Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-28
STAIN. BY Isaac Don Levine New York:
Cosmopolitan Book Corporation

OSEPH DJUGASHVIL by birth name.
Joseph, softened in boyhoOd TO the af-
fectionate $3.50" AS man grown,
trained and tempered and hardened to
q complete identity with Bolshevism and
its founder, Lenin Joseph 'Djugashvn
became Stalin-"steel."
Here Isaac Don Levine tells the story OF
Stain, foremost man of Russia today. Tells by
way Of this man Of mastery for the moment at
least the story of revolutionary Russia
great story. Pitched to the key and timed to the
rhythm, and unrhyth n, of the most stupendous
political movement that governments have en-
countered so far in the worlds history. The
epic drama Of 600 people risen together,
out Of bitter serfdom to the august role OF
inaugurating and conducting vast state OF
socialized effort and control.
Lenin began It. Took the positive step from
words to action, from theories Of socialism TO
a communism whose single impe: alive was the
rise of the people in a proletarian revolution
Lenin gone, many sought to seize his mantle
of inspiration, stimulation, command. Among
these Trotsky is best known to average readers
And they do say that the measures used by
Stain to supersede Trotsky and the others
were born of a devouring ambition and bred
by Vaccinations unbscoming the high role Of
a countrys dslivere-, of peoples emancipa-
tor But long ago, we found out that observers
and reporters have perfect genius for read
ing themselves into the motives and actions OF
others. Freedom from this SO common beset-
in his study of Stain. He resists himself
ncbly. He absents himself so competently that
readers come into intimate contact with this
man Stain in a really pure version of himself,
undiluted by ready-made judgments of the
author, and other common devices for. getting
into the picture that aff1ict expository
writer's. In word Mr.. Levine devotes himself
to showing to what extent Stain is repre-
sentative of Russia at the moment and by
what powers of character and training and
career he has reached this commanding point
So under the highly discriminating intelli-
gence and good artistry of Don Levine a reader
slips back into the early home of $780," down
near TifliS. The father a shoemaker. The
mother Of different strain is devoted TO $3.50"
and his future. The priesthood Is an outlet
oh, much better than cobbling! So shifts are
made for "SoSos" schooling. The schools OF
Russia, such as they were, proved hotbeds for
the growing Of discontents for the propagating
of political conspracies. And here young
Joseph 1ourished. Silent. apt in seizure Of
ideas, an adept in carrying them out, stolid
under suspicion and arrest and Punishment,
wizard at making escapes. And, all the time,
dumb and immovable. More than a little hard
and uncompromising It is around Stain that
Don Levine builds the youth of Russia in its
ferment Of discomfort and secret resistance
It is around Stain, to increasing measure,
that he gathers the elements of Lenin's plan
and settles it more firmly to open outbreak 1t
is around Stain that he collects the many
sided activity of Russia today, the socialized
state working out toward-?-by way Of its
staggering "five-year plan" Where others may
stress the quarrels and d:Ssgreements among the
leaders, Don Levine, rightly, it seems to me,
skins them easily as of relatively little moment
and moves on into the economic and political
avalanche that is grinding Russia toward a
futur, hardly outlined, yet under the
crunching grind of its advance.
A wide outlook upon all important aspects of
the Russian present An intelligent survey Of
the great event by a man of experience, both
actual and literary. A readable book-conSpic-
uously that Its first chapters settle the ques-
ton of readers, not merely willing, but ardent
as well. Here is book pe:sonality-warm, out
reaching. intaking. And behind it is store
of vital and pertinent fact concerning this
great matter Of $50, O0O, 900 people trying them
selves out through new plan of government,
one for which the onlooker considers them
rather dangerously unprepared. However, the
point is that Isaac Don Levine has provided q
comprehensive and co-ordinated survey Of
Russia by way of a mastery study of Stain,
today its key man.
THE PROBLEM OF LIFE BY Robert Foucher.
Washington: Doyle Printing Service.
TO the measure of its acceptance and pursuit,
! this study Is of revolutionary effect.
For 10 years its author, scientist, has given
himself over to research which here provides
the two prime factors of 1.-The problem Of life"
Ons is the cellular basis of living organisms.
The other Is the bacterial source of disease.
The outcome, daring and possibly audacious Is
a clean reversal of the domains Of life and
death. Life is inherent to man. Death is ex-
ternal, an outsider The essence and genius
of cellular existence-in this case the human
body-is persistent and continued life. Bac-
terial admissions to the body are accidents,
catastrophes, direct agents of decay, disinte-
grafton, disease, death. From this accounting,
man is not the natural field of the Grim
Reaper. Rather is he, from the essential nature