Evening star., 1925-01-11
Reviews of New Books

agencies that, in India and from the
OUTSIDE as we'll, are working definite
ly to increase the confusion, to pro-
mote the unrest, to foment rebellion
even among the millions of natives
Every sort of cult and propaganda
calculated to appeal to the supersti-
tion of the common people thrives
here, with leaders from Europe and
America to misdirect and mislead the
people. At any rate, such is the com
manding idea that stands forth out
of this admirably projected picture of
modern India under the secret urg-
tngs of agitators and false prophets
THE SHIRT. BY Peter E. Wright
New York: George H. Doran Co
Sounds like a sale or laundry
ticket. No. neither. Instead. the
title Of this tale is of noble lineage.
1t goes away back to that classic
quest OF the shirt Of a happy man. in
order that the finder might himself
achieve happiness. Beyond this title,
rather in pursuance of its content, the
story unfolds satirists outlook upon
modern life. The satirist's outlook
is bound to be one-eyed or cross
eyed. No other way to secure the
peculiar effects of his peculiar craft
y D.
portion to the edge of this turn of
mind. Before reading a satire, how
ever, one has to discount so much
that he enters upon it in an abated
ardor. Here Is the story of Caria, a
country that becomes the greatest
In the world-and the dullest This
is the keynote of the whole. Because
there is work and prosperity and
success, there is, forsooth, venaIity
ty Rri, In
high places. political corruption and
so on and so on. Beauty languishes
the arts decline, high living Gusts
high thinking. You know the line.
So. one reads along here in the com
pany of a familiar of some college
cult, or some secretism of SUPER
knowledge, In whose presence the
plain world shrivels into dung and
dust. oh. yes, clever of course.
Really clever. How encouraging it
would be- however. if some one
between Pollyanna and Mephistoph-
eles-would. in capability of
adequate expression, write of the
thousands of superb things that are
being done in this wonderful day of
ours-things that will bring to hand
the shirt of happiness much more
promptly than can the most polish
ed of gibes,s the most brilliant of
ironic fables. +
FoURSCORE. BY Sidney Herschel
Small, author OF THE Lord of
Thundergate. Indianapolis: The
Bobbs-Merrill Co.
The poetry of adventure and the
prose of the ordinary chronicle come
together here in a story of the max
ing of Americans out of immigrant
stock. Two young men, one German,
the other Welsh-met by chance
cross the ocean in company, and, ar
rived in the United States, pursue
fortune together. From New York
they move out into the West. with a
mining experiment to enliven the
course of the ordinary settler In
the second generation divergent in
terests separate them for "A time.
Mercantile business with Japan for a
temporary background serves both
the interests of business and romance
In the third generation the families
are reunited under the potent infiu-
ence of romance and marriage. The
story closes with the death of the
German grandmother, woman who
throughout is lovable and influential
with her children in the only way
that mothers can be influential with
them. 4 finely colored chronicle.
which. while not giving up it's effect
of believable record, does at the same
time produce the stir and expecta-
tion of adventure.
THE LIGHTHOUSE AT THE END
OF THE WORLD. BY Jules Verne,
author of THE Mysterious Island"