Evening star., 1936-07-11
DISILLUSIONMENT TEMPERED
Outstanding Figure English Literature Today Comedies Pos
sbiity of Life With Dignity Georgia Woman's
First Novel Is Notable-Other Reviews

indeed sort of Becky Sharp. But
that Is not the case. Miss Mitchell
makes it painfully clear that it Is not
brains, but pure desire driven instinct
that guides Scarlet On her way. She
endows her with no other characters
tics than greedy desire-and beauty.
She gives her no wit: she does not al
humor. She has her marry three
times without achieving any emotional
level beyond that of dreaming school,
girl. She does not even permit her to
display any great intelligence in her
business affairs. but has her act rather
on hints overheard from masculine
conversation. Yet, from the sheer drive
Of her desire. she does succeed.
1t is an admirable job that this
young author has done, and evidence
of 1t is that, while she never spares
Scarlet, the reader will more often
than not find himself sympathizing
with her. Against the proud. frail
futility Of the Southern defeatists,
who cling to their ideals" after the
strength has gone out of them, Scar
let's brutally realistic behavior has a
tang of fundamental honesty. 1t is
she of course, who has to come to the
rescue of the idealists time and again,
but, while accepting her help, they still
gravely censure her for her "unlady-
like" ways and speak disapprovingly
about tainted money"
Her masculine foil is provided in the
character of the blockade runner,
Rhett Butler, who would have been as
strong and interesting a personality as
Scarlet herself had Miss Mitchell not
unfortunately fallen in love with him
about half way through the book and
tenderly romanticized him until his
original harsh outline is almost de-
stroyed.
Withal, she has done a fine piece of
work. Her style Is undistinguished;
she writes simple chronical, but con-
vincingly. She could have dispensed
with much detail without injuring her
story, but even with her 1000 pages
she Is seldom without interest. Her
account of the South in its darkest
days shows deep knowledge and study.
and her treatment of the reconstruc-
ton invaders Is admirably restrained
NEW YORK DISSECTED. BY Walt
Whitman. A sheaf of recently dis
covered newspaper articles by the
author of Leaves of Grass" In
PRODUCTION and notes by Emory Hol-
loway and Ralph Adimari. Illus
trated from old prints and photo
graphs. New York: Rockwell Will
son, Inc. Limited edition.
THIS highly entertaining volume
consists of a group of newspaper
articles which Walt Whitman wrote
about the sights and people of his IA
vorite city-New York-together with
collection of early reviews of Leaves
of Grass" and some contemporary imi-
tations of Waits poetic style. The edi-
ton is limited to $50 copies.
The newspaper articles are divided
in two groups. There Is series of
six pieces published in Life Illustrated
of 1885, and q second group of four
which appeared in New York period
icals at about the same time. The
subjects are much the same as those
which occupy columnists today.
We have Walt writing about the
bunco-steering Of strangers in the
town, about the opera, about the per-
sonages to be seen in the Broadway
parade, about the circus and the
Christmas services at Grace Church.
We have him, in short as the Odd Nc
Intyre Of his day. The pieces were
written after the first edition of
Leaves of Grass" had come out. but
the sales of poems had not been great,
and Walt still did journalistic jobs to
earn a living.
He writes in an entertaining vein
He: reminds one Of Irving in his note
book mood. His pieces are compact,
neat and clever. They correspond
closely to passages from Leaves of
Grass" at times, and occasionally give
vent to the poets personal biases in q
way denied to journalists today. There
is nothing very important about them.
however. Their only interest today
would lie in the fact that Walt Whit
man wrote them.
The reviews of Leaves Of Grass"
are Interestingly tolerant. Some Of the
periodicals, to be sure, did assault the
volume on the grounds of impropriety,
but for the most part the critics ex-
pressed themselves as interested, but
puzzled. 1t was the English Westmin-
ster Review which was most vitriolic
against the work, while an American
woman, Fanny Fern MRS. James Par
toni, wrote most enthusiastically about
it. The present book reprints these
old notices, together with advertise
ments by Waits publishers.
WASHINGTON AND HIS AIDES DE
CAMP. BY Emily Stone Whiteley.
New York: The Macmillan Co.
THIS book. called by its author
"footnote to history" is one Of
those minor but human documents
which, in an unobtrusive way, often
throw valuable light on the personali-
ties of those whom fame has brought
close to illustrious non-entity. 1t
Is the story Of the men who were
aides and secretaries TO- Washington
during the eight years of the Revolu-
ton, told with the human values
paramount. To read the successive
chapters Is to be aware Of our early
leaders as men, gay, young and some
times troublesome-an6 not Just as
storybook heroes.
The work takes the reader through
the major battles of the war. into
Washington's headquarters and with
Il Brief Re