Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-25

matters Of prime moment.
4 x
THE LIGHT WHICH CANNOT
FAIL. BY Winifred Holt, author OF
"A Beacon for the Blind" etc. New
York: e. r. Dutton and Company.
1.-THE other night there came to me
over the radio from the Sylvan
Theater at Washington the voice OF a
man, singing-'a blind soldier from
Walter Reed Hospital" 1t was good
singing, too, with curious quality
In 1t now and then that set me to
wondering If that particular tone had
been there when this men used to
sing. Thinking of Charles Macdonald
still carrying on despite the monstrous
thing that the war had done to him,
my mind went toward other people
who, sightless, live in a world of
amazing beauty. Are there many of
these? No, not many, my cempla'
cent hopes answered. The next morn
ing a truer answer came in Winifred' s
great number of these. In the world,
about the authenticated statement
that much of the blindness commonly
/ known is preventahle. Blindness Is
always the result of abnormal or UNI
Just conditions--disease, illness, dirt,
accident, shock, crime, or that su-
preme malady of dis0rdered bodies and
| souls, war" From this point the
book goes on with innumerable stories
of the hlind-stories of blinded heroes
on the various fronts in the World
War. Poignant stories of catastrophe,
courage, endurance, rebuilding. And
| other stories, too, of the blind outside
of war. And beside these there are
accounts of the measures that have
been taken, are being taken, to rescue
these people from darkness through
the medium of reconstructed lives,
and the birth Of new hopes. The au-
thor is herself dedicated to the work
Of restoration among these, Is herself
a crusader for the light which can
not fair through the creation of an
aroused general zeal in behalf of
those from whom. through no fault of
| their own, the actual light of the sun
has been withheld. A book to read,
and ponder.
MELODIES AND MEMORIES. BY
Nellie Melba. illustrated. New
York: George H. Doran Company.
A S desirable as 1t is inevitable that
the great artist should ulti-
mately gather up his experiences to
the safe keeping of a written account.
And these books of recorded artistic
| triumphs run along in a general same
ness of effect. The roles undertaken,
| the various parts of the world in
which these have been performed, the
social contacts with the great and
| near. great-these constitute the for
mula of the artists "reminiscences.
Such variety as comes into these rec
ords comes, in the main, from the
| individual character and personality
of the writer. 1t is just this element
that gives to Melba's story decided
turn of freshness and appeal. Be-
hind this record of many triumphs
all over the world stands simple and
whole.hearted woman. Here is the
really high point of the whole. Rather,
| maybe, the point which gives to all
! the rest a special significance of
greatly deepened effect. Moving along
the gilded path of general adulation
and homage diverting path, likely
| to be a perverting one--Nellie Melba
remained the spontaneous, kindly,
simple girl that left Australia to con-
quer the world with her singing. In
this respect the story in hand is a
fresh and beautiful one that is cal
culated to give both enjoyment and
heart to the plain lay reader as it,
to artists in every field. to those, in
particular, who belong to the operate
drama itself.
CONFESSIONS OF AN ACTOR. BY
John Barrymore Illustrated In.
dianapolis: The BobbS-Merrill Com
pany.
IN pleasant recollective mood. John
~ Cal 90 81 LIT cr
about himself. A happy theme for
any one. Clearly, it is a day off with
the actor from any serious considera-
ton either of the drama itself OF of
his own personal experiences with its
borders. Rather does he engage him
self with the early days when he was
certain that he could be an artist.
But the many-tinted pigments dabbed
upon the palette refused to blend
themselves into pictures of any con.
siderable merit. So this hopeful youth
turned toward literature, convinced
this time that he had found his voca-
ton. And, maybe, he might have
done so-certainly his easy-running
book indicates as much. Persistence.
however was not a. highly noticeable
trait with this happy wayfarer and,
doubtless, the blood of his tribe began
to assert itself. At any rate he. after
these haf-hearted attempts at both
painting and writing, became the
| thing that he could not escape being.
And we catch occasional glimpses
here of his Hamlet and other roles
for which he is we'll known. But not
many of these for the essence of
these "reminiscences is that of an
exuberant youth touching high points
in life here and there In an unquench-
able gaiety of spirit. Many we'll
known people come and go here in
swift moments of passing. The whole
| Is a refreshment of wit and humor
bearing upon the career of Barry
| more. Confessions? Not at all. not
in the common acceptance of this
term-just bright memories instead.
e "
THE LIGHT IN THE VALLEY. BY
Mabel Wagnalls, author Of Opera
and Its Stars" etc. New York:
Funk & Wagnalls Company,
roth romance and a recollection
~ is this story told by Mabel Wag-
nails. 1t is clear recollection from the
fact that here the author tells the
| story of her mother. 1t is romance
| from the quality of that mothers life.
| Printed at first for the use of a few
| friends alone, the romance pushed IT.
self into the open by virtue of its
kinship with SO much of the common
life of America. Here is the Midwest
small town. Within it is the woman
| of dauntless courage to whom poverty
and hardship act but as spurs for
! further effort, for greater endurance,
for larger hopes and, finally. for an
achievement OF such substantial sub
| stance as to remove the heroine of
| this tale from the circumscribed
| limits Of her own family and neigh.
| borhood This is the kind of woman
| to command a larger hearing, the
kind of woman to attract all striving
women toward her. A big story which
takes on, not extra value, but greater