Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-16
By IDA GILBERT MYERS.

bI ADA G1LDEhI w EhSs
MY AUTOBIOGRAPHY. BY Benito
Mussolini. Foreword by Richard
Washburn Child, former Ambassa-
dor to Italy. Illustrated. New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons.
IN UT nothing can take the
place of a book which you
will write yourself" Mr.
- Child speaking to Mussolini.
Write MYSELF" and Musso-
lini registered complete amazement.
prompt, "All right. will" And so
he began. This is the story.
One comes out of Mussolini'S account
of himself, first of all impressed with
the simplicity of the story. A simple
man telling of his past, step by step.
in a manner that does not impress the
fact that these steps are all on an up
grade, that this career Is an ascent
from lowly beginnings to that which at
height upon which any man OF the
present Is standing. Even when that
summit is reached there is no change
in the mans manner of dealing with it..
From the start, days Of school and the
beginnings of work, on up to later
events, this Mussolini Is compound OF
two, no more than two. elementS--will
and action. Now, to be sure, that will
Is stirred by certain feelings, desires for
advantage to others and to himself.
But these feelings are so sharply and
suddenly crystalized into the will to
act, to do, to accomplish, that the two
seem simultaneous, as the flash OF
! lightning and the clap of thunder do
| sometimes seem. Here is the substance
of the dictator from start to finish.
The present hour is not hospitable to
| dictatnrs. So, more than likely, one
sets out upon this reading with a secret
resistance to the man and his story.
All right. I think did myself. The
/ reading done, however, could md
| only as motivating source OF such TIRE
mendous activity and power the love OF
Italy, the desire to restore 1t to its
older strength and influence, through
the devoted contribution OF every italian
| in the land no matter what his outer
circumstance might be. Exacting, ty-
| rannical, ruthless-at times all of these
| But in all meaSures-even in every act
one might with reason say-there was
the driving need for Italy to do this OF
| that for its own well being, for its place
| in the world. The book Is deeply STIR
| ring. The man himself Is more stirring
Resolute, not to be denied, not to be
hindered even, this amazing dictator
clear anachronism in an era OF political
individual freedom, of democracy, Of
and all the rest of it--this man Musso-
lini makes an amazing case for himself
without lifting a finger to do just that
! It is for his people, 1t Is for Italy, that
| he is mastering them like school chill.
dren to follow the lessons that he pre-
scribes. Maybe the novelty of coming
upon a real character, strong and reSo.
| lutte, constitutes some of the power OF
this story of Benito Mussolini. 1t has
power and an absorbing interest. There
is no doubt of that. It has lessons
maybe. 1t puts questions, certainly.
| ~ X
THE MAD PROFESSOR. BY Hermann
Sudermann, author of "The Sons
of Songs" Translated by Isabe
Leighton and Otto P. Schinnerer
New York: Horace Liveright.
THE European novel-other than the
English-is in increasing frequency
making its way into the United States
as cart of the general movement which
In every field, Is drawing all parts Of
the world into closer contact. The
novelist, recognized and honored in hi
own country, is among the most usefu
| of the agencies of acquaintance ane
understanding Among these, Hermann
Sudermann is of the first rank in hi;
own country, as he Is also in France
and other parts of Europe. To hi
Song of Songs" Is now added "Tht
Mad Professor" for the enjoyment o.
critical American readers. This Is {
romance of university life, life with
which the author through his owr
student days is deeply familiar A lont
novel, two volumes long, that passes
| y. all ~
German university program down int
the depths Of psychological probings 81
characteristic of the German scholar
A slow-moving record that neglects NJ
point, that scants no attention, to thu
many aspects and features OF thu
theme The heart of the story Is ;
young professor, the mad" one, who b!
his independence of view, by his power
of thought. by his individuality Of habi
in a word, by his difference from
those around him, was counted mad.
1t Is exactly that stigma of difference
that everywhere and at all times brand.
its possessors with obloquy and persecu
ton. However, this Is the story o
Prof. Sieburth of the Konigsberg Uni
versity, a new keen-thinking instructor
| in philosophy. Since the faculty of al
institution is little piece of the worlt
itself, no very long time passed befor,
| OttC SCb VI Otii
austere and correct body. Shallow
these, and hypocritical withal, thes'
rulers of the academic life. And 81
finally the professor came to grief, thi
ultimate grief-if 1t be that--througl
his own choice. An American readel
becomes at once impressed with tn,
deep seriousness of university life, will
the long discussions on the part of boti
student and professor, with the solem
nifty even In which these young Ger
mans take hold Of philosophic involu
tons with the determination TO un
tangle the maze. Whole-hearted folks
both men and boys, studying with tn
whole of themselves, body and mind
and then breaking out into boisterou
behavjors that lead sometimes to dangel
and even to disaster. as they did with
this professor, tired and discouraged
and thwarted. Z, Nowhere In Americ;
could one flnd anything like the really
ponderous sobriety with which thesl
German thinkers take themselves. TIL,
national mind, clearly, as many othel
sources of information indicate T" TIL,
Mad Professor has been in my heaS
for 20 years" - Sudermann himself
speaking and II destiny gives mi
another 10 years that novel shall b,
written" Here 1t is. A great novel ir
its clear and unwavering projection o.
one side Of life in Germany and of the
ker (Kirkor zohrab). 1919. Y6O4