Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-27
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
1. G. M.

World. John Eugene Harley. Uni
versity of Southern California.
Stanford University Press.
In the quiet, less disputatious years
lust over the shoulder easy acceptance
was given the 5000 years-6,O0O az
most-since Adam worked his garoen
patch, since Eve went wrong, perhaps
because she had nothing else to do. A
simple and convincing story from wnlcn
great PHILOSOPHERS have risen. All OF
endeavor and its achievements start
here. material achievements and SPIRIT
nal All of sin too, with its fears ana
repentances and reprieves.
That was yesterday.
This morning Science, the great ma
gician appeared. Beside him, mooeTn
man. miracIe-naker. Toward the old
story-ttat of the 5000-year adventure
in world building-this new man Is
seemingly cool. Eagerly he draws from
his kit big rolls of evidence" that all
of a billion years went into the making
of us. the things We now are, and into
fashioning the earth whereupon we are
for the moment domiclled. With wac
and reckoning gesture he halls us:
new world Ancient irnmeasurables
have Welded to n1etes and bounds. Old
incalculables have uncovered laws-the
laws of their origin, their progression,
their fl1lfllnnent!" And then he goes
on to saw that most Immediately ana
irnperatively important Is the fact that
the earth itself Is no longer region
of vast separations and alterations.
That instead science has drawn its VIDE
areas together into the hailing distance
of a mere neighborhood. A possible
danger, in truth. this modern hudoie OF
a world. Contacts, so many ana SO
vital. constitute in themselves saiety-
first call for prompt accommodaIloIs.
And these demand understanding. ana
that imposes knowledge: And rlghC
here is the point of arrival Tor every
democratic people whose government IS
the work of their own hanos, the
record of their own choice by way OF
the ballot. knowledge, comprehension,
adaptation to circumstance and need IN
the intercourse of nations one with an
other. Such the program OF the pres
ent and the future.
Today. universities, foundations ard
other like-minded institutions are CIV
ing sturdy service to the cause OF COM
mon-school and common-sense educa-
ton in the business Of producing q
citizenry commensurate to the deman r,o
made upon it for the well-being OF the
whole.
A case in point-One of 1.-THE Stan
ford Books in World Politics." edited by
Graham H. Stuart. A practical, sim.
ME and. therefore, useful series devoted
to the education of the common man
in his prime business Of personal par
taking in the government under Wnlcn
he lives This particular volume, oy
John Eugene Harley, Is, In erect,
guide book through modern 1nterna-
tiOnal activities of high moment. AS
such, it points the way along which
one may find fields of international re-
search. Of1cial organizations are among
these. say, that very open and useful
school, the Pan~American Union In
washington. There are, besides, aca-
demic institutions, each one placed and
outlined in a measure TO indicate lts
facilities for the studen.-Geneva, Ber-
lin. Vienna A little closer to the aver
age of us are the Summer schools and
institutions Williamstown, Chicago,
Honolulu, The Hague and so on. Schools
of a year-round service are analysed
in definite purpose and actual per-
forrnance Here, in a word, Is a kind
of glorified guide book through the
domain of international affairs, offered
to the hosts of us who want to go, but,
who, hitherto, did not know the road.
The discussion, going along with the
itinerary Of study, indicates the pur-
pose and scope Of the work. Practically,
sort of education. 1t points upon the
high value of exchanges between coun-
try and country of professors and
students. Routes of travel, fitted
to the purpose OF the study, are
given. America is summed by way Of
its colleges and universities Tor the
practical study of international matters
and policies. And besides such sum-
mary a sufficiently full study OF these
American schools is given for the read
er's use.
AS matter Of point and course, the
foundation of this travel book through
international policies and politics is the
solid concrete of tested fact. Here are
no detours for variety of effect or for
any other diversion. With the book in
hand, study is what we are up against.
But it is all so positively clear, so
straight-pointed upon the end OF the
Journey, so manifestly what we must
have if we are going to help play the
game, that here, of certainty, Is the
guide book that every American reader
and writer, student and teacher, needs
to possess for study and restudy for the
sake Of continuing world.
X
THE CHALLENGE OF RUSSIA.
Sherwood Eddy, author of Every
bodys World" etc. New York: Far
rar &c Rinehart
The second daily question all over
the place is What about Russia?" The
first one needs no pointing finger upon
it. Both produce, however, about the
same immediate result. WhirlwindS OF
opinion. positive, controversial, vio-
lent. Tornadoes of talk Probing, even
little bit, there issues from either OF
these contentious more of the f1zz-z-z!
g NJ f0Q0
any substance of solid information. AS
to one of these topics over which the
world seems likely to talk itself to death,
here is a book that certainly ought to
be of steadying value to those who are
in Mysteries over Russia, its do1ngs, Its
probabilities, its menace and so on and
so on. Sherwood Eddy has been to
Russia several times, each time in the
role of student and fair-minded in
vestigator. Out Of these forth-tarings
into the actual field Of Russian political
experiment he has made this book.
Now, the bare fact Of going into Russia
is. clearly a heady adventure. One,
having done this. is Immediately sus-
pect. 1t is hardly conceivable that he
could emerge from it, dispassionate, call
culating, logical. conclusive-sane even.
Therefore, one takes up any book on
Russia armored against pure enthu-
siasm on the one hand sheer condem-
nation on the other. Let us say, right
off, that feelings, as such, appear here
to have less 10 do with Mr.. Eddy's
highly informing and deeply interesting
book than the run of publications upon
this theme commonly do have. To be
sure the title is shade against the
notion of complete dispassion-but let
it go. Here, certainly, is a body of
fact, gathered at first hand, about the
present state of the big Slav country,
about its immediate program, its wide
look into a great future. No one will
dispute the author in an assertion that
here is one of the great experiments of
all time. Nor will he fail to note the
logic of this gigantic uprising out from