Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-10
~ IDA GILBERT MYERT
AuotAer Book About Russia III. Journal From
COMPATIBILITY asReading Material
IomLinsou s NezUed Volume

anyway Is everybody in this profound inner
SELF Of which he is 50 afraid, mystic at heart,
seeking an answer to the universe and above
all an answer to himself? don't know Do
vouo Some Of the "other self" 10 not under
stand. Some Of it subnlerges me in hcne-~
sickness unutterahly deep. but not sad Pene-
trating and beautiful besides, instead a good
place to 20, this place within the depths Of
one. very understanding guide Is ready TO
90 alcng this Rainier Maria Rilke.
The Hound and Horn the Spring ISSUE has
a highly intelligent and wisely appreciattve
study Of Rilke by Hester Picknan. You VIII
like it and value It, Is wen, as fine approach 10
promising and valuable experience. For this
study let IL be said that it is clearly about the
man under consideration, and not about the
writer Of the criticism. ToO many reviewers Of
university grade appear TO produce under the
impression that the prime object is to demon
strate their own powers Of research, to display
their own erudition. That as an exercise may
be all rights all right In its place. But not
in = case like this. And here is the clear puF-
pose Of making readers understand more and
better the poet and philosopher, Rainer Maria
Rilke. Read it IN connection with the books Of
this man.
THE BARRETTS OF wIMPOIE STREET.
BY Rudolf Besier Boston: Little, Brown q
Co.
4 AoST plays are to be acted-not read
INI Except for q Shakespeare say, o. .
Browning whose words fall more "trippfngly"
from the page than from the tongue. the
average playwright feels himself rather more at
ease behind the footlights than behind vellun
or parchment. Mr.. BeSier, the author Of this
play based On the Barrett Browning legend, IL
at present reaping great renown at the hands
Of Katherine Cornell, whose Elizabeth Bar
reH" Is said TO be one Of the theatFic MASTER
pieces Of the current dramatic season. I'm
fortunately the interest aroused by the read
ing matter lies more In the fact that one is al
ready fairly well informed as to the Barrett
family than because Mr.. Beser has said any
thing either very original really anything
very remarkable about them.
What MFR. Besier has done is to create one OF
the most villanous villains ever drawn by man.
One ventures to say that the character of Bar
rett in this play will cling to the mind long
after Elizabeth or Robert Browning. And that,
it seems is another reason for seeing rather
than reading THE Bafrets." For, with Miss
Cornelrs imperishable delineation Of the won
derful poeteSs who through her love for
Browning overcame q fatal illness and
fa'her whose true nature was revealed to her
only momentarily before her night from home.
one can possibly soon segregate the obnoxious
from the good and go home thrilled with Miss
Cornell and her Victorian love affair. Whereas
in reading the play one sees nothing at the
end but Barrett, towering with rage. his
daughters letter fallen In shreds ut his feet,
his unfatherly love for her revealed all too
clearly-a picture upon which one hopes the
curtain win come down quickly. z De g. NJ
OUT or soUNDMos BY H. M. TomlinsOn,
author Of "GAllion's Reach" etc. Drawings
by II. Charles TOmltnson. New York: Har-
per & Bros.
4 IERE Is the kind Of sailor that even nm
~ ignorant landlubber like me can love. I
~ L. SA14f-~
Have pursued him, TOO since then. For q reg
ular tar 70 be "out Of Soundfngs' Is q good
promise to the most OF u.s. So 1t proves in fact.
Out Of our own depths the most of the time it
is company to find another in the same 1ax.
And 20" we go along. Not with any fear
at all-not with Mr.. TomlinSon. And the
confidence is all right, for nothing more
dangerous than an easy chair and a good
light and Q tranquil mind are needed for
this outgoing. Guess what the first adventure
is! "A Brown OWL" Guess what the last ono
is! "One January Morning." And all In be-
tween lounging in ease Of mind and attitude,
"All in q Night" THE Wreck'-not frightful
not here, In this chair and under this light
Here too, we come upon a beauty and O beast
together, and OF new dispensation, amusing
rather than Of any mythic or other serious
import 1t makes no difference, really, Just
what depths by hand or sea we do come upon
here. In any case each half hour is q spread
OF life from some angle Of insight and expert
ence and mellow philosophy. Now you would
hardly expect to get very much Of human stuff
from . brown owl" But you do, lust as you
do from perky little sparrow If you only find
yourself In tune with his own WAYS of exist
ence. Sometimes these hayward seaways gather
up kings and queens and what they meant
yesterday and the day before. Sometimes they
sweep up books, books that are being written
his morning and what they are about. It seems
TO make no difference at all what the big waters
deal out; either land or sea findings they pass
into q sort Of golden crucible from which they
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