Evening star., 1932-05-31
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
/. G.. N.

I. G. N. |
SAVAGE PARADISE. Dy Margaret
Matches. Illustrated By Norman
Guthrie Rudolph. New York: The
Century Co.
Up to yesterday 1t was the male Of
the man-tribe that, in fact and mainly
in story, carried forward the danger
and glory OF adventure. A lad from
the hill farm, maybe, who, no longer
able to resist his own beckoning other
self, rushed away to find the far
places pictured SO often in the clouds
almost at hand reach, above the stony
fields OF the old farm. Within these
sky pictures were the wilderness, the
desert. the jungle. buried cities, islands
Of the sea. There spread the whole
glamorous world of distance and dan
ger and high sudden demand upon
himself. All the great things that
men have sought-and won and lost
pursuing themselves up and down the
earth and roundabout it. These called
him. this lad. So, off he, or another,
went to find adventure and himself
Meanwhile the female of the tribe
waited at home, until yesterday. for
womanS dizzying destiny of mai and
love and marriage and babies and a
house.
But IN the night, SO to speak, miracu-
lous things had come to pass. And
yesterday something happened. A
young miss openly declared herself
tired OF committing" and would have
no more of it. Now Committing" in a
way, has been one of woman's prime
preoccupations; From bed in the
morning back to bed at night, with, in
between, an endless round of dreary
STUN. Foot"ork and such. Then,
TIE miracle. The female discovered
that she, too, no less than the male,
possessed the full apparatus for ad-
venture. Wings for flying. Arms and
legs, eye and heart for every sort of
skill and daring. And away she went.
Every day brings word that this was
no sudden feminine flare. Sheer fact.
instead. A case in point.
Miss Margaret Matches openly af-
flrmed herself tired of committing
between a city editorial Office and
lodgings In the outskirts. Only a
s!lght variant, this, from the regula-
ton pattern, from bed to kitchen in
the morning and back to bed at night
So. yesterday, this new woman
boarded tramp steamer for Australia
on her way to New Guinea. Why
there? Only the lords of locality and
the lady know. The readers single
concern is that Miss Matches arrived
ana that she has generously shared her
adventure with all who are wise
enough to reach out for Savage
Paradise"
Islands of the South Seas! Goal of
many a Vagabond in the past. Source
VI many volume OF purple prose, of
pidAeeht verse. procession of world
scA poets and painters and clear va
grants begins to march before the memo
~. BuI, We are wrong this time. Here
. none OF these. No time for incoming
and dreaming at this point. We mus
step out. For here is an alert tray-
eIer, absorbed in the exotic charm, to
De sure absorbed, also, in the absorbing
current HE OF this far region.
EngrosSed In the natural beauty of
ne" Guinea. Miss Matches is even more
IaKen up with the natives themselves
lnese, by way Of age-old surroundings
Climate, natural resource, tradition and
oally habit throughout the centuries
nave become the people they are, lust
as we OF the West under such basic
agencies OF formation have grown In
be the people We are This is the out
look OF Miss Matches An organizing
mind takes up both place and people in
ths comprehensive and informing way.
A way that delights the reader. that
schooIs hlm along intelligent lines as
we'll.
Upon such broad groundwork are en-
pfloereo nnumerable patterns of local
scene, natural charm, personal appear
ance and characteristic attitude, old
custom, social or religious. passing in
cloent. revealing episode like wedding.
burial-ugh! Here. in an amazing
gusto OF enjoyment, but with no shadow
VI pretense or performance. this gifted
writer taxes up and passes on to us
rounded. believable, informing and
oeeply enjoyable picture Of New Guinea
OUT OF THE BEATEN TRACK. BY
MAJ. c. Court Treatt. F. r. G. S.
Illustrated. New York: E P. Dut-
ton & Co.
hunting expedition in a deep quar-
yer OF Africa. Times have changed.
Happily for the hunted. No so many
years ago that the big-game hunter
measured his own proves by the num-
Der of great, and fierce animals that
ne was able to count as his own score
OF daring and skill.
The camera has had profound ef-
feet upon this sport. In place OF a
dead carcass it gives the life story. the
dally habit of creatures not different,
essentially, from ourselves. An ele-
phant going about his business on his
own home patch is vastly more stir
ring more warming than a mountain
OF DEAD meat, with puny man stand
Ing dangerously over it. So with anv
other of the animal kind.
1t is with the camera that Mai.
Treatt does the bulk of his hunting.
Not all of it, but the most of it. He
Is not killer. An explorer. an in
vestigator, instead. A scientist deeply
interested in the wild life of remote
regions. Therefore, this expedition into
interior Africa
Not bad way to take this book is
to read, first, its pictures A fine stock
OF good pictures gives one a wide range
OF the animal life of Africa Many
OF these are slightly familiar. many of
them. however, are quite unknown to
readers at home. Strange beasts with
unknown names come into the field.
And, in every case, the picture reveals
something of the natural life of the
animal in question. After reading the
photographs one is quite in trim to 60
back for an advance in company with
Maj. Treatt. For along the hasty pic
torlal trip occasional words of the
writer came through in clear invitation.
A companionable man in print as he
is clearly waywise one in adventure
itself. At once realization comes that
this is no tourist expedition. But that.
instead, just you, the reader, are off
on carefully chosen jaunt into Africa,
where native tribes live pretty much
as they have lived from immemorial
days. Where nature itself in its ami
NAL life is, relatively, unmolested. Here
are descriptions of tribal custom. easily
sketched. Here are accounts of some
OF the working relations set up between
native man and animal. Here are
crisp dramas of quick encounter be-
tween man on the one hand, beast on
the other.
Listen to Maj. Treatt himself. That