Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

Y y yesterday. 11s years ago,
" there was born one who under
supreme trial has stood the
Il test OF true greatness. one
who will continue so to stand
in the common judgment of mankind.
Therefore, the entire week centering
upon the 18th Of February has been
engaged generally In paying homage
to the life and work of Abraham
Lincoln.
More often than otherwise, personal
renown panoplies its possessor in the
pomp that waits upon power. Fame.
as rule. hedges it's man In behind
barricades of ceremonial approach.
thereby setting him apart from COM
mon contacts of daily usefulness.
thereby shutting him off from any
direct and intimate influence. But
here, for the first time in 1000 years.
a lowly and simple man has taken
his place as a world figure, and at
the same time has retained a strong
hold upon the majority, upon the
plain. everyday people.
Every man. upon passing, leaves
the most of himself behind to become
a part of the sum Of human expert
enCe. A kindly spirit, or a hostile
their own lives upon it on the one
hand, to reject it upon the other
Straight ways or crooked ones are
left for others to accept or to avoid
So, wisdom and goodness on this side,
unwisdom and evil on that. consti
tute the spiritual residue that works
in the world after men. as men. have
passed on and out into something else
SO Lincoln--great heart. seer, and
best of all, Honest Abe Lincoln
remains an active force in the com
mon life of the world today.
In addition to- the widespread cele
bration of Lincoln's birthday going
on for the past week, there has been
besides, the annual ripening of the
harvest of Lincoln literature. A
striking part of such yearly output
comes to hand in this 'autobi
ography:' From every available
source Mr. Stephenson has gathered
the actual words Of Lincoln upon in
Vulnerable occasions that reach from
earliest recollections up to the last
hours of the great mans life. Letters
speeches, personal conversations
recorded reflections even, have beer
impressed to the service of here re
embodying the character and person
ality of Lincoln. Once collected, this
mass of seemingly unrelated material
must have been subjected to close and
discriminating study for the sake OF
projecting it as a concrete. coherent
dramatic, unit at the center of which
sta nds the simple figure of Lincoln
himself--a. man, near and tangible, Il
speaking man to whom one listens
almost catching the tones of his voice
A startling effect of life issues from
this book. Here are no second-h anC
opinions, no discussions, no analysis
no historic setting out. Instead. here
is Lincoln talking intimately him
steal. serious, melancholy even. flash
ing keen wit now and then out of the
substance of his weightier words. Al
amazing effect has been secured here
and one Of priceless quality to those
who cherish the memory of Lincoln
as the great bulwark of an unbroker
and beloved country.
THE VIBRATIONS OF BIRDS. BA
Alexander Wetmore, assistant sec
rotary Smithsonian Institution
Cambridge: Harvard universit,
Press.
COME morning next week. or there
~ about, pair of russet-vested
high stepping, bright-eyed, possessivt
robins will appear over in the PARK
across the way to take up their Sum
mer home there again. Already from
the same quarter has been heard the
long wh.stling call of the cardinal
Soon. too. a couple of fiickers will be
gin their annual repair Of their hole-in
the-tree over there for new season
turn at domesticity. And how thi:
coming back Of the birds does still
the heart Of plain man with innumer
able questions as to where these flying
friends have been, as to what they
have been doing these long months. as
to why they went at all. But. save
for an unintelligible chirp or two
from them there IS no answer. as they
go their busy ways on housekeeping
bent. This seasonal bird movement
is great mystery-Or would be haC
ii not been probed into by that most
curious and prying man in the world
the scientist. And here MIR. Wetmore
opens up some Of this puzzling migra
tory instinct OF the winged creation
Talking not at all in the cryptic lingo
of the usual savant, this writer speaks
to us in plain fashion about the com
ings and goings OF the birds. He gives
the theories of mfgration-supersti
tious beliefs set off against scientific
hypothesis Beyond this introduc
tory point he presents host OF in
teresting facts about the matter
the effectsof the weather upon flight
speed Of the migrating fiocks. diurnal
fiiers and nocturnal ones. and so on
and so on. Reading here the facts set
out i'm clear statement. one catches the
old thrill Of f1ocks flying high in the
air toward some reckoning goal quite
Beyond the understanding of the on
locker. but none the less exciting for
all that. The truth of any subject is
a good thing to have to put beside the
half-truths Of most Of our informa'
ton. And here is body Of truth. set
out interestingly as well as clearly, on
a subject in which there is a wide.
spread vein of keen interest. A
pointed, concise, authoritative dis
cussion of the theme of migration,
and a most interesting book to have.
OVER MY LEFT SHOULDER. BY
Robert II. Davis. Introduction by
Irwin s. Cobb. New York: d. APP
pleton 4 Co.
IERE the editor Of Munsey's Mag
H azine sits himself down to spell
of recollections growing out of busy
and, presumably. a happy life. No
unhappy man, no man with a peren-
NAL Crouch, could write in the vein OF
of this one. SO, the assumption of the
"happy life Bobdavis-after his
by Irwin Cobb--here goes back
to the moment of his birth, quite in
teresting event to him, it appears. And
from this point he comes forward
upon an increasing tide of friends and
and occurrences that, in
this case. sum life as a truly joyous
All sorts of interesting
people come forward here for close
ups-actors and singers and prize
fighters and politicians and plain peo-
ple. About all the names that furnish
l. Fn, at alamo