Evening star., 1934-06-24

the action, the shooting of Amedee from be-
hind great beech by an asSailant with a noble
motive. savors of the ordinary mystery story.
THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR YEAR BOOK
Edited by George Jean Nathan, Ernest Boyd,
Theodore Dresser, Sherwood Anderson.
James Branch Caben and Eugene ONeill.
New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co.
CELECIED for their first year book by the
- editors are some of the best essays criti-
cisms and stories which have appeared in the
first IL issues of the American Spectator
Strenuous disagreement with what is and scorn
for the average taste in matters OF opinion
are to be expected from the editors and are
to be found in the Year Book 1t Is falr 10
let the editors state their own purpose: Inc
American Spectator has no policy In the COM
mon sense of that word. 1t advocates no
panacess; it has no axes to grind; 1t mas no
private list of taboos. 1t offers an opportunity
for the untrammeleo expression OF Individual
opinion ignoring what is accepted ana may
be taken for granted in favor OF the unac-
cepted and misunderstood. Sincerity, authen-
ticity and passion its editorial criterion.
It's aim is to offer a medium for the truly VAL
liable and adventurous in thought and TO
invite contributions from every quarter wnere
stimulating opinions may be expected SO
in this volume Theodore Dresser writes OF
The Great American Novel, which he thinks
has not yet appeared; Liam OFlaherty de-
nounces Irish censorship, Lewellyn PowyS in
terprets morality, Henry Hazlitt. in spite Of
Jung and Freud praises the escape mechan-
isms invented by human beings; Ernest Boyd
makes q few anti-Semitic remarks, Thomas
Craven exalts the "boor with brains" in the
painters art and Ring Lardner Lillian Kober,
Thomas Beer Vernon Sherwin and Sylvia
vyrite
in the volume few of them dull. most of them
offering tempting suggestions for argument
A FEATHER IN HER HAT BY I. A. r. Wylie.
Garden City: Doubleday, Doran g. Co.
THE red feather in Mrs Phipps black hat
waved calamity. high -heartedy, in greeting
to all Mrs. Phipps herself reminded Emily
Judson cashier in the shoe shop, of lone Of
the tugs that go bustling up and down rivers"
For living she laid out the dead and assisted
the newly arriving into life. For recreation she
supported and cared for a husband whose
distinguished appearance and military record
compensated for his drunken habits. In her
spare time she kept her little house so clean
and painted it so frequently that every one
could see at a glance that it was different"
from the other dingy houses in Little Egbert
street. She loved grand opera, and occupied
q front seat In the last gallery whenever SIis
had saved the money for it. She didn't, ac-
cording to the captain. know one end of
horse from another" but she usually had the
luck to back winner and so accumulated
little fortune-f2 900.
The romance of her life her son.
Richard Orlando Phipps, like herself in his
dreaming of Dreams but in her eyes of far
finer clay. The story of her nobly motivated
deceit was revealed only when she had
marched in the procession" with music and
banners and in company with Rosalind and
Porta tEllen Terry. of course. for she had
adored her) and Cleopatra and Henry v, with
q young standard bearer who looked like
Richard riding behind him." She lived long
enough to see Richards dramatic success,
when people who had never been aware of him
before crowded around him with hattery. from
which he longed only to escape. 1t Is a fine,
romantic story, such most of us find real
pleasure in reading. told in the flowing. supple
prose which l. A. R. Wylie has made her own.