Evening star., 1928-11-27
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
CHARLES JAMES FOX. John Drink
water. Cosmopolitan Book Corpora
ton.
/. C.. NJ.

CHARLES JAMES FOX. John Drink
water. Cosmopolitan Book Corpora
tion.
The hero of John Drinkwater's lat
est adventure in life, his day and place.
appear at first glance a shade remote
from any general current interest. A
century and, a half Is good long
stretch of time for any man to hold
himself alive in the hearts Of others, or
even to waken in those hearts a pass
ing glow. And this, too, in dazzling
new world that fills the foreground of
common concern with nothing short of
miracle itself.
Two outstanding facts of history,
however, give Drinkwater a possible
warrant for such revival. One is mans
unchanging reaction to the externals
of life, the constancy of his behaviors
all along the way from past to present.
Such conStancy makes OF him a
clearly calculable creature, casting
him, so to speak, in the role of prophet
as to the future of his kind. The other
of these two fundamentals, made use of
by the author, is the slow growth of hu-
man institutions For example, the $50
years lying in between now and the
day set by this drama show really but
scanty harvest whose seeds Of poiit-
ical advance were then sown as the
significant stamp of that period.
These two fundamentals dominate
and direct the Drinkwater study Pic
tured here Is the slow growth of ideas
in political liberty. spreading from Eng
land to it's American colonies. And
here at the center of this movement is
statesman who stands conSpicuouSly
useful, even in the group widely recog-
nized for signal ability and power in
the parliamentary deliberations and
achievements against the ideas of pure
monarchy itst #.
Charles James Fox, gentleman and
statesman, here becomes the hero of
this story of political England toward
the end OF the eighteenth century. It
Is story of party triumphS and de-
feats. Around FoX-now in alliance
and now in opposition-are, the great
figures of Burke, Sheridan, the younger
Pitt. Steadfastly in the opposition are
George III and Lord North.
One may question why John Drink
water went after Charles Fox, rather
than after another of the famous Eng
liShmen Of that period-digging him
out of dusty official reports and every
other sort of authentic record, setting
him llp therefrom in the strenuous po-
litical movements of the day-himself
again alive. active and strongly stirring
to any reader of this study. Why did
he not take Burke? Why not Pitt, or
another?
Was it not for the reason that of
them all Charles James Fox was the
most completely human, with more sides
to him, more points of contact between
him and mere mortalS generally, a more
picturesque man, better suited to dra-
matte portrayal, while at the same time
he was quite as important to the period
and its problems as were the others?
Possibly one reason for the general
warming of the American heart toward
Fox is that he was an ardent and per-
sistent advocate of colonial independ-
ence. AS such he stands here.
An admirable effect not only of
reality but of immediacy as we'll issues
from this study. No accident, this.
Rather Is 1t the result of careful and
competent planning that sets Fox firmly
and potentially in the very heart of
the political England of his day. From
the study one draws not simply great
party figure of the period, but from it
he secures, besides. the full pattern of
England facing political departure of
stupendous import to the rest of the
world.
AS a man Charles James Fox is emf
nently worth while. A happy man
with good many frailties to give point
to his sterling virtues. A good friend,
a fair minded enemy. A fine fighter,
who nevertheless prefers peace. And as
for being good husband, if this counts
among the mighty, read the diary in
closed here. To be sure Fox was q
little dilatory about entering the mar
riage State-about ii years as I recall
lt-but once the VOWS were made none
better than Charles James Fox, hus-
band. Gambler? Yes, to a degree. But
gambling is not yet lost art, as the
modern stock market indicates. Drunk
ard? Not by any means. Nothing near.
Just convivial.
to get in touch with a man, $50 years
dead, but much more alive, even so.
than any number of the folks round
about. An important man at that in
big achievements Of political sig
nificance.
Again John Drinkwater has shown
himself the good historian, the COM
petent dramatist, the absorbing story
teller by way of Charles James Fox"
as he has done before in his Lincoln"
and other works.
X \ X
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN OF PARIS.
Willis Steel: Minton, Balch & Co.
The years from 1776 to 1785 were
lived by Franklin in Paris. This book
is a record of that period Drawn from
letters, a diary, reports official and
otherwise, here Is a drama that more
than once invites comedy as an aid to
its more sober spirit.
OF all the great Americans that have
come and gone, each leaving his specific
mark upon the common life, none is, I
am sure, better loved than this wise
Franklin. A tinge of pity goes along
with the love-not that Franklin needs
pity, but in his day, you know, that
man was rather looked down upon. He
was not college graduate, a clear af-
front to New England. He was not
given over in any degree to the formal
gestures OF piety. That was against
him in place where the very founda-
tion stone of settlement was religion.
He showed no very great Difference to
the conventions of respectable society.
He neglected dress. He was something
of a tramp. In word, there was much,
very much, to draw out a common
anxiety over Benjamin Franklin and
his queer doings, some of which he
labeled scientific. To be sure he gave
service, wise and patriotic service, that
received recognition and praise. But
he was queer. Nothing is more damn
ing than to be queer. In spite Of it all
we, nowadays, love Franklin better than
We do the more perfect ones. Even
that rather dowdy figure of the man
down the Avenue never fails to draw
from one paSSer-by at least, Good
day, Benjamin Franklin. I hope you
are we'll"
However. the story of this book is
bright one, brighter than its subject
Is likely to draw on this side of the
water Here he Is in Paris, really the
city of his heart, really the city of his
spirit. And within this sympathetic
and divining book we go about with this
immensely popular American. The story