Evening star., 1925-11-15
IDA GILBERT MYERS.

MinnigerOde. In two volumes.
Illustrated. New York: G. p. Put
MANS Sons.
A SERVICE has been rendered
~ to history by this work of
~ research and writing jointly
have presented the fullest
and most authoritative account OF the
life Of Aaron Burr that has ever been
produced. Mr.. Wandell in his accumu-
lation of material and Mr.. Mimi
gerode In it's presentation have been
inspired by the desire to do justice to
a man whose name Is held in odium
by the present generator OF Amer
leans.
1t is perhaps inevitable that in pre-
senting Aaron Burr's story a sym
pathetic biographer-the collaboration
must be viewed as unit-should
deal with critical frankness with
Burr's two chief political antagonists
Alexander Hamilton and. Thomas
Jefferson. Yet II seems a pity that
that frankness should go so far as
to fay these American statesmen with
partisan scalpels. Burr's full re
Mobilization is impossible. His BIZ
ographers are themselves compelled
to admit his faults Of temper, of
judgment, Of motive and Of practices.
They present sorry figure. after all.
especially the Burr Of later years the
fugitive. the spendthrift, the unbal-
anced promoter of foolish schemes,
the libertine. The best they can do
for this Burr of later life Is to hint
at mental unbalance as excuse for his
frailtieS and faults.
The Burr of the earlier days before
the duel, Mr. Wandell and Mr..
Minnigerode have presented attrac-
lively and convincingly. His keen
ness. his grace. his charm, his ardor.
are vividly protrayed. In the matter
of the duel there Is a disposition to
extenuate his conduct. to blame his
this account with any changing Of
opinion regarding the needlessness OF
the meeting at Weehawken which de-
stroyed the life Of Alexander Hamil-
ton and wrecked the career Of the
then Vice President Of the United
States.
In regard to the great conspiracy"
decidedly better showing Is made
for Burr and sympathies are keenly
aroused by the work of his present
biographers. who absolve him of trea-
sonable designs, though accusing him
OF folly and sweeping ambition beyond
the range Of the United States. The
sinister figure of Wilkinson. secret
agent Of Spain, one time partner OF
Burr in the colonization scheme and
then his betrayer, Is shown in revolt
ing detail. Burr himself appears as
the victim Of persecution. who though
acquitted in law was pilloried in pub
lie condemnation and driven into
exile for the saddest most shameful
period Of his life.
Such volumes as these have dis
tinct value In their revelation of the
grievous trials through which the
American Government passed in the
first decades Of the great experiment
In self-rule. Idols are marred, men,
tai portraits Of patriots are defaced.
the sordidness Of political life is re.
vealed. But out Of this comes a
vision Of the workings of that provi
dence which has attended the birth
and the development of the American
nation. Aaron Burr, soldier, lawyer.
politician. statesman. second officer Of
the Government. outcast. defendant in
court, fugitive and finally pit!able
figure Of an impecunious adventurer
Is one Of the most pathetic souvenirs
Of the struggle which made America.
G.. A. L.
CHINESE FANTASIES. BY Thomas
Steep. New York: The Century
Company.
"A Steep-so waywise that he refuses
even an attempt at Interpretation,
agreeing in full with Lafcadio Hearn
in the theory that the longer he min
gled with the Oriental the less able he
felt to interpret him. So, here In this
book Of Chinese Fantasies" the au-
thor contents himself with making
little pictures, dozens Of them. portray
ing certain aspects OF Chinese life
dress. the ways Of the shop and the
street. the manners Of poiiteness, and
the parents in the family. the means
OF intercourse between the Chinese
and the rest Of the world, the look of
the streets and the special character.
istic Of this city and that province.
Nothing fantastic about any of
these things to the Chinese himself.
These are the old and heaven-born
own formula Of behavior that is un-
accountable and fantastic. In clipped
words that are full Of color Mr.. Steep
draws q hundred sketches-noon in the
great centers-on the WhanEpoo. the
river of Shanghai, or on the Hong
kong waterfront, at Hankow. at Tient-
sin. in Peking or otherwhere. But
in any case each is a swarming motley
Of color and movement. curiously near
and real. Looking on, for many a
year looking on, this author agrees,
that tho more one looks the "curiouser
and curiouser" everything grows
reading from the back Of the book to
the front, foot notes at the top of
the page, taking off foot-gear instead
Of head-gear on entering house. |
shaking their own hands instead of
the hands Of a friend. and so on in
an endless "topsyturvydom" which ex-
tends down into their emotions and
modes of thinking even. There are
hundreds Of pictures here dealing with
the Chinese. Two outstanding fea-
lures mark them as a whole. One is |
the fund Of interesting facts that the
little book contains. the other is the
picturesque quality Of this author |
himself, catching the form and flavor |
of these many appearances and pass |
ing them on to reader.
THE EMIGRANTs. BY Johan Bojer.
author of THE Great Hunger"
etc.
RY way of The Emigrants" Johan |
~ Bojer makes clear claim to a por- ;
adays, provides setting for SO large a F.,
share of current American fiction. In F.!
substance THE Emigrants" Is a pio- |
neer story wherein group Of Nor
wegian immigrants settle on the
prairies Of North Dakota. there de.
veloping the stable quality Of Amer |
icanism which marks that section to-
day.
One wonders. little. how this
writer of Norway could draw so vivid
a picture of American life. The long
miles Of prairie. so unlike the noun
tains and valleys of his own country;
the crude modes Of life--sod cabins.