Evening star., 1935-01-20

some post which has the handling Of
much silver under the new revolu-
tionary government and will also fine
posts for his two cousins. Because ht
has not been able to shake off all the
traditional ideas of duty. Yuan &C.
cepts the obligation and secures 6
minor post with the new revolutionary
government in the south, where hi;
cousin, Meng, is now an officer. Al
the close of the story Yuan is still
uncertain of his future, lacking the
single-mindedness of Meng, realizing
that he belongs partly to the old and
partly to the new, but he has found
quiet happiness in his love for a
woman of his own kind. one to whom
the new freedom means not license
but the opportunity to work for the
good of their country. Because Pearl
Buck is a realist, the ending could
not be more conclusive, more definitely
optimistic. This volume, if not as
powerful in characters and scenes as
The Good Earth" still smaintains q
high level and is an adequate termina-
ton to the trilogy.
ANOTHER CAESAR, by Alfred Neu.
mann New York: Alfred A. Knopf
OUCH power and prestige as Napo.
~ leon III attained came to him a!
the nephew of the great Napoleon
who long after his death continued X
hypnotize the French people, anc
even that relationship was open tt
grave doubts. Louis Napoleon Bona
parte was the son of Hortense Beau
harnsis, stepdaughter of Napoleon
I, and legally, at least, also the Sor
of Napoleon's brother Louis. whom HI
had created King of Holland: bu
rumor, which Alfred Neumann accept!
in this historical novel of the life O.
Napoleon III, made him the son o.
Count Flahaut, natural son OF Talley
rand. So, if rumor was correct, thi
spectacular Emperor of France, whit
seized the throne by coup, was sup
ported because of the tradition o.
IN" and did his country much harm
was not even of the blood Of Napoleon
Alfred Neumann, who in his novel
The Devil" published in 1928, pro
duced a remarkably vivid picture o
Louis XII of France, his barber conf
dant Oliver lie Diable, and their who'll
period, that covered by Scott il
quentin Durward," has in "Anothe
Caesar" done a similar service fol
Napoleon II and France of the perioe
between the height of the power o
Napoleon I and the coup Of Decem
ber, 1851.
A series of dramatic pictures, partly
historical highly fictionized, throws
the story into the form of a pageant
The first are scenes between th
clever, fascinating Hortense and he
weak, resentful, only slightly deceived
husband. the unhappy King of Hol
land There is the final farewell II
Napoleon before st. Helena, WheI
Nine. Mere Gucrezia Bonaparte)
Hortense and her children, and Ma
Walewski are gathered at Malmalson
The flight of HortenSe, with Loui
Napoleon, to Italy and their return t.
Paris to beg for leniency from Loui!
Philippe, who had come to the throne
are described with great effectiveness
The death at the chateau of Are
nenberg on the Lake of Constance ot
the broken Hortense, showing no sign
of her early beauty, and the COO
mourning of her exiled son advance
the story another step. To the las
she prophesied that her son would b'
another conqueror, another Caesar
Many of the most revealing char
acter scenes are during the five years
Imprisonment of Louis Napoleon IL
the citadel of Ham, in the marshes o.
Picardy, where he was accompanied
by the faithful DR.. Conneau anc
visited by his former tutor, LIE Bas
who was actively engaged with Others
in plotting for his freedom and ele
vation to power.
Louis Napoleon had strange
genius for attracting to his person
and fortunes many devoted and OTTER
clever women, strange because he wa
not a man of strong and magnetic
personality. The English spy, Mis-!
Gordon, gave years to his service ant
finally committed suicide just as HI
was about to reach his goal. Tht
fashionable English cocotte, Liz!
Howard, poured out her money fol
his cause and was dropped with al
the others he did not need, when hi
hour arrived. Eleonore Vergeot, wht
was his mistress while he was in th'
fortress of Ham, Jared better thar
most OF the others, for he found 6
good husband for her. His cousin
Mathilde knew him, did not great.
respect him, yet aided him. TIL,
beautiful Eugene Teba, afterward th'
Empress Eugenie, comes only casual!
into this story, but enough for tn
recording of the jealousy which sh'
caused in the other women of hi!
coterie. His faithful tutor, Philipp'
LIE Bas, was placed on the list fol
arrest when the coup took place, be-
cause he had reproached Louis Ma
poleon for breaking his oath to sup
port the constitution, for betrayins
liberalism. Mr.. Neumann ends hi
narrative with the crossing of th'
Rubicon, the assumption of contro
Of the army, arrest OF all hostile OH
cials, and forcible dissolution of th'
Assembly. If Mr.. Neumann Is no
tired of his subject. he has abundan
material for another novel in tn,
history Of the reign Of Napoleon III