Evening star., 1933-05-13
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH C. BOWERMAN.
THY COULD DO NO OTHER. A
Volume Of Stories. BY Eden Phill-
potts. New York: The Macmillan

4k1Gx OOOAO 0O NJ Yin n
Volume Of Stories. BY Eden Phili-
potts. New York: The Macmillan
Co.
Some writer's Of fiction do well 10
choose / background which they know
well ana then to stick to 1t during .
lifetime. A few excursions afield are
permissible, but II they make too many
their admirers find fault. Eden PHIL
potts began With Devon and Corn
wall, especially Dartmoor. and has
rarely wandered from them. Many Of
their pleasure in his well described SET
tings and suggested atmosphere. His
plots have considerable similarity and
his characters tend to fall into type
groups. This collection OF tales, most
Of them very brief, all with Devon
shire setting, illustrates several tech
nical requirements for good short
stories, namely. simple, episodic plot,
few characters. . single motive. The
title Of the collection indicates that the
motive ID, In general, TIE same In all
the stories; that Is, the fate created
for every one by his personality, 20 that
in time OF stress he can usually do
no other" In The Devil and the Deem
Sea" Ned Bartlett and Sally Otter, i
country couple, who Ut least think they
love each other, are nearly separated
because each is 80 stubborn and 20
sure Of being right. The Courtinr OF
Nicholas" tells Of shy man who near
ly misses marrying the woman he
wants because Of his timidity. Some of
the other titles are The Wise Wom-
an" Told to Parson." Sam Blacks
Grave," willow Pool" and The RAG
and-Bone Man" All are concerned
with the everyday doings and some
times complicated personal problems of
country people, lacking in education.
but In no way lacking in intelligence
and shrewdness.
RIKER OF THE SEVEN SEAS. Nv
Frederic H. Riker. New York: Ray
Long & Richard r. Smith.
Purser on transatlantic liner. Fred
eric Rker now tells stories to passen-
gers OF his adventures at sea. which
began when he was . lad and ran away
10 become sailor. He has since sailed
tne seven seas or many types of ships
mas been wrecked and rescued. has
hunted for gold along the upper Anna
zon, explored tropical forests. and been
under volcano fire. The present vol
ume contains some Of bis sea tales. all
true, collected in response to requests
o. many OF his passenger friends. AT
the very beginning ne tells of the stop
ping OF vessel in order that q Rian,
steward, jansen. might rescue a little
giri who had fallen overheard while hel
blonde and widowed mamma firted
with the handsome creature down or
our passenger list as Count Something
or-tner On one voyage, three DAYS
out OF San Francisco, an odd old mar
was discovered on board, in a Ions
brown cloak, looking as II he hae
stepped out of the Bible" HIS name
was not on the passenger list and Car.
son, thin, white-faced, i'll passenger
was very curious about him. while
Burke. the third officer, insisted thai
he wasn't aboard when we started. ,
When the ship ran into q terrifac nur.
rcane In the Oceania region, and q
gigantic fan-shaped cloud appeared or
the far horizon, followed by q wal, OF
water which advanced on the ship. only
the old priest, or missionary as he
called himself, whose identity ant
origin could not be determined, OF all
tnoSe ABOARD was calm and undisturbed
Alter the danger was past, the invalid
Carson. had acquired, absolutely anc
unSnaKably, the inscrutable quantity we
can 1alth. He was convinced that
henceforth all was to be well with him
l have not the slightest doubt that
perfect health soon returned to that
wasted body" The episodes are related
IN conversational style, as If over the
dinner table or on deck, without at.
tempt at literary effect.
1883
MEN OF MARACAIBO. BY Jonathan
Norton Leonard. New York: G. P
Putnams Sons.
The oil country, not Of Oklahoma
but Of western Venezuela, Is the place
which Mr.. Leonard chose to visit. per.
haps because it is as different as DOS.
sible from his home in Sandwich, Mass
This book Is also as different as DOS.
sible from his former book. 'Th,
Tragedy of Henry Ford" The Lake
Of Maracaibo is really an arm of ths
sea. Although its mouth is a strait
five miles wide, it Is as fresh as a rair
barrel for the fresh water from thu
mountains pushes out the salt water
from the sea. And it is a curiou.
place-this lake which Is not a lake.
With the oil boom a few years ago
many Americans went to Venezuela
and one of them here writes his ex.
periences with the people-the people
in class sense, not with high society
Oil spectators. statesmen and adven.
turers from many nations niingie E
A visit to the home Of . Venezuelan
pioneer reveals the domestic custom.
Of the country people, who have re
duced the simple life to its loves,
terms and have even found out how
TO avoid taxes. The pioneer Is q squat.
ter and pays neither taxes nor rent
His house Is small, but always furnishe,
plenty to eat and . shelter for the
family. "If 1t were larger, the pionee,
would be inundated by relatives with
an eye on his unconsumabie surplus.
Human nature seems to be much thu
same in its greed and its self-pro-
tectiveness the world over. Men oi
Maracaibo" Is In no way q balanced
account Of Venezuelan Life, nor even
Of life in the boom city Of Maracaibo
once raided by Morgan the pirate, latei
raided by oil speculators. 1t is q col
lection Of the authors own experiences
and observations, to which are added
information and stories impaired to him
by companions in bars, along the water
IEOnt, IN Oh CdIupS, O1l DONtS anu u dulS
In the Hotel Scandia and boarding
houses, in the lake villages and on the
plantations It is written with vvacity
and considerable cynicism.
4 4 4
HISTORY OF NORWEGIAN LTTERA
TURE. BY Theodore Jorgenson. New
York: The Macmillan Co.
To the extent that 1t is nationalistic
the literature Of q national group ex'
presses the mind development OF the
group. When its literature Is strongl!
Influenced by outside nations or becomes
thoroughly cosmopolitan, 1t ceases Il
represent the national mind. Norss
literature has from the beginning and
with few exceptions, throughout ii
course, been to an unusual degree {
reflection OF the national mind. Thi
history Of Norwegian literature, by thl
associate professor of Norwegian histor,
and literature OF st. Olaf College, Min
nesota, traces the development Of tn,
literature from the earliest runes, carvet
- MI <.f Eddi,