Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-25
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
/. C. NJ.


Harper q Bros.
More than 40 years ago, counting all
preliminaries OF approach, George A.
Dorsey set out upon n1oR1entous man
hunt.
A clear score Of years went into the
astounding roundup itself. Each twelve
month of that period an exacting and
Jealous taskmaster of pursuit and cap
ture. At the end Of the great adven-
ture. the quarry held, whole, in his
loosening hand, George Dorsey died Of
his own mighty undertaking.
The full enterprise ran, in the rough.
something like this: Original personal
search and research OF generally con-
crete character. Deep and wide study
Of accepted authority along the line Of
his own investigations. Then, the
heroic actually Of producing why We
Behave Like Human Beings and
Mans Own Show: Civilization" The
two stand as one. The second, an ex-
tension, 3 towering, Of the first. The
second. fulfiliment, 80 to speak.
And what an illuminating twain 1t
isl Sound, logical. erudite. Sane and
Fortnight. Bent upon q DEFINITE Jour-
ney. Headed upon certain goal. A
tourney to be made straight, despite
the deep entanglements that beset the
way. A goal to be lifted high and plain
to the eye Of every oncoming man;
Lesson for today. Road-mark Tor in
Vulnerable tomorrows.
These two books are constituted to
create enthusiasts. In both substance
and form they are that sort OF stun
Contrariwise they are made also for
withholdings, the shrugged shoulder,
the lifted brow. They are that sort,
too.
The glad welcome, the long study,
will come from the great average, the
great intelligent average-all the you'S
and the me's-so charmed and in
structed by the outright simplicity OF
q surprising story shed from the mind
and hand OF a knowing one who passed
this way. Charmed, too, with the story
lure itself, with the fling OF true ad-
venture seized and handed over to the
amazing odyssey Of man, on his way
from q seemingly remote nowhere on
through to some nliraitanly 1ar ano
future somewhere. We, the average
are bound to move for weeks. months
and maybe years with this stupendcus
caravan of an advancing civilization.
But directors too are bound TO line
up in formidable frontage along George
Dorsey's way These. in the main, Will
step out from the ranks Of pure profeS-
sionalisnn. where lines of inclusion have
grown to be hard and fast, where doors
are close-shut against innovation. where
change Is unwelcome to the cult, even
change Of mode and custom. Among
the ceremonials Of high professionalism
George Dorsey cuts no figure ut all. He
knows nothing OF ritualistic kotowings
Indeed, he has no literary manners
Instead Of all this, he goes about pick
ing up little hard words, as IL they
were pebbles, laying them down in pat
terms. easy to decipher. and, at last, sc
alight with convincing truth and
beauty that the gray pebbles turn out
to be shining gems. And these glitter a
way for the reader to follow through
the mazes OF his own beginnings. and
through the labyrinth Of ell human ad-
vance toward the place where we nov
gtand--civilizedi
what Is civilization? How did we
come by It? Is it good one? The bas;
we can make? Why not? Can We dc
something, anything, about It? Car
possibly help to make the world finer
place to live In? Such the hig Nway
along which the reader is led in 'eGan'i
Show
why We Behave Like Hunfn Be-
ings" constia a1es sort OF pre- 1aratory
course for any complete and pr 4 ger APP
praisal Of our own Show. That
book let us into some of our own deep
est mysteries. How did we come 70 be
thinking animals, slowly developing
rough crafts and rude arts for enlist
ing things outside ourselves to per-
sonal service and advantage OF our own
What Is the physical basis of thought
the machine that does the thinking. ~
distinct from that of Ntlner creatures
less forward-moying than we have
proved ourselves TO be? When anc
how did we hit upon the trick Of speechi
And finding that 1t served an indubi.
tally good turn. how did we succeed II
making it so an amazing instrument
Of Joy, of sorrow, Of beauty, of ugliness
of high utility and pathetic futility:
Hwy has this miracle Of speech affected
or4 bef1aviors along the way and how
has It set such an unreasonable dis.
lance between US and that creature that
came 50 near TO being man, that ape
creature?
Mans Own Show opens. thrifty
with little stock-taking summary. Fol
instance, the significance to US. tht
advantage of having been born hui
man. A counting here Of certain as
sets that allowed fair passage forward
upright position, leaving the hand,
free for many uses. power to think, q
little. Articulate sounds that grad
ually grew into speech and without
which there would have been no civil
lization. Here, q fascinating summary
of speech in its evolution and mechan-
ism, the growth Of languages and
linguistic change.
And the great story sweeps on. gath
ering in, early. the emotion Of love. the
rise of the family, the dawning ideas OF
an overworld and an underworld. Re.
ligion in its sources and its variations
according to time and cline and CIR
cumstance The rise Of science and its
decline. The renaissance of science
called its f1rst-coming by those behold
ing 1t in their own era.
And here we are in the midst Of our
selves with the physical sciences, mir
acle makers of the present day, with
modern knowledge of inorganic matter
multiplying daily the wonders of Gre
alton. With knowledge OF organic mat
ter leading to the rise and growth oil
biology in its various applications tc
the life Of man, by way of sanitation
hygiene, medicine, prevention, and SC
on along a clean and aritiseptic road
to that wide spreadtng state of general
health and, by way of it, TO something
like universal well-being Of mind body
and soul.
Part LII Of the big book-90o pages
big and more-turns squarely upon us
its readers. As 1t should, for above all
else this entire adventure, the whole
study is of the partaking sort,
What Shall We Do to Be Sayed?r
And, after so splendid q progression or
the part OF man, can it be possible that
he is still bit shy on salvation? So II
appears and so 1t is Salvation" Is
Mr.. Dorsey talking about the next
world? Oh. not at ALL He is TALKING
about our world, yours and mine, where
disease Is still tolerated where wars
are still promoted where poverty is the
rule, and suffering, needless suffering
part Of the life Of every community
That's what he Is talking about, and