Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-03-07
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
M. G..

NJ. C.
LIFE OR DEATH IN LUZoN; Thirty
Years Of Adventure with the Philip
pine Highlanders. BY Samuel E
Kane. Illustrated. With a Forewort
by Maj. Gen. j. G. Harbord. In
dianapolis: The Bobbs- Merrill Co.
When a small boy runs away from
home he usually turns back at the first
pangs Of homesickness and hunger ir
spirit of repentance and with a feel
ing of comfort. But once In q while
there happens along a runaway young
ster who keeps on running, and Samuel
E. Kane was enc Of this class. The
inconsistencies, and Loneliness, and hun
ger were there, and the desire to re-
turn to the home fires was strong, but
not strong enough to overcome sense
Of humiliation and disgrace which he
had brought upon himself through an
adventure which he sincerely believed
would take him away from home but for
a few hours The adventure was the
result of a rainy afternoon on which
he discovered in his fathers library a
volume entitled How to Locate Lost
Treasure"
At fifteen years Of age lost treasure Is
an alluring field of exploration, particu-
larly when all the instructions for such
adventure are SO easy to understand and
to follow. The formula which led young
Kane was so simple that any boy of If
teen or younger would be justified in do
ing as he did. All that was required, &C
cording to the magic book, was pure
white pigeon and piece Of pure gold,
on which certain magic words were to
be inscribed. This was to be tied to
the right leg OF the pigeon and the bird
then released. 1t must be watched
carefully until 1t alighted, and in the
ground at that spot buried treasure
would be found.
Gold could be bought and so could
the white pigeon, and young Kane
had saved seven dollars, which we're
in his fathers keeping. He dared not
tell his secret, for he would be
allowed to search for the treasul He
would take his seven from his fathers
pocket. But ten-spot was the smallest
SO deposited. He took the ten, fully
confident of his return in the afternoon
with invaluable treasure The formula
failed, of course. and his humiliation
was great. but the unintentional theft
Of the ten dollars which he could not
replace was disgrace, so he did not go
home.
Eventually this intrepid lad settled
in Luzon, and for thirty years he labored
increasingly for the bettsrmsnt of the
head-hunting highlanders CT the Philip
pines. He lived among the savage tribes,
studied their customs, earned their re-
Spect and devotion, and served as peace
maker, medicine man, adviser and
friend. His life and his experiences,
his triumphs over seemingly insur-
mountable obstacles, his narrow escapes
from death by torture at the hands Of
enemy tribes are set down with no at
tempt at dramatic effect, and yet these
adventures are rather breath-taking be-
cause Of the very simplicity of their
telling.
He witnessed the advent Of Capt
Pershing and the end Of the running
amuck of the Moros and the slaughter
Of American soldiers: the coming of
other fine Americans such as Worcester
Dosser. Taft, Tomlinson, Pack, Early
and Gallman, each Of whom depended
upon his judgment and relied upon his
knowledge of the tribes and his
lects Of the natives. There is today no
other man so well equipped TO write the
romantic story of the conquest Of saw
agery in the Philippines and the bring
ing Of order and beauty and under
standing out of chaos and hatred than
Samuel E. Kane.
Mr. Kane would probably be much
Mortified if he were told that he had
served as a miss ionary He did TO
preaching and he attempted no par
ticular teaching. But by the example
of his own life and his unfagging ef-
forts to bring peace and harmony be-
tween hostile tribes he accomplished
deeds of monumental proportions which
will live through the ages.
His introduction to the Philippines
was as sergeant in the 33d United
States Volunteers, ordered to Manila to
get" the infamous and elusive Agui-
naldo. Believing that there was gold in
large quantities in the mountains. he
determined to go prospecting on receipt
of his discharge. The gold which the
pure-white pigeon was to have led him
to when he was fifteen seemed about
to materialize. A small quantity of the
heavy yellow metal was discovered. but
the truly pure gold of his mining was
of far different and more valuable
substance than metal.
OF all the volumes that have been
written about the Philippines, not any
Of them surpass and few Of them equal
Life or Death in Luzon" for vividness
Of portrayal, quality and quantity CT
adventure and romance, and abundance
Of rhetorical information. The man who
became friend and adviser of the Bon
toes, 1fugaos, KalingaS and other tribes
and finally at the request of the tribes
men themselves, became the Governor
of the Bontoc province has done nobly
by those who placed their love and
trust In him.
THIS IS MY MAN. BY w. B. Max
well. New York: Dodd. Mead g. Co.
Twenty years ago a story such as
This Is My Man." no matter how
delicately handled, would have been
promptly denounced. Today it will be
received generally, and will be read
with the same calm spirit in which it
is written, evoking no particular COM
ment other than that it is a well done
piece of work.
Infidelity on the part Of some hus-
bands, while never altogether condoned,
has from the beginning of time been
recognized as part of the makeup of
the world of humankind. The erring
IudlC IldS llCtCl UccIl UdllllcQ DIS
for literary exploitation. But during a
long period Of years no writer could
adopt an erring wife as the heroine of
novel without inviting a storm of
severe criticism and condemnation.
Since the great war this type of novel
has been accepted, and while most of
them are unfit to be mentioned. a few
stand out as constructive contributions
to modern thought and understanding.
This Is My Man" is one of the very
few publications of today which can be
placed in this latter category.
Mr.. Maxwell has created two extraor-
binary characters, both of them per-
haps typical Of present-day Eng
land, though in every respect as
different from each other in temporal
ment, thought ands reaction in general
as it is possible for two people to be-
As Viola Wetherby, the heroine is a
pretty, unspoiled and rather shy girl,
tho op1v child of hor adoripo noropts