Evening star., 1934-07-07
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH C.. BOWERN1N.
CHAUNCEY MITCHELL DEPEw-
THE ORATOR. BY Willard Hayes
Yeager. Washington: The George
IL. n

| ChAUNCEY MIICHElL DEPEW-
THE ORATOR. BY Willard Hayes
Yeager. Washington: The George
Washington University Press.
Chauncey IA. Depew became an
American institution in the days when
public speaking was still an art and
Lad not declined into q utility. For
a long period OF years the chairman
OF program for nearly every public
dinner or meeting of distinction as
pired to secure Chsuncey M. Depew
as the principal speaker. As he grew
older his wealth Of experience in
living added I'd the abundant ma
terial on which he well knew how
to draw and his powers as an orator
cid not decline until almost the end
Of his long life. DR.. Yeager, Depew
professor Of public speaking Of the
George Washington University, says
that, in view of Chauncey Depew's
pre-eminence as an orator, this book
proposes to describe his education in
public speaking, his formative years
or the platform and his views on
Speech-making. A collection Of his
hitherto unpublished speeches also is
included
The period of Chauncey Depew's
life, l834-1S28, saw the beginnings
OF railroad transportation, in the de-
velopment OF which he became a lead
ing figure. 1t also brought tremendous
changes in politics and national life.
In his youth Mr.. Depew saw the
growth of the conflict over slavery
ana participated in public debates on
h. T., h. L..
at the dinner given by the Montauk
Club in celebration of his 92d birth
cay anniversary he alluded to the Lo-
carno pact and expressed the hope
that international corporation would
in the future be strengthened rather
than weak ened. He held compare
lively few public Offices, was a member
OF the Assembly and secretary of
State Of New York State and United
States Senator but declined many
appointments offered him. He was
successful political campaigner. usual
IL for others, and during a large part
OF his life was the principal orator
of the Republican party.
DR.. Yeager's chapters on his educa-
ton in orstory and his views on
methods Of success are valuable for
students Of public speaking. Mr.
Depew did not admire Bryan's oratory
and commented in connection with
one OF Bryan's speeches that a man
Oh moderate ability" in the attempt
TO outdo himself usually deals in
platitudes and becomes weak vapid
and thin" The advice given. on re-
quest. by Senator Depew to the new
Senator, Albert j. Beveridge. was:
Speak seldom. Thoroughly master
your subject before you speak Shun
the academic. Observe those few
rules and with your fluency and fine
delivery you will make one Of the
great debsters Jf this body" Thirty
seven speeches Cf Mr.. Depew are pub
liShed in this volume. some of the
most interesting Of which are one in
honor Of Gen. Grant, when he was
entertained by the LOtoS Club, No.
vember 20, 1880. the speech accepting
the presidency of the New York Cen
trail & HUDSON River Railroad. in
1885, and speech introducing Bryan
when he was 20 speak against Dar-
wins theory of evolution at St.
Augustine, February 81, 1922.
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REBEL DESTINY. Among the Bush
Negroes of Dutch Guiana. BY Mel
Vile j. HerskOvits and Frances S
Herskovits. Illustrated. New York:
Whiltlesey House
In the interior OF Dutch Guiana,
South America. three tribal groups OF
Negroes form colonies apart from the
surrounding Dutch civilization. One
OF these tribes, the Saramacca living
along the upper reaches of the Surf
name River. was studied by Mr.. and
Mrs. HerSkovitS during two field trips
in the Summers OF 1928 and 1929.
Their observations are recorded in this
book. which is study IN ethnology,
not book of travel. A study was
also made OF town Negroes OF Para
mariDo for the sake OF comparisons
with the Bush Negroes, and many
cultural SimilaritleS were found. as
well as resemblances to West African
and other New World Negroes. The
authors so well preserved the courtesy
OF visitors and avoided the attitude of
investigators that they were admitted
TO ceremonies and festivities which
revealed beliefs and practices OF an
Gent origin. The beginnings OF sD-
Stract. SupermaterialIStlc ideas have
been much alike among all primitive
peoples; their development has dlt-
Tered, under the influence OF various
i0rceS, but has followed similar
course among peoples whose progress
has in other ways been parallel. The
80 kra
the Gold Coast of Africa ana IN
Guiana. "Obia" is defined as "a
supernatural force which comes from
the great gods and was given TO man
TO protect and heal him: 1t SIgnlnes
white magic in Guiana, black magic
IN the Caribbean.
The journey, made chiefly by river.
as there are no roads in the Guiana
bush. began at Paramarlbo from
which weekly train runs to KabeI,
on the SURNAME River. Mr.. and
Mrs. HerSkOvits traversed the entire
stretch OF the river to the last native
habitatiOnS on the Pikien RIO, pc
yond which are some fields, then un-
inhabited miles OF wilderness to the
Brazilian border" End paper maps
show their route. They witnessed the
funeral ceremonies OF SedeioS brother
and the questioning OF the corpse as
to why death had come upon nm
They soon learned that two things
dominate the foreground OF the
spiritual life Of the bush-death ana
kunu, the supernatural force which
Furnishes the families OF vloIators of
the laws OF ancestors. They were In
structed in the lore of obla ana saw
some OF its manifestations at s kro-
manti dance, where the possessed"
men slaShed about them with cut
lasses. They visited the court OF the
Grammar Of the Saramacca people. at
Asindopo Lantiwe. where they were
present at 'krutu," or council OF the
elders. A useful glossary with lin
guistic notes, completes the book,
which will be Of especial interest to
students of ethnology Mr.. Herskovits
is the author Of The Anthropometery
Of the American Negro"
X 4