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

narQIy De surpassed. EXLraVaRant? NO,
I am sure not. A fierce arraignment
of a hard-hearted world. Clever? oh.
better than clever-an original and
scathing tale, one, too. that has a world
of pity and understanding in it. Clearly
worth many a reading. not wholly for
the story. One gets that Immediately.
Rather will the re-readings come for
the sake of the mans mastery Of his
medium.
THE LAST OF FREE AFRICA. BY
Gordon MscCreagh, author of white
Waters and Black" New York: This
Century Co.
1T is Abyssinia that stands as the
l. last remnant Of freedom in Africa.
1t Is this country that provided the
leisurely explorations of Donald Mac
Creagh and his wife, the "willful lady"
who would go along and who held up
her end OF the adventures in as good
shape as did the rest-her husband and
the regular assistants to movement in
that region. A travel book. one of
whose sources of enjoyment is the large
and accommodating sense of time pos
sessed by the travellers. A common
trouble with these books, to the reader.
is the hurry of the adventure, the
obvious desire to cover ground, to round
the thing into creditable complete
ness. The reader, more or less ignorant
of the place and its interests, of any
far place and its attractions, likes to
loiter, to dig into things. to consult the
map for reaSSurances, to look around
in every direction. And In this respect
Donald MacCreagh is a grand guide.
In other respects also, to be sure. Here
are descriptions Of places and tribes, a
summary Of customs that are set deep
in an ancient past, snapshots at pass
ing views of tribe and animal, Of
strange land stretching away to dim
twilight shadows. Along the way this
traveller talks about the way in which
these people, q various tribal folk, live
what they eat, what their work is, how
they are related man to man and group
to group. He tells of the politics
largely sturdy gesture toward remain
ing free against the pressure against
this by the highly civilized world
dents belonging to travel everywhere
come out in a good nature that APP
pears to be Of the invulnerable sort
So fun and humor go along in fine
proportion to the serious doings in
volved in seeing the world. Seeing the
world appears to be the 'prepossession
of this MacCreagh. and so let us hope
that he will dig no some other remote
corner of the world for Just such all
around enjoyment as this journey into
Africa offers to the speedily growing
class of travellers by the book route.
ATLANTA FROM THE ASHES. BY
Ivan Allen. Atlanta: Ruralist Press.
ETN 1864 the city of Atlanta lay
smoking ruin" Such is the open
ing sentence, of this story Of rebuilding,
of new life and new vision. Standing
upon the ground his own home ground.
Mr.. Allen tells of the prompt imnediacy
with which the building of the new city
was commenced. And this swift action
is tribute to the courage, to the te-
nacity Of the people roundabout that,
under the tragic circumstance OF the
destruction of Atlanta, they should SO
promptly set themselves to making good
for a future absolutely unlike the past
to which they had been born and reared.
In the strict economy of the business
man, saving Of his words as well as
foreseeing in his actions, Mr.. Allen re-
views the business status OF Atlanta
before the Civil War as point of
manufacture In the South. And from
this he moves into the reconstruction
period, citing the leaders in that crisis,
men of courage and business outlook,
who proceeded to give the South
chance by way Of THE Cotton States
Exposition" for the sake of attracting
attention and capital to this rich region
Of the country. Year by year. the story
goes on with the growth Of industry, the
increase and Improvement of tranSpor-
ration, the arrival of capital, of indus
trial leaders. of many forms of initiative
and ingenuity in the field Of production.
Indeed. this story proves to be a crisp
business roundup of Atlanta in every
department OF its progress. Here are
lists Of manufactures, records of trade.
building improvements, organizations
bent upon the general wellbeing of the
city, the status of education, the growth
of population, the records Of taxable
property in huge amounts. In word.
here Is the story of business man on
the subject of the birth and growth
of one of the most enterprising of the
cities of the South. A small book of
solid substance projected in just about
the efRcient use of words that this
man and his kind use daily in the
successful transaction of business. That
economy, together with the clear value
of the facts set down, are the inviting
features of book devoted to the growth
of new city. Compression. condensa-
Of highly valuable information.
= +
ON WINGS OF SONG. BY Laura
Rathbone: New York: Harold
Vinal. Ltd.
A PART from, their poetic content,
these poems possess a purely local
interest by virtue of the authors resi-
dence in Washington as wife of Rep
resentative Rathbone. However, they
will be read both here and otherwhere
for their own substance and sound. for
their poetic feeling and expression. Like
the great majority Of poets, this one is
deep In love with the things in nature.
These give to her practically the whole
OF her inspiration, practically the sum
Of her singing. Dawn and twilight,
each brings to her a tune. So does
the harvest moon and the evening star.
Dreams here turn into poetry as dreams
have always done with those who are
able to turn feelings, pictures visions
into cadenced sequence. To q great
degree does Mrs. Rathbone possess a
power over the mechanics of poetry,
over its feeling for rhyme, for measure,
for its effect of singing. Sad poems
in the main-hut why should they not
be? So clearly does poetry appeal to
the emotions, the emotions of both
reader and poet himself. and so surely
do human feelings bend toward sad
ness, that these are but the reflection
Of the commonest of mans moods. One
cannot judge a poet. Even so small a
book as this one demands such read
ings only as one can give when his
mind is in complete accord with the
writer's mood. So 1t would take
1t does take months, even years.
to read q book of poems with the APP
probation and understanding that it
deserves. However. reading here, one
feels beauty and power and the per-
canal denth of the ailkhnr,s NUN an