Evening star., 1932-04-12
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
l. G. NJ.

MY wife?" "A check?" INV wife
and a bank-drawn check are utter
strangers. To be sure, each month
she hands them over in payment to
various merchants, but what they
mean is quite beyond either her ken
or care. What, really, that slip has
to do with hard cash what the rpla-
ton between a bank and the signer Of
the check, how far she can 20 with
these scraps of papSr-a blank wall to
her" mild voice, feminine cut in
Some husbands are Ike that. too. Not
matter of intellect. my dear fellow
One of usage and our general easv
acceptances, instead"
My boy! Say. what are schools for.
anyway? Out of high school. grad
uate and all that, my boy couldn't read
and understand any three items from
the financial page Of the daily paper
What's the matter with the schoolsl
Trying to teach everything. except the
one thing that is, con2ededly, lhe most
important for getting ahead With the
world. Now, please don't cut in with
'materialism.' I'm talking about the
basic Importance of money. about
fair working hold upon money. on its
nature, its ways, its powers and use
fulneSs in the business of every day
for everybody"
Familiar samples Of the general
shortage Of information upon this vital
subject. Clearly, We need TO go to
school, all Of us. Need, moreover. to
begin with the lowest grade. working
gradually up to fair know ledge of the
accepted instrument and medium of
business intercourse throughout the
world. And right here is the chance
To do that.
n
A PRIMER OF MONEY By Donald
B. Woodward and Mare A. Rose.
New York: WhL.lesey House; Mac
rae-Hill Book Co.
Financial editor and editor of the
Business Week. these wIiters sCand as
experts on the subject in hand 1t
is possible. as all know, for an expert
in any field to be absolute authority
within his special domain, yet at the
same time sealed and cryptic to the
average because the avenues Of COM
munication are not cleared and free
No contact is made. No knowledge to
the commonalty passes through. No
such stoppage stands in the way here
This book is primer in fact. as well
as in name. Being just that, it sets
out with the story, that universal road
of pleasure to children Of all ages.
The story Of money, rising from tine
necessities of intercourse among peo
pie. So much of this for SO much Of
that
The first imperative in such exchange
became tha. of reducing currency IN
its bulk. A fairly long tale, involving
in its course the necessity for stand
ard, something for all 20 work by, to
deal by. Leading to the momentouS
business of coinage, to the gradual su-
premacy of gold as the basic metal.
Then to gold standard" which only
yesterday became again matter OF inter
national consideration and decision.
Interest" becomes natural outgrowth,
as the story marches forward. From
the same matter -of-facC source there
appears the bank, which today is OF
institutional magnitude, international
medium of exchange in moneys and
credits. The Federal Reserve" The
Money Market" natural developments
from growing complexities Of need and
measures to meet them, these, here,
open out to the new students Of money
under tuition of the Primer" The
second section of the book, still elemen-
tary in spirit but advancing rapidly in
topic, takes up and delivers over Money
Problems in the Mooern World"
Money and Prices" Politics and
Money" Capitalism" and so on
through the current aspects Of money
and its relation to modern life A most
useful appendix to the body of the
study, a glossary to instruct still more
definitely and list of suggested read
ings" round the book to usefulness
that Is equaled only by the engag ng
manner and the practical teaching OF
"A Primer of Money A record OF
development. not the arbitrary dictum