Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-29
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
/. C. M.

| I. u. IA.
LUCK: Your Silent Partner. Lothrop
Stoddard. Horace Liveright.
Who is Luck? Who is this unseen
one to whom all pay cautious due in
| something like complete ritual Of
observances on the one hand, of
avoidances on the other? All? Yes,
in effect, everybody. TO be sure, q
few-in an itch to appear both wise
| and waywise--repudiate Luck in the
the magic OF the horseshoe and the
| four-leaf clover, the efficacy of the
lucky number or day, the sinister i'm
| plications Of the black cat, the good
or i'll influence sent out on a simple
sneeze, the potency of this invisible
! attendant upon the ways of man -.
| innumerable situations.
What is the origin of Luck? What
his forbears? Certain it is that he
antedates our own era. In all likel-
hood he stood ready to wait upon the
cave man himself. Probably in pagan
| days Luck was one OF the innumerabie
minor gods, those companionable and
beloved overpowers that looked after
the daily life of the people-super-
vising seed time and harvest, the care
| Of flock and herd, the rtpening Of the
vine to rich vintage. A good econ
omy plan this. leaving the great gods
free to their prime business Of cir
cumventing overproud man in his am
bilious schemes Of superse5sion.
When the pagan world gave way
to the new order Luck, of all the many
| old gods, found himself still useful.
therefore becoming a part of the
changed direction of mems thoughts
and activities. Today he is silently
accepted partner in pretty much all
Of the Undertakings in which this
highly active world engages.
Here, for the first time, Luck comes
into the open for measure of exam
nation as to his place in the affairs
Of a large number OF people whose
names are we'll known to all, whose
achievements are matters of public re-
port and general commentator.
An original plan inaugurated this
season OF publicity for that erstwhile
hidden companion Of men. They were
Lothrop Stoddard. Luck CHANGED to
be the topic. Both agreed that it
had not yet received the attention It
deserved. Then and there started the
plan to give Luck a genuine hearing.
Immediately the project took shape In
collecting material wherever this could
be found. Nothing much came from
the libraries and old newspaper files
obviously the subject had not com.
manded anything like a considerable
study. The next move was to send
out QUESTIONABLE to several hundred
prominent men and women in various
lines OF useful endeavor. DO you be-
lieve in luck?" was the chief query.
From 70 per cent came back the
answer, Yes" From these returns
came this nook-hundreds Of personal
luck" stories, items, incidents.
Organized, the book gives q bit Of
setting in a sketch of "The Lottery of
Life" to which are added touches in
evidence Of the belief in luck through
out the past. From this introduction
the record follows Luck in its contacts
and effects with the different branches
OF human activity--in its service to
ideas Of religion, in its bearing upon
discovery and progress in science, In the
conduct of business, in politics, In
sports-including the sport Of gambling
in daily life reaching out into a survey
of luck as the universal element-these
are the headings under which the
whole Is organized to clear unity of
consideration.
The purpose and scheme of the book
in mi 1, an orderly reading Of 1t is
quite out OF the question. Anticipation
takes possession of the reader. causing
him TO work in large measure from the
index. seeking out this one and that
!. zone of special appeal to him-folks
nearby in time at first, like Edison.
Ford, Lindbergh, La Toilette, Charles
Schwab, successful business women,
movie starS-to mention only few of
the hundreds who come forward here to
acknowledge q debt of their silent
partner" Luck. Now and then one of
these-young and shade arrogant
rather hesitates to. scale of from his
than gesture toward the mute partner
peeping over his shoulder-but, in the
main, the acknowledgements are spon-
taneous, sincere and hearty.
The effect of the study as whole is
primarily that of rich store Of per-
Sonal anecdotes about the kind Of sue
cessful men and women over whom
curiosity is ever keen. incidentally, one
gathers up tribute to the efficacy Of the
small god whom every one tacitly &C
knowledges daily.
Alice Foote Macdougall Is speaking
You know her, that successful business
woman, owner of chain Of coffee
houses and distributor Of special
BRAN. Of coffee. Luck enters into al
most everything in life. Luck led
me to give away a batch Of batter to Q
hungry crowd In the Grand Central
Terminal one stormy day and the
100000 business now operate re.
Macdougall adds. maybe in q spirit Of
piety, certainly in larger outreach
than mere chance can command, But
no thinking individual could really at
tribute these things to chance--to luck.
Some deeper, Is yet not understood.
current lies behind the action of each
individual" Many of the contributors
to this book take similar attitude.
After giving hearty and positive testi-
nony to their belief in luck they feel
impelled to explain themselves IN terms
is an element of irreligion in their &C
knowledgment of luck as their mystic
coadjutor in affairs.
So we 60 on reading in fascination,
over the strange interferences OF chance,
lifting one here, overthrowtng one
thare--all true human stories drawn on
FROM the personal testimony OF the
hundreds summoned here to give evil
dence.
Luck plays some part in every ones
life"--Mr. Stoddard talking now. And
howl What o pageant of chances have
here marched before our eyes! we
have viewed this mysterious factor in
myriad phases. From the Stone Age to
the latest newspaper. from the en-
peror's palace to the laborer's cottage,
luck plays Its eternal role. Kings and
presidents, bankers and inventors, film
stars and night club hostesses, gam.
blers and gay ladies, horse jockeys and
ball players, buns and yeggs, policemen
and bricklayers, housewives and flap
pers schoolboys and newborn infants.
you and I and the folks next door-we
all hope for q lucky break and we all
get a break now and then. OF course,
some people are luckier than others,