Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-04
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the B0Oklouer.

home makers. The question OF the
Summer vacation has long been under
discussion among the four. Three
good months, seeming in advance
luxurious amount of time, are to be
disposed of to the best advantage. But
what is the best advantage? That is
the question 1t is settled that the
four must go together; why, it is hard
for an outsider to understand. The
two wage earners wish to go to
Europe. mot just the general tour
but some of the less usual places;
the two home makers wish to see
America first, of course not just the
round of the national parks, but some
thing different" Whatever the de-
cision, there are two recent books
which all four will enjoy reading
THE Dividing Line of Europe" by
Stephen Graham, and Least known
America" by A. Eugene Bartlett.
X X X
In 1.-The Dividing Line of Europe"
we are taken on travels off the beaten
track, through the territory that was
once Russia. give external autOno-
nous republics flourish on one side of
the new line, and on the other there
are the various Soviet republics"
The author made an Autumn journey
along the new frontier of Russia,
through the Gordon of new states,
from the monastery of Valaamo, on
an Island in Lake Ladoga, to Akker-
man, a town on the Black Sea near
Odessa. Once the resort of thousands
of pilgrims, the monastery is now
isolated, belonging to the Republic of
Finland, but almost in no mans
land, for Lake Ladoga forms part of
the border between Finland and hos
tile Soviet Russia. Almost the only
visitors to the island now are noisy
Finnish picknickerS, poor substitute
for the devout and humble pilgrims
of former times, and one of the monks
told Mr.. Graham, I'VE like it better
in the Winter. when we ere left en-
tirely to ourselves, when the lake is
frozen. Tt is long and peaceful sea-
son." In Finland Mr.. Graham par
ticularly noticed the Importance and
efficiency of the women, but he found
that 1.-The male visitor does not easily
lose his heart to the women of Fin
land" There were woman cashiers in
the large banks of Helsingfors and
Viborg-"hard-faced women, t-;--!y,
but accurate, sure, not to be brow
beaten or diverted from their business;
women who have discarded the pow
der puff and the reticule mirror"
Finland also eXcels in other ways, for
of the six countries he passed through
on the way to the Black Sea, Finland
had by far the best hotels The capt.
tai of Esthonia, Reval or Tallin, built
factories and opened offices and banks
in preparation for large trade with
Soviet Russia, just beyond the Narva
River, but the bolsheviks bought in
countries politically more important,
and Reval 'languishes at the end
of its railways" Riga, the capital
of Latvia, is pronounced zone of the
finest cities of Central Europe" with
the greatest amount of trade of all
the cities of the Baltic" Lithuania.
south of Latvia, is, because of the
loss OF Wilma, not on speaking terms
with Poland, on her southern border.
so travellers to Poland from Lithuania
must go around through east Prussia.
lts capital, "cobbled Kovno, is, I SUP.
pose, the worst looking capital in Eu-
rope, In all these Baltic states. espe.
cialiy along the Soviet line, are large
NUMBERS of Russian immigrants,
refugees from bolshevik tyranny. In
spite of constant guerrilla warfare on
the border between Poland and Soviet
Russia, Mr.. Graham was able to make
the tour of the whole region and
round poverty, discomfort and ex-
ASPIRATION everywhere" Crossing
bessarabla under the escort of a Ru-
manlan officer, observing relations be-
tween the governing and the gov
erned, ne. finally reached the Black
Sea.
Least Known America" offers to
the reader or the traveller a number
OF different sections of the American
continent where the luxurv-loving
IN Ha
southwestern and one in Northeast
ern North America, one in the West
INDIES, one on the island of Trinidad.
one In British Guiana, one in Vir-
gina, one in Massachusetts. one an
island off the Massachusetts coast
and one in New Hampshire. To visit
the least known Southwest. the
back country of New Mexico and Arr.
iona, one must take ones own camn-
ong outfit or chance it in a Mexican
mouse that is none too clean" A can
Vas-topped wood wagon was the au-
thor's conveyance as he swung a cir
Gle around on the road from Taos
junction, N. Mex, through the land
of the Picuris, old Mexican towns Tn.
dlan villages and miles of pine forest,
TO Chimayo, town of rug makers, and
pack again to Taos Junction. other
trips led through the little known
FflJoleS Canyon, or Canyon of Little
River of Beans; the table town of
Acoma, and to the home of the Pima |
indians of southern Arizona. New |
foundland, In the little known North |
east, Mr.. Bartlett calls "the Norway
OF the New World" and he finds the |
hords of the Newfoundland coast |
close rivals to the Norwegian fiords. |
he suggests route which yields the |
nnest scenery, commencing on the |
southwest coast at Port Aux Basoues. |
up the coast, across the Bay st. |
george and around the cape past |
Long Ledge and through the lovely |
BAY OF Islands and thence up the |
NUMBER River let the traveller |
push on up this river to Birchy Lake. |
and not abandon his long inland water
voyage until at least he glimpses Sill
Yer Mountain" The Virgin Islands, |
dominica and Guadeloupe, in the
west Indies, are delightful play
grounds, but little frequented beyond |
their ports Of entrance. Pitch Lake,
on the island of Trinidad, a swamp |
OF black asphalt, Mr.. Bartlett calls
the seventh wonder of the tropic
world" Georgetown, in British
Guiana, is worth a visit not only be-
cause 1t has what are perhaps the
nnest tropical gardens in the world,
put also as a point of departure for
trip up the Demerara River into the
jungle. The little Green Tea Pot Inn,
at Yanceys, Va. near Charlottesville,
Is memorable because of it's old-time |
Dixie atmosphere. For equally old
time New England atmosphere, the
little village of Teaticket, on Cape
Cod. is recommended The "Iure of
the lobster" drew the author to Guilty.
hunk, an hour and half by boat
from New Bedford. The Albany
Wilderness, about 20 miles west of
conway, N. H., he visited by bicycle
at a time when President Cleveland
was in that region for fishing.
Short Turns is a collection of
short stories by Barry Benefited. an.
thor of 1.-THE Chicken.Waonn Irarn