Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-04
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
!. C. N.

Times: The United States, 1900
1895" Illustrated. Charles Scrib-
ner's Sons.
"Pre-War America" Is third in the
Mark Sullivan series, "Our Times" The
quality Of this period Of American his
tory promises as foregone conclusion
one more count. at least, in so impor-
tant q recording.
An engrossingly preoccupied America
that, stretching between 1910 and war
time. Industry was entering upon its
career Of banditry. Politics was sedu-
iously making capital Of Righteousness
from such corporate iIl-doing The polls
were openly charged as places of sale
and barter. A growing underground
alliance between business and politics
was slowly shaping into o dragon to
test the prowesS Of the st. Georges OF
that moment. Outside this zone Of vital
doings and dealings the country was
pursuing It's customary blithe and glad
some way. Playing games and singing
songs, claiming high taste In litera-
ture, art, music, the drama. Dancing
feet were tripping from marriage altar
to divorce court without breaking step
or Earring the smooth cadence. Society
itself had It's tasty scandals. Just be-
low Maggie and John were nnisbehaving
In exactly the fashion Of their betters.
Such, sketchily. Is the United States
depicted In "Pre-War America" A full
book, but not q crowded one. Wide
open and spread out and simple IN Its
eject.
essentially, the period is one Of busi-
ness and politics. The growth Of in
dustry to magnitudes beyond the tenn
per Of mere man to withstand. The
waking of politics to its manifest obli-
CATION of oversight, regulation, control
even. Therefore, this book Is, in the
main, the story of an enormously ir1-
creasing business whose excuses be-
came, finally, the active and ameliora-
tive concern Of government itself. IN
vestigations, legislative enactments OF
repressive intent, the disruption Of the
Republican party precipitated by the
historic quarrel between Roosevelt and
Taft, the sequence Of that break In the
election of Wilson and the approach Of
the World War-these are the climbing
importances by way of which Mark
Sullivan turns q vital period of our
history into the simplicity of picture
and adventure and story. Lighter stuff
goes along with these weighty matters.
Spelling reform backed by high profess
sors, long skirts and short waists, pass
ing flnmakerS, inspired prophets, street
songs, and thousand other sparks of
illumination hold the long story to inn
mediate reminders and acceptances.
In passing, q serious book Like
person of account leaves some out
standing impression. Here it is sim
plicity of effect. A simplicity wrested,
curiously, from q period slowed and
crowded with important national
pressure Of time and space. here they
all are in a roomy layout Of disclosure,
of analysis, of comment. The stress
Of essentials, the easing UP toward in
teresting but relatively unimportant
points--such, the sense of proportion
operating here in the interest of fine
coordination and unity Of concrete
impact.
A few men, not many, step out from
this study each in his own person.
Roosevelt and Taft are among them.
Notably alive, too, is Charles Evans
Hughes, investigating lawyer In the in
surance scandals of some years ago.
Later a quite remarkable character
study of Senator Robert La Toilette
serves to emphasize the fine intuition,
the plain psychology, the clear logic of
Mark Sullivan when he gets one Of
these specimens into his hand and
under his eye. The worlds business
political. economic, social ~ has been
the business also of this newspaper
man. Men operating In this field
men and women operating In this
field-have been bis lifelong preoccu-
patton. So he IS the knowing man,
indubitably that Knowing, but never
arrogant in his knowledge, never CEN
like-well, like many another who has
discovered that one can sound tre-
mendously clever by simply being abu-
Stve. Sullivan Is O kindly man, sea-
soned and mellow by years of intimate
dealings with the human tribe. Out
Of his experience and gifts and rigor-
Gus training he has come to be author
ity in the political field, In the ma.
tional field as a whole expanding to
canoes. First, an authoritative writer
expanding time and patience TO the
corroboration of every important fact.
This book Is strewn with such evidence,
such proof. And with this man of
knowledge and experience in vital
points Of historic moment there goes
the man of humor and laughter, liven-
ing the adventures OF national chance
and miSchance with q wit that Is both
searching and kindly. A Sullivan en-
thusiast? Something like that Scope
OF knowledge, breadth of power, happy
mode OF Offering his news and faCts.--
these are responsible for the general
confidence in Mark Sullivan as a politi-
cal annalist. and interpreter.
Photographs, cartoons, drawings -
mere than 200 Of these-go along with
this newspaper projection OF America
In the spirit of authentic history and
IN the effect Of actual adventure upon
the reader.
The most stirring picture in this book
OF many vital national concerns, the
truly epic story among these many high
and worthy adventures, Is not the story
OF some statesman of honest heart and
sincere endeavor. Nor is it the picture
OF President or other high beneficiary
OF his country's confidence and trust.
NOT these. Instead, it Is the story of
a man so absorbed in an idea that he
hardly knew Of the common tumults
OF the world. This is the story of
the man who discovered "Necator
Americanus," American Murderer
The chapter embodying this triumph is
named An Emancipation Its sub
stance is that of the discovery of the
hookworm by DR.. Charles Wardell Stiles.
that OF the subsequent events which
led to the practical determination of
that source OF disease in the United
States and in Porto Rico. Hardly
sounds like a theme for shining adj
venture-does It'll Well, it is. You read
CT the passion of this man, a Govern
ment clerk or official, in the pursuit of
his theory and belief Follow him into
the South, or wherever the quarry led,
microscope in hand, hunting nothing
in the world but human ordure. Crawl
Certainly and without doubt Even the
benefictaries he sought were hostile and
threatened to run him out of the
neighborhood." But they didn't For
1t couldn't be dene. A man with an
idea is unconquerable, invulnerable. By
day, by night, the passion held-and.
finally, some one listened. In this case