Evening star., 1934-06-24

THE TRAGIC KING: RICHARD III BY Philip
Lindsay. New York: Robert M. Mcbride
g. Co.
- ARLY historians and Shakespeare, fol-
lowing their lead. have made Richard
- III the symbol of all medieval villainy
and cruelty. Later historians walked
in the path of tradition and became
historian enemies" 1t is only in re-
cent years that few historians have said
apologetically that Richard was no worse than
his many York and Lancaster relatives, but
Philip Lindsay is the first to champion his
cause with devotion and zealotry, to call him
mobile" to designate himself "Richard-lover."
A most dramatic introduction in furnished by
q description of the turning, July 6, 1888, in
Westminster Abbey. of the supposed skeletons
OF the two little princes, Edward v and his
brother Richard. Duke of York. whose murder
in the Tower has usually been attributed to
Richard, who had already wrested the throne
from Edward. Mr.. Lindsay analyzes the evi-
dence of the bones at some length quoting
several authorities who were present at the
Westminster ceremony. and concludes that it
cannot be proved that the bones were those of
the princes Ohere were some chicken bones
and q nail among them). that the date Of their
original interment cannot be accurately fixed,
and that in no case do the bones convict
Richard. He is of the opinion that the black
ening of Richard started as Tudor propaganda.
the work of Henry VII, who defeated Richard
ut BOswOrth and took the crown.
Mr Lindsay's rousing story is however. much
more than a defense of Richard III. 1t Is
panorama of the whole period of the War Of
the Roses (1455-l485), between the Houses Of
York and Lancaster The three younger sons
of Edward III. the Dukes Of Clarence, Lam
caster and York, became the heads of political
factions which would have been unable to play
the part they did had the eldest son, the Black
Prince lived to be King, or had his son. Richard
IL not been a weakling. Henry Nv, Henry v.
Henry vi and Henry WI were descended from
john of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, third sur
vtvine son of Edward III, and Edward Nv, the
unfortunate child Edward v and Richard III
from Edmund, Duke of York, fourth surviving
son of Edward III. In describing the intrigues.
brutalities and unscrupulous warfare Of these
rival princes Mr.. Lindsay does not pull q long
face and speak in dsapprovtng voice. His
attitude is one of acceptance of human nature,
which he considers about the same then as
now. Only methods were different The lives
Of the common people went on much as usual
during the fighting of the barons. Organized
soldiers did the fighting and these wars prob
ably saved many innocent lives, for the soldiers
were thus trained to fight each other instead Of
turning robbers they would undoubtedly
have done in normal times. War was a trade,
and the citizens were rarely expected to fight
soldier killed soldier, and that is only as it
should be. Would that it were so still" Mr..
Lindsay is evidently, like Hilaire Belloc, a mon
archist. He believes that under q benevolent
and autocratic monarch the liberties of all the
people are best safeguarded. So to him Magma
Carta was not a great step forward, but was
"a monopotizing of power for the barons against
the King and people, for the barons did not
represent the people" Many other interesting
interpretations of this medieval period with
their implications of comparison with the
present time might be cited were there space.
The book is history plus romance plus crusade
for fair play to a maligned parsonage Of the
past.
THE ROAD LEADS ON BY Knut Hamsun.
Translated from the Norwegian by Eugene
Gay-Tifft New York: Coward -McCann.
CEGELFOSS, the Norwegian seacoast town,
- with its manor and mill and Jensen's store,
the destinies of whose inhabitants We have al
ready followed through several generations, is
again the scene of novel by Knut Hamsun.
We have long ego learned that the Segelfoss-
ians are a mixture of outward responsibility
and secret vice, of steady thrift and spurts of
wild imagination which make them do un-
reasoning and disastrous things. They all have
within themselves something of Peer Gynt.
creator of illusions. Are they typically Nor
Wcgldn, UT are Iley uHiFeISdl! AHc SOory VI
Segelfoss and its citizens, through several
novels, Children of the Age" "Segelfoss
Town" "Vagabonds" women at the Pump"
and The Road Leads On is a comedie hu-
maine
No one character controls the scene, though
several dominating personalities succeed each
other as the town adds to its importance, ac-
quring a post Office, a telegraph station, drug
store, a cinema, q hotel (Grand Hotel of
course), court house and finally an English
consulate. First there are the Holmsens and
Per Jensen, familiarly called Per paa Bua,
founder of the general store; then the prince of
yagabondS August, who might have been