Evening star., 1934-01-27
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH G.. BOWERMAN.
PROMHTHEANs. Ancient and mod
ern. By Burton Rascoe. New York:
q. p. Putnam's Sons,

PROMHTHEANs. Ancient and mod
ern. By Burton Rascoe. New York
q. p. Putnam,s Sons.
Prometheus, classical promoter Of cul
ture and benefactor of mankind, raidec
Olympus and stole fire from the hearth
Of Zeus, which he brought down tt
mortals for their humble daily needs
Enraged ut this burglary, and even more
1t the 1mpertinence, the ruler of Olym-
pus chained Prometheus to o rock ir
the Caucasus and sent his royal eagle
daily to eat out the liver of the martyr
which daily grew again. Some accounts
say It was the heart, but In either case
the punishment was . gruesome one
more than commensurate with the
crime. Taking this legend Of antiquity
g his cue, Mr.. Rascoe has selected fol
his group OF related essays some Of the
men OF ancient and modern times who
In his estimation, have wrought
warmth into the bleak terror Of mans
war against the elements, against hia
own nature and against the tmminence
OF death: have brought US out of q
savagery that Is now at least q savagery
modified by an appearance of amenity. II
The men chosen are st. Mark, Petron-
ius, Lucian. Apuleius. Aretino, Nietzsche
D. H. Lawrence, Theodore Dresser and
James Branch Cabell. II we are sur
pr1sed when we nrst consider this Sc
lection Of the benefactors Of mankind
and II we do not altogether agree with
the honor paid some of them, at least
Mr.. Rascoe has Interestingly supported
his view.
st. Mark, as the earliest chronicler of
the life OF Jesus, performed a lasting
service for humanity. The essay de-
voted to him briefly covers much Of the
early history Of Christianity. Petronius
was the "arbiter of taste and elegance
at the imperial court under Nero. Lu-
clan, according to the Dutch critic,
Il HoogsTaten, was mot only the greatest
genius OF his own age, but even of all
anuqulty." Coming down to the pres
ent time, because D. H. Lawrence has
oeen so recently with US and Theodore
Dresser and James Branch Cabell are
stlll with us: 1t is impossible to form a
thean value. Mr.. Rascoe hardly makes
q case Tor any Of them, but he does
best Tor Cabell. Lawrence is a fine sin
tultlve artist" Dresser has "achieved
the special sort of distinction of record-
ing a microcosm of life in industrial
america which entities him TO be con-
sioereo among the great writer's of his
time. and Cabell is mot a novelist at
an In the common acceptance of the
Term, but a historian OF the human
SOUL. "Prometheans" hardly reaches
tne level OF Mr.. Rascoes book of a
year ago, T1tans Of Literature" an ac-
count OF the worlds literature as rep-
resented by It's greatest literary figures
OF every nation and age.
RED MEDICINE. Socialized Health IN
Soviet Russia. BY Sir Arthur Nsw.-
holme. K. C. B., M. D.. and .Iohn
Adams Ktngsbury, LID. Garden
City: Doubleday, Doran A Co.
Soviet Russia has decided that the
health OF the individual Is the concern
wnat the U. s. S. r. Is doing to carry
tnls principle into effect, Sir Arthur
Newsnolme, formerly principal medical
OF England and Wales, and DR.. Kings
pury, secretary of the Milbank Memo
rial Fund. for the promotion of public
health, went to Russia and Travelled
5000 miles there, from Leningrad east
ward TO Samara, and then southwark
10 Batum. on the Black Sea. The first
ii chapters Of their book give an ac-
count Of their travels and the general
conoltlons. economic and social. which
they found under Communist rule.
They of1er nothing new and are rather
Supernclal IN their findings, when COM
pared with the writings of such tnves-
tlgators as Hindus and Duranty. We
become impatient to get to the specific
subject OF health and medicine, where
perts.
The remaining IS chapters describe
the methods Of Soviet Russia In the
care OF children and youths. maternity
care, social insurance, public health
and medical administration, treatment
OF the sick in residential and nom
residential institutions, the care Of spe-
cial diseases, such as tuberculosis, In
sanitoria; night sanitoria for patients
who are able to keep on with their
work, and preventoria for children.
The authors conflne themselves to
facts and do little generali1ng from
them. It Is easy to discover, however,
that they were greatly impressed by
the desirable results obtained, though
as yet practice is not commensurate
with the complete plan. Doctors are
theoretically At least. all sick persons
receive the same degree of medical
attention and skill Prevention of dis
ease Is considered Of even more i'm
portance than the cure. The authors
say In their concluding summary:
Does the Soviet organiZation-includ-
ing all that is implied in the unifica-
ton Of financial responsibilities and
control OF the entire resources of the
country-assist to an exceptional extent
. complete medical and hygienic serv-
ice fo- the entire community? To this
question we can at once give q def
nitely Affirmative answer"
THE ANTI-sLAvERY IMPULSE. $780,
1874. By Gilbert Hobbs Barnes.
New York: d. Appleton Century Co.
In August, 1888, Great Britain abol-
ished slavery in the West Indies and
few months later the American Anti
Slavery Society began agitation for
emancipation In the United States. So
1888 was the centennial year in anti
slavery history, and was an appropriate
time for the appearance Of this history
of the movement by DR.. Barnes, pro-
fessor Of economics in Ohio Wesleyan
University. The book Is of especial
interest because 1t does not follow the
orthodox traditions with regard to the
lIlCcI pI cCdIlOl VI dIlIl-SldVcTV ACTIVITY.
The beginnings Of the movement in the
30s had q strong religious aspect; in
the 40s and Sos economic factors en-
tered. and in the end there was the
element of "a sectional crusade against
the South" DR.. Barnes photographed
notes for each chapter are copious and
diversified. Numerous anti slavery
newspapers and magazines and the
works Of william Ellery Claiming,
William Lloyd Garrison. Lyman Beecher,
Charles G. Ffnney and Arthur Tappan
are important sources. The book
should be Of value to all students
Of the Civil War period.
THE FOSTER MOTHER. BY Martin
Armstrong. New York: Harcourt,
Brace d Co.
Dora Swift, when she writes from her
sick bed to her sister-in-law, Deborah
Murdle, and asks her to come to her
country home. six miles from FaydOn