Evening star., 1936-04-04

part Of q series Of photographed
studies.
It is a small book, devoted, with
the exception of q few sentences, to
the history Of its authors work In
psycho-analysis. There Is almost
nothing personal in 1t. 1t Is interest
ing and, whether you invest heavily
in the Freudian theories or not. so
much labor as their formation repre-
sents must be respected.
Yet. in this work. even more mark
edly than in the detailed expositions,
are to be found those strangely OBJ
vious fallacies which appertain to
The specialists point Of view. Freud
himself, one feels as one reads. has
been cropping. and not always certain
Of what he was cropping for. An
exact scientist by temperament, he
attempted to apply exactitude to the
most evanescent commodity in the
world-the human entity. His search
ings took him into religion, anthro-
pology. physiology. psychology and
even other fields. always with his yard
stick in his hand. He admits that
his work is still far from complete.
but he says that he has gathered q
body Of facts SUFFICIENT to justify it.
MR.. THEOBALD'S DEVIL. BY Anna
Gordon Keown. New York: William
Morrow & Co.
THE whimsical novel is too often at
= tempted and too infrequently
brought of. as all reviewers know to
their occasional minor sorrow. How
ever. the present work Is not one OF the
ones which will reopen that particular
cause Of grief. 1t does attempt to be
whimsical; it does not attempt to be
anything else. But, by its authors
rare discretion, 1t succeeds in its aim
to admiration.
Mr.. Theobalds Devil reminds one
Of nothing so much as the late deeply
lamented Thorne Smiths unclassitiable
fiction genre. 1t does not have the
dangerous edge which his works dis
played, but so wisely forbore to use. 1t
does have, however, his spirit Of ire
sponsibility and puckish revolt against
stodginess. It is the story of a benign
but inarticulate English person who
knows, quietly but positively. that he Is
plagued by the Horny One. His enemy
assails him in devious ways-sometimes
by nothing more uncanny than attacks
Of melancholy, at others by actually
appearing, crouched on the eccles!asti-
cal shoulder in the likeness OF q
bumped and sable imp.
The story is Of the parsons gradual
change Of tactics. from bearing his
persecution In q spirit Of patience to
open revolt. The book Is q minor thing,
but wholly delightful.
AMERICAN SOLDIERS ALSO
FOUGHT. BY Gen. r. L. Bullard
and Earl Reeves. New York: Long
mans Green and Co.
IN THIS colloQuial and indignant
= book, Gen. Bullard aims constant
shafts at the idea-which ne seems
to believe commonly held - that
American soldiers were little in the
serious fighting in the World War and
that they had not much to do with
winning the conflict. He is plainly
very angry about it and his book is
almost wholly q description. engage
ment by engagement, Of the part
played by our troops and an elucida-
ton, in each case, Of the indispensable
character Of their action.
In as much as one has seldom heard
that action decried, one cannot believe
that the tendency to discredit Ameri-
can soldiers has reached the dangerous
proportions which the general seems to
fear. While his book Is interesting,
from the standpoint of giving the
reader colorful accounts Of famous bat
ties. 1t suffers somewhat by this con-
tentious spirit and the occasional jibes
at the soldiers Of other countries.
Somehow, it does not seem to be quite
the happiest way In which to remem-
Der an alliance which II past One
cannot hahn regrettinR that ASPECT Of II,