Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-22

the French populace. There are nc
pauses here. Terrible urges press these
people forward. Press the reader for
ward, too. An old story retold with
passion and control, with impulse and
restraint with giving and withholding
so the ill-advised legend runs. Moth.
ing OF the kind-unless, maybe, the
writer of these words understands that
young people" do not need, do not
desire, diluted stuff. A fine story Is
for them and for their elders as well
and here Is one Of that kind.
SCRAPS OF PAPER. BY Marietta Min
nigerode Andrews, author Of my
Studio Window" etc. New York: e
p. Dutton & Co.
MOT scraps" at all-not literally
~ Diaries, instead, and letters and
other intimate personal recordings that
in sum. deal at first hand with the
Civil War and then, something like SO
years after, with the World War A
"prologue"-poignant as 1t Is dramatic
projects - Slave Ship-1860." Then
the Civil War. brought into the open
here by way Of anxious letters, in which
fears become facts, in which, gradually,
there comes to light innumerable as
poets Of the war as it Is endured by
the woman folks at home waiting for
the outcome, and. meanwhile, comport-
ing themselves like the heroes that the
most Of them were. Vivid pictures of
the South are held in these letters
terror of the Yankees" anxiety for
their own men, makeshifts of living in
place of an accustomed abundance,
pathetic gestures toward social gayety
as q matter Of sheer pride and helpful
ness. And so the records unroll
throughout the war and its immediate
issues. 1t is not easy to give you an
idea Of the tmmediacy of these letters
in their effect upon the reader. Just
telling 1t as 1t is" Is, / assume, the
The last Of these scraps" deal with the
World War in communications from
friends and relatives Of Mrs. Andrews.
The whole. incidental as its fronting
Is, stands as a document, true in con-
tent and deeply interesting in its effect.
But, even this Is not the best of this
book. Its very highest quality lies In
the authorize editor, to be exact
lies in the broad understanding and
sympathy of Mrs. Andrews herself, a
woman Of national NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
too, no doubt-though deeply devoted
to her own State and locality. looks
comprehension, with sympathy and with
the saving grace of a beautiful and
encompassing sense of humor. I'd
like to quote evidence of that deep
sense of humor here-but there Is not
time, nor room. Read this book for
its true pictures-that Is, true from
the standpoint of the various writers.
and read it, particularly, for the quail
ties of the present writer, Mrs. Andrews.
The Bible talks about "leaven." Here
is Heaven" Of the true sort.
A DEAD LINE. BY Cyrus Kehr.
Washington.
A LITTLE book Of true stories
"A episode and incident. remindful
of the fact that there is "A dead line
in civil life as well as in the prison
yard Of a military encampment. Cur
rent matter, all Of this, drawn from
business life, in social life as well. Mr..
Kehr lays stress upon embezzlement,
setting it of from theft by the added
fact that 1t violates the business con-
fidence reposed in the offender. It's
immediate effect Is the contrivance OF
measures Of concealment, turning the
life of the embezzler into a nightmare
of fear, deceit and a gradual let-down
of the man-stud Of the person involved
In the transaction. The author then
turns to the average man and woman
who are compelled to put their trust
in financial advisers and operators.
that should be imposed upon these
public trustees in financial fields to
protect the public against the business
ineficiency or the moral laxity Of those
who stand to 1t in the roles Of advisers
and agents. Mr.. Kehr defines clearly
the slow and gradual approach Of a
man toward temptation in respect to
the use of money that is not his own.
This applies both to the idividual de-
string to get ahead as well as to the
bank president. also desiring to get
ahead. The high point Of this excel
lent little book Of business observation
propriating that which does not belong
to the person so acting. Right here
he deals with so small a thing as tip
ping, as accepting rewards, as receiving
anything for nothing. It is not the
sum in any specific case, it is the effect
of such acceptances that shapes the
mind toward believing that the world
owes that which as matter of fact 1t
does not owe. A tribute to the Boy
Scouts who serve as their right and
not in the hope Of reward, rounds this
pithy little book Of observation and
report to a substance far outweighing
its own slight body. A clear act OF
civic usefulness stands out in "A Dead
Line" BY Cyrus Kehr.
X X X
THE GLENLITTEN MURDER. BY E.
Phillips Oppenheim. Boston: Lit
tie. Brown and Company.
A UTHORS are caterers and purvey-
"A ors no less than are other brands
of market men. To offer that which
the majority likes and desires-that's
their job. Looking around in bookshop
and upon newsstands, it is plain that
the story of crime and mystery IS in
great demand. The puzzle to be worked
out-probably faint counterpart Of the
tormenting and unsolvable riddle OF
existence itself-has an early and a
lasting charm for readers. So. in his
natural role as purveyor to the major
ity, many a writer slips out Of the
legitimate, so to speak. and into the
underworld Of hidden motive and its
sequence Of secret behavior. The
Glenlitten Murder" is a case In point.
Here Mr.. Oppenheim shifts his base a
little and weaves an adroit yarn with
the theft Of rich jewels as its founda-
ton. or with the murder of man
right in a lady's bedroom-as its pos
sibly true origin. The motive Of the
matter has its rise in Russia, where
the revolution brought many an inn
poster out to try his powers upon the
rest of Europe. This is the influence
working here around an English no
b,eman and his foreign wife. Mr.. OPP
penheim has little use for the humber
orders In his inventions. He likes the
warm colors and easy suavity of Gull
tured folks. So do we. Any one likes
to read of the embroidered life. So we
lean toward the choice of this writer
in that respect. The point in this case
is, however, to keep suspicion on the
move. ranging from this point to an
other. And, Of course. that is just
what is done here. As in life under