Evening star., 1925-06-07
IDA GILBERT MYERS.
Jun VAT SEN AND THE CHINESE

.
Illustrated. New York: The Cen
tury Co.
~ BIOGRAPHY. history and auto
- biography are combined here
in projection of the Chinese
- republic and its creator. An
odd chance led Mr.. Linebar-
ger TO study of the life of Sun
Vat Sen. This study brought about an
acquaintance between the author and
his subject. An examination into the
life of DR.. Sun fronted the investi-
gator promptly upon the political sit
uation in China, wherein republican
aspirations sought the overthrow of
the empire. Then as acquaintance
grew into a very real friendship the
native reticence of the Oriental gave
way and Sun Vat Sen not only yielded
the author many of the facts of his
private life, but set down the less cas-
lily understood features of Chinese pri-
vate life himself. thus giving the au-
topographic stamp of authority to GER
tain vital parts of this story of China
IN Its turn toward republicaniSm.
This is, at first, the story Of the
town of Blue Valley. with the purple
mountains of the Plowshare for it's
background: the hamlet in the Vale of
Blue. Just another of the tens of
thousands of Chinese Sleepy Hollows
a few f1ecks and broken lines in white
and gray in the tropical green Of a
valley whose mountains are blue. >"
Here in 1886 Sun Vat Sen was born
From this point the story spreads with
the boyhood of this child. no different
from other children, till in one of those
ways of mystery his growth turned
him toward the state of his country in
a desire to bring freedom to immemo
rial years of tradition and bondage.
Partly by his own individual efforts
but in greater part by the sympathy
and understanding of Sun Vat, Mr..
Linebarger pursued the career of the
man and the vicissitudes of the Coun-
try in it's reach toward a more liberal
government. Step by step the various
aspects of the rebellion are recorded
here-its triumphs, its defeats. its
present status. Step by step also is
the adventurous career of Sun Vat
Sen depicted. A true adventurer. this
quiet, mild-mannered man. A real
drama stands in these pages-the
drama of a man and the drama of a
people. Used 10 the ways of the
Oriental from many years of official
and private life in the East, Mr.. Line
barger is ready with the Oriental point
of view with its mode of expression.
Because of this familiarity he is able
to seize the spirit of the East and to
transmute it to Western understand
ing without loss of either it's truth or
its SAVIOR. A comprehensive record of
a remarkable man and a notable ma
tional movement. Five years ago this
story was commenced. The recent
death of Sun Yat Sen makes the book
specially useful and interesting,
though it was planned and completed
while DR.. Sun was yet engaged in the
political regeneration of China.
THE DAY OF CONCORD AND LEX
INGTON. The Nineteenth of April,
1775. By Allen French. Illustrated.
Boston: Little, Brown & Co.
This study is, in effect, a continua-
ton of the celebration of April 10, in
commemoration of the 150th ami
versary of an event that opened a new
era in American history. General
history must in the interest of the
whole give to single events, even the
most Importance, a relatively Scant al
lowance of time and space. Therefore,
because of its many-sided significance
Mr.. French here lifts the battle of
Lexington from it's general historic
content and gives to it the color and
particularly of local history. Vividly
he sketches the literal background as
it a century and a half ago supported
the growing disa greementS of colonial
and royalist. He pictures the Boston
of that day and the country connect
ing it with Concord and Lexington.
In lifelike detail he sets down Incl
dents one and another to show the
growing animosity between these two
elements. The battle itself here be-
comes a story, it's forerunner the gal
liant Paul Revere and his less known
associate, William Dawes. From this
dramatic episode, since made the sub
ject of poem and tale and Staid report,
he moves out into consideration OF
the military aspects of that battle,
comparing and contrasting 1t In
strategy and tactics and equipment
with the more modern example or
military action. The aim here is to
emphasize the drama of this event, to
bring out the romance of 1t, to en-
body it with great and gallant figures
fighting in great cause. 1t is by this
mode of treatment, so the author be-
lieveS, that a high point in the history
of America will take hold OF the minds
and stir the hearts of the succeeding
generations of Americans who must
need hold this particular April day IN
lasting remembrance. The author has,
for this purpose, deliberately ignored
the social and economic roots OF his
tory that are, latterly, crowding out
the dramatic and personal and episo-
die character of historic research.
Aside from it's special purpose to re-
animate a great day in its original
substance, the study is also an effort
TO strike a middle ground of historic
treatment, a ground between the ex-
elusive attention to wars and con-
quests on the one hand and to an alb
sorption on the other hand in the
economic causes and effects of aggres-
sion and military operations. A bril-
liant and useful study that brings a
single vital day of American history
into the present for ones apprecia-
tion of it's color and action in support
of ones usual acceptance OF LeXlng-
ton as merely one of the battle or in
dependence.
MARTHA. BY Percy Marks, author
of THE Plastic Age" New YORK:
The Century Co.
A tragedy from first to last. The
tragedy of a child of mixed blood. The
white mans blood and that or the
woman of another race-African, Asl'
attic. American Indian. However dilute
this Caucasian strain may be, 1t serves
as the leaven of discomfort in on
spring, of rebellion against immemo-
rial customs of race, of protest against
discrimination and neglect and con-
tempt. One of the most poignant
chapters, this, in the story OF human
life. Such is the story that Mr.. Marks
builds around the person OF the beau-
tiful Martha, who cannot escape her
long heritage of race at the hands OF