Evening star., 1932-05-15

THE UNITED STATES IN WORLD AFFAIRS;
An account Of American Foreign Relations;
1881 BY Walter Lppman, in collaboration
with william o. Scroggs New York: Har-
per Bros. Published for the Council OF
Foreign Relations.
times Of deep stress and swift movement
such as this time is. and such, in truth, as
the future itself is likely to be. each
twelvemonth takes on historic signifi-
canoe Through it, distinct from the COM
mon currency Of daily news, runs events
whose substance, direction, scope and portent
demand their segregation from the mass for
purposes of special treatment. This treatment,
in a word, calls for speeding up OF the his
toric method generally, for telescoping OF its
long perspectives. for a reader seizure of its
specific lessons, for keener grasp OF its basic
signifcances than older and less crowded pc
riods were required to yield.
The Council of Foreign Relations, in view OF
such clear pressure, has determined to publish
annually accounts of American Foreign Rela-
tions for the preceding year. The volume in
hand is the first of this proposed series. In no
sense is 1t designed to take the place of formal
history Rather, to lift above the mass OF
press currency facts Of moment in Americas
foreign relations. First, for a clear general
understanding of such facts. Second. for their
ultimate Incorporation with the history of
international relationships.
Nineteen hundred and thirty is the period
covered by this study. Therefore, the Seventy
second Congress was its main official attendant.
The date automatically sets the general theme
Of consideration-the economic depression.
The study opens with a short study Of the
mental attitude of this country in respect to
the hard times. temporary annoyance. q
passing inconvenience local and adjustable
under certain measures Of Congress. And 50
some legislative tinkering with the tariff and
immigration and other outside points Of
contact took place. But in no long time 1t
was discovered that Latin America also was
feeling the pinch Of depression and so was
Europe and 50. finally. was the Far East each
region reacting after the manner Of its
political traditions and the now Of its native
blood. The beginning Of this story is .
domestic tale It's end is in Manchuria
It's intermediary chapters deal with unrest
and danger to the world as whole.
In q dozen packed chapters of political and
economic analysis these two invest gators
travel the world around. Setting out from the
United States, they look into the economic
status Of Latin America. Europe China and
Japan. What are the causes of such general
depression? What relation is there between
settlements Of that war? Where at any point
does America touch the situation either rs
contributing cause or inadequate relief agency?
The analysis of economic fact with the various
reactions to it involve. from point to point.
political upheaval. revolution, long diplomatic
peace pacts. and much other political whatnot
sourced in Versailles, to the actual and
open warfare between China and Japan
maze Of fact. economic, financial and po-
htical, to be In . measure untangIed by expert
knowledge Of these two angles of national and
international foundations and relations. This
achieved, in so far as 1t can be done now the
next requirement Is that OF clean, lean, straight
speech for the use q readers and students.
Both OF these writer's, known everywhere as
experts and expositors in the field Of politics.
domestic and international have answered
this frst call Of the Council Of Foreign
Relations in . manner to meet In high
distinction its basic purpose of defining In
authority the relations Of this country to other
parts Of the world In the momentous economic
depression Of 1891. The book Is great
agency of simphncation for the benefit of
reader and student. It is high point OF view
from which to look out upon the world
activities Of 1882. It is . vantage point of
realisation that the world is an international
unit. that no part Of It can any longer live 10
itself alcne
MODERN HERO. BY Louis Bromfield Fred
erick A. Stokes Co. New York
(Reviewed by C. T. Nelson)
\A/E who love books. read books and review
books have fallen into the habit Of plac-
ing the leading character OF novel in the pos
ition OF hero. That is. just because he draws
the greatest attention from the author or
attains major importance in the eye of the
reader he Is the hero" However this does
not hold with q strict definition of the word
and In Louis Bromfeld's newest work, the hero
really Is not Of heroic proportions. He is
character Of small ideas and smaller soul and
in the Victorian novels he would be classed
among the villains. But the author as he
showed promise In The Green Bay Tree" "A
Good Woman" and other earlier novels, Is de-
veloping into a painter Of fascinating charac-
ters. His Pierre Raider (later changed to Paul
Rader) of "A Modern Hero" might have been
termed modern Don Juan, leaving out the
hero part altogether
Pierre Is the son of Madame Azais. a leopard