Evening star., 1926-05-18
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
/. G.. NJ.

SMARANDA. Lord Thomson Of Car
dington. George II. Doran Co.
Smaranda of Smarandaland. A lady
and a land calculated by very name
to revive the fanciful Imagination of
those writer's who not so many years
ago rioted in scenes of gIamourous ad-
venture through the tangled states of
Southeastern Europe. As for the
reader, the mere sound of this title
sets him off in the pleasurable antici
patton of, say, another Prisoner of
Zenda" or one of it's kind. Right at
the door, however, he is pulled up be-
fore the declaration that "Smaranda"
is not fiction at all. In it's main body
literal fact, instead. Not a welcome
thought. One had hopes of something
else in a time so packed with facts Of
records all dotted. IS all crossed
and no shadow of chance for the least
leeway of fancy.
1t is Lord Thomson who sets us off
on the right foot here. He goes on to
say that out of a voluminous and
rambling body of personal reminis.
cence on the part of his friend, Gen.
Y of the British Army" he has
himself compiled that which seemed
to him to possess permanent value
| to both statecraft and military theory,
with only such concessions to the
clearly romantic fair of his friend as
were necessary to fill out the man to
a measure of his own reality A fair
| conclusion, this. as it turns out. For
| If the element of romance had been
deleted from this Gen. Y the very
best Of him would have been thrown
away, leaving only that of which
there is already too much in the
heavy and prosaic treatment of
| events. Lord Thomson comedies in
his explanatory story that both
| Smaranda and Smarandaland. while
not exactly unadulterate Pigments of
the imagination, are nevertheless pre-
! sented under such disguise as the
| subtler and better informed of readers
will be likely to penetrate with ease.
Now everybody aSpireS to be both in
| formed and subtle. So here at the out
set is a fine flip to interest and am
bition. And for long time ones un-
der mind feels around for Smaranda-
land-for its boundaries, its features,
| its neighbors, its story and its politi-
| cal history-trying to sort this coun-
try out from its uneasy and squirm'
| ing sisterhood of Balkan states. AS
| for Smaranda herself. one soon gives
| her up as one must abandon the chase
| of any genuinely elusive female of
every species. And 1t is not long be
| fore both of these quests sink away
| before the greater attraction of Gen.
! Y. diplomat and military expert
by title and special mission.
These adventures in diplomacy and
war and friendship fall by their ma
ture into three parts. There is, first
| the easy and intimate confidence OF
the diary. Beyond this is a handful
of sketches-historic moments set
down. or leading figures, or ancient
cities, each soaked in its heritage OF
years and old custom and peculiar
outlook The third part covers a
| Tale of Western ThraCe." And this
| story of Thraee, soberly declares Lord
! Thomson. was "Y-s last literary
work" For soon thereafter he passed
out, somewhere-the details Of final
destination vague and troubling. AL
that is stated is that the demise came
on the very day that 'the first Laboui
office" He was, according to Gus
tom. arrayed in a black fFock-Coat, ar
ancient garment he had ceased tC
wear for years. To him this sable
mantle symbolized discretion: it put
a strait-%aistcoat on his ideas, anC
wrapped the old Adam in a shroud'
Poor defunct Gen. y!
y X
But, alive. Gen. Y was a JOY
of entertainment and stimulation
Listen to him on May Is, 1915: THE
rain. has been pouring down all day
on dogs and diplomats alike; the for
mer yawn in archways and on door
| steps, the latter wear galoshes and
pay mysterious calls. l wrote tC
Smaranda telling her she possessed
one great advantage over all other hu
| man beings, for while breath
was in her body she would be spared
the greatest of all afflictions-beine
parted from herself" But Smaranda
has way of appearing-at Paris In
in many a serious moment when Gen
Y must needs leave the heavy
| affairs of war and troubled govern
ments to say a word to, and about
the lovely Smaranda. A fearless and
frank man, Gen. Y, saying what
he thinks about nations at war. and
governments at wits end. about fee
BILE leadership and mistaken patriot
ism. Under this astonishing frank
ness one wonders how he dared Sc
much. Yet-the reflection follows
that he died out of his dangers
Sagacious Gen. Y!
I've have talked a lot about Su
preme Command in time of war; now
we shall want Supreme Intelligence
to make the peace. What a pity II
| Is that really f1rst-class brains keep
out of politics! Perhaps 1t is because
they hate the dirt, or the publicity
and all the ignorant criticism that
goes with it. 1 am resigned be
lever in democracy. but 1t certainly
breeds prigs, an unduly high proper
ton of men and women with mis-
sion to manage every one else except
their own unruly tongues and pens
Wholly unfair to quote this ex
traordinarily brilliant man, this smil
ing philosopher. this tender friend
this soldier and diplomat, just here
and there. There is only one thing
to do with him-that is to sit dowr
with him some day in a following OF
this diary and these sketches that
embody some of the, most vital oil
immediate concerns about men an(
governments-about Smaranda, too
Adventure of the real sort Is this
"Smaranda."
OUR DEBT TO FRANCE. New
York: Published by the Wash
l. ington Lafayette Institution.
"Our Debt to France" presents one
side of the question about which
there has been so much Of divided
opinion and controversy. Here are
seven discussions upon certain fea
lures of our debt to France. giver
hv nrofesSiOnal men and members Ot