Evening star., 1930-05-11

For every day there was q new day to Alec
Waugh, and incidentally a new day to us.
Places are recreated by every new spirit brought
to reflect them. True, the same arrangement
of land and sea and sky, but equally true that
these dissolve and renew themselves along new
ways, and strange views, and original COM
municationS with every newcomer. So, the
Tahiti of Brooke and the others IS not the
one that Alec Waugh offers to the eye and
heart and appreciation of one looking upon it
with him. There other places that come
back alive, newly and beautifully alive, in the
company Of this young vagabond, avid for
change, for the other side of the world from
the one he at any moment may be passing
through A restless fellow, hunting for change
and the different slant on hfe SO the Far
East comes into this particular outfarlng.
This passes into the South Sea Islands of the
Pacific, round and round Let us hope that
he never does stop, since his encircling drift
becomes the best of experience to those whose
feet have grown to the home garden and the
front yard. Waugh is so interesting, in large
part, because he Is not out after anything,
except himself. Not for exploration nor In
vestigation not for fresh discoveries to startle
the world. We have enough of all that, more
than enough So when we find q man who Is
merely seeking himself, here and there and
everywhere-one, besides, who is open In his
self FINDINGS communicable in. friendly and
easy fashion-why, that is the man whom we
follow, delighting In his pleasure. A simple
fellow who, more than likely, doesn't know
just how satisfying companion he really Is.
Farrar &S Rinehart have done themselves
proud with "Hot Countries" 1t Is impressive
to look at to handle. And Lynd Wards wood
cuts-take them up for their strength, Tor
their curious power of racial disclosure, ana
climatic ef1uence. Incidentally, Hot Coun-
tries" Is the Literary Guilds May selection for
readers So we are able to read 1t in
company, II that is to you good way to do.
"THE MODERN MAGIC CARPET: Ar-iaunt-
ing Over the Ancient East. By Marie Beaie.
Baltimore: J. II. FurSt Co.
EXCEPT for the long centuries lying between
- then and now, this would have been
topping bedtime story for Scheherezade to
work of on the restleSSly wicked old Shir1ar
Easy to believe that this artful and persuasive
young woman could have wreSted another
thousand nights Of reprieve from that Blue
beard of the Orient. Scheherezade would be
telling him of gigantic bird flying over Bag
dad, its mighty wings soaring and dipping,
scaling the skies, Skmming the earth. Its
voice not like that of any bird in the whole
world a menacing thunder instead. WIth1n
it's body were many little caverns, in each OF
which was disposed human being, like her,
like him-these breakfast and dinner and sup
per for the cormorantic monster. frighten-
ing tale calculated TO drive the wicked Shiriar
into hiding under the bed or its Oriental
equivalent.
But purely imaginary adventure has been
supplanted by literal enterprise. And in keep
ing with the new order here is little book
of plain record of fact. A fact, however as
magical as any Of the horid inventions of
younger and less exacting world Mrs. Trux-
ton Beale of Washington, traveller and writer,
gives, by way of the little book in hand, her
own picturesque adventure of an airship jour-
ney from Helopolis, Cairo's flying station, over
the territory Of Irak and back again to the
starting point. The story of this flight evokes
such names as Damascus, Jerusalem, the Gar
den of Eden, Bagdad, old Nineveh and new
Mosul, each set in its web Of legend, history
and holy writ. Pictures Of desert and ruined
city form upon these pages under the economy
of this writer's careful composition. The spirit
of king and caliph welcomes this traveller to
such good effect as to bring the ship and its
company to earth more than once for closer
touch with the vanished days of Oriental Splen-
dor by way Of many a relic of that early civili-
zation. A modern effect interveneS now and
then through social and business meetings with
Western consul and other representative ofi-
cials. And at these moments Mrs. Beale THINKS
it worth while to make terse contrasts between
the old days and the modern ones. And 1t Is
worth while. Indeed this is of the good
highlights of the story. map-that prime
essential of any travel book-keeps the reader
on the trail of this adventure, certain at any
point in it of his own exact sharing of that
immediate moment. Pictures serve to help out
the print for definite clarity for particular his
toric illumination. A useful book, a considerate
sharing with others of her own experience. A
little book from which, in an hour at the most,
one may entertainingly refresh himself on dim
med readings, and faded old lessons. In the
Washington shops this book may be found for
any ones vicarious outfaring into "4, 0O0 miles
of wonders of earth and sky viewed in 40 fly
ing hours"
THE SELBYS. BY Anne Green New York:
e. P Dutton SE Co.