Evening star., 1926-05-02

PERSONALITIES IN ARI. by rNo!d
Cortissoz, author of American
Artists" etc. New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons.
~ OVAL CORTISSOZ approaches
the subject of art with the
" zest that another man puts
i into adventure itself. Ana
having reached this subject
Ee, in undiminished gusto. takes II up
in his hands, turning 1t this way anu
that in familiar and wayw1se tasnion.
In each example of 1t he discovers 10
the reader the personality OF the artist
and all the personal influences that
went into this particular object or the
artists work Simply and companion
ably he takes the reader along, max
ing il clear that this picture or that
one, this building or that one, Is put
an expression of the one who created
it. That 1t goes back to the artist -
birth, maybe. Certainly 1t goes back
10 the setting from which he drew his
outlook upon life itself. Then. under
the technic of training and in the hand
Of special inspiration as to ultimate
Sision, the artist stands clear III inc
works Of his creation.
: Here Mr.. Cortissoz discusses the
art OF one and another-that OF the
old masters, that Of the eighteenth
century. that Of later days, dwelling
upon the personal characteristics or
these painters and these periods. An
art critic. he himself gives the essen
tials Of such criticism in terms that
the general reader understands as
readily as the technician does. Ana
this is the master point OF this au-
thor's work in the discussion OF art.
It is open to all. to readers who, IN
terested in pictures and architecture,
are held away from these subjects by
the special terms employed in talking
about the various forms OF art. The
reader of little training but possessed
of very real interest will start here
with the American Business Build.
ing" and American Industrial Art"
for the reason that from this study he
Is able to step out for an object lesson
upon it as these lessons stand in the
buildings of the streets about him. To
the student, naturally, this book is of
the highest interest. But to the COM
mon man also, to him without train
ing, il makes a splendid starting point
for further pursuit.
x * X
MADAME RECAMIER. By Edouard
Herriot. Translated from the
French by Alys Hallard. New
York: Boni & Liveright.
WE have known Edouard Herriot as
w premier of France. Earlier, it
appears, he was mayor of Lyon. Now
later it is made clear that he is
writer after the French tradition. An
analytical man, logical. comprehensive
in full seizure of all contributory
elements. subtle Of insight, possessed
OF political acumen toward separate
periods of political history. And when
he comes to write, he Is still OF the
French tradition in a clarity OF state
ment, in a command of important Sc
quences, in an understanding of the
human springs of emotion and action,
in an ironic cast Of thought. in econo-
my Of words, in a clear beauty OF
effects. These gifts and powers are
applied here to the study Of Nine.
Recamier, who claims two volumes
from this author.
Other biographies and histories
have been produced by NJ. Herriot.
This one, however. is likely to receive
from general readers, as we'll as from
students, the warmest Of welcomes.
The study, centered upon a woman OF
beauty and influence at a time when
she was but one of many women who
d
France, is, in effect. the study Of a
highly important period in the history
of French political life. About Nine.
Recamier herself is gathered a COM
plete study. deeply psychological in
substance. but upon whose surface
CLEANS the brilliance Of the social life
of which she was so clearly a part.
Her friends, her associates, complete a
company whose prime effect was not
social, but political instead. And it
is by such a portrayal OF the central
figure that NJ. Herriot achieves life
like and persuasive picture Of France
at not the least significant Of one of
its many political crises.
THE ROSALIE EVANS LETTERS
FROM MEXICO. Arranged with
comment by Daisy Caden Pettus.
illustrated. Indianapolis: The
Bobbs Merrill Co.
THE story of Rosalie Evans leaves
l. one wondering why fiction at all,
since facts repeatedly outrun by far
the imagination of the story teller.
Here in a series OF letters Rosalie
Evans tells the turbulent story of her
individual struggle to maintain pos
session Of her estate in Mexico. From
these letters there come out TO meet
one like a bodily presence the personal
courage Of this delicate woman, her
tenacity OF purpose, her unconQuer-
able VIII to triumph in a. clearly just
cause, her ingenuity in meeting in
trigue and false promises, the long
single.ha nded flght-and then failure.
We all remember the story Of Mrs.
Evans murder in Mexico. These let
ters, therefore, supply the details OF
'he situation leading up to that tragic
happening. BY way OF them one is able
to gather the conditions Of confusion
and misrule that rendered personal
property insecure and the life of its
holder in constant danger. Perhaps
from no other source available has
come so detailed and intimate a pic
lure Of the state Of the country in
many directions as from this purely
personal first-hand source Of informa-
tion. However, the story that emerges
here Is, for the general reader. the
lamentable story of one foreign wom-
an, British subject, trying hopelessly
10 hold her own in a country where no
one offered any substantial and ade-
uuate protection for either herself or
her property. One cannot place this
tragic matter in the present, but that
Is Just where it came 70 pass.
REBEL SAINTS. BY Mary Agnes
Best. New York: Harcourt, Brace
& Co.
DACIFISM-on the one hand a palm
of glory. on the other stigma of
reproach--is an outstanding ism Of
the present. Thoughtlessly we assign
the rise of this doctrine of peace to
the World War, forgetting that pac-
ifism goes much further back than
this event, forgetting the Quakers as
a conspicuous and efficient order
among other organizations whose his
toric purpose was that Of doing away