Evening star., 1926-12-05

THE NEW NATURAL HISTORY.
BY Prof. j. Arthur Thomson.
New York: G. z. Putnam's Sons.
TN the Christmas Bookman. Robert
L. Duffus. facing upon the cur
rent literary vogue of the out
i line" falls to wondering why cul-
ture as a theme has not before
now been ordered and regimented as
about every other important subject
under the sun already has BEEN. And
roughly, Mr.. Duffus shows how 1t
might be done. Throughout this fresh
and provocative discussion he makes
sharp distinction btween culture and
culture" One rich in serenity and
poise, the other a shoddy weave which
nowadays almost completely covers
the rare substance of true culture In
a mood tart with humOr and irony,
the writer shows how hard the one is
to find, how easy the other to seize in
passing by. One calls for a lifetime of
devotion, the other requires but an
Captitude for posturing, but an ease In
the childhod game of Lets pretend
Mr.. Duffus examines democracy itself
to see what effect its aims, and prac-
tees have had upon the quality OF
true culture. For the same purpose
he considers the breathlesS rush of the
present and the bewildering variety of
it's interests. AT this second point,
however, he skimps his work, render
ing it futile. Finally he throws up his
hands. Culture costs too much i'll In
dividual human stuff to make it gen.
orally worth while, costs nothing less
than a lifetime of passionate and eX-
elusive pursuit. And it can't be
bought. So, you outliners all-Prof.
Thomson and II. G.. Wells and Mr..
Van Loon and Mr.. Durant and the
rest-there's no use. Except Tor the
good you yourselves are getting out of
the strenuous daily dozen of casting
knowledge into ordered form there is
no substantial benefit at all IN your
work. But that's nonsense. Granted
that these cannot hand out neat
packets of culture. But they can ana
do open up ways of orderly seizure of
bodies of knowledge, ways of compre-
hensive outlook, ways of clear inter-
pretation, ways of tremendous vitality
and interest. And by and by-say in
a thousand years-these illuminations
of the present will have come to that
ripeness of thought and feeling that
characterize both the substance and
quality of true culture.
X x X
pROF. THOMSON'S New Natural
History" is a marvel of book
to look at, to feel. to spread on the
table before one. Here are three big
volumes, each complete in itself, that
really do portray the romance OF
natures wonderland" Pictures? You
never saw more pictures in any one
book than each of these volumes
gives. And such clear, revealing pic
lures as they are. But this, admirable
as it is, does not constitute the prime
excellence of this projection of ma
ture's wonderland. That lies in the
authors plan of stressing each crea-
ture presented, not as one of a par
ticular structure and classification,
but as the center instead of it's own
surroundings and circumstances.
Every general reader will value this
approach and this treatment. An ami
NAL, or plant even, becomes Il mat
ter of keen concern when viewed
through. the same medium as that
which the reader himself employs,
The prime interest with both animal
and man is that of satisfying hunger.
All else depends upon this-the pro-
lection of individual life. the perpetual
ton of the life of it's kind. That is
the whole story with men and the
other animals. Around these two
primitive needs of food hunger and
sex hunger has grown the most elab-
crate technic of animal and plant
life, just as the greatest of human
civilizations have grown through
these two elemental needs. 1t is
from such standpoint of relationships
that Prof. Thomson has built up a
true wonderland of nature. The in
terplay of social economy between
plant and animal is here shown to be
romance of the most vivid and i'm
pressive kind. This urge in animal
life for personal we'll being, for family
we'll being, brings the whole matter
up to our own threshold, so to speak.
and certainly endows the work with
an appeal that is most absorbing.
The keynote to this splendid work of
scholarship and research is that
animate nature is drama" whose
acts and sequences are forever un-
folding before us. Here is a library
unique in it's tone and completeness
to meet a purpose of general educa-
ton, to contribute substantially to