Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-12
IDA GILBERT MYERS.

~ over virgin uact-Woooeo
1 \ hills and valleys, threaded by
river and rill, blanketed close
by tangling underground and scrub.
But the man saw none of these things
so clearly as he saw his own dream
coming to life, fitting itself part by
part into this lovely stretch of nature.
The vision holding him was great and
sumptuous city, built to the measure
Of future years when a mighty nation
would have risen around this capital
that he was dreaming into life.
That was long ago. lao years about,
and the% man was Maj. Pierre Charles
LEnfant, French soldier and engineer,
come to America because he was In
love with liberty and impassioned to
fight for it.
And the city was built after
L'Enfants plan, Washington, Capital of
the United States. And the man be-
. false report built LEnfant into some
thing like a mythic figure or GER
tainly into a much distorted one. But
now, right now in 1929, under the
leadership of knowledge and wisdom
and art. Washington in a new energy
! Of worthy expansion is recalling the
spirit of L'Enfant for support In his
original vision, for enterprise and en-
/ lightenment to project his SURPRISING
plan for the city beautiful Of the
United States. Naturally, quickened
interest in LEnfant himself is general.
And here at hand is a book definitely
calculated to respond to the new zeal
to know this great Frenchman. Such
is the immediate purpose OF Il En1ant
and Washington" By way OF this
volume Elizabeth Kite offers the cor
respondence of y.Enfant and Washing
ton from 1889 When L'Enfant applied
to Washington fcv permission to plan
the Federal City, to 1892 when L'Enla1t,
diSheartened by the turmoil OF mis-
understanding and lack of cooperation
around him, withdrew definitely from
the great project Drawn from docu-
ments in the Library of Congress,
these letters appear for the first time
in book circulation. To these manu-
script sources of information have been
added certain already published records
and reports bearing upon the theme.
An introduction by j. j. JusSerand
adds clearly TO the value and interest OF
the whole This covers the story OF
Maj. LEnfant and the Federal City"
A foreword by Charles Moore, chair
man National Commission OF Fine
Arts, offers in substance vind1cation
Of L'Enfant's genius, whose proof Is the
city of Washington itself. A chronology
! covers the years of misunderstanding
and labor by way of correspondence
bearing upon one or another phase OF
making a new city, literally from the
ground up. Such, Sketchily, IS the
content of this book. whose immediate
purpose Is to re-vitalize the influence
of Mai. L'Enfant at a critical moment
in the expansion of Washington and to
renew as we'll the enthusiastic homage
of Americans to the man for his en-
during service to the architectural
beauty Of the Capital of this country.
To this immediate purpose there Is
added an even larger one. "LEnfant
and Washington" is the third book in
series that is being projected by the
Institut Francois de washington.
Lafayette Is the subject of one OF these.
Houdon'S work in America another,
De Grasse at Yorktown another. There
are others. These, however, show the
highly useful intent of the 1nStltut
Francois. Nothing less. this. than to
embody from authentic sources-from
flrst-hand sources, in the mainline
record Of France as 'conRlputor 10
the growth of the United States and
to the quality of that growth as we'll.
Scholar, scientist philosopher. states
man, all French, will appear in these
issues. Here. too, will be found the
story of pioneer, settler, missioner,
yoyageur, who in the beginning set
their enduring stamp upon the States
Motor up and down the MISSISSIPPI
or along the Great Lakes where the
music of French place names vies with
the liquid Indian words in trail OF
French exploration, which has been
remembered and honored by these
names-Marquette Nicollet, Hennepin,
Duluth, the lovely Lac qui Parle In
Minnesota. Oh, and a thousand otner
names bespeak the great part played
by Frenchmen in our earlier NE, ana
in cur later days OF prosperity ana
security. Most interesting, most use
full, these books that set forth ac-e
before us the French in America oy
wav of Institut Francois de Washing
ton.
THIS DELICATE CREATURE. By
Con oLeary. New York Elliot Holt.
Publisher. 1
TT was tina title and the naked
L opening sentence that set me back,
Had I known my con-o-leary better tnat
movement would have been o plunge
forward. just another one. thought l,
turned out by yet another oVerwayWlse
youth desiring to register as q know
it-all in the wicked woman -Worlo OF the
day. So, engaging myself, virtuousiy,
with A story of heralded high tone. l
missed Con OLeary for more weeks
than I like to remember. For mere,
friends, Is q cyclone Of story. or an
earthquake. or any other OF the really
big performances that nature stages
now and then. Its theme Is woman
of course. 1t Is that lovely nun OF
thing, pampered and blanketed against
the weather, sheltered by q regular lord |
of a husband. You know the kind |
Her name was Boda. Secretly she |
thought her name was Gree, thought
her feb was that of Gree herself, lead .
ing astray Ulysses, dozens OF him, sons !;
Of the half willing original weakling
whom Circe for 10 full years kept away
from the silly Penelope. spinning and
weaving her days away in futile
waiting. So this is Gree. And OF her
short Shrift Is made. Six little chap
tiers are enough to convict her. Con
OTeary, good Irishman and good
Catholic that he is knows exactly
what to do with this female monde
srable in the world of decent folks. He
claps her into pursatory. into q purge
tory of his own ingenious devlslng.
Boda becomes q mouse. then hare,
then all manner Of things that are VIC
tins to a world of selfish unheeding
folks-a laborer'S wife. parlormaid,
female fox, a race horse. q pheasant.
Then Boda was naked land this was
nothing new--indeed quite reminiscent
of her good days.. She was begRar.
Then she was. her own husband, just
to feel out how 1t was anyway with a
wife like her. Since this Is story,
1t has to have a fair ending. or the
public wouldn't stand for 1t. So Boda
comes to" and plans to behave for
ever after. One has doubts. However,
the point of the matter is that as prime
minister of purgatory Con OLeary Is
tremendous-flerce and ferocious, a
savage with club in hand, pitiless as