Evening star., 1934-09-29
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY SARAH C. BOWERNAN.

INVINCIBLE LOUISA. The Story OF
the Author of Little Women. BY
Cornelia Meigs. Boston: Little,
Brown &c Co.
Louisa May Alcott, author beloved
by girls Of generation and two
generations ago, put much of her
personal life into her best and most
popular novel, Little Women" Her
career was not an eventful one, ex-
cept in the field of intellect, and she
was obliged to alter its facts in shap-
ing the destiny of 10. who represented
herself in Little Women" Neither
Louisa Alcott nor her sister May, rep
resented by Amy in Little Women"
ever married, but publisher and
readers demanded matrimony as the
proper ending for story. so Laurie
was created for Amy and Prof. Bhaer
for 10. In this biography, written for
young people, Miss Meigs Specuiates
on the origin OF the kindly professor
with the German accent: Where.
every one has wondered for all 'hese
years, where did Louisa find the model
Tor Prof. Bhaer? Is he the ideal COM
bination of qualities which she thought
might, possibly, have touched her own
heart? 1t may be. There is a little
Of her father i'll that good Mr.. Bhaer,
very little; there is a trace of Mr.
Emerson in his high principles and
his advice to wayWard 10. There is
| also something Of Louisas more dis
family idealized hero, Goethe, in his
Germanic makeup
Louisa Alcott was born in German
town. Pa, not in Massachusetts as is
81 often assumed. and on the cold
November day of her arrival her
lather, the eccentric scholar, Bronson
Alcott. collected some Of the neighbor
children for first view of the red
and vigorous new baby Before she
Was fairly out Of babyhood, Bronson
Alcott moved his family to Boston,
and there and in Concord the re-
malnder OF LouiSs's life was spent.
Always an impractical dreamer, a
philosopher and teacher, Bronson Al
colt firmly believed that God would
provide for him and his family. Tie
place of God was taken in this respect
by friends for many years, until
Louisa, through her stories. brought
| q measure of prosperity and security
to the family. Story writing and barn
acting began In her childhood in the
Concord home. Her irregular educa-
ton was conducted by her father and
she herself taught some Of the chill
dren Of the neighborhood. Including
Emerson's daughter. During the Civil
War she nursed Union soldiers in a
Georgetown hospital. In 1865 she went
10 Europe as companion to an inV3lid
girl and there had some Of the ex-
periences described as Amys in Lit
tie Women" and at Vevey met the
Polish boy. Ladislas Wisniewski, who
was the original Of Laurie Her writ
| ing her family her friends consti-
tuted her life. She died in 1888, at
the age OF S. two days after the
death Of her father. This biography
by Miss Meigs. which was awarded
the John Newbery Medal for 1894,
for the most distinguished contribu-
tion to American literature f)r chill
dren,' is written with something Of
the old-fashioned charm of Little
Women" Dates are supplied by a
good chronology.
THE TRIUMPH OF AN IDEA. The
story of Henry Ford. BY Ralph
H Graves. Garden City: Double
day, Doran d. Co.
In the history Of American wizardry
| Henry Ford's chapter is an important
one. Half a century ago he noticed
a ContriVance. invented by q German