Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-24

NJ
then of their own high god
1 desses, were wont to turn to
lovely mortal women for hours
OF domestic easement. ZeuS himself Is
case in point And there are others.
Indeed, no small part Of classic litera.
ture is founded upon the erranctes OF
the pagan gods. This fact, persisting
over into our own time, gives plausible
accounting for the strange phenomenon
of witehcraft. Here, Satan, coming up
from hell instead of down from Olym-
pus and upon much deadlier errand,
pursued and possessed hapless humans,
impressing them into his mighty en-
prise OF destroying the souls OF men.
An authentic chapter OF our own Colo
NAL history bears out the current be-
lief that, even so near to us as this,
the devil still walked the earth for
direct and personal undoing of helpless
human victims. "A Mirror for Witch
es'' Is drawn straight Off from that
monstrous bedevilment of the New Eng
land Coast. In mood and manner 1t
is of a piece with the period OF the
Salem witchcraft. Easy credulity and
fierce panic are here, pattern OF the
common mind of that day. The sober
yeracity of the seventeenth century an
nalist projects the case in hand.
little girl Is the victim. An odd child,
aloof and unloved Just the kind TO
draw the look of query, then OF sus-
picion. finally that OF aversion, Leading
straight to accusation, condemnation.
death. The deeply interesting part OF
this heart piercing story Is that In time
the child began, perhaps unconsciously
at first, to live up TO the program SET
upon her. And there you have the
f,ilI- dedged witch. repository Of the
frightful bulk of human cruelty placed
upon her by the wild beasts that at
heart men and women are. Esther
Forbes projects this drama in an aus
terity whose effect Is tremendous.
CLINT Of ironic lightning plays here ana
there upon 1t, but no softer gleam comes
near to 1t. A mastery piece OF demon
ism this. Beside the story itself, there
are distress and perturbation to bring
away from it, 1t Is that mirror which
no burning of witches has served TO
destrev. Here 1t is today, rejecting the
the littlenesses, the phari-
saism. the concentrations with which
humans look out in their appraisals OF
one another. We ourselves are the
in which, seeing so mucn
of distrust ana disfavor, many one
Yields. becoming the thing that we oy
our demeanor declare him to De. Splen-
did as this romance Is, because 1t Is so
snIendid maybe, 1t is the derived sig
nificance OF the story that sets 1t more
lsstingly high insuring long life to "A
Mirror for Witches"
BY Henry Dwight Sedg-
wick. author of 'Cortes the Con-
queror." Indianapolis: The Dobhs-
Merrill Co.
THE triumph Of this book Is that 1t
= definitely rescues Lafayette from the
limbo of unreality to which history so
COMMONLY condemns itsF characters.
Year after year OF unoroken euiogy
gradually divests any great man OF the
human traits certainly possessed by him
in life, setting him finally high above
the reach OF the average mans sym
pathy and urge toward emulation. Mr..
Sedgwick here breaks through the Gus
tom of such unfair and futile exalta-
ton. Lafayette himself steps out here
alive. young. active. His faults rs well
as his virtues appear in about the usual
human blend To American readers
Lafayettes activity In the Revolution
airy War becomes the high point OF in
terest. Here he Is the young man, ar
dent, impetuous, restless under restraint,
making mistakes and then, most en-
gagingly accepting the penalties incl
dent to errors of Judgment and action.
Here he Is seen with Washington-the
man of 40. the youth of 20, between
whom deep affection holds. 1t is only
after an acquaintance set up at this
point that the American reader goes
back 10 learn about the early days OF
gfrn0OfinU for the
greater freedom of his native land, 1t
Is only after this that he reads about
the later years of Lafayette In a remark
able and devoted service to the cause
upon which his whole life was expended.
Authentic as history, competent rs
biography, Ii Is. after all. the vitality OF
this presentment. it Is the living man
dominating this book, that gives to II
the value which all readers will welcome
as q true re-embodying of one Of the
great men of history.
regulations TEN YEARS AFTER.
BY Capt. B. H. Liddell Hart. author
of THE Remaking OF Modern
Armies" etc. Illustrated. Boston:
Little, Brown d Co.
A N English critic and writer on the
science and art of war here brings
to passing appraisal and Judgment 10
leaders of the World War. Outstanding
among these are Joffre, the modern
Delphic oracle; Gallieni. 1.-The real VIC
tor of the Marne":: Haig, the essence
OF Britain; Petain, military econ.
omist":: Allenby, the evolution OF a
leader; Liggett. "a professor Of war
and human nature; Pershing, the
100 percent American" Each of these
military accountings rises from biog-
raphic sketch SUFFICIENT In scope to
trace the influence Of early years, OF
formative circumstance. From such
foundation the person under study Is
set within the activities of military
training and subsequently within those
of war itself, The World War becomes
the general background for all, rs 1t
becomes the medium for each TO demon
strate the science OF warfare to which
each has attained. II Is. however, with
special activities and campaigns In their
effects upon the course and completion
of the great war itself that the study
expends Its greatest attention. The
theory OF war as we'll as It's practice
comes in here, sometimes In support OF
this general or that one. sometimes In
condemnation of his course within the
conflict. Diverse criticism
goes along with communication. cer-
tainly In o fearless devotion TO that
which the author conceives to be the
military Righteousness Of the case In
hand. A voluminous writer upon vari-
Gus aspects Of actual war and upon Its
technical conceptions and practices as
we'll. the book. by virtue Of Its pointed
personal attention and by It's generally
character, win draw to II
the average reader on the one hand,
the military student on the other.
y ~
BY Leland Hall. Illus
trated from photographs, New York:
Harper g. Bros.
TOO hot for Timbuctoo? Not by the
book route. Besides. you will not
every day have the chance to 50 a-trav.
cling with SO companionahle q man as
ttts ora "a tn khA ArSt fAtaNN he him.