Evening star., 1933-03-11
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH C. BOWERMAN.

LADDER: WAR AND PEACE
IN THE SOVIET UNION. BY
Elias Tobenkin. New York: Min
ton, Balch q Co.
The very fact that Mr.. Tobenkin con-
fesses his inability to come to definite,
dogmatic conclusion about the accom-
plishments and the future prospects OF
the Soviet Union gives Us more con-
fldence In his own observations and
the few interpretations he ventures to
make. He is q journalist of experience.
a Russian-born American citizen. who
has recently spent nearly q year In the
Soviet Union. During that time he
lived as . Russian, or Is Q number OF
Russians: hotels, tourist agencies and
interpreting guides were not part Of his
program. Il lived In Russian homes
with peasants and workmen. / ate the
food they ate and In the same scant
and sparing rations. slept ON beds
without linen and in unheated rooms.
I was witness to their workaday worries
and shared in their holiday festivities
I became familiar with their moods OF
sullenness and gayety and learned to
know them when they were drunk as
well as sober" He claimed a few ad-
vantageS, however, on account OF MS
American citizenship, as when he was
refused q bread ration because of his
lack Of q bread card, pushed his way
into the managers once, and then
seized the telephone and threatened to
call the @. P. U. and report that "an
American citizen, willing to pay for 1t,
is refused q pound Of bread In the capi-
tai Of the Soviets." He got the bread.
Even though one has read many Of
the very many recent books on Soviet
Russia, this book Of Mr.. Tobenkin has
much that is fresh to ofier. He en-
tered Russia through Poland and his
first observations were Of the intense
hostility existing between Poland and
Russia. A Polish ofilcial informed him
that Poland would be the Armageddon
of the coming war between civilization
and communism He found the Polish
frontier bristling with soldiers and Of
ficers and looking like a military zone.
That a war between Russia and the
rest OF the world is imminent is the
firm belief Of every man, woman and
child in Poland" Corresponding to this
Polish conviction is the equally stub
born one Of at least the Soviet Of
and workers may think, that all the
world is preparing for war on Russia.
Mr.. Tobenkin found himself imme-
diately questioning the necessity of "the
wild pace, the frenxied intensity, the
ruthless advance of the Stain pro-
gram" This pace has been responsible
for the low standard Of living, the
limited food rations. the many sacrifices
imposed upon the Russian people by the
Stain industr1alization program. For
the past five years Russia's l60, ,000, 900
inhabitants have been living on bread
and dreams. Bread was rationed; the
dreams were supplied In unlimited
quantities. Russian bread was-and
still is-made Of a mixture that Is part
-four and part corn meal, or some
other cheaper substitute for -four. OF
what consistency are their hopes and
dreams?" He asked "a responsible
Soviet oficiAl in one Of the highest gov
eminent departments in Moscow" about
this frantic speed and was told: We
are hurrying our building program be-
cause events are hurrying US. Economic
events in the principal countries Of the
world are combining to make war on
us not only probable but inevitable. :"
Ampliflcation Of this statement was to
the effect that war might not be de-
liberately planned, but would be an
outgrowth Of industrial conflict. He
said: The industrial equilibrium Of
the world cannot be restored until
Russia Is once more a part Of the
world market. We are willing. anxious.
in fact. to rejoin the world market, but
can do so only on the terms which the
new order OF society In our country
imposes. The world is insistent that
we come back on the old basis only.
Such irreconcilable conflicts have at all
times ended in war"
The Soviet reforms meet Mr.. Toben-
kin's entire approval; the removal Of
disabilities from the Jews and the
changed methods Of handling crime and
punishment Probably his last five
chapters dealing with criminology under
the Soviets, are the most important
contribution Of his book. II not the most
interesting to the general reader,
Briefly. the chief innovations made by
the Soviet system are the abolition OF
mum sentence for any ofiense) indus
trial re-education Of the criminal which
Is followed up after his release. If his
sentence Is short, with the guarantee
of a job; preservation Of family life by
the permission Of frequent short leaves
and removal OF the prison stigma by
tie nullification Of prison record after
q period of probation. The Soviet legal
and criminal authorities look for the
'microbe of criminality' not in the indi-
vidual, but in society Social
conditions make for crime and the way
to attack the crime problem is to at
tack these conditions" This theory Is,
Of course, held by many crimino.ogists in
our own and other "capitalistic" coun-
tries.
Several recent books for children
meet the approval Of these discrimi-
mating critics, children's librarians.
One is when You Grow Up to Vote"
by Eleanor Roosevelt (Mrs Franklin D.
Roosevelt (Houghton, Mifln Com
pany). 1t Is clear, condensed expo
sition Of our system and methods Of
government. intended for children Of
8 or 9 years, such as has been needed
by children's departments in libraries
discusses the policeman, the fireman. the
street cleaner, the mayor and the city
government, the Governor and the State
government and the President and the
National Government. There is also q
chapter on What Does the Judge Do?"
and another on taxation. WHO Pays
the Bills?"
Young Lafayette" by jeanette Eaton
(Houghton- -Miflin Co.., for children of
10 or IL. begins with the boy Lafayette
in Auvergne and carries the hero
through the American Revolution and
his visit to the United States In 1884,
when he was the guest Of the Nation
1t is good flctionized biography. mo
Surrender" by Emma Gelders Sterne
(Dudheld & Green). IS a thrilling, re-
strained picture Of family on q small
Alabama plantation when the news of
Lees surrender is received. It is In
tended for older children. Also suitable
for older children Is new edition of
Bjornstjerne Bjornson,s Norwegian
idyl Sunny Hill ("Synnove Solbak-
ken" in the Originally. the love story Of
Thorbjorn and Synnove. son and daugh-
ter Of neighboring Norwegian farmers.
Their love has some ups and downs but
ends happily. For children frem o to