Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-27

lies deep in the very fact OF life
itself. These two books will lead you
back again eagerly to their success
ors so much beloved already.
II u y y
MIDSUMMER MUSIC. BY Stephen
Graham, author of London
Nights" etc. New York; George
II. Doran Co.
HERE is a true story about use
full man. How do we know 1t to
be true? Because we've seen IL many
a time-the useful man building him.
self into Summer story. Felix Nor
rfson. English, is a man of deep learn
ing, of high aims, of important
achievements. A bit ponderous, a
shade heavy, like others of his tribe.
over the vast significance of his
work" In order to be alone to de-
vote himself undisturbed to the
mighty business in hand, he one Sum-
mer went away-to Dalmatia. Here
Is where the story begins. Here was
the sea, bluer than the sky. Here
was the sun, pure gold. And the
nights. Oh. those Dalmatian nights
of moonshine and starshine, of Groom
ing breezes and whispering leaves.
Nights when Pan piped the long hours
through and when nymphs danced
joyously with their own shadows
under the trees. And there was Sla-
vitsa, the Dalmatian girl, beautiful as
dream, frank as a child, friendly
as a kitten. Charming, was Slavitsa.
There were others, besides these two,
to be sure-the peasantry roundabout,
and a group of troublesome artists.
, But the point is the Summer idyl
| worked out by Mr.. Graham in the
fresh fields of Dalmatia. an idyl in
which the sober Morrison and the
lovely SlavitSa have the principal
parts. AS poets do. Mr.. Graham, In
spirit of smiling gayety, turns the
familiar. and somewhat stodgy. figure
of the useful member of society into
the hero OF Summer romance. And,
somehow, the graceful humor of the
author succeeds in turning out a
rather pathetic figure after all. Not
pathetic to himself. oh, not at all.
The pathos lies in the fact that youth
fingers inside one long after its ex-
ternals have fallen away.
y x y X
THE RED PAVILION. BY John
Gunther. New York: Harper and
Brothers.
IT'S a god-send to both the moralist
and the novelist-this madness Of
YOUTH this dangerous freedom" To
the one it provides text that is mex
| haustible, warning that never runs
dry. The other, like the good shop,
man that he iS-that he quite prop
erly is-writes up TO his market in
| tales that are as bizarre as a city night
picked out in a dancing chromatic
greatness of electric trade calls. Here
in hand is another of the sWarming ro-
mances of youth gone wild. Chicago
| is the background; though, save for a
a careful naming of the local high
ways and night resorts projected, 1t is
assumed in the interest of "atmos-
phere," this back curtain might have
any other urban name. To serve his
purpose of laying bare the red pa
vilion" of the heart of youth, the au-
thor has selected half a dozen of this
tribe, male and female. A new au.
thor, clearly. Serious of purpose as
| inexperience is wont to be in tackling
| it's job. Earnest as a scientist in pur-
suit of exact truth, busy as a ferret
| holing out a bit of trapped prey.
| Therefore. patiently he undresses and
dresses his characters, these budding
men and women. PainStakingly he
| takes them apart and puts them to-
gether again. In a quite unfair slim.
| ulation of the organs of speech he
sets them to talking stuff that never
of their own free will would they turn
out into the open. And, under such
| impulsion they go forward making
temporary alliances without benefit OF
clergy and unmaking them, marrying
and unmarrying in a blithe disregard
of the obligations of contract. And
that's the story. There's nothing
wrong about the performance-exce
| that it is a dull one. Daring is a fine
attribute in the main. 1t implies a
gallant denial of fear, it points upon
adventure, it colors and stirs up the
| otherwise drab monotony of average
existence. To be daring is to be quite
all right. or even better than that. But
| to be daring and at the same time to
remain dull is an unforgivable sin in
anybody, anywhere. Speaking like a
school teacher this novel might appro-
priately be called a practice Sheet"
calculated to clear the outlook, to
throw way deal of trash, to tighten
up a fair structural sense. to turn the
patience and industry of writing a
book at all into the fine achievement
of writing good novel