Evening star., 1926-10-17

nX LIZA ava AASA~O'
THE MOON DOOR. BY
Dorothy Graham. illustrated Dy
the author. New York: j. n.
Sears & Co.
r T'S the door OF a Chinese house.
In the opulent phrase OF the
East, 1t is the moon door or
= the Temple to Let. whlch
served this American pair as
home during their stay in Peklng. a
fairly long and certainly busy soJourn
in China has moved all OF Its major
activities and many OF its minor ones
into this book. A big volume IS tns
result. But it is a we'll organized
record. it's various parts explained and
illuminated by an abundance OF ex'
cellent pictures. The outstanding ex-
cellence Of the book Is it's approach 10
a subject that Is Of necessity more OF
less remote to the understanding anu
interest of American readers. Inc
author. impressed with her modestly
conceived mission of picturing China,
does not jump into the depths OF Nhl-
nese life. She is far too astute 10 try
a hand at Chinese age-old customs,
at its succeeding governments, at lts
present politics, at it's art, or at any
other of it's deeply-sourced natlonai
and racial life. Instead she moves
into her temple" through the moon
door" and Immediately engages her.
self in the important business OF
and home making. IN
the mere matter, of setting up or lay
ing down the furniture, of marketing
for the meals, of taking on native
help for this work or for that, OF
shopping. Of the daily walk-in sucn
simple and necessary daily needs LOT
othy Graham comes upon "oriu
that is so new as to need plcturlns.
and explaining, not only to herselI
but to her friends at home. Mucn OF
this book is in spirit the ln1orniai
Communication with the old nome.
Here is the simplest, the most nat
ural. the most ineligible approach 10
a strange land that can be imagined
In each of these little household con-
facts with the outside there Is long
line of custom hidden, a thread OF the
religion Of the country. hint or lts
Government. And these this house
wife gathers in in an understanding
that any more formal mode or meet
ing could not have secured. IL 10
from such immediacy that the autnor
reaches out, extending each OF THESE
lines to its larger rela
tionships outside until she has com
country itself. A walk one day dis-
closes a strangely picturesque temple,
obviously ancient in origin. obviously
still alive to the daily religious mn
nulse Of the people. Another walk
this a purposeful walk-gathers IN
more Of these old shrines OF the spirit
nv and by there comes from these
MANY studies a broad picture OF the
TEMPLES of China. And so with every
theme brought out heres lts start
ing point has been at the door OF !hdt
"temple to let" or within it. Famlllar,
gradually, with these nearby phases
Of Chinese life, the author mas graou,
ally branched out from these IN
enough directions to compass finally
an all-around view Of country that
is at present one Of the pivotal points
Of concern. both within the country
itself and in the world outside. An
q admirable study Of China in its MODE
of life and thought. admirable chieny
NV yirture of it's method and its sim
nlicity of purpose. coupled with an
informality of manner that is quite
charming.
TALL, TALES FROM THE KEN
Tricky MOUNTAINS. By Percy
Mackave. Decorations by E. Mac
Ktnstry. New York: George II.
Doran Co.
HERE is a circumstance. better an
1 event, that brings together two
true artists. One of them Is Ola
SOL" who for most a hundred years
ali his life. in fact-lived in the Ken
tuckv mountains. The other artist is
Percy Mackaye, with an eye for dra-
matte stuff and q hand for whipping
II into shape. Old Sol was a sort OF
minstrel grooming along kind OF
pilerim-not to Loretto nor to can
terbury-going about from place 10
place in the shut-in mountain dls.
tricts telling the news. SUCH news.
Some even went so far as to say that
old Soils other name was Munchau-
sen. for he could dress up his yarns
in a way to open the eyes and PRICK
up the ears of every listener. And
where did he get these tales? Why,
from the soil itself, where they had
lain and grown for hundreds of years,
and from the gossiping trees, ana
from all the animals roundabout. with
whom old Sol talked as you and l
converse with Mrs. Smith. When
ever the story didn't quite fit the
picture sense Of old Sol he dressed
It up with the ribbons and fallais
of fancy, Just as we do when dull
fact needs a few extra touches to
bring it to life and make 1t interest
ing. Those were amazing tales, those
told by old Sol down in the Kentucky
mountains. Or SO we find them to
be through their retelling by Percy
Mackaye, who seems to have rolled
them over on his tongue till he has
gathered from them every scrap or
their first flavor, every tang OF their
Queer.word ways. A person OF read
ing will tell you that these tales sug'
gest the famous local stories told by
this author or that one. Don't you
believe it! They are of their own
kind alone-and a mighty fine kind
1t is.
THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES.
BY Florence Armstrong Grondal.
New York: The Macmillan Com
pany.
THIS is an astronomy for the ma
i ture lover, rather than for the
special scientist himself. That is. the
established facts of astronomy have
here been brought to life through pic
ture and story, through every art
that appeals to the imaginative sense
Of readers. A spontaneous and en-
thusiastic treatment of this subject is
made even more appealing by the
authors use Of maps-good maps and
many Of them, good pictures, too
to guide the student through the
strange land of the skies. Here is
romance a.plenty. Here is the
story Of Andromeda. Here Is the
pageant of the consultations. Here,
In a word, are the marvellous wonders
Of the heavens spread out in a sim
plicity Of movement that invites any
reader to follow the path set out here
50 intelligently and SO helpfully. 1t
is easy to see that. with this book in