Evening star., 1932-05-15


puzzle us with mysteries; he is story-teller.
and a good one.
NAKED FAQUIR" BY Ribert Bernays. New
York: Henry Holt & Co.
D ATHER too bad that the title of Mr.. Ber-
N nays book and the body of it are not more
closely knit, for the parts relating to Mr..
,Gandhi are its most interesting and sympa-
thetic parts. The title was taken over from
Mr. Winston Churchills apt If not strictly
exact naming Of this pacific agitator against
the dominion of England in India. The book
itself covers half years stay in India where
open facilities for observation of the political
situation were accorded this writer. The result
Is not q history hardly move In that direct
ion. picture. instead, Of the East Indian
scene, where political figures move, Lord Irwin
and Mr.. Gandhi the most prominent OF these.
and the most significant for understanding
and adjustments between England and India.
The Round Table Conferences come in here for
description, for vivid and striking description,
for . summary Of their failures that were rooted
chiefly In complete mental and linguistic mis-
understandings. Gandhi in London becomes
something Of . spectacle with everybody excited
over It, "Cockney London took him to its
ample heart" Back home in India Mr. Gandhi
has stin no answer to his challenge and de
mand India Is not yet constitutional govern
ment and political unrest Is still dominant, and
dangerous In that quarter OF the English
Empire. Lord Irwin, with his political insight
and his open policy of concihation, shares
hcnors in this study with Mr.. Gandhi himself.
Around the two circles the unrest that Is India.
Around the two are projected from 100 dif-
ferent angles pictures of this huge quarter Of
the Orient milling about ceaselessly In political
discomfort and menace.
Not a book marked by orderly research. nor
by expert political analysis and forecast. Better
than either or than both of these, it is book
50 completely alive with keen and swift obser-
vation, with direct and fearless statement, with
words Of color and action rs secure wide and
enthusiastic reading. It. In q sense, delivers the
big question of India, net in terms Of formal
political argument. Instead, the outlines Of the
great problem now together by way Of innumer-
BILE vivid pictures living scenes, sympathetic
seizure and underts- nding And the English
are liking this brayely audacious book, this
gallant disclosure of both sides Of the great
question
MINER. BY r. c. Boden. New York: Z. p
Dutton k Co.
A FIRST novel, It's author young, 30 per-
N haps. Himself q miner beginning that
career at l3 and following it for about 10
years. Starting as lads do near the bottom Of
the shaft and gradually working in TILL maybe
miles from the outlet they are picking humps
ground. Not joyous life. not for q boy. Not
for anybody. Hardly. The queer part of it is
that this youngster actually made poetry out
Of that way Of being alive. "Pit-Head Poems"
and "Out of the Coal Fields" Two books Of
poetry that were published. That also caught
enough OF interest to take the fellow out OF
the mines and put him to school and here he
Is with novel, The story Of Danny Handy
who at IA went to "t' pit" A truck boy. then
. pony rider crawling farther along the pit
Finally real miner Accidents from explosions
Of falling coal strikes, half time, no time ut
all, then the dole, then nothing. But, up in the
daylight were his home folks and Anne, his
sweetheart. So the miners life was q pretty
good life, after all. But it was not. It was
q horrible life-and is
short novel. A straight one, with no dodg-
ing any corner and also no reaching after any
shadow Of effect. Hideous accidents. men
crushed out of every semblance of human
beings gassed from explosions, crippled,
deformed. hopelessy ruined in body and mind
yet not enough of this to obscure the fact
that this is an industry pursued, not for the
purpose of slaughter but, instead for providing
comfort and use to mankind at large. 1t is
hardly conceivable that one writing miner"
from the basis of personal experience could
have held himself SO austerely to proportioned
picture as young Boden has done here. As
tragic as fate AS beautiful as youth and
youthful love can be, and here are in circum-
stances ano mode OF life calculated to breed
only hatreds and utter disbelief In beauty of
any Sort think this is a great novel What
will it do to people? wonder The London
Book Society has selected it for wide reading.
as our own book leagues and guilds direct
us over here. Even so, having read it. what
are We going to do about it? Simply say,
"Terriblel" "Unbehevablel" And let it 60 at
that? What are we for anyway? Here,
certainly, is one point where it would be q
good thing to find out without a suggestion
OF propaganda, here truth and pure art
combine to stir emotions Of protest toward
vigorous movements cf reform.