Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-30
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY the BookIouer

Maurice Barres might have been
called the dean of twentieth century
French writer's. Though past 60 at the
time OF his death, in 1928 his thought
made him akin to the younger genera
ton. He was politician and an acad-
emician. He began writing as a SYM
bolist, some said a decadent, and ended
by becoming a nationalist. He was born
in 1862 at CharmeZ, in Lorraine, and
lived there during the Franco-Prussian
War, when the men of his family were
taken as hostages by the PrusSians. In
this event were the seeds of his ma
tionaliSm. During the World War his
childhood hatred of the Prussians as
"barbarians" revived. When he was 10
he went to Paris to study law, but a
volume of Schopenhauer which ne took
with him interested him more than law
books. He began to write for the liter
airy reviews, and was encouraged by
Lecomte de LiSle and Anatole France
Soon he was writing novels, and sue
ceeding. Interest in public affairs also
grew with residence in Paris, and he
became a member of the Chamber of
Deputies and some time later member
of the Senate.
~
In the novels of Barres intense love
of race, country and province holds first
place. In Sous pOeil des Barbares"
CUnder the Eye of the Barbarians) he
represents a tragic hero who has no
country, no home, no name, no profess
sion, no family. He has only his ego
and is far more an outcast than Ed
Country" "L'Ennemi deS Lois" (The
E.nnYnU n lie a nf rpI
iSt. Les DeracineS" (The Uprooted)
shows the tragedy of exile from loved
home. other patriotic novels are
Lapel all Soldat" CThe Call to the
SOLDIER, EAU Service de LAllemagne"
Tin the Service of Germany and Col
cite Baudoche" The hero of "Au
Service de L'Allemagne" is an Alsatian
who, living under German rule, is at
heart thoroughly French. His ancestors
have fought for Louis XIV and Napo-
leon, and his parents talk French in the
family circle. He performs his term of
service in German regiment and then
settles down to live as an AlSatian, for,
says Barres, his first allegiance should
be to AlSace-Lorraine, his province
"Colette Baudoche" is an Alsatian girl,
q dressmaker, who loves a young Ger
man schoolmaster, but refuses to marry
him because her patriotism is stronger
than her love. lie Terre ct les Morris"
(The Land and the Dead has for it's
double motive love of the soil of France
and devotion to her heroic dead. :Du
Sang, de Ia Colupte ct de la Mort"
blood, Desire and Death) has for its
background Todelo, in Spain. La
Colline Tnspiree" (The Inspired HID is
a story of three brothers, priests. who
attempted to restore the native shrine
of Lorraine. They founded monasteries
and orders and became powerful until
a bishop grew distrustful of them and
refused consent to their enterprises
The three brothers went into retreat for
a time. but Leopold, the leader, unable
to endure inactivity, attached himself
to schiSmatic movement and was
finally accommodated, so that what
began as pious work ended in hereSy
Other works Of Barres are I'm Homme
Libre" "a Free Mani, lie Jardin de
Berenice" 1.-THE Garden of Berenice)
and number of volumes of criticism.
n ~
There are two economists who have
a big and important idea and who are
intent on getting that idea as widely
implanted as possible William Trufant
Foster and Waddill Catchings first pub
lished in 1923 their book Money" one
important feature of which was the en-
phaSis placed on the instability of its
value, for which they offered plan for
stabilizing its purchasing power. Two
years later they published Profits"
which was second closely reasoned
book, an analysis of the theory of
profits, Of the economic problems that
center around profits and the relation
~ frN kfHa
year they published a popularization of
their thesis in q highly readable book
called Business Without a Buyer"
Now Messrs. Foster and Catchings have
In the July Century an article entitled
Progress and Plenty-A Way Out of
the Dilemma of Thrift" Their theory
is that progress and business stability
are retarded because consumer buying
does not keep pace with production.
and that this comes about because ''in-
duStry does not diSburse enough money
TO buy the goods produced" and be
cause consumers, under the necessity of
saving, cannot spend even as much as
the receiver" Their chief proposal in
this Century article Is that the Govern
ment itself shall take systematic steps
to anticipate and prevent periods of
hard times and unemployment by push
ing forward its activities, including the
construction of great public works, even
with borrowed money, in periods of bust
ness depression. and shall contract or
postpone them In periods of rapid bust
ness expansion. Here is what they
think would result If their plan was
adopted: Imagine what would happen
If the United States Government an
nounced its intention to use all its fiscal
operations, as far as feasible, during the
next IL months In order to achieve
AT once most people would
expect that business would be good:
little danger Of imitation or defiation:
just an orderly market, keeping up with
production. And because OF the wide
spread conviction that business would
be good nearly everybody In his own
interest would so act as to make bust
ness good. The result, We feel sure,
would be the most marked advance In
material well-being that any country
has ever known"
Neither age nor sex excused any
members of the RothSchild family from
helping Meyer Amschel Rothschild when
he was building up the greatest fortune
in the world. Count Egon Caesar Corti
tells In THE Rise of the House OF
Rothschild." All the members of the
family were actively engaged In the
business. RothSchild's unmarried daugh-
ter sat at the cash desk. assisted by the |
wives of Solomon and Amschel, two of
the five sons. Nathan, the "smartest"
son, took care of the London business. |
Jacob, the youngest son. at the age of
l6 began to share work and RESPONSE |
bility, enabling AmSehel. the eldest son, |
10 leave Frankfort often, so that he, |
like his brother, Carl, was free to be the |
firms Traveller"