Evening star., 1928-06-10
IDA GILBERT MYERS.

OF brakes quest" etc. New York
Doubleday. Doran & Co,
$THE legend, so learning says,
consists of kernel OF truth
that grows to final perfection
Il through the long ages by vir-
tue OF the facts and fancies
Wrapped around it by rumor, who is
the chief nandmsid of legend, There
Is a modern product bearing this name
which In a measure runs true to the
classic type Like its progenitor this,
too, possesses a foundation of truth. or
near truth. And, just as rumor feeds
the old legend to its full growth so
does rumor, fancifully and sometimes
fantastically, sustain the modern leg
end. To be sure, long periods of time
are not required to bring this modern
form to perfection, since a thousand
years are but as day to this enor-
mously Speeded-up point of time, In
deed. now perfectly good legend NAV
be fashioned and set on its wav between
Monday and Tuesday 1t is. therefore.
not uncommon to see living man.
young at that, walking about wrapped
III the CLOAK that busy rumor has woven
for hiin. In such circumstance the
prime business of the moment is TO
extract the truth Of that story from the
cutter that gossip has provided it.
Here is case in point. Happily for us
this author has done the work. So
mere he, with as few concessions to
rumor as mere man can get away with.
hnlds out the grain of substantial fact
contained in the legend of the present
President of the United States: And
meanwhile Calvin Coolidge, who was
known to have done good job as city
solicitor for Northampton. did a good
loo as President Of the United States.
one once received no more concen-
tFated effort than the other An Office.
however small or great. was an Office
maintained for the service of the pub
Nc. therefore. essentially, the quality
o. CalvIn's endeavor remained the same.
ne oiu not become a statesman. (No?l
~ was not his job. He became, with
quite amazing speed the notably able
executive OF a vast and productive or
ganization attuned to efficient business
methods. Beneath his administration
the country prospered as it had never
prospered before, and the dicta that
controlled this happy era were those
uAat nad always controlled the life
action Of the President Constructive
economy Self-denial In expenditure
Earn more than you spend. With each
year OF ms tenure of Office the results
demonstrated the peculiar rightness of
these precepts. and the times grew ard ~
remained fat" So great a legend so
superb record OF public service is
calculated to affect vastly more than
merely the material interests-so ef1-
caenIiy conserved and promoted-of this
great country Of ours.
$50
THE STORY OF THE AMERICAN
INDIAN. By Paul Radin. New
YORK: Boni q Liveright.
IS said that our pious Puritan fore
iatners upon reaching the shores of
.ne new World Immediately fell upon
slsn Knees, after which in an equal
promptitude they fell unon the native
Indians. This efficient procedure II II
De fact, accounts no doubt for the
nuly sketchy knowledge possessed by
Lnc average person concerning these
people. such information sums. in effect
20 oarning villages. massacres, scalpcd
ueao men, flideous war whoops--and that
u ABOUT all To be sure, there are other
stray bits OF story about the red mar
70 the south and southwest and west.
story that runs 70 the tune of the white
mans lob OF wiping out a dangerous
ann inferior people root and branch.
Elgns here Paul Radin's book comes
INTO the matter Of the American Indian.
t1no oy way OF IT We realize that once
tnis America was held throughout by
Indians. and succeeding ages of indians
who built UP one great civilization and
another, these falling away in turn by
tne very agencies that sap and destroy
al civlizationS-warfare without or
ganic weaknesses within. Mr.. Radin
starts his story by spreading 'the first
census OF the New World most
amazing count, this, Of a widespread
indian population. far beyond any
random guessing Of our own. Then
follows that story Of the Mayas> and
their glory, story that unfailingly
comes 70 lis In the nature Of a wonder.
miracle. Yet II Is true story Of high
achievement, and one before which we
lose something OF our exclusive pose of
superiority. Then we see the ancient
Mezicans and those children Of the
SIN. the Indians Of old Peru. Then
comes the conquest Of North America
by the Mayas and the invasion of the
Toltecs. The layers Of succeeding c1li-
talfes are spread out here In cliff house
and pueblo and the ultimate conquest Of
the northern plains. Here We are led
70 LIT of the top layer OF our Middle
west for an inspection Of an amazingly
r1ch culture, living and dying just be-
meath II. A new isnd7 A land desti-
tutE Of the haVors OF older civilizations? {?
Are you saying this? Don't say IT again.
Instead, take up this story of Paul
Radin, scientist with all sorts Of ere
deDtlals 10 sustain him. To take II up
IN TO commit yourself 70 its complete
reading end after this 10 a going back
over many OF Its parts. And, best OF
all on many day Of specially clear
sight and unerring vision there VIII fade
away before your eyes the wide plains
Of corn and wflrat. the great cities, the
flying ships, the speeding trains, the
millions Of current interest and pre-
occupation. Into your ken. instead,
viii float the great panorama Of the
western Hemisphere peopled sby red
men who have achieved domestic In
dustries and arts, who have developed
elaborate forms of government and have
established formal rites of what we may
call International intercourse. A true
Et0rg. containing more excitement and
thrill than any Arabian Nights brand
OF invention could possibly hold.
A. MAN or LEARNING. BY Nelson
Antrim CFawford. Boston Little
Brown ~ ca.
A ~ explanatory subtitle gives definite
~ nAnls 10 the subject oi this biog-
rsgfilc sketch and specific purpose "
the study AZ n whole II runs Ike This
"A HALF Century OF Educational Service.
as ExerDplinec by Arthur Patrick Red
field. Ph.D, LID" IT, Is, you can zee.
b survey of ti1e past 90 years oi Amer
team education by way of the work and
iransnCe ~ ope VI its useful and cele-
bFzted expoBsnts.
Prom start W finish the book h. q
gesture Of fooling ~too genial ~ bf
c.sssed ss satire, which az a rule has
q biz Of sting 70 IL. Not shade OF
bitterness here, however. only a cieai
smlaeneut instead, There IL hardly
kn experiment. III fad or new" depart
uFe IN the fed 0f education that ~.
Eatea alra.aA...t anA falKa -Knaa kiKln AND bal.