Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-25
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
/. G.. NJ.


The Century Company.
II never see a map but I'm away"
such is Alexander Powells send
off for I'm Barbary." Not many can
make good that away" though the
magic of the map is as clear to some
Of these as it is to this author.
Nothing but a fiat surface, to be
sure, commonly an ugly one, blocked
off in noisy reds and green's, Bluffs
and blues. Over these is laid net
work of struggling black lines.
Thanking or invading certain OF
these chromatic patches are feather
marks, either grouped or strung out
random wise. The whole is peppered
with fiyspots, a name for each of
them. Such to the casual glance is
the sum of a map. Yet, as the point
ing finger moves across 1t, the
blood of the map lover begins to
quicken and the eye to brighten.
And a wide landscape springs to life
under that evoking finger. Green
fields stretch away, great rivers
roll away in long protective barriers
In our own country, the tnnumerable
place names from the rising sun to-
ward its setting repeat themselves
in homesick "reminiscences. From
East to West they point to the New
England pilgrims pushing outward
across the country, resting tnelr
caravans here or there for awhile.
naming the spot for the old beloved
home farther East, then onward,
again, in succeeding generations
quite out to the Western coast In
the Southwest these names OF place
and river and mountain bespeak the
Spanish explorer, priest and con-
0ueror. Along the Mississippi they
give out the Gallo flavor of new
France set up by voyageur and
missionary And so it is the world
over. A mere map, to the eye OF
the imaginative mind, sets out ola
lands anew, recreates history ana
teammates the sum of human lie.
A mere map may give wings TO de-
sire. it may objectify dreams ana
give clear call to adventure. Fight
and adventure and outfaring, how
ever, are for but the one In mil
lion. For the rest there Is only d
vicarious crossing of the seas or
climbing to the crest or the Worlo
or handshaking with strange peo-
pies and curious ways of life. The
vast majority have to depend upon
the rovers, upon the adventures, 10
make their maps swarm with the lie
of distant places.
Such an adventurer is Alexander
Powell A restless man at nome, 50
he saws. An easy and Illuminating
wanderer. however, and a, sheer ex-
pert at putting life into .charted
paper and printed page. Reading
here as this most companlonaole
writer leads the way, one feels that
certain parts of Africa are more
familiar to him than New YORK IS
to many lifelong resident Two
other books on Africa by this author
serve to accent the vivid effect OF
ain Barbary' itself. A nice sense Oh
selection, an eye for the picture in
herent in scene and incident, mar
for dramatic projection-these gltts
of the art of writing, added 10 the
authors sound political ana historic
feeling for localities coming unoer
his observation, constitute boIn the
value and the charm of this most
interesting travel writer
Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and back
from these countries into the Sahara,
provide the groundwork for the study
in hand. Here the French are en-.
gagged in the familiar business OF
empire building. 1t is with this aspect
of the region that Mr.. Powell oeals
fundamentally, building upon II IN
Vulnerable features suggested py
studies of native tribes in their
characteristic outlook upon strahse
future that resembles not at all
long and honored past. old customs
are brought here. Ancient buildings
temples, palaces, centers of religious
rite and fanatic deed-come to lie
under the industry and enthusiasm OF
this jealous investigator. The blend
of the old life with the new is held IN
hand. tentatively, by Mr.. Powell Tor
consideration. And with it all, with
this general gathering up or the
present and past of Barbary, the
author holds to his usual manner or
aasy intercourse manner that might
seem casual and possibly haphazard 10
some. 1t is an easy manner, a most
engaging one. but way nevertheless
that Is backed by definite plan, by
an orderly unfolding of this plan In
relation to the authors exact knoWl-
edge of the salient facts of life in the
region under his consideration. In
deed, so simple and clear and orderly
is this development. so painstaklng In
direction. so sensible in advice that
'In Barbary'' might be used as a
guide to travel in this region, instead
of standing, according to original pur-
pose and plan, as a travel book for the
information and entertainment OF
those who have to do their world by
way of inspired writer's such as
this one.
EAST OF SIAM. Harry A. Franck.
The Century Company.
Off again, with another incorrig1ble
wanderer, with another maker OF
interesting travel books. We've been
with Harry Franck before-in Japan
and Formosa, up in northern China,
and down to the southern part, of this
country. So, over into French Indo-
China we go with him. knowing what
to expect in the personal idiosyncrasy
of this rowing observer of men and
places. We know, quite well, that we
are going to tramp and tramp miles
upon miles. But we know, too, that
we are going to have countless stop
ping places along these great stretches
of footwork At these points we are
going to get completely into the things
that the people along the way are
doing, into their ways of thinking, into
their outlook upon today, into their
lack of preoccupation with the future.
There are five Of these French Indo-
China provinces for us to tramp with
Mr.. Franck. They are literally packed
with population and, if there were
time and enurdance enough. it is GER
tain that we'd have to deal with all,
practically as individuals. This rover
does that way. But what an aston
ishing amount of information he col
lects, and how exact it is, and how
well placed not only in respect to its
immediate surroundings, but in rela-
ton to it's historic past as well, and in
f,yfr