Evening star., 1932-11-08
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. G.. NJ.

1. G. NJ.
LONELY AMERICA. BY Lothrop stod-
dard author of THE Rising Tide
of Color" etc. New York: Double
day, Doran & Co.
America personified as Uncle Sam"
fills the foreword OF this study with
loneliness that is ascribed to the Ma
tion itself Rather more picturesque
than factual. However, picture and
drama are the instruments OF this
fortnight author. We look for these
from him. We like them. Lonely
America" is a survey Of the isolation
of the United States, first, 3 matter
of location and, next, accepted as
policy of government. The first period
OF this review runs from Washington
to Wilson, from Washington's urgency
of mind and speech against entangling
alliances to Wilson's exalted idealism
in respect TO a world made safe for
democracy. After this comes a swift
turn around the present, SO filled with
unrest and confused thinking. Then
door opened toward Q future whose
character will depend upon the clear
sight and sane thought OF today.
Down to the Spanish war OF 1893
we were virtually hermit Nation, ab-
sorbed in our domestic problems, with
no rivals or redoubtable enemies; able
to live secure with skeleton Army,
toy Navy and diplomatic service
which was bad Joke Even down
to our entry into the Great War we
were still out of the main stream Of
world affairs"
A provincial Nation. Upon the whole,
an ignorant, though innocent tribe.
Since the Great War. however, our
isolation has been deliberate, sinister.
despicable. At least that Is what we
are told about ourselves as Mr.. Stod-
dard translates us in terms OF the
Eastern Hemisphere.
Our present-day world Is a perllous
world Nations and races jostle and
wrangle for place and power Eco
nomic and political rivalries grow Keen
er. Ideas such as Communism and
Fascism have brought, not peace, but
sword. All is transition. nothing can
be taken for granted. And into this
perilous world America has suddenly
been thrust untitled by experience or
training" to meet the situation.
The author cites BADLY the mistakes
OF this country in the peace settle
ments of the Great War. He emu
merates as well in detail the hatreds
ana IcStIlLIItil'o PIiCN hbo4AAoS NAAN
United States by virtue of its many
ineptitudes or deliberate evil intent.
We are living, in effect, in a phantom
world. In a place that makes no notes
on the animosities that are gradually
shutting us away from the actualities
of world matters. SO, at least, this au-
thor declares in bold avowal, our
pacifists preach peace Meanwhile the
real world goes on preparing for war!
Japan in China goes ahead accord
ing to plan" in spite Of disarmament
conferences Russia builds up its Red
Army and distributes gas masks to the
civilian population. Herr Hitler GER
tainlv does not plan peace; neither does
Signor Mussolini. And in addition TO
the likelihood of armed strife. We have
TIE reality of economic war Waged by
rival tariffs. quotas and embargoes.'
Then. a few sharp sentences about
the reasoning, the unreasoning, proc
esses of the common man in respect
to the situation. his situation. as matter
of fact. The sleepiness, the stupidity
of us as a majority
In a world like this the crying need
of the hour is for reSolute facing OF
facts combined with an equally reSo-
lutte discarding of fond illusions. Be
fore we can decide how to emerge from
our present predicament. we must un-
derstand where we are and how We got
there. Thus only can We attain the
clear vision which will show us the way,
which will also reveal the pitfalls that
beset our path
To such realistic survey and analy-
sis. this book is devoted" Forceful.
clear. devoted to the facts even if.
seemingly, now and then vehemence OF
mood and statement overrides delibera-
fiOn An plnn1TeO+ U-,itaF ed
student. A fine book for every Amer
lean to read.
logical Story Of Two Continents.
BY Emily c. Davis. New York:
Henry Holt d Co.
the names of few Indian tribes and
promptly forgot them. We did. how
ever. hold more or less Imply to the
general notion that. scattered over the
country were groups of Indians. the
original inhabitants" of the land.
Where they came from was nobody'S
concern or thought even.
Then, only within the past few years,
a group of scientists known as spade
workers began digging here and there
at the out-cropping of some small sign,
at the signal Of some faint trail-and
the things that these excavators these
archeologists have brought into the
open are an amazement of reality far
surprising any possible invention
1t turns out, first, that the New"
World was not so new after all The
wandering tribes were remnants of
numerous people; that once upon time
there were cities and advanced ways of
life, right here, on the Western Hemi-
sphere, which We assumed to be the dis
covery of Columbus
Emily Davis, staff writer for Science
Service, in Washington. here gives us
the story OF the prehistoric peoples that
lived In America, both North and South
America The Incas of Peru, the Mayas,
the early warlike Mexicans. the Mound
Builders-all living their lives here in
America even as We today are doing
When Columbus came the remnants of
the Indian race were doomed. Scat
tered tribes, retiring more and more
from the superior destructiveness of the
white man.
But, to begin at the beginning of
this story. Its first line is a lure:
Modern America is built over the re-
mains of prehistoric America" Then
the writer goes on with bits of evidence
in support of that statement. And the
bits unite, blending into q story of
great interest and of prime importance
One Immediately informing bit" right
at the beginning Of the long story is
that George Washington, when he
chose the District Of Columbia as q
sensible site for National Capital, con-
firmed judgment that Indian leaders
held long before him. For, where
Washington City now stands, an Indian
tribe had maintained a large settle
ment which has been described as q sort
of capital Tor center) for the region
around it
In a foreword this author indicates
the high points of study. A case in
point is the population of those prehis-
toric years in America. Much greater