Evening star., 1933-08-06
1Y SARAH @. .BOWERMAN
The Ailments of the World Are Gi0en Some
Serious Attentim German Situ-'
ation, and Some Nezv Novels

which has been built up to meet the needs Of
advancing civilization. DR.. Cooper believes that
every dollar must be made to do its utmost in
the work of education, through efficient admin
istration from the top to the bottom Of the sys-
tenn in every State and local unit; but when
this has been accomplished there Is no real
economy in cutting off funds from public edu-
cation, so that standards Of education are low
cred. to the detriment of national welfare. "Es-
sential Education" Is discussed under the divi-
sions elementary schools" kindergarten, sec
ondary schools" and Junior colleges" "Sug-
gested Economies in Public Education" are
grouped under finance" curriculum and
buildings" Organization and techniques" and
administration and operation"
York: The John Day Co.
I LIVINGSTONE, LTD, a firm of interior deco
l. rators, was one of the first business houses
"a business house of very high prices-to mar
the exclusive domestic tone Of Earlham street.
which leads into Eariham Square whose spa
cious eighteenth century houses are all too rap
idly being torn down to make way for blocks
of flats. The head Of the firm, Reginald Liv-
ingstone, is on his business side a suave, some
what pompous, exquisitely dressed example OF
the connoisseur in business; on his personal side
vain and fussy sensualist Anne Livingstone,
his wife, is woman of culture and social con-
science whom life has completely disappointed
Even in the material accessories Of existence she
is unable to satisfy her own tastes, for her
home must be a private show place to which
her husband may bring clients to see what his
unrestricted taste produce. His taste runs
to rose and gold and to brocades In fact, as
we read "IivingstoneS" we feel as II were
wrapped in brocades. So Anne, who prefers
large, light rooms, simply furnished with period
furniture on plain lines, has bed room the walls
of which are painted a heavy sea green, with
panels marked of by ornate gilt holdings, and
with cornice of gilded acanthus leaves. The fur
niture is all upholstered in rose and gold bro
cade and even her wardrobe Is covered with this
material which must be pulled back by q tassel
whenever she wishes to get out dress The
daily irritation Of this room seems almost worse
than the fact that she has long ago given up
all hope Of companionship with either her hus-
band or her son. Tom only son OF the Living
stones, loafs away part of his days at desk
In the Livingstone show rooms, spending much
of his feeble mentality in evading telephone
calls from a mistress of whom he IS tired He
would be happy driving truck II his father
would permit This is the family.
"Livingstones" is even more concerned with
the employees of the establishment There are q
number of them, in whose lives, at their place
of employment and in their homes, We become
much interested. We have our first glimpse OF
the interior of Livingstones as Eric Davis,
young man of decided preferences as to what he
shall do to earn living, is applying for job.
He secures it, and joins the group Of persons
whose activities and pecularities contribute to
the substance of this excellently realistic story.
1t is a reasonable guess that Eric Davis may
have some of the qualities of Derrick Leon him.
SELF who, after being graduated from University
College, London, intended to be a journalist but
went into the interior decorating and furniture
business instead. "Livingstones' Is his first
novel-and very good one it is. The inside
view it gives of such a business concern, OF the
relations between customers and employees and
.v1I0 fc NOT $a 70
gentle doctrine that "an men are brothers"
Until the depression brings loss Of jobs and
mutual sympathy, dislike, even hatred, IS
prevailing feeling among those who work to-
gether at Livingstones day after day, except in
the case of John Maggs and Edna Robstone,
who like each other well enough to get married,
even at the cost of one job. Customers are al
most uniformly disagreeable. Perhaps they
really are in the eyes of most business concerns
which are trying to sell them something. But
the customers Of Livingstones must surely be
worse than the average. There is Mrs. Cath
cart a widow Of means, subject to drinking
bouts, who inspires terror In all the statesmen
because, after indulging in the most violent
Of scenes and charging them with stealing her
furniture taken for repairs, she usually ends by
reporting them to Mr.. Livingstone for imperti-
nence. There is also the rich American woman
there would, Of course, have to be an offensive
American woman) who arrogantly offers the
great Mr. Livingstone himself check for less
than half the price he has named for an an
tique piece, saying: Il know you Britishers; you
always ask at least twice as much as you expect
to get" In the episode of Ernest Telling, Mr..
Leon has concentrated all the dull apathy, all
the acute tragedy of the unemployed man about
the streets of London. The extraordinary pene-
tration. the critical judgment, and the deep
sympathy with which "Livingstones" is written
might indicate long experience with ife-yet
Mr.. Leon is only "a. The book is a recommen-
dation of the British Book Society.
HEAVY WEATHER. BY P. G. Wodehouse.
Boston: Little, Brown & Co.
p G. WODEHOUSE has his public, q large