Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-08

serves the readers OF romance well. But it is
rather the character OF the men, it is their
various attitudes through the stages of boy
hood, youth and manhood, that bring the
work to its best substance. Yet there is no
strain Of psychological analysis here. Character
and temperament come out in the run Of
events, just Is they do in life. And even there
they come in the most matter of-course way.
These are interesting people. Letting them be-
have as such without personal interference on
his part, gives the novel its fine quality. When
Englishmen write sagas of their tribe they, as
rule, are 50 much more concerned in defining
British quality and substance than they are
in the story that readers are likely to give it
up after 800 pages or So Alec Waugh seems
not to be-not yet to be-controlled by the pas
sion for exploiting the English stripe Of father
and son. The novel gains greatly by this avoid
ance. In the place Of such work here is a good
story of English life, with intelligent people and
interesting incidents carrying it to its con-
clusion in q waywiSe sophistication that Is
pleasing and stimulating to the reader.
AFRICAN DRUMS. BY Fred Puleston. Illus
trated by Andre Durenceau. New York:
Farrar Sc Rinehart.
Tn Africa, around the Kongo region for Il
years. After nothing more than adventure.
But those were the years when adventure was
everything. Out that way there appears to
have been nothing else. Strange tribes, new
code Of morals-rather the Oldest code-tradng
with the natives and gathering from these
a world Of novel makeshifts of human existence,
loneliness indescribable but dear queer customs
around marriage and birth witch doctors,
cannibalism, the Kongo forest and swamp, and
so on in long detail of about the ways OF life
in Kongo Africa. And the drums-always and
forever the drums, listed here those in
dYlln N he n home
again. BY and by nothing more exciting than
being O physician, engroSSed with the maladieS
of women and children. Tremendously active
he appears to be even in this useful profess
sion. One day DR.. Puleson came upon
Trader Horn" This served naturally, to re-
vive his own old days in Africa No doubt he
said to himself IT equal that Horn man
at spinning an African yarn. I believe could
beat himl" And SO the story grew. It Is for
you TO decide between him and Trader Horn"
Not so easy as you may think either. For
here is full blooded adventure, as SUCH
Besides, here Is q big body Of interesting fact
set out in colorful pictures, calculated. all, to
revive interest in the big and still unknown
dark continent" The art Of the Illustrations
is weird, strange, inexplicable-but tremen-
dously stirring in its bodily outpushing toward
the reader, in its positive challenge to him.
UNCLE SAM, Ia the Eyes of His Family. BY
John Erskine, author OF THE Private Life
of Helen of Troy" etc. indianapolis: The
Bobbs-Merr Co.
ONCE in a book of his John Erskine pointed
out great piece of work for some in
spired writer to undertake. Nothing less, this
epic effort, than to bring the beloved and world
known Uncle Sam" Of cartoon origin into the
domain Of actual life. In other words, to bring
this comic appearance to life, to endow it
with actually, to give human substance to this
beloved caricature, who awaits only the
happy assistance Of genius to pass from his
sphere Of dim bat wide popularity into the
world of national art Uncle Sam Is perhaps
more real now to the majority Of American
children than Lincoln himself. His features
obviously the product OF our life and cli-
mate: the character that he almost has is
strikfnely akin to ours. If we only knew his
family history-who his relatives, what his
voice sounds like when he speaks. The poet
who will tell this"
No other poet appearing to undertake the
task OF Uncle Sam, Mr.. Erskine does it him.
self. And here is the life story OF our Uncle
Samuel. Well, it reads much like the story
Of any average American man and family.
And that. no doubt, was the authors clear
intent. But somehow, we had looked for
something more, something not the average.
Because, you see, even in cartoon and comic
strip, Uncle Sam is not average. We thought
. poet would take him in hand-a genius
whose insight and artistry would expand here.
and gid there, and make beautifully true at
this point and touchingy human at that one.
That is not the effect at all The trouble is
that at the end and toward it Mr.. Erskine has
identified the beloved figure with certain selfish
and oppressive aspects Of big business"-and
this Is not Uncle Sam at ALL Sadder Sug-
gestion yet Is that John Erkskine has reverted
to type, and by virtue of this lapse has made
an allegory of Uncle SAM has taught lesson
whose end reads They knew then that he
was hopeless" It is . duh allegory at that.
The author would better run back 70 Helen