Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-08
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
/. G. NJ.

GEOrSGE Enc MAN. CaTl W. ACkC4~
man. Introduction by Edwin r. A.
Seligman. LII. D., Pm. D. Illustrated.
Houghton Miflin Co.
The great bards seven ages" even
yet serve certain uses. Primarily,
the inspired summary is of use to poet
and preacher, to pedant and pedagogue,
to the psychologist once in while, to
philosopher now and then.
Nevertheless, in this concentrate day
the ages, seven" have merged to
three, for any considerable accounting
of man adequate to the role set for him
in modern life. And even so material
ly reduced as this, 1t Is only the ex-
ceptional one who makes the steep
grade and rounds the full limit.
Worker. poSSessor, distributor Such
the program, the utmost program of the
day. The first gathers up the great
majority. The host Of workers-hand
workers and brain UNDERSTANDING
from the wage man to him who COM
mands huge rewards. Countless numbers
of these never reach the second stage
OF this progression, never do become
possessorS out Of their hand mouth
existence. Those who do still go ventur-
ing, chiefly in their own personal in
terest, along the ways Of larger gains,
OF greater fortunes. BY the time the
third member of the group is reached
only small company is found, a rela-
| lively small company. With this group
wealth and power have become a trust,
| so to speak, a thing to build into sub
stance for. the future of others for the
general benefaction Of mankind. These
are the statesmen of finance and So
ciety, no longer name for government
and politics alone. A select, far seeing,
thinking company Of successful
men to whom goes general homage, to
whom Is awarded enthusiastic public
recognition.
Two out Of this class come to mind
here. George Eastman and Henry
Ford. Not bit alike save in the ca
pacity for tremendous passion of pur-
suit and in the common instinct OF
identifying their high aims with the
common needs and interests of the
great majority. It seems a bit weird
even suspicious, to create deliberately
| commodities for the pleasure and con-
venience. Of the great hordss of common
| people-to convert these commodities
deliberately to necessities. A perfectly
sound idea possessed each of these
men, whether the talk be of increasing
the sum OF human happiness or OF
building up two enormous enterprises
that have, in the long run, enriched
their projectors beyond the power oil
mere figures to estimate; that have, ir
the long run, made thousands of theft
associates, direct and indirect, the pos.
SCISSORS of competence and wealth itself
The "tin LizZie"-a term of affection
in reality, or such 1t has come to be
and the kodak are family necessitie,
nowadays. To the little humdrun
round, so dangerous to contentment ant
happiness, these two have opened wide
spaces Of travel and the recording Of
| q thousand evidences of the sheer dig
lying beauty of the natural world
Home is Infinitely happier because Of
these two Romance is here, and adj
venture for all, as we'll as royal enter
| prise for its leaders.
And now Carl Alderman in spirit Of
enthusiasm tells the story of George
Eastman. There Is no other spirit fol
4, the fair conveyance of this modern tale
of magic. 1t was the passion for pho
| Biography that early set this young fellow
from Western New York of on his re.
markable adventure of being 100 pei
| cent alive. The amateur, in no time al
ALL turned student. inventor scientist
| searching and researching all the I'M
and outs of Photographic chemistry, al
/ the ups and downs of better Gamers
| mechanics. The object a double one
| More perfect recordings, a simpler In
And along with this business the prac-
tical man kept himself very wide awake
Being awake, he couldn't dream. But he
could have visions. And he did. Visions
of kodak in the kit of every youngster
and oldster, too, for that matter, setting
out to investigate, perhaps his owr
back yard, perhaps the Riviera or the
Alps or other beauteouS where. Thu
/ vision reduced to working terms meant
flV
| 1t Is called nowadays. To pack all those
| kits meant the most efflcient of distri'
button. In word, this meant q colossa
| industry. Could he do 1t, this yount
| fellow from Western New York, whC
was in love with taking pictures? HI
| could. He did. Here Carl Ackermar
tells you all about 1t, tells you about
the smooth open places of effort wherC
no trouble at all held the great enter
| prise back and then tells you about thu
business mountains to climb and thwart.
ing business rivers to cross and deserts
| to traverse. Such some of the obstacles
| and barriers to be overcome. Here in {
chapter by itself Is the epic of thu
nlm, the epic Of photography. And here
| in another chapter of its own is thu
story of the kodak, this wizard of daily
entertainment and usefulness for mil
| lions Of people every day In the world
| In q chapter on the moving picture
Thomas Edison comes in for a tribute
from the author and from every one Of
his readers. From the world itself be.
sides. A life of astounding activity and
achievement Mr.. Alderman sets dowr
in complete fidelity to its wide scope
! and in affectionate regard for its multi
| tudinous vital details.
Then the author becomes engrossed
inevitably engrossed, in the arrival OF
this other George Eastman--the dis
penser Of opportunity, the humanist
looking, very practically, out upon GER
tain needs of the world, with a mind
to alternating at least some of these
A big job. And when 1t is over George
Eastman Is going to be a play boy, in
dulging his love of beautiful things
pictures and books and rare stuffs from
lar places. He is going to listen to the
greatest of music under his own roof
his friends around him. He is going To
Africa, or wherever wild animals still
call to the beast In their man-brother
ne is going to hunt and explore and
face natural dangers for the sake OF
the old savage that will not die out
within these modern altruists. He Is
going to have q corking time-is al
ready on his way, now and then, here
and there. But before this period OF
leisuring along, of vagabonding about
George Eastman gave away much OF
the huge bulk Of pelf that, through in-
dustry, foresight. indomitable courage
industrial acumen, through genius even
had accrued to him. He has unloaded
so to speak. And this important proc
ess, as you quickly discern, was car
| ried out under the very sort of inspira-
| ton that created the vast sum to be
assigned to this and that and the other
of public benefaction. Here, as in the
other two periods, 1t is the man, the
| particular Kind Of man, that counts
Standing in some high place. George
Eastman gathered from this slightly
point that which seems to him to be
the very heart OF achievement-achieve
ment for young men and women, since
these are the ones who really count.