Evening star., 1926-11-02
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. C.. M.


followed here by Padraic Colum:.
North and south, east and west, and
criss-cross roads are these, Whlch
serve to spread all Ireland out in
huge spider-web design whose cross
ing lines inclose mosaics Of indlvld-
ual pattern, whose circumference
gathers them all into unity OF essen
tial kinship.
Treading his own soil in this way
faring, Padraic Colum deals Know
ingly and feelingly with these mosa1cs
Of Irish life. Under them all, binding
them together, he lays the deep, com
mon soil of racial idiosyncrasy' 5nat
ancient Gaelic foundation, that oddly
distinct human strain wherein reality
and unreality hobnob together to pro-
duce the Irishman, practical bargalner
on the one hand, and on the other
true believer in fairy and fable: 10
this Gaelic turn of blood Mr.. Coium
fits the face of Ireland itself, dream
place Of beauty and charm, home OF
innumerable unseen beings that take
a hand in all the common affairs or
life 1t Is these three-the deep SOIL
of tradition. the native Gael and tne
lure Of the countryside-that keep
steady company with Padraic Column
as he moves along the roads OF his
native land. 1t Is such knowing ana
friendly hold upon the heart OF Ire
land that invites one to go with this
man as, all along the way, he PICKS
up a thousand precious bits Of Irish
life. And what are these bits, after
all? "a brown road between unkempt
hedges; hilly fields. with little lakes
seen across them; house with
stock of peat by it, geese marchlng
along; q woman coming toward me
with a shawl across her head'-no
more than these. maybe, yet slgnlfl'
cant things, blending not merely IN
an Irish landscape but in "a cycle
of Irish history" as we'll. And here is
a group of Irish gypsies, men OF the
tinker trade. And over there is an
enchanted tree, whose branch or lear
or fruit no one, even to this day,
must touch lest spell fall upon him.
So along the country roads do LEGENDS
and customs and beliefs come out to
meet this friend and companion OF
theirs, and we, going along beside
him. catch the real SAVIOR of Irish by
paths and taste something or the
flavor of Ireland itself.
Then, along in the same fine COM
pany, do we go into the cities-1nto
Dublin, where we hear songs and
poems and plays and much excited
talk on every hand about the re-
vival of the great old days of Gaelic
splendor and promise. Specially de
lightful it is to meet, under the guld-
ance of Colum, some of the 1rishmen
whom, hitherto, we have seen at
longer range and under less reveal
ing companionship. Here are Yeats
and George Moore and James Joyce
and this one and that one, each pre-
sented under the shreWdly apprais-
re tn
Irish drama and the Abbey Theater,
for and against, goes briskly on. And
other Irishmen appear-revolution
lists, statesmen, politicians, exiles,
patriots, martyrs. And easy talk
flows around the shifting scenes. easy
as a mere wanderers talk would be
a comment here, an appraisal there,
q brief summary over yOnder. VltallZ-
ing talk, too, under whose spur re-
mote things draw near, and fading
things become vivid, and little things
take on the truly interpretive values
that many trifling matters so clearly
possess And the whole is so engag-
ing-engaging with the versatile turn
of the Irishman, with his romantic
spirit, with his ready words of ma
tive flavor, with his wit and swift
flight from point to point, from scene
to scene. A joyous and profitable
experience, this one with Padraic
Colum on the roads round about
Ireland.
CORSICA. Hildegarde Hawthorne.
Duffield & Co.
Few Americans will be likely to see
Corsica with their own eyes. For it
is an up-anddown island-mountains
~; TO- 1n6 1ofh he nd
row diZzying roads. Since Americans
are fast losing the use of their legs
through too much motor travel, 1t Is
clear that Corsica is not for them,
save at misunderstanding, at any
rate, not till Corsica builds roads and
makes a bid for tourists patronage.
However, never mind! For here is an
admirable chance to visit Corsica by
way of one who has climbed its noun
tains and clung to its peaks and
trailed its narrow hidden paths. Be
sides, in between walking trips, when
work or weather interviewed, this ex-
plorer Of the place has stripped Off,
for our enlightenment, layer after lay
er of Corsican history. And it's history
did come in layers formed by inva
sion after invaSion-Greek, Saracen,
Genoese, and other trespassers from
far and near-each leaving a chapter
of it's occupation in more or less clear
ly defined integrity. What do we
know about Corsica? Not much--ex-
cept that it is the birthplace of Ma
poleon Bonaparte. Assuming rightly
that this Is our only point Of con-
tact with the island, this writer at
once leads us to "Napoleon's Home
Town."
Here is a picture Of the house where
the little Nabulio was born; here is a
clear description of the narrow streets
along WHICH the delicate child marched
in an early passion for playing war
1t is out from this home town" of
the great soldier, out from Ajaccio,
that the walking trips-the climbing
and creeping and crawling and slid
ing trips-start and continue till they
have achieved a hand-tO-hand grip on
the amazing beauties of this little
sought part of the world that lies so
near to the crowded Riviera and
other popular parts Of the Mediter
ranean coast. 1t is not scenery alone
that possesses Corsica. Romance
lives there as well, and history that is
half legend and half fact. You may
be sure, too, that the people of this
aloof and unvisited place are interest
ing by virtue of their isolation, with
its sequence Of undiluted flavor. They
are interesting. as you will find upon
reading here. It is, however, the nat
ural splendor Of this island-moun
tains, canyons, spired and carved
cliffs, waterfalls, glorious colors and
amazing sea views-that captivates
this writer and that will in turn put
the reader in thrall to the little-known
Island of Corsica.
TOURING NEW ENGLAND. Clara
Walker Whiteside. Penn Publish
ing Co.
A secondhand car, ten lessons in