Evening star., 1931-06-21

by ID. r. Tait Illustrated. Boston: Little,
Brown g. Co.
ALL grave, not unbeautiful, wearing
a close colt of splendid gems inter-
woven, long ropes of precious stones
living against neck and breast. Nos
unlike the face-raking long g-eared
skull caps of the present mode. Dif-
3erent in effect, however.
A Greek woman, Sophia Schliemann wear
ing the jewels of Helen of Troy. But there
was no Helen of Troy, no Paris, nor MenelauS,
nor Priam NO field of Troy, no Trojan war;
no burning towers OF nium There was no
Homer. So the savants said
A man. waist deep in a white drift OF docu-
ments Twenty thousand" scraps of paper
Letters diaries, notes. jottfngs. plan sketches,
project charts, the full whatnot of years OF busy
recordings In littering bulk, the bestowal OF
Sophia Schliemann upon Emil Ludwig.
And here Is Emil Ludwig, again doing ms
great stuff sculptor with his clay. painter
with his colors. divining and competent
man, recreating another man, bringing him
back to life and shepherding him through in
fancy and youth and fulfillment. The 1na-
portances of his career outstanding. The Clv-
ialities thrown away. So here he is, living
man. clean-cut in character and purpose ana
achievement Schliemann, the archeologist who
became this through dream, through hfe-
long passion Of faith in the actual substance
of q legend, In the real existence Of HoIners
Troy.
IN the main, an unimpressive fellow, this
Mecklenburg youth, Heinrich Schliemann.
little more active in an avid sort OF way than
bows are likely to be- Looking for jobs and
getting them, saving his money and putting IL
to work. Wandering lot, for his day and
age Picking up languages as If they were
playthings or sweetmeatS Somewhere, too,
picking up that glamorous Homeric tale.
seed this that settling into some fertile corner
OF his being grew like green bay tree, silently
shaping the course of his astonishing career.
Across to Holland, looking for work and
living Getting both in good measure. over
into Russia. There young Schliemann found
a wife Didn't like her. Came to America to
shed her out in Indiana, then the Reno OF
this country. Down into South America, round
and round. active and money-making and de-
cidedly coming on. Finally into Greece, Tor
good and all. Picks and shovels, carts and
mules laborers and overseers-these the equip
ment of Heinrich Schliemann for digging
dream out of the ground And how the wise
men laughed. We actually see their dertsiVe
smiles and hear their contemptuous c1ortAeS.
The main count with these against the fellow
was that he SO readily changed his mind. Now
real scientists are not supposed to do that. But
here this one was shifting from here to there
like an ordinary man, which he so indubitably
was But Schliemann kept digging% kept On
fitting each plan little more Snugly to the
end sought for it, An untidy wise man, truly,
bat devilishly pertnaclous one
And would you believe it! There it finally
lay-not q dream of dust and moonshine. A
veritable walled palace instead, measurable
and weighty treasure to gather. Clear relics Of
splendid hfe-war and love and hate ana
cruelty For all the world like our own day.
For ali the world like US, save for the glamour
of centuries Just such, maybe win halo
the high spots of this twentieth century along
about 1893 AID or something like that.
1t is q great story True as truth, but enough
like a yarn" to enlist any reader from head
to heel. The best Of the Ludwigs, we say.
Perhaps because it is cast not in the specialized
lines of professional warfare or diplomacy, like
the Napoleon" or the Bismarck" More ON
our own line working and dreaming and once
In a while getting somewhere. splendid story.
Mr. Carper hints that Ludwig is writing TOO
fast" Old Caviler suggests that the Scnne-
mann" rather points that way. Not chance
in the world to get away with such feeble talk.
Read the story for yourself. Besides, here Is
Emil Ludwig himself In proof of good literary
substance and high sincerity, both Shiningfy
clear Of any Smudge Of Senility and decay
High tribute to the man and his work comes
from che distinguished English archeoaogiSt,
Sir Arthur Evans The surprising excellence
Of this particular achievement of Emil Ludwig
is cited to indicate the imaginative artistry Of
Ludwig in Fecreating Heinrich Schliemann In
the clear and salient lines Of his work for
science and for history and for art itself. Great
reading adventure waits for you here.
TIE ORCHID. BY Robert Nathan author Of
There is Another Heaven" etc. Indianap-
oils: The BobbS-M Merrill Co.
TEAR H: Thank you for the good reminder.
- 1t must have been like this: That, laugh
ing and talking, they trooped together into my
place-Lily and Iris, Rose and Marguerite.
Pansy and the rest Altogether lovely to be
sure but tending, slightly, to mess up the bus
iness decorum OF the hour. That, in reducing
them to o shade of order, failed to pick one out
from another. Certainly had no sense what
ever Of their guardians grouped efacingly lust