Evening star., 1932-01-31


first course in symphonic compositions, with
touch of historical setting and glimpse into
the lives of the great composers. A glance also
at the ways of great orchestra leaders and at
the orchestra itself. The orchestra IS to me
one of mans supreme marvels and trtumptS-a
godlike tranSmutation Of materials OF
nature which merges the seen and the unseen
in magical beauty. For the gross materials OF
the orchestra are bits of wood, metal, skin and
string. They are endowed by the magician,
man, with a power past the telling" prize
book to 20 along with the prize undertaking
of Columbia in sending master music of upon
its mission TO and far places, to lonely
people, to hungry people. Great! The radio
the Columbia Olin Downes, speaking and writ
ing.
AFooT IN ITALY BY John Gibbons author
of "Tramping Through Ireland" etc Il
lustrations by Reginald Cleaver New York:
e. p. Dutton g. Co.
| lad this been the usual tramp" through
! Italy or otherwhere we'll, in that case 1t
would not have been printed Or not much
read If 1t had been accepted and publHhed.
Another sort of adventure, this one. No
Alps no mountain lakes no rushing streams
and strung out Apennines, backbone to Italy"
no hill towns nor vineyards nor peasantry.
None of these things, that is, not to dwell
upon. Nor is the point of the foot~ork TO
hunt out the ancient greatness Of Italy in art,
music its conceded and much discussed
splendors. Something quite different, this
So the young tramp, one Of the newspaper
persuasion gets himself quickly and unsee-
ingly as possible right down to the toe-tip OF
the boot" that is Italy's southern geography,
There the tramping begins day by day, stage
by stage toward the north, picking up the
new Italy, that piece of handwork in modern
state-makfng produced by Mussolini from the
principles of Fascism and from its host OF
young advocates, the Fascists.
Just for minute let us take long jump
to the end of the adventure. Here 1t IS: An
absolutely infieXibe efficiency" Now, knowing
upon what headed, we can go back
to follow the proof of this conclusion. Work,
getting things done, is the slogan here. Not
art nor any other seduction. Just getting
things done, practical and useful things. So,
the tramp follows roadways and enters towns,
looks around, talks with the people, or tries to;
gets meals and lodging, all in the stir OF exact
performance, prompt action, OF industry IN
command Of production, the great goal Of
new Italy For this is new Italy, new In
vision. in activity, in reputation even of It's
own great past fol the time being at any rate.
A great industrial machine in the making,
such as is the stamp of the present in other
parts Of the world
very simple humorous and knowing trav-
eler this John Gibbons. who misses nothing
and who does not get his tags mixed. de-
lghtful man in his passing views and in his
sound summaries. Good natured human, and
i think the very man to go with again some
time when he finds new place to go "afoot-
ing" through. clear refreshment in the way
of seizure and summary OF vital hour Tor
Italy and the world.
FOREVER AND EVER. BY Warren Spencer.
New York: Alfred H. King.
TITLE that might mean almost anything.
It does, however. mean just thing.
One that, in the measure to which it has any
application at all, turns out to a deep and
disturbing significance in one of the commonest
Of social situations matrimony.
This is a fortnight story Of modern cast
drawn Off straight from the occupations and
engroSsments OF the moment. Business and
the chances OF getting ahead in it. Diversions
Of the common pattern. Intercourse of men
and women, the familiar stripe.
The engagement of the story as a means
Of getting ahead is that of young business
man, not too successful who in the course of
natural events falls in love and gets married
A new and very frank note is struck right
here on the eve of marriage, as it is called.
The young man, that night before, is gripped
with something close to panic over the step
he is about to take Reading this nreserved
self-disclosure, most convincing in its straight,
bare faced honesty, one is held to the
viction that such dismay over the great step
is not uncommon That terror is a quite
natural seizure of the moment and the
occasion.
However, the romance advances by way of
marriage and its subsequent commonplaceS
Of adjustment between a pair of practically
strangers. A bit of realism, conceived in tenn
perance and carried out in good restraint, this
makes up the body of the modern adventure
in wedock. Now, it happens, not unfamiharly,
that the young man is susceptible to the win
ming ways of women. Nothing deeply serious
about it, Just the familiar errancieS that one
can see at almost any time. But as occurs
now and then, the wife is Of standard wifely