Evening star., 1933-04-08
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH C., BOWERMAN.
FIGHTING THE INSECTS: The Story
of an Entomologist BY L. O. Howard


of an Entomologist BY L. o. Howard
New York: The Macmillan Co.
Sitting within a tightly screened porch
1t is pleasure to watch good sized mos
quitoes, flies, wasps and occasional
dragon flies crawling around on the out
side OF the screen looking for an entry
and to know that one is safe from the
insect world, unless, perchance, 1t is
midge season in the woods, when the
insect wins in spite Of all screens. To
the entomologist, insects are far more
than personal nuisances; they are in
teresting beings IN themselves, some
maleyolent, some benefcent, and have
great significance in their relation to
agriculture. Dr. Howard. for many years
chief OF the Bureau Of Entomology Of
the United States Department of Agri-
culture presents himself in this auto
biography as an entomologist from the
age OF 7, when he began collecting CO.
coons, moths and butterflies, near his
home In Ithaca, N Y. After an under
graduate course at Cornell and year
of graduate study in natural history he
" q
gist in the DEPARTMENT of Agriculture at
500 q month. Friends of the family
thought science offered none of the ma
terial rewards of life and discouraged
him, but one Of his professors gave the
advice which coincided with his own
feeling, that naturalists, Is a rule, did
not care at all about money, and not es-
pecially about comfort; that naturaliSts
were born and not made, and that he
thought on the whole that was born
naturalist. And SO I accepted" This
was the beginning OF his lifelong work
in the Department of Agriculture.
To know that DR.. Howard never re-
gretted his decision one has only to read
this book. written with such zest, about
life of continuous keen enjoyment.
No amount of money and luxury could
have compensated man like DR.. How
ard for his contentment and Joy in his
chosen work. An interesting comment
on the cost of living for 81 200 man in
1878 is that restaurants served good
dinners for IS cents. In speaking of
Government patronage versus Civil Serv-
ice, DR.. Howard says: During my whole
residence in washington of more than
SO years I never knew Of q single case
In which scientific man lost his posi-
ton for any reason other than incom-
potency. AS a matter OF fact their
politics were never asked" OF course,
DR.. Howard's book Is full Of insects
army worms. mosquitoes, boil weevils,
gypsy moths, hop plant lice. house flies.
rice stem borers. tsetse flies and many
others with imposing Latin names. AS
early as 1880 DR.. Howard became in
terested IN parasites as a means of de-
stroytng harmful insects. BY this means
fYI, c%y-tA
been saved. among them the citrus in
dustry Of California, the sugar cane in
dustry OF Hawaii. the copra industry of
Fiji and the silk industry of Italy. The
story OF the successes and failures in
experimentation with insect fighting
parasites has been told by DR.. Howard
in his books. History of Applied Ento-
mology" and 1.-THE Insect Menace ~
While chief Of the service, he wrote
with the assistance Of colleagues, a COM
prehensive bulletin on household in
sects. His research in connection with
various species Of mosquitoes contrib
uted much to the anti-yellow fever work
OF DR.. Walter Reed In Cuba The criti-
cism OF some scientific research that 1t is
theoretical, doctrinaire and inapplicable
10 practical affairs could not be made
lntelligently. OF DR.. Howard's studies
and experiments, whose results have
all directly advanced human welfare.
THE CHALLENGE OF EUROPE. By
Sherwood Eddy. New York: Far
rar 81 Reinhart.
Sherwood Eddy. traveller and student
has already written about "The Chal-
lenge of Russia and "The Challenge
OF the East" He shows that the cnal-
lenge of Europe to us is the challenge
Of an older civilization to a newer one.
America presents challenge to Eu-
rope by its more efficient mechaniza-
ton while Europe challenges America
by its more advanced socialization. The
United States has developed the ma
chine; Europe has made more provision
for the human factor America has
created wealth; Europe has provided
security. America has gone ahead in
production; Europe in distribution >
These are ideas similar to those of the
French writer Andre Siegfried. Perhaps
they are sound, but they cause one to
raise the question: What of the "hu-
man factor" in the low wage scales OF
Europe? What of American public ed
ucation as compared with that of most
European countries? What of European
security" today, when further limi-
tation OF armament Is always blocked
by fear for national security, and the
security OF the masses Is sacrificed by
heavier and heavier taxation for thai
armament? DR.. Eddy's ideas are, how.
ever, most stimulating to reflection. and
some Of them, instead of arousine
questions. Immediately impress one as
profoundly true. For example: "Eu.
rope, as the Old World, is more expert
enced in adversely If not in prosperity
and has for much longer time been
confronted with some of the problems
that are relatively new to u.s.
THE GEOGRAPHIC FACTOR: IT'S
ROLE IN LIFE AND CIVILIZA-
TON. BY Ray H. Whitbeck and
Olive j. Thomas. New York: The
Century Co.
Henry Thomas Buckle, social his
torian Of the first half of the nine
teenth century, wrote a History of
Civilization in England" which was to
have been only one volume of a colossa
history OF world civilization. This an d
one other volume made something Of a
sensation at the time of their appear
ance, chiefly because of Buckles theory
OF the great influence of physical con-
dltions, such as climate, soil and geo.
graphic location, on the history of coun
tries. Buckles blaze of fame has long
since died down to embers, but his
basic idea has been recognized by many
other writers, among them the authors
OF The Geographic Factor" r. H.
Whitbeck Is professor of geography and
Olive j. Thomas is instructor in geog-
raphy at the University of Wisconsin.
They apply to their subject all the
findings Of modern science and eco
nomics and do not see with merely
near-sighted geographic eyes. They
emphasize that geographical environ
msnt Is passive or permissive, not man
datory; that mans doings are infiu-
enced. not determined, by his geo.
graphical environment" With this
moderate conception, they discuss such
practical subjects as Mans Adjustment
to His Planet" The Four Spheres of
the Geographic Environment" (the at
mosphere. water, rock and organic