Evening star., 1936-11-07

Child" was . much better book than
his present one.
1t Is u fantastic, almost Juvenile
thing that would not be considered
worthy Of serious review II 1t were
not for the authors past work. 1t
tells the story Of q young girls efforts
10 escape q cruel guardian and her
assistance by kindly old professor
and = handsome young doctor 1t
has charm. Oh, yes. Herr Fallada
wrote 1t and so it certainly does have
charm. But it is charm rather on
the order of that presented by q pine
apple soda-sweet and frothy. The
depressing fact Is, of course, that the
world creates moods when nothing
but pineapple soda will suffice, moth
ing under heaven. Herr Fallada no
doubt has his place, in q universe
notoriously well-ordered.
THE KAISER AND ENGLISH RELA-
TIONS. BY Z. F. Benson. New
York: Longmans, Green & Co.
THAT famous trouble between Ger
many and England. which cul-
minated in the World War, was, II
we are TO believe Mr.. Benson In his
present study Of the question, almost
entirely the result of one mans
clouded ego, that man being the
former Kaiser, Wilhelm II. For Will
helm felt toward England, says Mr..
Benson, . passionate envy and q de-
sire Of such devouring strength that
all other objectives Of his reign were
subordinate matters to him.
While this has been said before,
and while 1t was sufficiently made
plain by history. no one yet has made
q more penetrating personal study Of
the reasons back Of this desirous
hatred than Mr.. Benson gives us In
his present book. Going back to the
days of Wlhelm's earliest training, he
investigates the influences which were
brought TO bear Oh him. one by one,
10 see what there was that accounts
for the bitter emotionalism of the
rulers anti English sentiment. For
1t needed to be, says Mr.. Benson,
something more personal than mere
imperialistic policy. The former
Kaiser's expressions on the subject of
England wge inevitably emotional
and, as the emotion was one which
suf1iced tosAurn world history, Mr..
Benson deems it worthy Of close and
curious study.
His conclusion Is that the Kaiser's
English relatives, his mother, who was
Queen Victorias daughter; his uncle.
who was King Edward VII, and Vic
toria herself, early aroused In him q
sense of inferiority; that the dominant
position of England in the years pre-
ceding the war prevented him from
taking the important part in inter-
national relations which would have
soOthed his wounded vanity. so that,
at last, his only possible expression of
his pent-up resentment was war. and
that . war which should humiliate
England-the English nation-as he.
man and sovereign. had been hui
inflated by the English ruling family.
The thesis is perhaps not surpris-
ing, except in its simplicity. It is
worked out with great completeness
and substantiated by an impressive
number of state and private papers.
The book has that beauty of clear and
flowing prose which one expects from
Mr.. Benson and Is eminently worth
reading
CANARY. BY Gustav Eckstein. New
York: Harper Ss Bros.
THAT delightful writer. Gustav Eek
stein, gives us here compilation
OF chapters on the life Of the birds
which he las already made famous.
Readers Of Harpef's Magazine In past
years hardly win have forgotten them
the canaries who, shared Mr.. Eek
STEMS bed and board and won from
him sensitive and fespectful study.