Evening star., 1928-06-09
THE LIBRARY TABLE
Bv The Bookiorer

.'It seems to me, therefore. that we shall
be we'll advised If we choose those Sto-
ries in which man plays out his part III
the drama of life against an eternal SKY,
whose presence as a protagonist In the
play the author has successfully per-
ceived and conveyed to his readers. The
Is stories I have chosen are, therefore.
Is balances between the nobility oil man
and the nobility Of the eternal powers.
"Benito Cereno" by Herman Melville.
Is pronounced "the noblest short story
In American literature" though 1t Is
known to but few. The significance Of
Ethan Brand" by Hawthorne, is at
tributed to the influence of Melville
during season spent by the two writ
ers near each other In the Berkshires.
Most of Poe's tales seem to Mr.. O'Brien
''meretricious, but in "The Tell-Tale
Heart" Poe has confronted the furies
which pursued him and made obeisance
to truth which he hated" Henry James
also confronted an enemy In his great
est story, THE Turn OF the Screw" 1t
was the enemy OF fear, and he looked
it straight In the eyes, and, In my belief.
walked through It," In THE Three
Strangers" by Thomas Hardy, the
forces of nature move Indifferent to
mans doom, yet one feels that that
doom may still be transcribed" Youth
is Joseph Conrad'S finest story, and
here we have the struggle OF man In
his simplicity. courage, and faith against
fate as embodied in the forces OF evil
and the natural elements OF earth, air,
fire - water" w. Fl. HudSon's story
o. 'Ei Ombu" shows perfect harmony
of substance and form. 1T is the story
OF a man and of spiritual continent,
ntkf eli Ef hA VNa MN "a "a
background against which man rides on
and rides alone"
From Kipling's many stories of vari-
GUS types, Mr.. O'Brien has chosen THE
Phantom 'Rickshaw,'" which he calls
"the reply Of divine justice to all that
Kipling's later Imperialism represents.
The phantom In the rickshaW Is
more real and living even than Null
vaney." Katherine Mansfield's story,
The Fly" arouses the regret, which
we have all felt. that her life was cut
short before she had reached the full
fillment OF her powers. 1T Is an un-
happy story, If you like. an untrue
story, but ii has cry in 1t which has
never been stilled from age to age,
though that cry may be and should
be transcended" -Four French authors
and two Russians are included in the
list. Balzac's Episode of the Reign
OF Terror" not necessarily his best
story. contains nearly all the primal
emotions OF man In conflict with myS-
terry, injustice and suffering" 'Mateo
Falcone." by Prosper Merimee. ''is the
most primitive story of all those have
selected 1t is pagan, too. Never
theless, we feel that 1t might have hap
pened anywhere at any time" Perfec-
a.. 4sxtk rlx .Asx
Flaubert's "A Simple Heart" Though
Its very simplicity makes 1t universal
perhaps II will always appeal
most to those who have hearts as per-
fectly simple as that OF the old servant"
A pupil of Flaubert and a master of
technique. De Maupassant. has pre-em-
inence through intelligence only, yet
his story Two Friends" shares the
qualities OF "A Simple Heart" There
Is the same innocent dumbneSs, the
same spiritual inviolabllity, the same
inevitable irony" Chekhoys BLACK
Monk" gives 'the answer to the most
obstinate modern questions of the great
Est artists the human answer to Lucifer.
the truly heroic answer to life" Another
Russian story. Lazarus" by Leonid
Andreyev, goes step further and sug-
gests to us the answer life may bring
back from the other side Of the grave"
One woman comes to the defense OF
another In Honore Wiilsie Morrow's
biography Mary Todd Lincoln" 1t
has long been known that Mrs. Lincoln
was the victim not only of petty but OF
really malicious SANDER. MRS. Morrow
goes over many of the stories most COM
monty circuiated about her and shows
that practically sll we're false: most OF
them probably originated with enemies
OF Lincoln, That Mrs. Lincoln was ex-
travagant Is admitted, but extravaganza
Is q fault compatible with many excel
lent qualities. Mrs Morrow insists that
the relations between Lincoln and his
wife were those Of affection and SYM
pathy.
Though his leadership OF the nation
aliSts OF India seems To have somewhat
waned, Gandhi continues TO write on
the subject OF Indian independence A
volume OF his editorials has been pub
lished under the title Young India"
by Mahatma Gandhi In these ram
bling discussions Of Indian politics and
economies he plainly shows that he Is
no bolShevlst. His arguments indicate
q belief In dominion government for
India. under the British Empire. with
freedom comparable 10 that Of Canada
and Australia. He desires, as q funda-
mental condition for internal peace.
harmony and union between the Him.
dus and the Mussulmans. now aligned
In hostile camps and doing everything
possible to stir each others religious
and social prejudices. He also favors
alleviation OF the wretehed condition OF
the "untouchables. especially by grant,
Ing them access 10 public wells, schools
and temples. In this respect. II in few
others. he is In agreement with Kath-
crime Mayo, author OF Mother India"
The first novel of Margot Asquith.
Countess of Oxford and ASquith. has
created less stir than did her daring
autobiography some years ago 1t Is
called "Octayia" IA more striking title
might have been chosen and Is story
of love. the hunting field and politics In
prc-war England. when country life was
still leisurely and not too heavily bur-
doned with taxes. Surprisingly. II Is
not at all sensational, but Is conserva-
tive, almost Victorian. In It's morality
and social standards, Octavia might be
a George Eliot or Trollope heroine
=
Those who when In New York. fire.
quent the Alice Foot MacDougall
luncheon and ten rooms, supposedly
limitations OF italian restaurants, but
really much more atmospheric than
most similar Italian places. may or
may not be Interested In Alice Foote
MacDougall; the Autobiography Of a
Business Woman" Married al 20. Mrs.
MacDougall had long struggle with
poverty and found herself at 30 de-
pendent on her own resources. with
three children to support. With poor
health and no training, she considered
the outlook dark, but she fought her
way TO success and nov does an an
nual business OF million dollars and |
daily feeds 5000 people In her restAn-
rants.