world which
thOusa nds of school children in this
country and elsewhere are today read
ing with astonishing zest and under
standing and profit. A fine teacher in
essence. a trained journalist, IN in
corrlgible traveller. man of single
and definite purpose, such was-and
is-Frank Carpenter. deServedly ia
nous writer on travel themes.
X
China" is OF piece with the whole
OF this mans work, an immediate and
vivid picture of the new China emerg-
tion and custom. The book repre-
sents Frank Carpenters sixth, and
last, visit to this country. Therefore,
il is an uncommonly waywise mar
that here invites us to go along with
him into this part Of the Orient.
When Carpenter made his first trip
into China, 40 years ago, the Manchu
dynasty was still strong in its
medieval splendor and power. Or so
II seemed. Only six years later, how
ever. he found there the Boxer rebel
lion just dying out. Subsequent visits
have shown to him the passing of
the empire, the founding of repub-
lic-in theory at 1east-and the Chi
nese making swift advances toward
the WAYS of the Western world. 1T Is
this modern, this swift-changine
China, that steps out to meet readers
here in realistic portrayal.
In the comfort of going along with
Carpenter, without the many discom
forts of actually doing so. we advance
upon China through the British gate
way, Hongkong-an island whose city
is named Victoria. though never called
by this name. 1t is all Hongkong
Then through the Portuguese town
of Macao. the Monte Carlo of the Far
East. From here to Canton, amaz zing
picture of the ancient and modern
set side by side. On up to Shanghai
to Soochow. the Athens of China; tt
Hankow and Peking and Port Arthur
This, roughly. outlines the course
taken here. The outline. however. in
cludes innumerable happy delays and
turns for the gathering in of signif-
cant and interesting features in this
Chinese progression out of its ancient
past. The cities. each in it's peculiar
stamp of appearance set in the occupa-
ton and habit 5ordained by its sur
roundings. are. literally. moving pic
tures-ine buildings. paved streets.
extensive parks. actually springing
into existence under Western initiative
and besides these the donkey carriers
and coolie porters, and jinrikisha bear
erS. pagodas and temples and tea
Notwithstanding realities of pic.
turesque content and implication. The
industries of these localities engage
the interest of this writer. What the
people do to keep alive is brought UP
beside our own efforts in the same
direction. There is a land of cotton
i'm China well as in our own South
And the contrasts in it's culture and
production and manufacture that
these two cotton growing areas show
is highly interesting commentary on
the ways of the East and West Right
here, the woman question gets on its
feet. That is, it Is literally on its feet
in China. since the women are field
workers at a few cents a day. In
America. of course. the question has
taken wings that lift the women into
the upper air of ease ard comfort
Not only industries but the allied sub
iect of economics have place here in
the comparative outlook that Carpen
ter so exclusively makes his own
And religion and education and poll
tics are swept into these inclusive pic.
lures.
The book opens right here at a
pa ssace that illustrates the Carpenter
method. He has given description
of the great Chinese Wall, dwelling
upon the difficulties of it's making, the
time consumed. its dura bility and age
In reference to the last point: The
Chinese Wall was begun seventeen
hundred years before America was
discovered. at a time, when our an
cestors half naked and altogether
savage. were wandering through the
wilds of Northern Europe; when Rome
was still a republic fighting her las:
battles with the Carthaginians. and
more than two hundred years before
Christ was born" Much more to this
comparison, but SO much serves as
illustration of the illuminations tha,
Frank Carpenter produces by way Of
his method of comparison and con
trast.
A great travel writer whom al
Americans honor and whom we shall
miss more and more as we realize
more fully the loss that we have sus
tained.
.. THE BOLSHEVIk MYTH. Alexa n
der Berkman. Boni and Live
right.
This Berkman diary begins in anger
gets on its way in a spirit Of high
hope and closes In despair. It begin.
with the deportation of Alexander
Berkman by the United States Gov
ernment upon his release from ths
Atlanta prison. An angry man., re
sentful at the treatment accorded him
confident that he still has message
for America-the message of an
| arehism as an agent of government
Qf, na enykrnrnArif On ard shii,