Evening star., 1934-12-09

W SACk kNlLLE-HE ESl, HOSE NE
is REVIEW
report. Mr.. Joslin inquired how he
was going to reply and Mr. Hoover
answered. II am not going to answer
it." and smilingly reached for another
cigar.
Mr.. Joslin's book closes with an ac-
count of the tireless efforts of Mr..
Hoover after his defeat in the ma
tional election to ward off the finan-
cial catastrophe which he saw ap-
preaching, efforts which included an
attempt at cooperation with the
President-e Such a work as this
of Mr.. Joslin cannot from its very ma
ture be non-partisan or judicially
aloof in its judgments, but it is free
from acrimony and shows considerable
understanding of points of view in
conflict with the authors own.
BLISS. PEACEMAKER. The Life and
Letters of Gen. Tasker Howard
Bliss. BY Frederick Palmer. Illus
trated. New York Dodd, Mead &
Co.
1T IS most appropriate that the
Carnegie Corporation should have
made an allowance of funds for the
initial expense of searching the mass
of unindexed Bliss papers, and
equally appropriate that Col. Fred
erick Palmer, veteran war correspond
ent and chronicler of the Wolrd War
through his book Newton D. Baker:
America at War" should have written
this biography of the man whose use
fulness to his country did not end
with his distinguished military career.
Gen. Bliss was a soldier who made
history in Cuba, in the Philippines, on
the Mexican border. in Washington,
on the battle fronts of France. He
was also a great worker for peace. as
the arbiter Of some allied quarrels dur
ing the war, as an adviser OF sanity at
the Peace Conference, where his coun-
sci fell ION sterile ground" and by his
private labors after his retirement.
He was personally a modest man and
a philosopher. Through his combina-
tion of scholarship. clear, just thinking
and robust action he exerted power
full influence on all with whom he was
associated.
Much of the life of Gen. Bliss is
narrated through his letters, so that
his opinion on important events are
given at first hand but Col. Palmer
comments and connecting links are
extensive and his estimates are
especially valuable in the case of a
man so little egotistic as Gen. Bliss.
The selection of andecdotes is also
designed to show outstanding charac-
teristics. For example, Gen. Bliss once
said to a soldier in the commissary
who was gazing at the four stars on
his uniform: You are never fright
ened when you see a lot of stars in
the heavens at home, so do not allow
these stars to frighten you, my friend" "
And when he expressed his desire to
be buried at Arlington he. directed,
should Pershing change his mind and
decide to be buried there instead of
in the Cathedral: do not put me on
a slope where I should be above him.
He was commander in the field"
OF the treaty of Versailles, Gen.
Bliss said that it was neither punitive
nor constructive. His belief, as inter-
preted by Col. Palmer, was that "a
constructive peace would not have laid
upon Germany a money indemnity
which she could never pay through
the long years; it would have given
some hope to a rising generation
which was not responsible for the
errors of it's fathers, and the other
nations of Europe would have given
an example in the limitation of the
militarism which they saw as the
cause of the World War" Gen. Bliss
also forecast the present economic
depression very accurately: I'VE are
in for low period, then a high
period, then the devil will be to pay
all over the world"
THE DARK ISLAND. BY v. Sack
ville-West. Garden City: Double
day-Doran & Co.
A NEW novel by v. Sackville-W West
causes a thrill of expectation in
readers who know her. Perhaps it
will be another as good as THE Ed
wardians," or, hardly to be hoped, as
exquisitely subtle as "All Passion
Spent" Miss Sackville- versa
tility is again demonstrated, for THE
Dark Island" is different from any Of
her other work and Shirin lie Breton
is different from any of her other
characters. Pronounce her name
"Sheereen," by the way. Shirin Will
son is only l6 when she first meets
Venn lie Breton at Port lie Breton,
where the Wilson's always spend their
Summer holiday, and is taken by him
to visit the island of Storm, to which
he is heir. At that first meeting she
has an experience Of his sadism when
he twists her wrists in fit of temper.
She is 46 when she gives Venn the
kiss of death and then discovers that
because Cristina is gone and her son
Dominic is like his father, only not
yet old enough to be coldly cruel, life
has nothing more to offer her.
Even before their marriage Venn
has some glimpses of the obstinacy
and silence which are so to exasperate
him in his 20 years Of life with Shirin.
Old Lady le Breton, Venn's grand
mother, does not help the peace Of
Storm through her alignment of her
self on the side of Shirin and her taunt
that Shirin has married Venn only
because Of her love Of Storm. The
lovely island thus became "the dark
island" sinister influence in shirin's