Evening star., 1933-07-02
OF IHE NEW BCQDK|

ON In the world. Companionship love- hind.
ness, eating, drinking sleeping business house,
keeping, an excursion on Sundays and q movie
sometimes In the evening. But from near at
hand the whole affair dissolves into q thou
sand individual problems" When Johannes
and Bunny commence figuring on how to make
his monthly pittance Of $50 marks, before de.
auctions. cover the rent Of q furnished room
and kitchen, food, gas coal, light, even leaving
out clothing, starching his shirts for wear ct
the ONCE, his cigarettes and the expense Of the
coming baby, which they both temporarily for
get. they know the meaning of panic
And things look even worse when he loses
that job. poor as 1t is. They 60 to Berlin to
live with his mother, disreputable parsonage
wen drawn, and her friend" finds another Job
lor Johannes. through misstatement and trick
cry. Johannes Is too honest to hold it long
and he and BUNNY and the baby finally make
their home In a hut on some waste land out
side the city and suhSiSt on unemployment re-
hef. Then Mr.. Fallada asks Little Man,
What Next?" He does not answer h, but he
offers hope by pointing to Bunny, whose spirit
Is still unbroken, who still will not allow her
husband to steal wood, who is infinitely stronger
in fiber than Johannes. Though the story Of
these two young people caught in the grip Of
hostile economic circumstance is tragic, 1t is
not sOrdid Bunny refuses to allow their life
to become sordid and hopeless. She sends
away her mother-in-law's friend Jachmann,
when he offers further help, even though it
happens to be lone Of our bad times" She
keeps their family love alive and holds Jo-
hannes back from utter Encouragement. This
spirit Of courage and love raises Little Man,
What Now?" far above the level of the average
tale Of economic suffering Hans Fallada Is q
journalist and author, and has himself known
years Of poverty, sickness and suffering. He
loves the land and hopes some time to bo
able to have o small farm where he can work
with vegetables and COWS.
AN MDIsCREEr ITINERARY, or How the
Unconventional Traveller Should See Hol-
land. BY one who was actually born there
and whose name is Hendrix Willem Van
Loon. New York: Harcourt. Brace q Co.
"a fORID traveller as he Is and writer on
w widespread subjects. Mr.. Van Loon eyi-
IDENTIFY feels that Holland Is about the best I'd
be found In the way Of countries In his
recent book, ivan Looms Geography" he face
tiously (but We know he meant it, located Eng
land as an island Of the Dutch Coast. In thid
little book he begins with the geography Of
Holland, after the great natural catastrophe
which caused the formation Of the British
Channel" Something, but not tiresomely
much, Is told about the history Of Holland and
then We are directed "how to get there and
what to do once you arrive" But do not look
for q practical or conventional guide book.
You win need one Of those, too. Personal OBJ
servations concerning tourists enable Mr.. Van
Loon to give them humorous advice, as "An-
other rule in connection with museums. Tho
msment you feel the slightos. signs Of fatigue,
make for the nearest exit tip the man at the
door for your camera and leave" About the
iceland market day he says: "Unfortunately
that market day has become a sort Of joy-ride
for all the dear Summer guests Of the Belgian
seaboard, and as a result the respectable farm
ers of these islands now shun their own market
day Just because they happen to be respectable
fov ovrA uf1u tt1aTy
expected to parade free show for complete
strangers right on their own ancestral son."
As in Mr.. Van Looms other books, his humor
is aided by his own delightful pencil sketches.