Evening star., 1937-05-15

matter Is no material for criticism
does that need to be stated? It is quite
possible that Mr.. Weidman might
make real novel about his ghastly
little beast if he were to learn to use
a style that is not cheaply facile, an
irony that is trif1e more delicate than
the fall of a granite monument and
would take time to endow his work
with some depth and variety. AS it is,
he has produced only a portrait, as
has been said. 1t is good. and in less
than 400 pages it is repeated 5000
times.
FLOOD LIGHT ON EUROPE. BY
Felix Wilmer. New York:
Charles Scribners Sons.
THIS book. subtitled "A Guide to
the Next War" is one OF those
surveys of conditions in Europe which
have come out in great numbers in
the past year 1T is. however, more
detailed than most works of similar
nature; it is not only concerned with
politics, but with race. population,
natural resources, exports and i'm
ports. Also it offers the reader the
additional enlightenment of an out
line Of the history Of each country
under discussion. It combines, there
fore, somewhat the features of an
atlas, history text and political
manual. 1t is largely factual; 1t deals
but little in the drawing of conclu-
sions. The author seems to feel that
his title-or his subtitle-is signif-
cant enough Of those. That there
should be more than dozen nations
and several dozen racial groups cher
ishing divergent aims In restricted
territory Is in Itself, apparently, to
his mind, indicative OF what is to
come. He is occupied simply in show
ing what these divergent aims are
and by what steps they have come
to be important to the governments
which hold them. The book is i'm
mensely informative, but unfortun-
ately dry In style. An exception to
this latter condition which should be
mentioned, however, is the section on
Spain. That is richly interesting.
GENTLEMEN FROM ENGLAND. BY
Maud and Delos Lovelace. New
York: The Macmillan Co.
THIS is pleasant little novel about
the life lived by the members OF
an English colony which settled in
Northern Minnesota shortly after the
Civil War. The gentlemen from
England" have been badly persuaded
to buy estates there by a sharp Yankee
land agent. They pay five pounds the
acre, when the true price is one.
But, having arrived, they decide to
make the best of it. They build in
English style, they ride to the hounds,
they give hunt balls and in every way
they can maintain the traditions of
their class. One, Richard Chalmers,
hero of the tale, becomes involved
in love affairs and scandals Event.
ually the air clears, however, and
Richard finds himself. That Is all,
but it makes unexceptionally pleas
ant reading.
MARA. BY Stoyan Christowe New
York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co.
MARA is a story of the Macedonian
revolt against Turkey. In effect,
1t portrays two themes, the passion
for life and fecundity as exemplified
by Mara, the mother, and the passion
for freedom as exemplified by Paul,
the son; and the futility of both.
Told in quiet, unhurried manner,
with here and there a conscious at
tempt at stylistic effect, the story car
ries one along to the inevitable end In
spite Of q halting plot at times.
Mara is the peasant widow Of q
Macedonian rebel and hero. In spite
Of her attempts to raise her son Paul.
with a love of the soil and of propa-
cation and with no knowledge OF
revolt, Paul early becomes implicated
in the Macedonian revolution. Neither
home, nor mother, nor wife can keep
him out Of the revolutionary plots and
counterplots. With group of young
rebels known as the "Boatmen," he
engages in conspiracy to blow up
two Of the PRINCIPAL banks and many