Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-27

reader, who, maybe, Is unfamiliar with
such technical terms as the professional
artist knows so well. For this reader
such technical treatment is happily
missing here. Out of it one, happy and
at ease, may gather the groundwork
Of fair understanding of the theme
and the period with which it deals.
Mechanics is reduced to a minimum.
Spirit, inspiration, motive and achieve
ment are paramount. A fine book for
the general reader on a subject not
often made clear to this class.
A MAN CAN BUILD A HOUSE. BY
Nathalie Sedgwick Colby. author of
Green Forest" etc. New York:
Harcourt, Brace & Co.
THAT is, he can If he really wants to
- and II she really wants to, more
than the two Of them together want
to do any other thing whatsoever. In
Mrs. Colbys new novel 1t takes a pair
Of immigrants-the man laborer, the
woman servant-to prove the point.
Of against this couple are set people,
men and women. engaged In the main
in an effort to eat their cake and have
it too. False partnerships are the rule
among them, where unfaith is the COM
deals in daily sacrifice of the party of
the second part. A theme wide as the
world, you see. Mrs. Colby has how
ever chosen to set its limits by a big
department store whose owner, young
iSh Jew, becomes the secret dream of
every girl IN the place. Inside this Jew
is boy who never grew up. 1t was
that boy who selected a wife. It was
the grown man who paid for this indiS-
erection. Very little happens on the sur
face of this story. 1t is with the
thoughts and feelings of the unsuited
pair that the matter concerns itself
with such clear divination and such
convincing portrayal. There are 9TH
ers who come and go here. all Of
them beSet by the destructive influence
OF Self-exaltation, of bending every
thing in life, not to cooperation but
to the personal qualification of some
faithlesS man or woman. Not a popular
theme, since there Is tacit agreement
to cover the truth in this respect. Not
popularity treated either, since 1t deals
with state of mind rather than with ac-
ton, with secret foibles rather than with
the Semblance of winning virtues. 1t
Is, nevertheless, a strong story, true
story and a troubling one.
X 4 \
THE SECOND AMERICAN CARAVAN.
Edited by Alfred Kreymborg, Lewis
Mumford. Paul Rosenfeld. New York:
The Macaulay Co.
IND you see 1.-THE First American
~ Caravan" Then you know that
here Is a new literary enterprise. con-
shutting year book whose purpose Is
to represent the richness and variety
of American talent and genius in the
way of literature. Here is wide-open
opportunity for those who are venturing
out into the novel or the play, into
poetry or travel or the essay-into any
form Of literary work whatever. Here is
an independent organization, standing
for no single group, for no set form, for
no section of the country. 1t is as wide
in its invitation as the country itself,
as hospitable toward innovation as to-
ward the long established. Within this
Second Caravan" Is proof of the ex-
pansive spirit behind the enterprise
Here are novels, plays, narrative verse
and stories. Sixty authors are repre-
sented by this single volume. New
writer's as well as those of established
place are welcome here, provided-in
their work the editors find that which
they are so Sedulously seeking-fresh
talent, new outlook, the spiritual gift
to represent America as it Is and
promises to be. Familiar names greet
one here-Sherwood Anderson, Conrad
Aiken, Edna Bryner, Waldo Frank,
Alfred Kreymborg, Robert Frost. Lewis
Mumford and many others. There are
new names, too, indicating the good
faith Of the enterprise as this is set out
by its EDITOR Economically. the
American Caravan is a cooperative
OrOa nj ttov1 ", HrI1trl, the contributions
receive their pro rata share of the
royalties; the enterprise is sustained
neither by advertisers nor by special
subsidies" It's major purpose Is def
nitely stated as that Of an aim to
reinforce In the American writer a
consciousness Of craft and clarity Of
purpose, and at the same time to bring
him in touch with q sympathetic pub
lic." Interesting and rather stirring
this enterprise Of three recognized
literary men set on foot for the round
ing up of American literature for the
encouragement Of American writer's by
way of business methods and a prac-
tical business outlook.
*k
THE STAMMERING CENTURY. BY
Gilbert SeldeS. New York: The
John Day Co.
MO. no, not this century, which is
= quite too young to have its story
told. Gilbert Seldes is talking about
the last one, 1800-1900. Into 1t the
author has packed the ''eccentricity and
fanaticism" rampant in the United
States for that period. And into it he
has put nothing else. Yes. that Is just
the way you would feel coming out of
it-as II, luckily, you had escaped be-
fore you were dragged back and put
where you could do no harm. Unbe-
lievable that even millions Of people,
such as the country held during the
century, could have contrived so much