Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-18
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the BoOkioper

A journalistic and kaleidoscope view
Of the first quarter Of the twentieth
century Is presented by Mark Sullivan
In "Pre-War America" Volume III OF
Our Times" During that time there
were two friends. who later became
foes, their friendship determining the
presidency Of the United States for one
term. and their estrangement deter
mining it for two. and the whole Of
their relationship changing the direc-
ton of history to o degree of which
the consequences would be difficult to
estimate" The story of these two
friends and the explanation Of their
political antagonism run through many
chapters of the book There is a pic
ture Of the United States during the
period when 1.-The people felt all was
well, because Roosevelt was in the
White House and because whenever he
| journeyed from Washington he left
| Taft sitting on the lid" There Is ar
account of the insurance scandals
which involved the Equitable and
brought into prominence COMPARE
lively young lawyer named Charles +
Hughes, who was selected by COM
mittee Of the New York State Legisla-
ture to investigate the big life insur-
ance companies. The railroad rate
fight. "the climax Of Roosevelt's crusade
for economic reforms" is picturesquely
described, with episodes "piquant OF
explosive" During the early years Of
the century undertaking was in its first
vigor. Roosevelt was responsible for
the term. as he was for many other
vivid expressions applied to public life
In Gridiron dinner speech he took
as his subject a passage from Bunyans
! Pilgrims Progress" in which he de-
scribed the Man with the Muckrake
the man who could look no way but
downward with the muckrake in his
hand" Thomas w. Lawson, "SenSa-
tional stock market operator
who had been handy man for cap
tains Of industry in some of their more
sordid adventures" became the fore
most muckraker Of the era. Through
his undertaking articles he swelled the
circulation Of the magazine which pub
lished them and furnished regular SEN
sations for its readers.
|
As in his previous volumes, 30 In
'Pre-War America" Mark Sullivan Is
much interested in the popular songs
and plays Of the era. Explaining this
interest, he says: ITO the historian
some songs constitute an index to man.
ners, vogues, even morals, the events
p, and subjects that engaged national in
terest the times of economic, philologiC
and other changes. Others are COM
paratively slight in their relation To
contemporary events" The early days
Of motoring produced the song He'd
Have to Get Under" which would be
hardly ineligible today, when all mo-
tor trouble is settled by telephoning to
responsible for the songs "Good-by
Dolly Gray" Blue Bell" and "There'll
Be a Hot Time in the Old Town To-
night, which was considered almost
the official song Of the war. That
popular songs reflect vogues Is showr
by the song Her Golden Hair was
Hanging Down Her Back" Hair nc
longer hangs down backs, however
golden and beautiful 1t may be. Only
a few of the popular songs of an era
have enduring quality. Several friend
ly collaborators who searched the at
tics of their memories to ascertain
which Of the songs of 19o0-1914 fingered
most lovingly in the affections Of those
who as youths had sung them, agreed
that the rusts of quarter century had
been best resisted by a melody whose
| IAeIhe anu name was In the GOOQ OlC
Summer Time" Songs of sentiment were
led by The Rosary" to which The
End of a Perfect Day was hardly sec
ond In popularity. The comic opera
"Florodora'' supplied the long-popular
song Tell Me, Pretty Maiden" and
Marie Dressler and May Irwin, re-
| spectively, popularized Heaven Will
Protect the Working Girl" and the
Bully Song"
"Pre-War America" is a good sized
book, full of entertainment for almost
any reader who Is not too young to re-
member the events recpunted. Not the
least of the interest is in the many il
lustrations. We see Roosevelt and
Taft on the south portlco of the White
House just before leaving for the Capt.
tol, where Roosevelt gave up, and Taft
took over, the Presidency A group
picture taken on the s. S. Manchuria
represents Taft. as Secretary of War
accompanied on one of his Far Eastern
trips by a party including Alice Roose-
welt and Nicholas Longworth. The
women,s hats are platterlike affairs on
reproduced. including the one published
in the New York Herald Tribune, by j
N Darling, at the time Of Roosevelt's
death, representing the rough-ridine
President, mounted on the horse OF
death. waving the gallant farewell OF
an uncomfortable spirit to those left
behind as he started unafraid upon the
long trail" One picture illustrates
womens skirts in six different years
1901, 1908, 1910, 1920. 1925. 1927. The
8kirt of 1901, Just escaping the ground
Is described, from the Ladies Home
journal, as the indispensable short
skirt essential in a college girls outfit.
The 1927 skirt barely covers the knees
A similar page shows a washington
belle" of 1908 attired in huge white
feather boa. null tie wound twice
around the neck. and large hat adorned
with ribbon rosette as large as plate
and white feather. The Merry Widow
hat, suggesting an airplane, and the
chenille dotted veil, draping hat as
completely as If for mosquito protection
are also illustrated.
In Brand Whitlock's Lafayette:
Nine de Lafayette is rather patnetlc
figure, unless perhaps she considered
the distinction of having brilliant ano
famouslv adventurous husband com
pensation for wears Of being left alone
bringing up her children without Ms
help, and other years OF sharing ms
forlorn exile. Mr.. Whitlock leaves II
uncertain whether she did think the
compensation adequate, with an IN
clination toward the belief that sht
did. In ARDENT Adrienne: the Lie o.
Madame de Lafayette" Ida Rose NC
Cabe shows both the girl wife and the
mature woman accomplishing ana unTe
GREETING. Adrienne DAyen OF tht
prominent Noailles family was not ye'
Is when she married Lafayette, wht
was just Is. When he dashed of t.
America to aid the Colonists in theiI
Revolutionary cause. he was only 10
Adrienne had one child and was ex
pecting another. Except for LONELINESS
and anxiety over the fortunes OF ne
husband in the wilds and dangers