Evening star., 1934-12-15
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH G. BOWERMAN.

Myself. by John II. Commons.
New York: The Macmillan Co.
Those who know John r. Commons
think of him first as an exceptionally
original and interesting personality
and only secondly as the distinguished
economist and s0ciolOgist. In this
book he takes time from his work
ing hours, now forced down to 1.-TWO,
or three, or nothing" at the age OF
II, to tell briefly of his life and the
development Of his economic ideas
For 80 years he has conducted at
Wisconsin University a discussion
group Of graduate and senior students
whom he calls his Friday Niters." II
Is for these Friday Niters," who have
in the university set up a labor re-
search library under his name. that he
writes this book, which is the fare
well Of a great teacher. DR.. Commons
has been often called upon by both
State and Federal Governments rs
an adviser In labor disputes and his
last economic advisory work outside
his teaching was in 1928 when he was
in Washington for five months aid
ing in the promotion Of bill for the
sterilization Of prices by the Federal
Reserve System. His investigations OF
immigration, Of the operations OF
public utilities, of labor conditions In
the steel industry, of the Federal Re-
serve System, his organization OF a
bureau of economy and efficiency for
the Socialist government Of Mil
waukee, his administration OF q
voluntary plan of unemployment in
surance in the Chicago clothing in
dustry, and his many books and
articles "a full list Of which Is given
in his Institutional Economics") con-
stitute an important record, which EN-
titles him TO q place As one OF the
foremost Of American economists.
But the hundreds Of students who
have ssJ In his classes. met In his
home for evening discussion or in
formal economic visiting, and made
sociological pilgrimages under his
leadership. many OF them now dis
tinguished IN various branches Of
economics, are the human record.
Some Of them will remember the
"half-craZy pauper-tramp" brought as
laboratory specimen TO the class in
criminOlOgy, the commotion made
when Emma Goldman was intro
duced to speak TO q class, and DIR.
Commons class room method Of
drawing out the ideas of students
and then raising doubts and getting
my students mixed up" He was never
dogmatic and theories must square
with facts TO merit his acceptance.
ISRAEL. The Life and Times of
Edgar Allan Poe. BY Hervey
Allen. New York Farrar q
Rinehart.
A new and inexpensive edition of
the biography OF Poe, originally pub
lished in two volumes, which brought
to the attention Of readers the story
telling gift of Hervey Allen. even be-
fore he had written Anthony Ad-
verse" The wild morbid, secret ma
ture OF Poe, and the reflection OF
his nature in his poems and tales.
gave to his biographer material tempt
ing TO one with Hervey Aliens feel
ing for drama and psychological
Values l 1iC ICSulL u u udIIatiNC
fulfilling the requirements of accu-
rate historical study. but going be-
yond that and applying to the strange
story Of Americas strangeSt genius
all the findings of modern pSychol-
ogy and the art of an able chronicler.
Mr.. Allen was aided by the acci-
dental circumstance that "the pass
ing of time had brought about the
release Of sources, hitherto inacces-
sible, which also made it possible
to tell amply the strange and startling
story of Poe's youth"
CANTERBURY TALES. BY Geoffrey
Chaucer. Rendered into Modern
English by j. U. Nicolson. With
Illustrations by Rockwell Kent.
New York: Covici-Friede.
Rockwell Kents Chaucer illustra-
tions were originally drawn for the
limited $50 edition published in 1880
and are now, with several additions,
made available for less opulent
edition. The modern English verse
rendering of Mr. Nicolson retains the
spirit of the original admirably, with
as few changes az possible in form
and apparently none in thought. The
prioress never from her lips let NOR
sells fall" the friar unto his order
he was q noble post" tthe foOtnOte
that is, a pillar is hardly needeO, +,
the merchant appeared with fOrked
beard and girt in motley gown" the
clerk looked hollow and went sober
ly." the franklin loved right we'll his
morning sop in wine the cook could
roast and seethe and broil and fry,
and make q good thick soup, and
bake a pie" the physician "often
kept patient from the pail by horo-
scopes and magic natural" and the
popular wife of Bath had been
respectable throughout her life. with
five churched husbands bringing Joy
and strife MIR. Nicolson is the
in his own right. as one would in
stantly know after reading few
lines. DR.. Gordon Hall Gerould of
Princeton University writes the in
PRODUCTION TO this work and speaks
highly Of the faithfulness of Mr..
Nicolson's rendering, its fluency and
its catching of the subtle essence
of the original" Chaucer lovers will
find it pleasure to handle this beau
tifully printed and illustrated book
and through its pages to renew friend
ship with the father of English
poetry" and no more attractive
medium could be found by those
who do not know Chaucer for making
his acquaintance.
TIE WESTWARD STAR. BY Frank
Ernest Hill. New York: The
John Day Co.
A vigorous novel of the settling of
the trans Mississippi West. 1t deals
with the loves, hates, murders and
starvation of group of pioneers who
made their way across the prairie in
a string Of covered wagons in lS47,
crawling toward the Pacific. And 1t
is in verse, the form into which Long
fellow put his stories of "Evangeline,"
"Hiawatha" and "The Courtship of
Miles Standish," Scott his Highland
tales of THE Lady of the Lake" and
Hx.