Evening star., 1928-02-12
REVIEWS OF WINTER BOOKS
Merchant Prince of the Middle Ages-Stores by George
Hummel, Poems and Few of the
Newest Novels.

with the girls and the goats and other
live things Of the incompatible island.
Il II # II
THE FATHER OF LITTLE WOMEN
BY Honore Willsie Morrow, author
| Of Forever Free" etc. Boston:
Little, Brown e. Co.
IN my old joyous readings OF Little
Women recall, as If IL were yes
| terday, a wholly unreas0ned avoidance
of the father Of that family. He was
| so out of step with the active and
competent business of the rest OF the
household that the only thing TO do
was to skip him. That must have
/ come from a streak OF the Puritan left
| In me by forefathers not able TO run
away from as they moved westward,
| I have In hand Mrs. Morrow's book
about Bronson Alcott the father OF
see that what I was doing In response
10 a streak of inheritance all the Puri-
tans around him were doing in the
| lifetime of this man. To the early
New Englander nothing else was 50
damning as 10 name man "no-ac-
| count" "shiftless." And Bronson AL
colt seemed to be all of this. Just filled
up with visions and dreams OF new
heaven and a new earth. And ever
| since has he been more or less under
a general cloud Of Puritanic disfayor.
! To be sure. Emerson was his friend
So was Thoreau. But neither Of these
was beyond slight suspicion OF the same
cast Here Mrs. Morrow has brought
Bronson Alcott out into the light for
a rational and sympathetic accounting
by a public that nowadays does not
specialize in condemnation alone. From
Il don't know how many-volumes OF
Alcott journals and letters. this author
has cleaned and combined and thrown
away and eo-ordinated to such good
| effect that the man himself steps out
before US. In clear enthusiasm has
Mrs Morrow striven for juster esti-
mate than his own day accorded him.
He was. and Is. the greatest of all
Americas SchoolmaSters. century
ahead Of his time. genius who at
tempted to remake Americas ideas OF
the functions of education and whose
ideas. IL drawn up today. would save
Americas soul alive and stay the moral
debacle that threatens our children's
children" The whole story is not
pitched to this high key. yet 1t is all
projected In an ardor of enthusiasm. in
an eloquence Of advocacy that carry its
basic truth deep into the interest apd
sympathy and understanding OF the
reaaer.
THE BELLS OF ITALY: and Other
Poems, BY Grace Gorges. New
York: Harold Vinal. Ltd.
DOZENS that ring as they properly
/ Il l~ hon nh- ~ hn
bells of all Italy call back and forth
to one another from tower to tower in
the evening dusk and in the stealing
dawn. Now it Is quite easy to say that
because these are poems about bells
naturally they would thems lives ring,
Nothing of the sort. It Is demon
s.rab,e that many poem on this sco
iect sets up no tuning whatever In the
mind and heart Of the reader. Not 50
here These bells actually do ring One
hears them and. hearing, he builds
around them. one b. one. the natural
scene and the historic Circumstance
that set each upon its Ginning way,
Reading here one does even more han
this. He goes along with this traFei@r
from point TO point. building into him.
self the 10y OF the lourneying. tn
pleasure OF old stories retold, the ccm-
radeShip of an old and beautiful land
| whose great history comes to focus and
point and sound in the reminding
clangor, In the reminiscent chimes. or
the bells of italy. This Is com ;
mun;cable hook-the whole OF II is
here-~the zest 0! experience. the quail
itv of the emotions, the stir OF ,m3gina-
ton and. finally. these singing words
that, gathering and embodvinc i've "ho:c
pass 1t over into the readers apprecia.. =.
vnn of the music and fresh charm OF
The Bells of Italy"
BLACK AND WHITE, Comniled and
edited by J. c. Byars, lr. Wasnhhs-
ton: The Crane Press,
900 far rs know"-Mr. Byars
- sueaking~~"this is the first an
,hology confining its scope to poiititai
subdivision OF the United States, X the
voteless District Of Columbia can oe so
designated My friends have ADVISED
me that ntlic or no literary significance
ran attach 10 collection of poetry 50
! limited In sense that Is true But
II "A survey could b. made cf every
state or even Of every considerable
city the purpose of which should oc
10 collect representative volume 81
| verse there being produced let US
shut him oil at this point since here
ne falls into pesslmistic and unhope-
full conclusion.
Not large volume. this Not to ee
expected. Poets are like the rest OF life
unproduetive under neglect. Yet. now
adays. there Is revived interest III
poetry. The proof thereof Is Its mark
ed increase In books magazines, papers
This volume. small IL II Ii, gives aN'~
dence also OF a new hoy i'll verse II
/ Is In recognition of this turn of interest
that MIR. RvarS has reached out for
. ranrcSentattve collection Of eurren'
Washington poems, And here they are
written BY LAWYER business man
teacher student In high school or uni
verS,tv. Government clerk, pol,t'rsar
| nreaehet Men and women NJ hath
! races have contributed 10 this collection
/ have collected certainlv III e0ust meas.
ure 10 the fectins and form Of poetry
II IL AN interest.Ns volume one IN h
valued tor rs substance, for It's p,r
nf>s" for It's FAIRNESS Of exposition SM
| VIII DISPUTE Mr., Hvars' claim tnr po~tr,
/ The poetry Of a n~on,e signifies tha'
/ oeonle'S culture, h~'atfS tho wit aims
hsra$smentS, grrwth. chastity NJ feellns
! Hnd workmanship ~Ntant In tha, r~o
| ME :" Never mind the dlSrsia'sNu In
/ stead GIVE this back thu e|t@Htloo thn.
| " 's@s~rveS eS naee of The literary ef
s"rt Of ctr own city.
! nnnkE NEf>E>pNsu>IN