Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-29
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. C. NJ.

I. C.. NJ.
OUR PRESIDENT: Herbert Hoover.
BY William ]. Marsh. New Milford,
conn. William j. and Charles
Marsh. Pub.
Queer things set folks of. Speaking
nlgn, you commonly call such proddings
sources OF inspiration" Take the case
OF this author. One day William Marsh,
Jr., ransacking his fathers store OF odd
menIS' came upon an aged printing
press. Nothing more. Just that. But
III no time at all williams mind fell
Victlm TO the modern malady OF author
snip. He would write a book. So, in
Iurtherance of this seizure. he fell upon
the old contraption. He tinkered it. He
copied 1t. He coaxed it back to faint
semblance of its lustier days of action.
Ihen William looked around for some
theme worthy of his great project.
But first, he must have help. And
William became an employer, bargained
with boy for Is cents a week. Tried
out, however, this laborer proved un-
worthy of his hire and so the boss fired
him, very properly. William then took
on his own brother Charles, aged g.,
clearing 10 cents a week thereby, save
for the commission of nickel given
SldleS 1Or every uOlldI D WoIuu VI
business brought to the t1rm.
Now the concern is ready to go. And
what shall be the theme of this new
author? Something big, OF course.
There's nothing bigger than our coun-
try. still. history Of the United States
looked rather a job. Why not, better
yet, write the story of some great
American? Who, greater than the
President of the United States? Her
bert Hoover is President. Therefore, in
straight syllogism of assurance, the
new book was to be the life story Of
Our President: Herbert Hoover"
And here it is, written by William
j. Marsh, age IL. A good story, too.
Before going into the heart OF the mat
ter 1t may be interesting to you to
know that after printing 60 copies of
the book with his own press, young
Marsh, feeling the stress of oncoming
sales, wrote to Mr.. Doubleday-D
asking if, should the need arise. he
would print for him on his somewhat
better equipment for big issues. And
Mr.. Doubleday-Doran said he'd be
pleased. So, at present, that Is the
way of it.
Now for the story itself. Here is
model of condemnation which older
authors would do we'll to look into.
Only "A pages. Yet within this scope
the essentials of Herbert Hoover-boy,
man, President-stand plain. More
over, through such clear economy the
author has been able to grant to Mr..
Hoover several pages Of the good COM
pany of George Washington and Abra-
ham Lincoln. He has, besides, found
place for many a moral admonition,
running in the main to the effect that
good mothers don't spend their time
of cINond their time ~
stead. "in teaching their boys to be
good" This sage maxim is reinforced
by the picture Of youthful mother
dreamily moving off in the dance with
a swain of tender years. Oh William
is a moralist! Not doubt in the world
about that. Not that he Sights Mr..
Hoover. He doesn't. Rather does he
take the President into clear partner
ship of reform-prohibition world peace
and the other good things for which he.
and Mr.. Hoover and God stand.
Shame on you parents who'-and so
on and so on. And let me tell you
mothers, if you didn't smoke so many
cigarettes it would be more to your
credit. 1t is bad enough for man.
but when it comes to a mother and
daughter smoking, that is awful" The
Boy Scouts come in for homage from
this young knight, who lis going to
join" just as soon as he Is old enough.
Probably he has coined" by this time,
since this very month he arrived at the
age of eligibility.
Fine book! Behind it is clear enter
prise-good stuff for any boy or girl 10
have. Pushing it is not only industry
but a real host of feeling toward the
good things Of life, and with 1t, cour-
age of expression that little later would,
more than likely, have been less out
coming, more self-conscious. Here Is
the hour Just before William j. Marsh
grows painfully aware of himself. He
is free. And readers get the pleasure
of this moment of certainty about many
things that soon will float of in maze
of dreams. Interesting to see what this
youngster is going to do, to make OF
being alive for the next few years.
Never mind! Let us congratulate him
on Our President" for he has done
real job, as you can see for yourself.
BIRD IN THE BUSH. Verses and Pic
ture Maps by Grace Taber Hallock
E. P. Dutton & Co.
whatever bird it may chance to be,
Robin or sparrow, or chickadee-dee,
One free little bird in the bush is worth
All of the prisoner birds on earth"
Such the keynote of this book of
verse. Such, too, the fair quality OF the
verse itself. 1t is, however, with the
maps that one Is bound to stay by. Re
CARELESS of the count of years, you are
sure to linger over these picture maps
of the old farm and your grandmother
garden. There where the hollyhocks
stood in soldier ranks, and the tulips
cleaned, and the hyacinths tinkled
their bright bells. You remember for
ever and forever all these beauty spots
of your grandmother'S garden. And so
while the children Groom the verses your
eyes, and your heart, are back with the
evocations of these map pictures. And
the orchard sloping southwark from the
old farm house. Do you recall? And
the hives of bees under the apple trees
and the lovely droning BUSINESS OF
these workers in the amber honey? To
be sure, you remember. Well, come
you turn the pages of Grace Hallock's
map pictures. And the cows in the
meadow and the creepy dusk along the
narrow lane where strange beings come
out o. nights on business of their own.
Here is the harvest field. shocks of corn
lonely in the white moonlight and you,
looking on, lonely, too A lovely remi-
niScent book of pictures that call, no
matter whether the years be many or
few. And this brings me to my notion
that a child's book, if it be real, is
everybody's book. In other words, a
book for children is a clear divination
and never the sad performance OF
writing down" to children. When it is
such divination it becomes at once the
book for children of all ages-from 4 to
"a and over. This little book-picture
and verse--is of that kind. SO we, all
OF us. leaf 1t and sing 1t and love it.
y
HOUSE. George ONeil.
illustrated by Rose O'Neil. E. p.
Dutton & Co.