Evening star., 1932-04-10
% IDA GILBERT MYER
The Military Parade and Books on the WorM
War-)ula Peterkin S Ne7u Mo7eL7he
Iheater From Athens to Br0adzUav.
Book Room Table

MI Stevens can write, more than words.
Things, instead.
And SO the record runs here from the rise Of
the theater in Greece on into Rome. Into the
medieval period and out of 1t into the Renais-
sance. With Italy, Spain France and England
responding, each according to its own genius
Tragedy classic and comedy French, take on
Importance and weight in a fine amplihcaton
here. Great actors appear and move on. Les
ser ones also arrive Craftsmanship improves,
the art itself lifts. and snks-for like all great
life movements this one too, Is rhythmic rise
and faI the inevitable cadence of a master art.
II you are looking for the history OF the the
ater, here it Is. If. for a Turing story, here
that Is too. In both there is set out the dis
tinetion between drama and the theater, be-
tween dramatic material lying about every
where and Drama itself.
The origin of the theater is an enticement.
As you SIT with the audience some night, when
the play says, it so often does; when the
Thespians are Of shortcut stripe. they some
times are, forget it all
Let you minds drift back, far back. 10 an
Attic nieht when no theater had been dreamed.
But, even then, the makirgs were there. For
Dionysus was out in The moonlight Bacchus
drunken Of his own grapes. laureled with it's
wine And his blood began to beat, 10 pound,
TO set up o swinging nov. His body swayed 10
the tune Of it. feet circling IN patterns OF
poetry upon the moonlit grass, hands waving
In woftfless measures through the crystal air.
Now and then, a flute tone rang high and clear.
Right there. so the story runs, drama itself
was lifted clean from the mass of dramatic
material lying all roundabout To capture this
bit of lyric revelry, drama became enshrined
rs art. The classic dithyramb came into being.
One step more-a place to reproduce this
Bacchanal Of the moonlight and the fields. A
little place. with people seated around and
flute sounding high and clear, or whispering
soft and low.
And there's the theater. The stage the audi
torium with its audience, the orchestra The
actor, Bacchus himself, to be followed by train
Of Thespians reaching from Athens to Broad
way, from that distant Then to this flying Nov.
ANN zU-ZAN: Chinese Love Story. by
Louise Jordan Min. author OF The Vim
tage Of Yon Yee,~ etc. New York: Pred
eYiek A. Stokes Co.
I fERE Is the ifteerth novel drawn o0t Of
] ! China by Louise Jordan Min from her
own intimate experiences in that country.
Strong and fresh. this story Of the East
Ann Za-ZAn il a modern girl Chinese Mt
that, with outrageous notions about love, about
marrying for that dangerous that destructive
emotion. The father Of Ann Zu-Zan loves
his daughter much in the fashion Of the rich
man Of the West who seeks for his child an
alliance that promises good returns for him
self
Thi Chinese father is q rich insect farmer.
In his wide and beautiful gardens crickets are
bred and Butterflies and cicadas. These are
housed In tiny gilded cages that are swung
from bush and shrub and other greenery lifted
high enough for security. Rare pets, theA.
An art and industry developed from the
breeding OF them.
1t Is against such novel and enchanting
background that the story Of Ann Zu-zAn un-
Il ~
the Chinese father offers the hand Of his
daughter to the one bringing him the most
perfect crimson headed music-cricket Insect
hunters hover every cricket-bearing brush in
the land roundabout. And upon this thread
Of defieAey and charm Louise Jordan Min
passes over another fresh entertainment
straight from an authentic bit of Chinese back
ground and life.
Douavilie Fife, author of Among Wild
Tribes Of the Amazon" etc Illustrated.
Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co.
INTO. this comprehensive survey OF South
! America have gone 20 years OF personal ex-
ploratiOn, Of intensive study of intimate rela-
tionship with the places and peoples that con-
stitate South America
Taxing the continent. country by country,
this author examines each or re-examines each
for the definite instruction Of readers in re-
speet 10 It's place and settlement and develop
ment along the lines Of industry. government
political agencies and general progress
eoasswise survey Ii here set or against ex-
p1ogstions Of the interior its vast wilderness,
It's dense forests, its wide rivers On the one
hand, Q record Of progress On the other
sdventaFes. In the wilds. But in either eAse
this ssehor sets forward the potentialities of
the eeatinent to the south OF Us for q rich
industrial developnaent out OF its fertile lands
ias nataRal products It's timber and other wood