Evening star., 1934-09-22
THE LIBRARY TABLE
j BY SARAH C. BOWERMAN.

MUSIC ON THE AIR. BY Hazel
Gertrude Kinscella. New York:
The Viking Press.
The radio has brought music, To-
gether with much that is called music
but isn't, to many who never knew
that they cared for music and now
welcome a new cultural interest. For
these and for the long time music
lovers who never miss anything good
which comes mysteriously over the
air, this book will prove handbook
to be often opened while listening.
Twenty-six musicians, composers and
critics have contributed the articles,
which cover nearly all forms of mu-
Sical production. Walter Damrosch
has written the foreword and Daniel
Gregory Mason the introduction. The
author and editor, Miss Kinscella, is
professor of piano in the University
of Nebraska and has conducted music
institutes in many States. She says
that every subject, every piece Of
music discussed in the book, is the
result of some question asked by o
music lover or radio listener.
The first section, THE Voice OF the
People, covers folk music, the song
from Greek drama to modern opera,
choral music, and medieval church
music. The section on instrumental
music begins with most helpful ac-
count of the development of the mod
ern symphony orchestra and a de-
Scription of the instruments which
compose its four chOirs. Essays follow
on band music, folk dance, the
symphony, famous overtures chamber
music, the art Of transcription, the
pipe organ, the piano and humor in
music. Other sections are devoted to
American music and modern music.
Over . third Of the book Is given to
the story of music in outline form, to
1900, and TO biographical sketches Of
composers and interpretat tons of their
principal works Music on the air Is
everybody's music, and this book was
primarily written for radio listeners,
but 1t has what is a narrower but
more intensive possibility, as text
book In music appreciation.
FLORIDA OLD AND NEW. BY Fred
erick w. Dau. New York: G. p.
Putnam's Sons.
Florida, land OF flowers and treasure
seekers. has perhaps the most roman
tic history among the States of the
Union, unless California should dis
pute the claim. Ponce de Leon, who
was in the company Of Columbus on
his 1893 voyage, was probably not the
discoverer Of Florida when he reached
there in 1912 or 1918, as there are
evidences of its previous exploration.
He failed to find the fountain of youth,
but instead met his death by an In
dian arrow. Florida has remained q
glamorous land, even down TO the real
estate boom Of 1923-28, through which
it passed somewhat tarnished, but is
now being rejuvenated. Mr.. Dau, who
writes its history, Is editor Of the New
York social Blue Book and the author
Of newspaper articles on historical
real estate activities in New York and
Chicago. He possesses . large and
rare library Of Americana.
The early history Of Florida has
been often covered, by such popular
historians as Washington Irving, Ban
croft and John Fiske. and many more
of greater or less scholarship. Mr.
Dau appends an imposing photography
to his book, of the books on Florida in
his own library. 1t is in the later
history OF Florida, from its admission
to Statehood in 1845, that he covers
less travelled ground. For example,
he calls attention to the fact that a
Floridian, DR.. John GOrrie, benefited
humanity by the invention Of artificial
ice. Chapters on the Governors Of
Florida, internal Improvements. maps,
poSt-Civu War development, the ques-
ton OF the Everglades, hurricanes and
their effects, agriculture, fruit growing,
shrimping and sponging give much
important information. More might
have been said about Florida as Win
ter resort rivaling the French and
Italian Riviera Mr.. Dau's work is a
readable history of Florida but will
not be likely to find q place among
works of great scholarship.
A BIOGRAPHY OF THE GREEK
PEOPLE. BY Cecil Fairfield La
veil. Boston: Houghton Miffiin Co
We have long had our suspicious
that the ancient Greeks were a much
idealized people and that their su-
periority in art and letters was offset
by social relations andi living condi-
tions for which art constituted in
adequate compensation. Zimmern
in his Greek Commonwealth" gives
many details which tend to lessen our
esteem for the good old times OF
Aristides and Pericles. Only the citi-
zen men enjoyed the life of leisured
culture. and even for them the sani-
tary conditions of houses and cities
were unspeakable. The only women
who had either liberty or influence
were the hetairae, who went every
where, while women of social position
were secluded and were allowed to
witness only the tragedies in the state
theater. Foreigners resident in Greece
had few rights. and slaves had .l0ne
and were subject to great abuses In
the silver mines. This book by DR.
Lavell. professor of the history OF
thought in Grinnell College, is not SIS
interesting from the everyday human
point of view as that of Zimmern
Its central idea is the development OF
the Greek mind. The heroic age OF
Homer, the rise and growth of the
city-states, the Persian wars, the rise
and fall of the Athenian empire, are
all considered as background for
mental and cultural development
Social and economic life are not part
of the picture. yet. from the title, we
should expect them to be. Greek
philosophers, from Thales, Anaxi-
mander and Anaximenes, Of the sixth
century BIC, to Socrates and Plate
and the stoics and epicureans, are
the heroes of this tale. AS a readably
written history of Greek thought and
its influence on medieval and modern
thought and life even down to the
twentieth century. "A Biography oi
the Greek People" has value, but II
should have been given different
title. A brief photography, usually
expected in books Of this type, would
have been desirable.
THE IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICT
185O-l865 Nv .rthur Charles