Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-25
THE LIBRARY TABLE
h the Boohlorer

alton for the most distinguished
children's book of the past year was
pre1-nted last week in Washington to
Eric P Kelly. a professor in Dartmouth
College for his book The Trumpeter OF
Krakow" The medal is named n honor
of John NeWbery. an eighteenth century
publisher and bookseller, who was one
of the first publishers to devote at
tention to children's books. 1t is the
gift of Frederic G. Melchor of New York
City. Only citizens or residents OF the
United States are eligible to receive 1t
The scene of the "Trumpeter Of
Krakow" is laid in the ancient city OF
Krakow in Poland. In Krakow, as far
back as man can remember, a trumpet
signal has been blown every hour from
the lofty parish church OF st. Mary the
Virgin. Making his hero a trumpeteI
on st. Marys tower in about 1862, Prof
Kelly has very ingeniously contrived to
Intervene the hero's personal fortunes
with the most momentous issues in
Poland's politics of the time. The plot
of the book was written when the
author. at the invitation of the
Kosciuszko Foundation, was studying
and teaching at the University OF
Krakow.
*
The awards of the John Newbery
Medal in previous years have been as
follows: For the year 1921, to Hendrix
w. Van Loon for The Story of Man
kind" an outline history which is no
mere record Of dry facts but a story of
the worlds age-long development; for
1922 to Hugh Lofting. for Doctor Doc
little one Of the bestowed nonsense
tales Of the present day; for 1928 to
Charles Boardman Halves, for DARK
Frigate," pirate adventures in the days
of King Charles; for 1924 to Charles j.
Finger, for Tales from Silver Lands, u
folk tales gathered by the author in
South America; for 1925 to Arthur B
Chrisman, for "Shen Of the Sea-
original fairy tales Of China; for 1926
to Will James. for Smoky" the story
OF real cowboy and his cowhorSe, and
for 1927 TO Dian Gopal Mukerji. for
'Gray-Neck," the story OF a carrier
pigeon.
As a retort courteous to the Nnanv
criticisms Of her book Mother India. :
Katherine Mayo, in writing her second
book on India, Slaves of the Gods. u
has fortified herself with excellent
authorities, both English and Hindu. In
her FIRST chapter she quotes from a
letter to her from the Right Rev. Henry
Whitehead. for % years Lord Bishop
OF the Indian Diocese of Madras: "If I
may venture to make one small criticism
OF your book cMother India), it Is
that, though the connection Of the
evils you describe with Hindu religious
ideas Is mentioned. it might be more
strongly emphasized" From Bhagat
Ram, in the Indian Witness" She
quotes something which should be of
interest to many persons in our large
American cities: I'm the theory of
Hinduism. as propounded by sleek
to Western women with an abundance
OF money and leisure and a paucity of
common sense. an outcaste can become
Brahmin by developing and refining
his character: but the teaching is care
fully withheld from the outcaste him
self. and in actual practice the outcaste
who would aspire to become a Brahmin
would hear talk that differs as widely
as the poles are apart from the Swamis'
gentle and uplifting philosophy. spe-
c1ally made for the Western widows
drawing room" There are many other
interesting evidential extracts to sup
port the truth Of the IL narratives
which make up the book Slaves Of the
Gods
X r Il r
italy has her literary prizes for
encours ging young writers and nation
alistic literature. The Bagutta prize
was originated by group of young
authors in Milan and was named from
street on which was located a restau-
rant popular with them. For 1927 the
prize was awarded to G. B. Angioletti
for his 'Dav Of Judgment" III giorno
r3A1 r~f, At1s@ O.. l.
Comisso for his Sea Folk" ("Gente
di mareO.
England and the Octopus" BY
Clough Williams Ellis, tells q story al
ready known to every one who has
travelled in England since the World
War. For some years before that the
process Of what one reviewer calls 1.-The
of England" had been go
ing on, but the war Speeded it up, as
1t did many other undesirable things.
What were once charming little villages,
with their commons. spreading trees
and matched cottages, are now smoky
factory towns, with long rows of slate
gray workmen's houses. And when so
many Of the workmen are among the
and so many of the fac
tories have ceased to smoke. one regrets
were once there. English roads which
used to wind between poisoning hedges
are often now dishgured by ugly filling
stations. inartistic bungalows and
blatant billboards, and the picturesque
old English taverns are being replaced
by unitarian roadhouses. built to
meet the motorists needs. The author
of this book Is an architect, who lives
in Wales. The destruction Of the beauty
of the scenery and the building of
of villas. tea shops and
garages almost equally drive him to
A unique part of the book
is a Devils Dictionary" which gives
a list of the worst crimes against the
English countryside and suggests. not
hopefully, some possible preventives and
cures.
Mrs. Daniel Chester French. In her
Memories of a Sculptors Wife" tells
how. when Daniel Chester French, at
the age of 81. made the statue of the
Minute Man at Concord. his ineXperi-
ence made him considerable trouble.
When the plaster model was done, he
and his father stood it on its head and
poured the molten metal In. To their
1t ran out through an I'M
discovered hole in the head. At the time
WI1eIl tIlS yOuiiB SCulptOi lCCCNCO UAO
for the Minute Man he
had little over q months training.
X X
The contradiction between theory and
practice in Soviet Russia Is commented
upon by Mrs. Anne O'Hare Mccormick
in her book. THE Hammer and the
Scythe" She says: THE Communists
advocate in practice a puri-
tanism they deny in principle: the re-
hottest village Is plastered with posters
by the government to warn
the people against taking advantage
Of the laws enacted by the government.
marriages have been legal
lied, but in these posters registration is
strongly advocated. Casual sex
are legitimatized, yet no
a.