Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-10

Negley FArsOn, author OF SAILING ActosS
Europe" etc. Illustrated. New York: The
Century Co.
AkI,TFNBORN, editor Of the air. said
few nights ago. in passing, Gene Tun-
II ney is now in Russia, greatly impressed
with the intense activity there in crowd
ing the Five-Year Plan forward to az
complish working fact. even ahead Of
the prescribed time"
n Won have Just come out from NJ. Iin's New
R,s-yiara Primer; The Story Of the Ffve-Year
Plan" YOU are now ready and wide open for
every sort of truth that may be gathered con-
corning this project. So books on Russia are
likely to take fun possession Of the front row IN
any body of considerable reading And here
they are, crowding forward.
tremendous national experiment is going On
IN the huge Slavic state. That Of industrializ-
ing and deInocratizing millions Of pure peasant
stock that for centuries, has lifted hardly
Grade above degradation and hopelessness. AT
the top but thin layer Of vitai1ed intelligence
devoted to advance and leadership. Something
not to be missed by us. Now Is the moment
while 1t is on the move, to seize upon It from
the mass Of writing, much Of it Soundy based
upon frst-hand study and immediate chronicle
We are lazy, in the main. So, we say NO,
IN wait till something is settled one way or
the other" mistake, that, for then we Mss
the chance to 60 along, to foresee for ourselves,
to project the next step in the line Of political
logic and historical vision and knowledge OF
human nature an OF a single blend Miss the
chance Of prophecy on our own account Be
sides, the reports, even the best, are more or
less biased And if there must be bias, let's
have cur own. Good mental exercise to arrive
at personal conclusions, well founded. even
though they slant bit from the straight
All this to say that now is the time to study
Russia And here is a fine first book to follow
New RuSsia's Primer" that quite remarkable
setting out Of the "Fiye-year Plan" No pure
publicist this Mr.. Farson. No political econ
ounist no advocate of new social theories. An
alert, fortnight, pictorial journalist, instead,
going here and there among the Russian people
of every order and occupation nlingling with
them ON their own terms, setting down what
he does and sees and thinks in dramatic and
communicable fashion.
So with him we walk the streets of Russian
cities and highways. We go into the dwellings
and workshops and places OF instruction for
the new order We visit glamorous gatherings,
where enthusiasm runs high IN spite OF no
very glan1orous evidence of the approaching
millennium. Hardly a spot from bedroom TO
open forum that We do not enter under the
conipanionable friendiiness of. this guide. And
we learn no end of things. About living to-
rether whole swarmS IN a single room, all
cooking en- the family stove, dressing and un-
dressing in fine disregard Of the non-essen-
tials of existence. MIR. Farson has no opinions,
or, he has, he keeps them to himself. His
business to Ist US see through the welcome OF
Here is the state-run hotel, not inviting, not
yet Here is a court scene according to the
new order of justice. And divorce! Reno!
Better 20 to Russia, If you are In hurry. Here
you see the peasants and the workings OF
collective farm. All up and down Russia We
go with this open minded man. Enthusiasm,
boisterous and ardent. Resentments, quick and
quickly dismissed. Confusion-oh, 1t Is prob
ably the confusion, the lack Of privacy OF any
sort that wears even the reader thousands Of
miles away from this gigantic movement to-
ward that which is called progress.
Here is o priceless first book to follow the
"Primer." It throws certain salient features
Of the plan into concrete substance, into the
human trying to make q go Of communal hv-
ing. Hard for US to understand. We are 20
clearly indiyidualists by blood and training and
choice, that, to accept such promuScuity OF as
ISOLATION, such common partaking Of even
the intimacies Of life. confuses and revolts US.
But what Of that? It Is for us to understand.
The "plan" may fail. 1t may succeed. Our
business is to know 1t, to estimate 1t, to help
It. or to hinder it, as seems good, after our
knowledge is wide and deep enough to have
any opinions at all.
I think that Negley Farson has given sur
passingly fine first aid to us In trying to APP
preciate even some Of the salient points in the
Russian struggle for q degree Of emanicipa-
ton. Entertaining In spirit and manner from
6rSt to last, most illuminating.
THE JOURNAL OF MY OTHER SELF. BY
Rainier Maria Rilke. Translation by John
Linton. New York: w. W. Norton d Co.
FAILED the FIRST translation Of a modern
~ German classic" And the author desig-
mated as "a strictly modern mystic" Not
"journal Of anything like general appeal. APP
precautions and hkings are based upon af1inities
Of one sort or another. And nobody-almost
nobody-in the tumult Of current life has
an "other SELF" has no inner life into which
Rainier Rilke could be welcomed and made
at home. No, we are all much too busy