Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-02
RY IDA GILBERT MYERS.


tn. GLORY" etc. New York: Fred
erick A. Stokes Co.
~ ROWING, George Moore, Dom
Byrne, John OxenhAm and no"
Gilbert Parker, among otnsls,
are demonstrating the quahty OF
the Bible as original material
upon which to draw for some Oh tileli
most dramatic inventions. BROWNING
Byrne and Gilbert Parker have CHOSEN
Saul as the source OF their dramatic
inspiration. Here Mr.. Parker dlsen-
tangles the career OF Saul from the
maze of Jewish history wherein TINS
hishly poetic and tragic figure touno
its triun1phs and defeats. Saul, DAVID:
Solomon. provide the high points OF
the drama whose objective is the return
Of the Jews to their earlier high ana
narrative is simplicity. This and a
straight course set by these three Jew
isil leaders. together With that artleSs
storytelling gift that engenders conn
dence and acceptance on the part Oh
readers. constitute the true charm OF
The Promised Land setting it with
the highest work of this writer Inc
incidents chosen for the illumination
Of the theme serve their purpose OF
revelation in a way that the man and
woman of today can appreciate ana
cnjoy. The beauty OF the story At GER
tain significant points is high and me.
Sir Gilbert Parkers keen insight III
respect to the human heart WORKS rs
potently here as it does with his CHAR
acters that are much nearer to us IN
time. That immemorial theme, DaVld
and Jonathan" here takes Oh q new
beauty. The tragic end OF Saul. new
pathos. DavidS love for Bathsheba, OF
which the good people disapprove, Is
like 8 fine idyl here. A beautiful story.
Yet, reading. we are impressed all over
again with the essential cruelty OF life,
the cruelty Of man. Not OF the Jews
any more than Of those who have come
after them. Yet, here, in the name OF
Jehovah, Saul and David and Solomon,
for the glory of their people were,
after all, barbarous. And so are we
today. A million years, perhaps
I'm running away from the latest ana
one Of the most beautiful novels that
Sir Gilbert Parker has yet written in
q lofty vein upon great theme.
AMERICAN POETRY: 167l-lS2s. An
Anthology. Edited by Conrad Aiken.
New York: The Modern Library.
COMPACT to fit every mans lack OF
~ leisure for long deliberate read
ings. Comprehensive to give him an
all-around look upon American poetry
from It's beginnings up to the present,
I'D to last year in fact. Well proper
toned in that 1t pays fair due to the
poets Of the day and hour instead OF
scanning these in favor of the well
known New England group Of . much
earlier period. A most useful and ex-
cellent survey upon the whole f1eld OF
poetic achievement in this country.
american poetry, If one takes 1t as
whole, is not yet great or rich poetry
t@lkinO--''thnlRh II
has shown not infrequently the ele-
ments of greatness and richness; 1t has
been provincial. uneven, tentative, brill
liant: but il one cannot as yet say that
1t takes a very high place In the poetry
Of the world, as the expression OF ma
tional soul or culture, one can at least
say emphatically that the time has
come for firm revision of our critical
attitude toward 1t. We are too much
accustomed. fear, to what one might
term q high protective tariff i'll this
matter. We are q little too willing TO
suspend or modify judgment, on the
ground that too much was not to be
expected of o pioneer people i'll new
continent. Insensibly, we have got
into the habit of accepting the second
best; and by closing our eyes to the best
by which / mean the best poetry OF
the world-have found it not TOO DIM
celience Of the native product"
If American poetry Is not yet great,
Il has at least reached that point at
which one may say that 1t is mature.
It has q history Of nearly 800 years"
And II we admit cheer
fully enough that the first two-thirds
Of its history is pretty barren, one can
also say that 1t now comprises names
Of which no country need be ashamed"
Tvn S,,atH critical AikAn SAAkS
to prove the increasing value of our
4 poetry. The older poets. Longfellow,
Whittier. Lowell, do not take a back
seat. but they are required to give some
place to such poets as Poe, whitman,
, Dickinson and other moderns. That ID
the outstanding point in this collection.
Men and women right around us are
singing worthily and stimulAtingly OF
the great present and the immediate
past. These along with the earlier
writer's serve here to indicate the
growth of the poetic spirit In America,
its pliancy to meet the changing days
and deeds, its f1exibility of form TO suit
the same purpose. Reserved withal.
simple and. In q measure conforming,
this anthology will as a whole meet
Satisfyingly an actual need on the part
OF those who are interested in the
quality of American poetry In its high
points and in its general sum up to the
present time.
SERGEANT YORK: His Own Life
Story and War Diary. Edited by
Tom Skeyhill New York. Double
day, Doran IL Co.
1T reads like legend. Out Of it SerSt.
York emerges like the pagan Her.
cules, mythic, unbelievable. Yet this is
true story. one OF the terrible true
stories of the World War. The whole
hand Of dignitaries whose business In
wartime is to confer honors upon those
who do the fighting agree that here Is
one Of the great soldiers OF all time.
Just q plain man down in Tennessee, a
rnountaineer. this Alvin c. York; re-
ligious fellow who cherished conscien-
tious scfupleS against war-yet when the
big war came-well. suppose you let
him tell in his own way just how 1t
happened that he went over Ito do his
, bit" A tremendous story even though
you hate fighting as York himself did.
A grammarleSS story in the main,
plainly stated in the yernscular Of the
: Southern mountaineer. OF no account
whatever. save to make the tale more
driving, more poignant, more personal
to the reader himself. Carefully laying
aside his conscience for the time being
J this York, when the urgency came.
took over an entire German machine
gun battalion, killing capturing guns
and bringing in over hundred prison.
ers. All by himself too. The out
standing civilian soldier al the war.
: said Gen. Pershins. And here he tells
us all about it. This is one OF the best
of times to read Serst. York. right round
about this 30th of May. HeroiSm Is
an essential in peace as well rs In war
and. without question, here Is example
and pattern that cannot be surpassed.
r
SUICIDE BATTALIONS. BY Wendell