Evening star., 1925-03-22
THE WORLD OF TODAY, The Mar
Hels OF Nature and the Creations of

Hels of Nature and the Creations oi
Man. Edited by Sir Harry John
son and Dr. Haden Guest. Illus
trated. New York: CT. p. Putnam s
Sons.
dE world has grown too vast
and too complicated to per-
NIT taking any adequate
knowledge of it bit by bit
since the tenure of mans life
still runs the short span that 1t al
ways has. When there came the be-
lated recognition of this woeful dis
crepancy between all there is to learn
and the short time allotted for its ac-
quirement, then invention grew ac-
tive in devising means to bridge the
gap between the two. Then out
lines" came into vogue as the only
ready means of meeting this demand.
Incidentally, these struck the true
psychologist key of gathering knowl-
edge in it's most useful form, in its
only useful form, one may say. out
lines" of history and art and science,
outlines of about every branch of
learning are now available. Co-inci-
dent with this invention there came
u sense of the power of the picture
TO impress facts upon the mind, a
sense that Immediately took concrete
value in the movie" At the present
Incorporation of the film as useful
and legitimate part of the equipment
of education. The book in hand is an
inspired combination of the outline
and the movie AS an outline il has
gathered up the whole world in its
outstanding features of natural i'm
pressiveness and acquired advantage.
AS a film, ii has produced a moving
panorama of these ''marvels of ma
8 hn ~ n
working together, provide an incom-
para BILE opportunity to gain a graphic
and clearly organized summary of the
wide world in its characteristic and
essential aspects. The bulk of these
four splendid volumes is moving pic
lures. And in this respect they are
an unalloyed delight. In respect to
the text going along with these pic
lures, they are no less rich, no less
useful A word for this teXt-for its
direct and straightforward statement
for its devotion to the important
things, whether these be the works
of nature or the equally Impressive
works of man. A practical book, eX-
pert in its discriminating sense of
that which is vital as against that
which is either trivial or ephemeral. In
1eresting, this text, as any ririle and
useful work is interesting. And the
piCtures-a thousand or more-are
continuous delight as well as great
source of substantial information.
Books, these, to take up over and
oder, throughout years, with the an
tiCipation that any surprising pro-
lection of generally important mat
ter is bound to arouse and to satisfy.
GRECIAN ITALY. BY Henry James
Forman, author of In the Foot
prints of Heine," etc. Illustrated
by Frederic r. Gruger. New York:
Boni & Liveright
Let's try out the word 'idyl" on
"Grecian Italy" Au idyl so We read.
is a little thing-not bulky, not
weighty. All right! This is little
thing-no bigger than the islands of
Sicily and Malta with just the sole
idyl is simple. All right again!
"Grecian Italy" is so open and art
less as to suggest that a very high
art indeed selected and composed and
projected the elements whose general
Affect is a beautiful simplicity. An
idyl, so the story goes on, as rule
keeps near to nature and to the life
that lies close to the ground. Once
more the tally holds. For the story
engages itself with the sunlight and
the sea, with the face of the land in
climbing paths and the far outlook,
with shining valleys and mist-veiled
distances, with peasant folks and for
gotten pages of old history. So, by
all the laws that lie in the word,
"Grecian Italy" is a Simon-pure idyl.
We knew 1t was something quite out
of the ordinary, knew it by the salts
factions that settled down inside US
as we read the story unfolded by
these two men lettering along here
inS o
try, or talking with the chance way
farer, or lifting centuries of history
off the surface to let us see the old
lizations-Grecian, Roman, Car
thaginian. Saracen-that one after
another had biossomed in these
islands and on this coast line Fred
eric Gruger has done more than make
the lovely pictures that illuminate
"Grecian Italy" For he was every
minute the right-and-ready COM
panion, the touchstone of Forman's
genial fun making, the incomparably
untiring friend. And the whole story
is beautiful in a way that not one
In a thousand books of like intent
succeed in getting across. A glamour
Gus book of adventure-take 1t from
US.
CHILD-HEALTH LIBRARY. Edited
by John c. Gebhart. Introduction
by Haven Emerson, NJ. D., former
ly health commissioner of New
York City, professor of public
health administra ton, college Of
physicians and surgeons, Columbia
University. New York: Robert K.
Hass, Inc.
Just what 1t claims to be-a library
devoted to the well-being of children.
As attractive in appearance, too, as 1t
is authoritative in substance and
practical in projection. Here are 10
booklets, uniform in size and soft
brown leather binding. With them
charmingly appropriate Doc k-ends go
along for their tidy and compact up
standing. A winning outfit, just to
look at. But it has more than this
skin-deep quality of appeal. For each
booklet is sourced in recognized au-
thority and each is presented very
simply and concretely. A quite prac-
tical library" fitted, besides. to the
greatest ease and convenience of use.
Literally a handy library. The sub
jects themselves range from Pre-
natal Care and the Baby's Birth" to
Educational Problems" In between
nothing but useful subjects appear
"Babies-Their Feeding and Care
Hygiene of the Mouth and Teeth"
The Neglected Age-the Child from
Two to Six" Dangers of the School
Age" Communicable Diseases of
Childhood" What Children of Va
rious Ages Should Eat" How Chill
dren Ought to Crow" Psychology of
the Child" Each of these authors is
a working man or woman-wor king
actively in the professional field of
child nurture-investiga expert