Evening star., 1925-03-15
Reviews of New Books

upon a lonely crag, his the only eye
that gathers in, SO far beneath him.
the moving. black mass that covers
the boundless floor of the Valley-a
live mass. Buffalo, leagues and
leagues of them; acres, miles, mil
lions of buffalo. An era falling many
years after the eagle watched the
buffalo herd. Along the river brush
half-naked Indians lay, waiting for
the great beasts to come down to
drink. There were always these end
less herds in those days; there were
always the Indian tribes, these sun
worshippers whose high chiefs loved
their people and the wild, lonely lands
they believed to be theirs. And,
again, many years later, a struggling
band of white men wearily tramped
the great plains. These were the
Spanish explorers under the intrepid
Coronado. Coronado and Castaneda
were the first white people to see the
American buffalo. This, in substance,
is the background of the great drama
projected here-the drama of the
white settler in America, The tragedy
of the bison and the Indian at the
hands of these settlers. Beyond the
prologue that sets this drama in the
large Zane Grey has foreshortened
the picture to d SiZeable scope and a
nearness of effect that results in an
exciting tale of our own settlers
slaughtering the buffalo and turning
their ranges into farmlands and
homesteads. a great picture, finely
stirring story, with not a little of
pity running it's length and breadth.
A wANDERER AMONG PICTURES.
BY +. V. Lucas. Illustrated. New
York; George II. Doran Co
panionable guide is no less essential
than a knowing one. Interest in this
pursuit is the key to knowledge of
pictures, to an appreciation of them.
And interest springs at the outset
from the personality of the eXpositor
and guide. Upon this particular
wandering," therefore. it is safe to
set out in confidence, since many
times over have we already proved
the good gift of companionship that
Z. V Lucas has bestowed upon us in
more than one of the varied fields of
literature. So here we go-to Lon
don and Paris and Madrid, to Flor
enCe and Rome and Venice, as well as
to the art centers of the rest Of Eu
rope. And our pursuit, under this
good guidance of Titan. Leonardo da
Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael. Rem
brandt. with some others not so far
away-Corot, Manet, Whistler Monet
Goya and others. A well organized
plan, prepared for this outfaring. For
instance, the galleries of London are
set. each in a slight sketch of it's
origin, it's purpose, it's development.
And against this background are pro-
jected such works of master artists
as each of these galleries possesses.
This is the uniform plan applied to
the great cities and galleries com
prised within the circle of this pur
suit. Over and over again does one
come upon the same great master in
this picture or that one, until these
come to possess the advantage of better
acquaintance and of a greatly in
creased understanding. And it is all
so simple so enjoyable and so in
forming. Clear evidence that art
need not be cryptic thing shut up
in a technic that is available to the
mandarins alone. Here lies the dis
tipct value of this book, and its dis
tinct charm as well.
AMERICAN HOMES OF TODAY. BY
Augusta Owen Patterson. art
editor of Town and Country. IL
Illustrated. New York: The Mac
milan Company.
. In large measure this Is picture
book projecting American homes that
are remarkable for beauty or fitness
of architecture, of setting and of eff
fect-a sumptuous display of the
wealth and esthetics of America ex-
pressed in terms of the home. Along
with this array of illustration there
is a line of discussion embracing the
why's and wherefores of these innum-
cradle architectural splendors. a
book which, following out its purpose
is devoted to an explanation of these
various external forms of building
and to convey as we'll something of
their color and atmosphere. The dis
cussion itself centers upon the
changes that since the first years of
the present century have marked
architectural style. The author makes
much of the mental mosphere out
of which these changes have sprung
giving thereby a plausible and logi-
cal effect to that which might other
wise appear to be d whimsical and
unstable foundation for these changes
Under this coherent consistency of
treatment the whole settles to an or
derly presentation of admirable in
formational value. A sumptuous book.
whose appeal to the eye is supported
by the authors definitions and de-
scriptions of the various orders of
architecture embodied in this impress
sive array of American homes
AFOOT AND ALONE. From Washing
ton, ID. c., to San Francisco. BY
Minnie Hill Wood. Boston: The
Christopher Publishing House.
Every step of the way without
single lift from wagon or motor or
any other mode of conveyance did
fro,