Evening star., 1932-05-22

Buck, author OF "Ine Gooo EaIth I'VE"
York: Friendship Press. The John Day Co.,
distributor.
HE long sustained popularity of Good
Earth" sets the hopes of readers
high toward Mrs. Bucks new novel,
1.-THE Young Revolutionist.
This is the story of Ko-sen. The
Chinese youth was close to death
The doctor had told the stricken parents that
the boy could not live. They, in despair, car
red Ko-sen to the Temple of the Ten Heavens
and besought the gods for his recovery, promls-
ing in return the lads life service to them.
Then they went away in sorrow for, living or
dead, they knew that Ko-sen was no longer
their son. The boy came out of his sickness
and faced upon health Homesick and grleVlng
for his parents for the sister whom he loved,
Ko-sen hated the temple and the priests and
the tasks and above all did he hate the long
future stretching into the far distance before
him. So Ko-sen and his companion F'ah-h,
planned to escape from the temple. This they
did. Then not knowing what else to do, they
joined the army of the young revolutioniSts
and became a part of the rising multitude of
modern China
Beyond this point the story changes in char
acter From the warm and tender home life
of this boy. which is idyl of beauty and
simple charm, the matter expands, gradually
to include the modern China broken by in
vasions from the world itself. Gradually, the
Nationalist uprising, expressed in the action of
the Revolution is destroying the age-old dy-
nastic government, trade is breaking the long
seclusions Of China, the religion of the mis-
sionaries Is casting down the ancient gods.
These wide and deep changes become in ef-
feet, the later substance Of the tale, gradually
diverting the warm body and heart of Ko-sen
to something closer to an emblem, to type.
And, at the very end, Ko-sen has himself be-
come a missionary, back home showing his
parents and his sister the beauties of the Christ
religion. and pleading with them to accept its
promises as he himself has already done. In
many respects a very beautiful story Not
pure in its art, however. as Good Earth"
Quite measureably below that high book there
fore, in unity and strength and genuinely deep
appeal.
A PLANNED SOCIETY. By George ooule au-
thor of THE Useful Art Of Economics" New
York: The Macmillan Co.
IN bulk, Mr. Soule's study re-surveys history
] for a segregation of the self-evident fact
that, from the beginning, collective life, society,"
peoples, have been a fortuitous circumstance,
subordinate to dynastic, constitutional, political
sovereignty
It sketches. briefly, the dawn of liberty
idea, functioning first in religion. Then, in
politics. Then, in economies 1t points clearly
upon the tenacity of each of these motives
toward freedom and sets out the resulting con-
fusion of such vigorous counter claims upon
the wellbeing OF modern society. The last
chapters of the study submit plans for an
ordered society whose foundations are the basic
and salient realities of modern collective life.
In fair circumspection the author calls atten-
ton to old faiths standing squarely in the
way of new facts To fragments Of the divine
right" that even yet thwart the common will
To an inorgrant economics that creates mon
strous inequities where there is plenty for all
These, warning separately and together, have
thrown the world itself into confusion that is
OF destructive portent to humanity itself.
These chapters of review and fresh interpre-
tation serve rs a kind of housecleaning for
the advent of pertinent facts Of national life,
for their ordering upon future course of in
telligent and benefcent living. The United
States serves, naturally, the immediate OBJ
ject of investigation and reform here Its les
son, however, is of clarifying effect upon the
world itself, since the mistakes and ignorance
are common everywhere. The few over the
many, the strong over the weak, ignorance
itself operating in an instructive lust of power
these are common ailments from which the
human is slow to recover, reluctant to recover
This book in review, is of inestimable value
to readers who are bent as we all must be,
upon clearing situation to its bone. Nova
days everybody must be a student, must go
to school, to the plain menace of the present
and its future. To damn the officials, to bonn
bard the Congress with abuse, will not do
John Smith and his wife must know more
than they do. And here is one of the many
excellent text books thta is meant for them
And by the time these leading chapters are
well in mind-chapters on a civilization that
has no competent manager, covering a liberal
ism that is full of flaws and confusion includ-
ing the various theories of social revolution
and many another worthwhile chapter-then
the Smiths will, in measure be ready to ac-
cept or to reject Mr.. Soule's outlook upon "A
Planned Society" cautious man. stepping
softly toward One Way to Begin" and then
slipping over into a prophetic outlook upon
"The Future of PLANNING"