Evening star., 1925-05-31
BY IDA GILBERT MYERS.

ought to be known generally because
of the high degree of intellectual self
training to which he attained and out
important fields of both letters and
politics. In such a dilemma.-on the
one hand restraint, on the other "A
plain urge toward disclosure-Gen.
Morgan meets the issue by rejecting
formal biography while still holding
fast to it's essence and real substance.
The common Geographic routine where
the time sequence is In fun control
gives way here to a study of Lord
Morleys productive and significant
years alone, when in Parliament he de-
voted his powers to England's i'm
perial well-being, or when in the cabi-
net he faced himself. reluctantly but
definitely. upon the World War, or
when again in seclusion he projected
the Life" of Golden, or Burke, or
Gladstone. In these varied lines of
activity II is the reasoning faculty
1t is the habit of nationalized thought
that is conspicuous, holding itself
vigorously TO the logic upon which be
liefs and opinions and actions are
based. This Is the quality of mind
for which Lord Morley is chiefly
notable, that by way of which he gives
example and inducement to the gen
orally unthinking human. Individual
and independent thought upon any
subject, no matter how simple, is the
rare exception. Man the world over
is a pure copyist. passing from lip
TO lip streams of words that have nc
mental stir behind them. But here Is
thinking man. In this role he con
stantly runs counter to tradition and
worn-out beliefs and snapshot judg
ments. II is true. But he thinks and
this is his true contribution 10 the
growth of other minds. to the enrich
ment of thought generally.
These "reminiscences are of an init
mate and informal nature, the out
come of long friendship between
Lord Morley and Gen. Morgan, the
record of years of kindly association
Both candid and appreciative, they
give carefully measured view of the
character of Lord Morley as this re
acts upon life both public and private
Mill was his intellectual godfather
Gen. Morgan talking-"but Lord Nor
ley was more than a disciple OF Mil
more than an intellectual athlete.
Where the one was pure logician anc
political economist the other was this
warmed and vitaiiZed by imagination
To the average reader the SURPRISING
qualities of Lord Morley come out ir
his letters rather than in his politica
service. Character provides the basis
of his biographies of Burke and Cob
den and Gladstone. Each Life is e
drama wherein the first scene pos
sesses the quality of predestination
the seed of all that is to follow. Anc
upon this basis of dramatic intent the
author builds-Cobden the great agra
rian opponent and agitator. Burke the
mighty disputant. and Gladstone fight
ing both himself and the world in his
advance upon the vision that helC
him in bond. Great dramas of char
acter. these. and great exposttions o.
human behavior under certain connbi
nations Of blood and circumstance
The easy and natural setting fortl
OF a most interesting personality this
at the hands OF wise and dtscrimi
mating author.
DRAG: A COMEDY. BY William Dud
ley Pelley, author of The Fog,
etc. Boston: Little, Brown Co
This is your story, you million:
of men, any one of whom might sliT
into the shoes of David Haskell, It's
chief figure. and walk off into his
affairs under the delusion of still be
ing on your own door-sill, under your
own roof-tree. Mr.. Pelley calls this
a comedy. It is about as comic as
Lear" or Tess or another of the
same kidney as these two. He means
il Is assumed. that il one talks plainly
and a bit blithely about murder ol
rape or arson or assault or felony ano
on through the whole list of crimes
and calamities-then that is comedy
no matter how deadly the tragic busi
ness may be.
To get back to Drag" Its setting
is a living picture of a small Yer
mont town. II is likewise a living
picture of thousands OF other small
towns-the back-drop merely shifted
a bit to picture the scenery Of Ken
lucky or California or Iowa or an,
other one of the remaining %5. In
this Vermont village Mr.. Pelley de
fines in an exceeding particularly
the kind of drag" that is equally in
digenous to all of the other village:
of the entire country. 1t is the family
drag-that curious parasitic impulse
that from every possible direction anC
under every sort OF excuse settle,
whole families, direct and collateral
upon some one member of the family
itself. An old story. A promising
young man niarries a pretty girl
and the trouble begins. There 1!
really no need of drawing the line:
Of this story. You know the whole
Of il already. However, IL you wan
to grasp the whole of ii at a single
view, set out in its actuality. withou
either padding or trimming, why, then
read Drag" The next move will
be to see what you can do about it
Nothing at all, except TO grin ant
bear it. A national. story withou
doubt. A picture of calamity, draw
in manner Of surprising point anc
implication.
THE BLACK CARGO. BY J. P. Mar
quand, author of -Four of Kind,
etc. New York: Charles Scribner''
Sons.
The clipper-ship days of New Eng
land back this romance wherein th'
black men of Africa provide cargoe
for the thrifty and usually God-fear
ing shipowners of Cap Cod and il
neighborhood. With such backing
the romantic period of the clippe
ship, Mr.. Marquand can hardly hell
creating adventure, since this is th'
spirit of the time. And he does ere
ate this in good measure and In goo'
consistency as well. However, tn
real adventure here is of more porten
tous aspect than that which any shil
on any sea can produce. For II is th
adventure of a mans soul upoI
which both God and the devil appea
to have equal lien. II is the siniste
figure of Eliphalet Greer, man of sill
and all manner of wickedness, tina
arrests one as he hears Greer whimp
ering to God and going through wor
shipful genufiections while, at th'
very moment, he Is Tightening hi
grip upon some one toward whom h
is directing his agencies of revenge
A black story-black not merely from
the skin of its living cargo, but blacl
with the color Of Eliphalet Greer