Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-14
THE LIBRARY TABLE
Nv the B0okiouer

seriously to seamanship and long before
turning to writing as profession,
Joseph Conrad was a leading figure in
romantic intrigue ending in a sudden
and Complete shipWreck He had in
volVed himself with some Carlist plot
| tiers, all young and all ardent, and with
three others had formed q syndicate
and purchased the Tremolino, officially
known as a fruit and corkWood trader.
| with intent to turn her to other uses.
The last expedition of the Tremolno as
smuggler of munitions Is described by
Conrad in The Mirror Of the Sea.
Don Carlos, no doubt. must have had
many queer friends Cit Is the common
| lot of all pretenderS). but amongst them
none more eXtravagantly fantastic than
| the TremOlino Syndicate, which used to
meet I'm tavern on the quays OF the
old port" of MarseilleS. The chief adj
wiser Of the syndicate was DOna Rita,
an adventures of Basque blood who
had little house on the Prado where
met the plotters for the good OF the
cause" The padrone of the TremOlino
was a Corsican named Dominic Cervonl.
man OF imperturbable demeanor, with
waving ebony locks and thick black
moustache. curled every morning with
hot tongS by the barber at the corner
OF the quay" The fascinating Dona
Rita with whom Conrad was, like many
another, briefly in love, and the in
scrutable Dominic were the romantic
heroine and hero of this true tale ION
board the TremOinO wrapped up in
black caban, the picturesque cloak of
Mediterranean seamen, with those mas
siVe mOuStacheS and his remOrSelesS
| eyes set off by the shadow of the deep
| hood. he Dominic looked piratical and
monkish and darby initiated into the
most awful mysteries of the sea-
X X
The villain of the adventure was
Cesar. nephew of Dominic, who was,
according to the uncle, "Canallia." He
was attached as family impeachment TO
| Dominic, hence also to the Tremolino.
On the next to the last day Of her life,
when the Tremolino was leaving Bar
! celona, departure was delayed by the
absence of Cesar, who had been missing
since breakfast. Finally he returned,
was sullen and resentful as usual. at
the reproof of his uncle. and would an
Swer no questions Then the Tremolino
slipped out to sea quietly at dusk, and
all through the night everything went
we'll" But at daybreak vessel Was
perceived to be following the Tremolino,
and DominicS Sagacity soon identified
1t as coast guard. The Tremolino was
making good speed ahead when sudden
iy half Of her new mainSail gave way,
and 1t was found that the roping
stitches had been cut. Then the coast
guard gained rapidly on the Tremolino.
Dominic and Conrad. realizing that
treachery probably CeSar's. had be-
trayed them. planned to kill" the ship.
They turned her in toward shore, Con-
rad took the tiller and at the signal
from Dominic. drove her on the rocks.
All on board escaped in the boat, but in
few moments not a splinter was lift
Of the Tremolino. Just before the crash
Dominic had muttered, Il have yet an
other piece of work to do" AS the
drenched men were making their way
inland from the scene of the wreck
Conrad noticed the absence of Cesar
and inquired for him. Dominic. with
sweeping gesture, exclaimed tragically,
Il struck once. and the wretch went
down like stone-with the gold. SHe
had stolen Conrads money beltD Yes.
But he had time to read in my eyes that
nothing could save him while I was
alive. And had I not the right.
Dominic Cervoni. padrone who brought
him aboard your fellucca-my nephew,
traitor?"
The failure of Bismarck to observe
and understand the public opinion OF
his time and to cultivate contacts with
the various groups representing that
opinion is commented upon by Emil
Ludwig in his biography. Bismarck.
as one of the reasons why Bismarck
failed to attain the highest type of
craftsmanship This aloofness from his
fellowmen and their problems was due
partly to the excessive care for his
health, partly to "a family tendency to
sioth." and was partly deliberate inso-
lence This man. whose mind was
| filled with plans, whose will was en-
tangled in struggles. thought fit for rea-
sons of health. and also because he was
an autoCrat, to avoid intercourse with
persons who could contribute nothing
to his aims with whom he could do no
business, who represented no party and
| did not even embody hostility.
The consequences are momentOuS
| One who for 80 years never reads any
thing (unleSs 1t be to glance OCCASION
ally at the verses of Heine and Byron
OF INLAND and Ruckert). one who shuts
himself away from all the on-political
| movements of his country. will, In the
long run. come to rule that country
more and more unintelligently,
The aging King wilhelm II. for all his
limitations saw and heard more of the
problems of the day than Bismarck, de-
spite the latter's power of grasping and
promptly celebrating the most impor-
tant elements Of dinner-table CONVEX
sation,"
u "
Il regard Mr. Mencken. says Strlth-
ers Burt in The Other Side" las one
of the most expert plumbers the world
hos VNI nt,yN f4t. ,rIN
An honest, fortnight plumber. we'll edu-
Gated, but singularly unripe a crack
ling strident voice such as was sorely
needed. and this myopic prophet has
done an immense amount of good-~also
harm As for Sinclair Lewis, no bright
er plumbers assistant has yet been
found"
1.-The uncomfortable habit which cX-
listed until the last so years of suppress
ing the household fires except IN the
kitchen from May !. regardless of the
vagarieS of climate. may have had It's
root in superstition rather than In a
Spartan contempt of luxury" says Miss
Mary E. Boyle in her new book. In
Search OF Our Ancestors" which re-
| traces mans origin and development
| from later ages back TO their begin
| nings Miss Boyle traces this custom
| to the days Of the Druids, when they
consecrated fire and water on May /
| In Ireland all fires had to be extin-
| guished on that day and it was unlaw-
| full to relight them before the DruidS
| had rclit theirs on the Hill of Tara
y
oswald Garrison Willard in his book
Prophets True and False" presents a
glgn oh 81
persons. most Of them from political
| life. Among them are Woodrow Wilson
Bryan. the late Senator La Toilette
Leonard Wood and Henry Cabot Lodge
The living receive more attention and
sketches are given of Herbert Hoover