Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-03
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. t.. NJ.
THE JOYOUS FRIAR: The Story Of
Fra Flippo Lippi. A. j. Anderson

| The story goes back more than half
| thousand years in theme and char
actcr and setting. Yet. 30 unVarying
| from century to century is human ma
ture In its essence of feeling motive
and behavior. that the novel. holding
fast TO this fact. delivers over TO the
reader men and women who at heart
| are no different from those around him.
no different from himGclf. Such in
spration on tho part of few noVelsts,
| that Of devoting their powers to the
| unchangng quality of the human,
serves to rcsurrcct many historic
figure. serves to lift him out Of the
| trappngs of an ancient and forgotten
| grave, to set him down alive in the
present. forever cotcmporancOus, vivid.
comprehensive and illuminating. Such
point of departure tends toward the
good effect also OF modifying harsh
and hasty judgments against past
that, save for surface non essentials, Is
no different from the present. Its peo-
pie the logical product Of their times.
| as VIC are, not monsters Of deliberate
| wiCkcdness as some would have us
| think.
A shining example in this new way
| of telling the historic tale is John
| Erskine, who has brought back to life
Helen. Galahad. Adam and Eve. Here
| is THE Joyous Frar" to a degree cast
| in the same mold, with perhaps more
obvious effort to tally romance with
| history than John ErSkine feels the
| urge to make Mr.. Anderson has not
moved quite so definitively into the
realm of the universal human as has
| the unacademic author Of Helen" and
' tho others.
| The elate spirit of the budding
~ hn gfn ri Lf-a
Lippi. Italian painters are here leading
the world of art. Florence and its
environs arc the animatng and guild
ing center of such achievement Al
ready Giotto. Fra Angelica. Ucccllo and
! Masaccio have preceded the great
painter Fra Ltppi and to follow him are
| Botticclli. Leonardo da Vinci, Filipino
Lippi MicheIangelo.
| But, this n not chapter in the
history of Italian art. save rs all art
| is sourced in absorbing passion. Rather
is IL the romance of a Carmelite frlar
and an Augustinian nun of the Con-
vent of Santa Mareherita. 1t Is the
love story of Fra Filippo LippI and
Lucrezia del Butt. Florentine maiden
of high position, of great intelligence
and beauty. who stands as the chief in
spiraton of Lippi's highest achievement
in painting, as more than one of the
famous Madonnas by this artist still
bear witness.
The story develops. simply and nat
urally. Fra Filippo was the chaplain
of the convent. Santa Marghcrita. It's
pious abbess greatly desired Madonna,
painted by the greatest artist in
Tuscany" as a panel for the altarp.ece
of the chapel. Clearly, Fra Lippl was
the artist for such task. as more than
one beautiful and graceful Madonna in
fresco and OH wall made plain. And
Fra Lippi said he would be glad 70 do
this for the good abbess provided the
nun. Lucrezia might sit as the mode,
for such pious undertaking, A shoci-
ing idea. to be sure. for a nun 10 act
as model But, remember. the painter
was friar-and so. after many tlmid-
tiles and fears, the good abbeSs con-
sented Then the sittings~~the artist.
the model. the quiet room. the COM
munity of interest, the silent speech
between the two the dawn Of personal
interest. the growth Of human love. the
tremendous passion that forgot VOWS.
and dedicated lives and such other
safeguards against the encouragcments
Of frail human nature. Then there
was the scandal of Lucrezias "abduc
ton" there was her life with Fra Lippi
and the birth OF little Filipino Lippi.
destined 10 be an artist, too, though
lesser one than his great father. Then
| by a convenient, and proper. dispense
ton from authority Lucrcaia was made
a respectable woman through formal
marriage with Fra Lippi. An exem-
plary life together. some of Lippi's great
est work. sober and even sanity
death TO the Fra-~theSe are the cxtenu-
atoms that cluster round. that should
cluster round. to modify The judgment
OF succeeding generations upon day so
different from this day. wherein then,
as now, human nature was doing Its
best TO conform 10 the regulations that
are set upon its contiuct N behalf OF
the safety OF society as a whole
The author has been puncuAous IN
the matter OF historic facts and ac-
cliracicS. But he has also oecn
wise and sympathetic student Of the
natura and personality OF great
genius To whom all the world Is IN
debted for beautiful and enduring art.
Which shall il be~~the great artist 20
whom all time is in debt. o. an erring
man who did his best 10 correct the
ills Of his own creatingF Here Is a
finely vivid picture. carefully drawn in
its accuracies and. yet. remaining a
portrayal az deep in insight as 1t Is
velopmcnt.
/ STORY LIVES OF MASTER WRIT
ERS. Charles Harlow Raymond.
Frederick A Stokes Co.
The author of this book Is Master q;
English Mt Iawrencetillc School. And
AS IN nil schools the students have had
their Shakes pcarc and Scott and Shell
lev and Keats and TennySon and the
rest on down To O. Henry and Mrs.
Burnett. This book is, without doubt,
reach toward every teachers need
Of putting personality. HE, reality into
tho studies that tend to crystalline
around succeeding generations OF stu
dents, So. here. hack OF the men and
women whose literary work Is assumed
TO constitute necessary element III
education this author has placed the
life Saving eNpcdient ~ making stories
out OF the lives of the writer's Nnuer
consideration Shakespeare steps oui nt
! his deep proiundities az thought ann
speech into the streets OF London where
at this and that and the other activity
he comes upon the happy knack 81 put
ting together plays that the londoner>
Of Elixaheth'S day delight 10 look IN
upon A very human and Nkable EEL
hereafter To give IA new slant upon the
study ot Hamlet and KING Lear aud the
rest And here is Dickens gathering a
long fame out ~ the tondon streets,
something rs q Henry did later from
those of New York And here IS
Stevenson. gallant fighter, indomltahlF
man. unconqueraole spirit. creating all
ventures IN the very body oi WStN
health and outfartos wave. And 50,
with each nt the others, there are The
purpose and the achievement NJ INK
ing these writers ny with the da'N
interests al the boys and g'flN, Who de
mand some such concession ~ thSN
! own tull personal programs II THESE
writers oi The past aud the present are
tn have any sort vt hearing from them
~ aNA L u uHL-ia.a aAAl Lil IaAIlAHMl,A