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


FTER all 1t is the attitude that
~ counts. many times. rather than
"A the action itself. It does here.
1 i AS action this is an account
complete, vivid. informing-of
big game hunting. There are dozens
of them, varying to be sure, with the
upon the whole, running pretty much
the same. Such countries shot over,
such game brought down, such dangers
met and made away with, such and
such views of the peoples and the land
scapeS of one part of the world and an
other. Much vivid work has been done
in this field. exciting to read about and
admirable as sources of information.
But in this case that is not the point.
Mr. Clark did all of these things and
tells about them as we'll as the next
one, offering fine supply of pictures
made by himself or his wife where
words prove to be inadequate. No, the
point is that this man has different
attitude from the others, an outlook not
along the common line, and therefore
course of action that is individual,
better attitude. Mr.. Clark started by
being an artist. Perhaps it was chance
that set him to modelling animals
think the first was modelling an elk in
the New York Zoo At any rate he
was turned to fronting upon animal
life. He grew interested in it, made
the subject his profession, went out
hunting under the conviction that in
no very long time the animal world
would be largely done away with. So
he said he would go ahunting for the
sake of preserving certain animals for
future study and information. And
he did go all over the United States,
into Canada, across into Africa and
Asia, putting more than 20 years into
the job. The artist in him sets the
animals up in lifelike way The Ma
tional Museum here in Washington has
a group of elk prepared by Mr.. Clark.
Go look at it. AS I was saying it is
the attitude of this man that counts.
Read the first chapter of this book for
a new view on an old subject. Man
is the only animal that kills for
pleasure" Instances are rare in
which lions have actually started
trouble with men, and the same is
true of other animals" THE truth of
the matter Is that there Is not an
animal in the wilds that Is so prone
to attack man without reason as Is
the average high-spirited bull or stall
lion, such as are to be. found upon
countless farms in the United States"
wild animals are much less dangerous
danger attempting to cross Fifth Ave-
nue. in New York, than he Is going I'M
armed through the $4,000 or more head
of wild animals that inhabit the ITO
square miles of the Crater Of Ngoron-
goro In Africa" And that's that, to
settle the plea Of ferocity on the part
of these animals and, therefore, the
necessity of killing them on the spot.
There Is no question according to Mr..
Clark that the passing of animal life
is certain under the encroachments of
the human animal. He tells Of this by
way of records showing the rate at
which the depletion is going on. The
book as a whole is one of interest
coupled with deep satisfaction to the
reader who is tired of that bundle OF
vanity and bombast known as the big
game hunter. To the clear and COM
prehensive information growing out of
this shooting big game, much more
often with the camera than with a
gun, there Is added here the keenly
alert interest of the understanding man
in the lives of these hunted ones.
Trails of the Hunted" is. think, the
most worthwhile book on the subject
that one can find for the uses of in
formation and adventure also.
THE STRANGE CASE OF MISS
ANNIE SPRAGG. BY Louis Brom-
field, author of 1.-THE Green Bay
Tree" etc. New York: Frederick
A. Stokes Co.
MO story. A deeply interesting study
y of emotionalism instead. Religion
and love-rnan -and-woman love-tne
supreme emotionalism are here. by
series of incidents brought to bear In
revelation Of the theme chosen by Mr..
Bromfeld The Middle West, London and
Italy provide the shifting background
of investigation. The matter culmi-
mates in the death of Miss Annie
Spragg in an Italian palace. upon her
hands and feet and brow the stigmata.
said to have marked st. Francis of
Assist, also in token of heavens bless
ing. Some smiled, some waywise ones,
at the story, but the peasantry round
about believed it-because they had
seen the marks, you know. or thought
they had. From this italian town the
story moves back and forth to London
and to the little village in Iowa where
Miss Annie Spragg lived as girl. The
highly dramatic part of the matter Is
that dealing with Annie Spraggs
father, the Prophet Cyrus Spragg, who
declared himself to be God. During the
last century there were In America
waves of religious hysteria-prophets
rising. new messiahs appearing, mys-
FERROUS cults forming, strange decisions
taking wide possession. Indeed, these
have not entirely died away In the pres
ent century. Against them reason sets
itself up, law intervenes, authority ex-
acts penalties-but the human mind
has a passion for salvation by way OF
signs and wonders, the human mind
has amazing potencies for illusion and
weird beliefs Cyrus Spragg Is the real
triumph of Louis Bromfield'S dramatic
gift In this story. In lesser measure.
however. each person brought forward
here is the embodiment of some strange
conception of religion, a conception born
of the individual passion for happiness.
both here and hereafter. Confusion in
the human mind and heart Is the out
come Of this struggle to know God
love and man love. A somewhat ter
rible story, or series of incidents. In Its
effect upon any reader-but tremen-
douSly interesting one. Don't pursue 1t.
Let 1t alone. Ignorance is comfort
able companion at least.
THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE IN
ART. BY Otho Pearre Fairfield,
Lift. D. New York: The Macmillan
Co.
IN it's first effect this study is that
l. of history. 1t is, besides, the history
of a certain period of italian art. And
that, 1t seems to me, is the only way
to present art. to present. in fact, any
thing that is clearly part Of some
larger whole. A picture means nothing,
building means nothing. save as 1t
stands in expression of the life, the
spiritual and material life, that pro-
duced it. 1t is in such complete union
of the time and its product in art that
this book is outstanding and admirable.