Evening star., 1927-11-27

other tnln& CAICuldteu 10 rouse Ire III
any reasonable mind 1t Is, instead.
the mildly stated assumption that
everybody has the right to be happy.
reasonably happy, l take it. There Is
then a fair overlooking of what con.
ditions happiness In this world. Not
so much, either. you will find, upon
calling the roll OF the elements that
enter into a general scheme of ac'
ceptances and satisfactions. There
are things here with which you will
not agree, if you chance to be a con-
former simply because you never
think at all about anything. Here
and there you may feel shock OF
distaste-that Is, you may if you are
overloaded with a quality that you
choose to call delicacy, or modesty.
But If you are thinking, if you are
intelligent, ii you are honest and not
too incrusted in tradition, you will
read this book, asserting. accepting,
and stirred to a new activity in work
ing out your own individual right to
be happy without prejudice to others.
without permanent harm to others.
While the book faces rather directly
upon woman, it is a mans book as
we'll, one, too. that is projected in a
fine competency Of discussion and
determination. THE Rights of HUI
man Beings: Food, Work, knowledge,
Sex and Parenthood, THE Rights
Of Children"-such are the namings
of certain chapters that are we'll
worth any ones while. A fine achieve.
ment.
THE EMILE. BY Mary Johnston, au-
re III, al !, at%
ton: Little. Brown & Co.
DOLITICAL in cast and substance is
1.-The Exile" Miss JohnstOn's s
latest novel. The action involved in
this romance takes place some time
In the future upon an island whose
name does not appear in our geogra-
ply books. Backing the main line
of events is Richard Kaye, dictator OF
EldOradO Island. Richard Kaye, it de-
velops, is an exile to this island, which
for several centuries has been used
for the punishment of political nom
conformists. So, in sense, this Is a
haunted spot. where shades of political
refugees seem to hover over the new
dictator and his companions. And 1t
turns out that Richard Kaye himself
has been there before, just as these
unseen people around him have been
there, are there still. 1t is this thread
of Eastern theory concerning the soul
in it's many migrations that gives a
clear charm to the romance as a
whole. Apart from this somewhat
new line of development for the au-
thor, the story deals sincerely and
soberly with the vision Of a time when
the world will have been freed from
wars and new day will have come
to support the human family in its
assumption of superiority over the
other brutes and beasts OF creation.
LATEST CONTEMPORARY POR.
TRAITS. BY Frank Harris, au'
thor of oscar Wilde: His Life and
Confessions" New York: The Ma
caulay Co.
A S independent in his opinions as
"A he is com petent TO form and Of
fer them, Frank Harris is always In
terestiEg and stirring. Sometimes he
stirs opposition, but there is no harm
in that, since opposition is not his
aim, but rather is it the effect of his
rightness upon minds reluctant and
uninviting. Not many biographies
can compete with Harris study OF
Oscar Wilde. with its fairness. breadth
OF view, accuracy. line of approach
and summary. And here again this
author writes, brilliantly, fearlessiy.
competently, of folks all around us
authors, actors, politicians. statesmen,
diplomats, rebels. business men and
others and others. Some of the names
covered by these studies are Thomas
Hardy. Eleonora Duse, Annie Besant
Eugene Debs, Charles Schwab. Fred
erick Harrison. Gustave Flaubert
David Graham Phillips, "the great
est American writer"-what do you
say to that? He comes near to prov.
ing his point about Phillips. as you
will see. I'm my portraits / have
always wanted to give my vision of
the man-body. mind and soul--as.
suming nothing save that his eXcep.
tional qualities must he intimately
related to his shortcomings, and re.
garding his peculiar virtues and vices
merely as variations from type. l
have never felt satisfied with my
mental portrait till l could see that
the mans books or works were as
inevitably an outcome of him as the
fruit is of the tree. His personal
habits, his dress, his tricks of gesture
and speech were all as important
to me as his theories of art or life. ="
From such an intelligence with such
a purpose you may expect to find por-
traits that do portray. You will find
JUST that, and no end of enjoyment
besides.
THE PAUL STREET BOYS. By
Ferenc Molnar. Translated by
Louis Rittenberg. New York:
Macy-Masius.
A MEXICAN readers of discrimi-
"a mating stripe have learned not to
pass the plays and stories of Ferenc
Molnar by. And here is a novel of
his about boys. Just boys playing
the streets of Budapest, such is the
theme of the story I'm hand. But city
streets are pretty much alike the
world over, and certainly boys are
boys wherever they are found. So
here. except for local touches which
serve only to enrich the scene for
readers, Is a story as true as life it.
self, one written out Of keen insight
and warm sympathy. out Of clear kin.
ship with the tribe of boy. Whimsi-
cal and gay, tender and piercing, by
turn and turn about, the life OF the
city streets becomes simple panorama
of the young human In his imaginings
and dreams of adventure and hero:sm.
A street is for him a road around the
world, or wild out.farings by sea, or
siege and defense between warning
hosts. or any other thing that active
muscles driven by more active