Evening star., 1934-03-04
% SARAH Q. .BOWERMK
I'm Intimate Picture Of Robert E. Lee From
the Pen O. fRobertW. Winstou- II Study
of Izvo Amey1cus-Nezv Fiction.

pOltlhu Is dlOOI dIlu uIll1COTpOTdteO An organic,
breathing entity" In forming our own opinions
Of the relative advantages of Mddletown and
Tepoztlan, we find ourselves taking account of
the abySmal ignorance which permits Sorcery and
ataviSmS to exert such dominating influence,
Of the somewhat prevalent filth and squalor, of
general lazineSs and inefflciency, of deplorable
health conditions and the absence of intelligent
and adequate medical care. Tepoztlan possesses
no doctor or nurse, but 13 herb doctors, two
magtcians, one priest and 10 midwives Mr.
Chase Is fair and admits that Tepoztlan can
hope for no progress, but questions if progress
with sll its penalties is desirable
BLACK RIVER. BY Carleton Beals. Phila-
delphia: J. B. Lppincott Co.
carleton BEAIS continues in fiction THE
- Crime Of Cuba" with the scene and the
crime transferred to Mexico. 1t is a hectic tale
OF the black river Of oil and wealth and the
greedy lawlessness and savagery which infest its
shores. Rival generals here today gone to-
morrow: revolution displacing revolution; oil
deals and oil grab; rivalries over the favor of
popular courtesans these form plot enough for
this highly colored novel The opening scene
Is . dance given in the Cathedral Of Tampico
by Gen. Eduardo Yarza, ito the revolutionary
elements" with the double motive of amuse-
ment for the populace and insult to the con-
servative. religious citizens After the dance
has begun, Yarza arrives in gold and white
braided new uniform, with La Cubanita floating
on his arm, and seats himself on the altar plat
form. He has invited to the dance La Paloma,
most beautiful OF TampicO cOurteSanS who has
houted him in favor Of the unimportant Mico
Zaragoza. As the orgy reaches its height Tom
Guard, alias Sampson T. Bruggeman, deserter
from the American Army in the Philippines,
struts up to La Paloma and insists upon her
dancing with him. The fiery Mico pulls his
gun, all the Mexicans standing near jump into
the fight. which is stopped only by the shouted
order Of Yarza and the throwing of the badly
damaged Guard into the street.
We are told that this same Tom Guard was
soon to sway the destinies Of two nations" that
Is he displaces Simon J. Bartlett local oil king,
becomes the dictator Of the Calumet East OH
Co., before whom even revolutionary generals
do homage, and takes possession Of La Paloma.
Through all the turmoil caused by the clash
Of hot Mexican passions and coldly calculating
American brains, runs the theme of oil. Tam
pico was stuck on the banks of a mighty black
river eternally filmed with viscous ola from
tier outpost shut in by malarial lagoons and
dense tungles '''r was wildcat Gen. Yarza
versus"""the local oil king, And over and
beyond that 1t was the United States versus
Mexico. and industrial efficiency versus q way
Of life that hated the machine. =" But revo-
luton or no revolution, jungle or no jungle life
or death, the black river of oil would 60 rolling
ON to the far ends Of the earth" Joseph Her
gesheimer has dealt with the same theme, less
"Tampico."
TOWARD THE FLAME. War Diary. BY
Hervey Allen. Illustrated by Lyle Justis.
New York: Farrar & Rinehart.
ORIGINALLY published in 1926, Hervey
~ Aliens war diary is republished with .
new preface and illustrations in handsome
volume Like "Anthony's Adverse" it is a story
of action, but Of fact not fiction. Mr.. Aliens
VoS mot IN, fficon froi
but in the thick of front-lne fighting. His
account Is Of the experiences of one of the Ma
tional Guard units of the American Army, and
as such, he says, is "cross section of the citi-
zens In arms, and actually engaged in battle,
which the narrator observed and did his best to
report" In the later preface he tells how the
book came to be written. after returning
home in 1919, found myself much troubled at
night by memories of the war and often un-
able to sleep. It occurred to me then that
might rid myself Of my subjective war by try
ing to make it objective in writing" A truly
modern psychological treatment
The narrative begins with a description of
route marching from the sea to the front, which
IS followed by chapter on life behind the
front, full Of the details of makeshift camping
and cooking, occasional "Christian luxuries"
when the Y. M c. A. canteen came around,
and night duty at points where shells frequent
ly fell and "the nerve strain began" It con-
tinues with the drive from the Marne to the
Vesle during July and August, 1918, and some
Of the fighting around Chateau Thierry and
Fismes, and ends with the might attack ON the
village of Fismette, when most of the defend
ers of that place had ceased to exist" Cor
respondence Of some Of the generals in charge
Of operations about Fsmes and Fismette is
given in addenda. The whole narrative Is a
personal one, very Informally written from let
ters and notes in a diary, without propaganda
intent, without much comment on facts or
iraV ViY0 0f from 7oo
tic drawings of Lyle Justis are often ev"n more