Evening star., 1928-03-03
THE LIBRARY TABLE
Nv The BOOkl0rer

The ashes OF Thomas Hardy wore
buried January 16 in Poets Corner,
Westminster Abbey. Premier Baldwin
represented the government at the cerc-
mony and Sir James M. Barrie, Rud
yard Kipling. George Bernard Shaw,
John Galsworthy, Arnold Bennett Sir
Edmund Gosse. Sir Arthur Pinero, John
Masefleld. St John Ervine and II. M.
Tomlinson represented English letters
On the same afternoon Hardy's heart
was buried In the grave OF his first wife
In the Churchyard Of the little Dorset
village of Stinsford, the "Mellstock" Of
his novels. II the spirit Of the great
novelist OF the south country, who lin
gercd so long on earth, still unSatlsNcd
with the limit OF its mortal stay, ever
returns to visit loved scenes. it will
surely hover not near the glory Of West
minister. but about gloomy "Egdon
Heath and the happier countryside OF
Dorsctshire. On the edge OF a Dorset
highway. along which flocks OF sheep
are driven by their shepherds. and fac
ing rolling meadows, Hardy built the
home for his old age. Max Gate. on the
Wareham road, about a mile outside OF
Dorchester. the "Casterbridge" Of his
novels 1t Is simple house OF brick
road by the thick trees inside its pro-
tecting wall. A graVeled road leads to
it through tall gateway. and in the
rear is garden where the brightest OF
the English flowers bloom In their sea =
sons. Here Hardy in his later years
wrote the poetry which he cared for
more than for his novels. in this respect
not agreeing with the majority of his
critics and readers. Here. often in the
garden, he sometimes received favored
visitors. among them American authors
In his novels and tales Hardy calls Dor
setShire "WesSeX," rcviVing the old
Saxon name for the Kingdom of the
West SaXons. A pilgrimage through
the Hardy country today. with a map
such as that at the beginning Of Bcr-
tram G.. A. Windle's The Wessex OF
Thomas Hardy" and. OF course. COM
plete set OF the Hardy novels. would
provide vacation OF pure delight for
The Hardy lover
Though Tess OF the D'UrbcrVilles'
and Jude the Obscure" arc the novels
Of Thomas Hardy which contain the
most sensational situations and are
therefore. read by many who never &c
farther. they arc not Hardy's best. The
group OF four. THE Mayor Of Caster
bridge" Far From the MaddinR
Crowd" The Return Of the Native
and 1.-The WOodlanders. probably best
represents Hardys characteristic ideas
and style-hiS fatalism, his love of the
soil and its Cutivators, his sympathy
with primitive human emotions, his
sense OF the dramatic In everyday life
The scene of The Mayor OF Caster
bridge" Is "Casterbridge" tDorchester)
the capital and market town of WeSScx
and the country Immediately surround
ing 1t. including the edge Of "Egdon
Heath" The story begins, however al
"Weydon Priors" fWeyhill, not far from
Stonehenge). Far From the Madding
Crowd opens AZ "Norcombe Hills" tone
OF the hills between Dorchester and
Bridport on the Channel. but the
action soon shifts to "Weatherbury
tPuddletoWnD, which remains the scene
Of most OF the events. With visits on
market days to "CaSterbridge" The
district OF The Return OF the Native
Is confined to "Egdon Heath" (which
stretches between Dorchester and Ware
ham) and "Anglebury' tWarehaml
For The Wood!anders" the section
around the market town OF 'Shcrton
Abbas' fSherborne1. on the boundary
OF Somerset, is chosen. Here are Great
Hintock" tMinternc Magma. where
Giles Wnterborne Is buried, and Little
Hintock (Melbury OSmundf. where
Grace Me!bury and her father live
One other Of Hardy's novels. outside
these great four. was n tavorite with
himself, and this he located around
"Mellstock" tS;instordl. where he di-
rected that he should be buried. The
village choir. successor 70 the one I'M
mortalized In Under the Greenwood
Tree" sang old hymns TO the accom-
paniment OF a harmonium at his fu-
neral. and the circle OF rcVerent coun-
trv people who stood about his grave
included his neighbors among the
bitches. hedges. furze cutters. shcp-
herds. plowmen. dairymen and small
shopkeepers from the village.
One Of the essays In Emil Ludwig S
Genius and Character" is "Voltaire
in Eighteen Tableaux" Here l8 events
In the life OF the French cynic and
philosopher are linked together in such
a way as to give n character portrait.
Some of the events chosen are more
dramatic, some more significant than
Others. The io-year-o Voitaire
kisses the wrinklcd hand Of the Si-
year-oid Ninon dc LencloS and year
later Is left legacy In her will Al
II Noltaire III cafe SCOTS AZ the King
and the diSsolute regent and few
days later finds himself prisoner IN
the Bast;ilc, where ~ remains for u
months. In barren room ot 4 castle
at CleveS 4 irail man OF 28. wrapped Ill
a Prussian riding CLOAK. is lying III a
fever" The French philosopher, FOR
several years often invited 10 Visit him.
at last arrives and Frederick the Great
and Voltaire meet for the first time
Al so. Voltaire. once. Spird upon and
imprisoned by the government. Is given
an annuity By the King, on account Of
The superiority Of his talents" Past
60. Voltaire lives near Geneva. i'll n
little castle always fiilcd with guests
who come from all countries IL see him
and TO hear him" He has one estate
on the French side Of the boundary and
one on the Swiss side 10 provide Tor all
police emergencies Al 80, he returns
10 Paris and cauStica.ly tells the GUS
toms officials M the west gate. Il don't
believe gentlemen. that there Is any
contraband here except myself" Soon
atterward he dies aud the little corpse
In dressing gown and nl&htcap. look
ing like some one asleep. Is quietly
packed up and shipped away and
buried beside relative III the
provinces"
The stern principle ot huHng only
what YOU can afford has been thtoWn
into the discard by the modern meth
cd OF tustallment huvine. which Is de-
Tended aS sound by Prof Edwin Il A
Sciign,an ot Columbia in his book. The
Economies of installment selling" lie
says tina, the inStalmcnt method Is
very old and Is simply form oi credit
II IL no more injurious to seller and
purchaser than the financing by hanks
ot manufacturers and tradCSmen or the
selling ~ real estate un the basis W
periodical payments The Seilsr APP
parenliy assumes no extreme risk hN
the installugnt plan for III the auto.
nnhiln hIlsinrSA N Ni.rt. The nlln fl.,lI-