Evening star., 1927-05-01

subject Much of this material is an
| Issue of the recent war. Much of ii, |
| therefore is relatively new, with some
of it clearly astonishing in content
and significance to the history of naval
warfare. Since only the most impor-
tant actions could be analysed within |
| the compass Of this work. the author |
| has added lists of reference for re-
| search along less outstanding lines of
sea activity in time Of war. There Is
here an abundance of pictures and dia.
| grams to interpret certain parts of /
| the text. Accuracy, one of the chief /
aims of this writer, contributes most |
substantially to the practical utility |
Of the subject for students of the
history of naval war.
X X
| p. P. G. BY Natalie Sumner Lincoln,
author of THE Missing Initial,
etc. New York; D. Appleton & Co
THE first time said. IT'S an
| accident" The next time l sad,
| Clever, but just an accident After
| that l passed from odd. that it al
ways happens this way" to the
gradual conviction that among the art
| mystery noVelists of the moment
| Natalie Summer Lincoln possess the
clearer art of simple and plausible
| conceal ln1ent of any of them. And this
| is a prime point in the story of crime.
| just as it is the prime point in actual
| crime-the point of concealment. With
this writer it is apparently q wholly
artless performance, which merely
means that it is of the essence of high
art itself. Each time / take up one
of Miss Lincoln's mystery tales / say:
Now, young lady. I'm quite up TO
your method. This time l promise
you III not shift once in about a
minute as to the criminal under pur-
| suit. III try to be as subtle as you
| undoubtedly are" Then l do just as
I've done all the time. / fail. But
to fail in this respect is the crowning
point, it seems, in this matter. Here
we are in Washington again. Here
again a murder is committed All
the people concerned are nice people.
/ That is another of Miss Lincoln's
habits-to have nice people around to
| make her romances. The fact of
crime naturally makes the human
alert to even the feeblest sign of
guilt. The author uses this fact in
her inventions. So just as we do in
life. we begin to interpret. often to
ImiSinterpret, everything that comes
to the eye. So. just as in life. we lodge
a grain of suspicion here and here,
and here, with not one of them
| more than a passing fancy. And at
the last, just as we unfailingly do
with this writer and despite the un-
usual sharpness that we have tried to
assume in the matter, we have failed
| utterly to pick our man. Yet he is
as plausible murderer as ever com
mitted a crime. You read this story
for it's problem and it's people A
crime with no tremendous sleuthing
done, very quiet story whose eluci-
dation lies right in the story itself
MORE MILES: An Autobiographical
Novel. BY Harry Kemp, author of
'"Tramping on Life" etc. New
York: Boni & Liveright.
lust ambling along. a-talking ali the
while Every day is a roadway
highway. byway, pathway. Every act
is a step along-leaping, plodding.
stumbling, falling and getting up
again. Everything is vital and
momentous. Time is made for
| slaves, and this is a free man.
Only one dscernible urge upon
him, and that is to set down pains
takingly every little stirring of his
mind, every motion of his body. every
rustling of the wings of his soul. And
81 we nave III manu- q DtS DOOhs NiOSc
contents spread and sprawl and lum-
Der along. lettering in little corners
of seeming inconsequence to the read
er, but nightly significant. it is pain,
to the writer; or. on the other hand,
| skirting active highways in an obvious
disregard of the worlds doings. The
busy one says he has no time for this
heavy book of little things. Yet he
keeps on reading it, for these some
| Irxyna Xhfnoc f1,ts IN
be so much of the readers own self
that in mood of growing urgence he
is bound to keep on just to find out
what he himself is going to do next.
Maybe this is not a novel. as it claims
to be- There are hundreds of critics
this is what they have named them
selves-who will assert that it is not
/ don't know whether 1t is or not.
| But do know that it is autobiOgra
| raphy, and in it's main points it is
mine and yours as well as Harry
Kemp's for it is life.
= 4 Il \
THE WHISPERING GALLERY.
Leaves From the Diary Of an ex-
| Diplomat. Illustrated. New York.
Boni & Liveright.
THE diarial character of this volume
implies intimacy, even touch
| of secrecy. The diplomatic role of
it's author suggests contact with
| celebrities about whom curiosity is
| general and keen. The period covered,
| 1S95-1924, is one of crowded world
interests. A three-ply bid for common
| interest lies in the situation from
which this book has sprung. And
the bid holds good, for here are init
mate gossiping news about host of
well known people of high degree
! kings, premierS, dictators. authors |
artists. warriors, ladies', and others. |
About everybody of any account |
| whatever manages to get in here
under one or another Of these group. |
| ings. Here are a few-oh, very few |
of the nnany-about whom delectable |
bits of human shortcomings gather. |
| God rest the kings! They're all dead. /
| but one, and that ones no king any
more, so let's leave them to their
| long quiet. But, quite alive, here is |
| Mussolini, compelling everywhere as
well as right here. There are other
| standbys for the writer Of interesting
gossip-LlOyd George, Lady Astor,
Bernard Shaw, H. G.. Wells, Whistler. |
| Woodrow Wilson, Cecil Rhodes-and |
many a lesser light that also emits |
challenge of interest. In quite the |
right tone and spirit this writer fol- |
| lows these TO the length of sizable |
volume of news about celebrities. A |
| good book for empty moments and |
| an idle mood.