Evening star., 1932-10-30

half hour here, and there, and there.
The hand outstretched in welcome. And
you off Travel, adventure, romance, dis
covery the pick of the earth for company. Once
in while, lift to the mountain-top of cour-
age, hope promise, by the sheer wisdom and
beauty of words alone"
Many still feel as he felt then. And these
many are, right now, anxious, troubled.
For the book parade of shop windows, every
sort of shop in every kind of street, makes clear
that over production has struck books no less
than it has other such material gear. Here,
there, rivalry is keen, competition Snarp,
the modern science of salesmanshlp invoked
more often than the genius of letters. Quality
is bound to sag under the mass pressure ABOVE
it. 1t does. 1t has
Not good the outlook. Or it would not be but
for one or two reassuring facts. Within the year
genius has revisited the earth Shakespeare,
Goethe, Scott, in centenaries of reacqualntance
and renewal.
The Shakespeare revival has been eager,
widespread Voluntary readings have sprung
up like rich field growths The plays or parts
Of them, have been reproduced by hosts OF ANA
teur and professional groups caught anew
within the deep penetration of the man who
walks with today, step to step, as ne did with
the days of 300 years ago.
Throughout the year pilgrim trains have
made of Warwickshire suburb of London. In
a profound general interest the old house, the
growing museum, the quickly eXtemporlzed
plays the glamour of time and atmosphere, all
these point out that Stratford has outlasted
Rome; Avon has outrun Tiber.
Here in the Capital stands the great Shake
speare Memorial Austerely beautiful in art,
complete in Shakespeare material exact in du-
plication of the Elizabethan theater- High
tribute to one of the worlds greatest. Gracious
gift of Mr.. and Mrs Foger. lovers OF the su-
creme poet. Lovers. too, of Washington, Capital
of their country, to whose beauty and dignity
tho, t,o,, INN and nPrmaneQtlV con-
tributed.
The poet of Weimar too. Poet. philosopher.
honored member Of kings court besides, walk
ing the earth again this centennial year Is met
by groups come out to welcome him. Perturbed
people these burdened by the puzzling prob
lens of an unaccountable present. Like Faust
himself each has found that he too in his own
person is but . field Of combat. That ne TOO,
is housing warriors who, face to face, do hourly
battle between body and spirit. between imme-
diate material demands and remoter spiritual
rewards Beset much as Faust was beset, by
such frightening cross counters. these are turn
ing anew to the keen insight OF Goethe to the
balanced humanism Of the man, to the deep
findings Of the philosopher.
Sir Walter Scott died Septembet 81, 1882.
Already John Buchan and Hugh Walpole have
become, each in the way OF his own gifts ana
powers, part of the centennial celebration TO
that writer Of romance. THE Waverley Pa
geant," by Hugh Walpole (Harpers) will take
to the road in selections from the Waverley
novels Cut clean from many out-moded trap
pings, the book according to Mr. Walpole, Is
compact of adventure and romance whose cali
is as clear now as at the high noon of SCOTS
heydey To lure readers back to this writer,
to invite new ones to the pleasure and advan-
tage of his company, is the purpose OF Ihe
Waverley Pageant" Mr.. Walpole stops min
ute from purely literary survey of Scott to
name reasons for the temporary eclipse OF that
IN hoe already hopp named in the
heavy weight of forgotten things that the novels
carry. Another misadventure to Scott readers
Mr Walpole intin1ates. is the text book blight
When education not so many years ago grew
progressive" one Of its first moves was to do
over good literature to the text book pattern
And a good move too, provided the book and
the pupil had been left alone together. A con-
scientious teacher is an active teacher who
finds it hard to let things alone. And the
eager zeal of the profession finds it difficult not
to ''impart instruction both in season and out.
Leave the boy and the book alone! Leave the
girl and the book alone! Do this in the name
of beautiful literature, of certain apprecla-
tion of keen intuitive appraisals OF a growing
genuine love of reading. Don't interfere. Don't
fuss They are abundantly all right the boy
and the book alone together!
I OOKING around one finds the Capital to-
l. day very alert city along many lines that
are fruitful. Music, art, the theater, itera-
turc, are all growing concerns here. Half
dozen new magazines have set out from this
point upon the highway of adventure. AS
many small publishing houses are also making
the venture. The libraries are already famous.
For certain characteristics of purpose and
effort one of these enterprises comes into close
attention. An all-around wise arrangement
that has forgotten no important element. First,
the times are hard, SO We are going to make
cheap books and altogether good books from
the point of craftsmanship, paper, type and
general set-up. Attractive, too, with a fine
coat to catch the eye. All important, but all
superficial besides. The kernel of the enter
prise is that the reading provided must be of
the best, for the danger in loads of books" is