Evening star., 1936-08-08

preaching and the shouts Of the Boxer
soldiery, clamoring to kill. Without
moments hesitation she Went out to
meet them and stood alone, at the top
of short flight of steps. her slight
figure in its embroidered robes showing
in strong relief against the darkness
Of the doors that were open behind.
BY that time the courtyard was
swarming with armed men, filled with
the lust of animals who have tasted
blood.
The Empress looked down upon
them, and her steady gaze met that
Of Prince Tuan, whose jaw dropped
and whose knees shook beneath him.
He had always been afraid of the
Old Buddha. Then she began to
speak
"She did not raise her voice; she
did not bluster or threaten. Her words
betrayed no fear and no anger, only
an icy measureless disdain She
bade them depart and refrain from
ever again entering the palace pre-
cincts except when summoned to her
presence on duty. But they would
first PROSTATE themselves and ask his
majesty's pardon for their insolent
behavior Qor she ruled as regent
only. As a slight punishment for
their offenses, she further commanded
that the princes be mulcted Of
years allowances. As to the Boxer
chiefs who had dared to create this
uproar in her hearing, they should be
decapitated on the spot. ct was
done)
"At this point she looked around
toward the eunuchs signed to
them to fetch the guards from the
outer gates Then the empress
turned and passed back through the
doors whence she had come The
princes, who had borne themselves
with so much pride few moments
before, slunk away without a word.
Gin that brief imperious speech
from the courtyard steps breathed the
voice of old Asiatic conquerors; of
Genghis Kahn, of Kublai and of
Tamerlane.
Tzu-Hsi calmly ordering a eunuch
who had irritated her, to be beaten
to death, Tzu-Hsi commanding that
the Emperors favorite concubine be
thrown down a well because she nois-
lily wept at being refused permission
to accompany him when he fled from
his capital-Victoria singing senti-
mental duets with her husband and
blushing with naive pride at the ap-
plause Of her courtiers, Victoria Or
dering the multitudinous Albert mar.
bles and writing her gushing effusive
letters and journal-there is a Diff
ference between the royal ladies, GER
tainly.
But there is a likeness, too Tzu-
Hsi weeping alone in her beloved pal
ace garden, when she realized that
Russia had no intention Of withdraw
ing from NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., old
and weary, thanking her God that
the lot Of her people was ameliorated
by her long labors and seeking rest
there Is likeness in those pictures.
The two books are sufficiently alike
In treatment to point the similarity
with drama. The reviewer suggests,
again, that they be read together
As commentary on dead ladies, they
are well paired.
THE BIG MONEY. BY John Dos
Passos. New York: Harcourt Brace
& Co.
WE HAVE here a novel interpreting
w the late twenties, from the hand
Of an author who, IN that vanished
hey-day of glitter, was one of the
times ornaments. For Dr. Dos Passos
to interpret the twenties indeed is
very much as If the twenties had
spoken for themselves, so closely was
he allied to the spirit Of that day.
Among the Bright Young Men Of the
third decade (and about every other
one was Bright them he had achieved
conspicuous stature. He used indeed
to be acclaimed as one of the spirits
Of the age. How, then, does his work
stand up, when he attempts to tell
about the time to which he so pecul-
iarly belonged?
How? The answer Is that most dis
heartening one in the world-it simply
does not matter. "The Big Money" Is
q clever piece Of work, abounding In
writer's tricks of the artier persuasion.
It will probably be praised. But what
it tells us is not of itself interesting
and more and the over -brutalized
manner Of writing-once 50 exciting
now provokes nothing more pro-
found than irritation. The twenties
are dead. Until we achieve q per-
spective long enough to permit their
depth as well as their surface to be
studied we gain little by repeating
that the post war period" was hectic
and absurd. We already know that
ad nauseum. We would like to for
get it.
MI. Dos Passos In this work tells