Evening star., 1937-09-04

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The story, indeed, might be incom-
prehensible to the average reader il
it were handled in any other way.
For it deals with financial transac-
tions OF highly complicated nature
and, II these were given precedence |
in interest over the men involved, the |
life Of the tale might easily he lost. |
But Mr.. Lyman, whose "reminiscences,
through his father, run back to the |
personalities OF the giants Of those
days, keeps human beings at all time |
in the forefront Of his narrative. And |
SO the story Of the exploitation of |
the great gold mine, the building up |
and breaking Of the Bank of Cali |
fornia and the pushing through Of the |
Sutro Tunnel, as he gives it to us,
is story of men playing vast game |
with stakes of unimaginable wealth |
and power.
Falston is the hero OF mis- story, |
Sharon is the villain. Ralston was
the man who put his faith in the |
great lode and brought all the re-
sources of his bank to bolster it UP
to the end that the gold might flow |
down into his beloved city, San Fran
cisco, and make it spot OF un-
equaled prosperity and beauty.
Sharon, embittered by loss in Com
stock stock, swore to be revenged.
The Vaccinations of these men, as
they tossed about millions-and hun
dreds of millions-reads like the story
OF gods at play.
dozen incidents of Ralstons fam
tastlc visionary quality are pictur-
esquely told-how he built the Palace
Hotel, how he bought the princely
villa of Belmont, how he entertained |
there in the manner of a potentate, |
how he financed factories, mills and |
all manner Of ventures in order that
San Francisco should grow and -four
ish; and it makes a sort of Arabian
Nights entertainment in its details |
Of lavish spending. Along with this
goes the story of the tunnel which |
Sutro pushed under Sun Mountain
through an inferno Of heat, rock, gas
and spouting hot springs to bring
drainage to the Comstock when its
mines were flooded; also the story
cret vein and bought up stock enough
to change them from bartenders to
men of wealth overnight. Well, it is
heroic tale.
Mr. Lyman tells it with no apologies
for his sentimental feeling. He knew
the men involved, or had heard their
stories from his childhood, he says,
until they had become part of his
private mythology And certainly there
is mythical quality about these ex-
ploits. The book is recommended as
a highly personal history Of an i'm
portant period.
400 MILLION CUSTOMERS BY Carl
Grow. New York: Harper g. Bros.
THIS is the "reminiscences Of an
American business man who spent
many years in trade with China. AS
such it is remindful of a work which
came out late last year, China Hand"
Both books tell Of the experiences into
which Western business men 60 when
they endeavor to sell their goods to
John Chinaman. Both are, essentially,
examinations of Chinese psychology
as it relates to business and to for
eigners.
China Hand" was highly interest
ing book. So is the present one 1t is
little more than series of incidents
designed to illustrate points in the
Chinese mentality, but they are all
entertaining incidents and Mr. Grow
vii foh IL, VII ia |
was, he tells us, in an advertising
agency which had, for the large part
of its business, the accounts Of West
ern companies which were endea voring
to build up Chinese market. Thus
Mr.. Crow came into an acquaintance
with wide variety Of Chinese buyers.
He learned what the Oriental taste is
in cigarettes-and why. He learned
how Chinese women land mem feel
about the use of cosmetics He learned
OF the utter unsuitability Of the West
ern sales talk" for Chinese customers.
He learned about medicines, about the
Chinese capacity to turn to some use
every article, no matter how worthless
it may be from our viewpoint. He
1SoillCu a SIcdt uld1ly IIlluRS. |
He tells them here in an utterly un-
technical, completely human manner.
The work is not one to take up if you
are looking for informa ton about the
international political situation which
is now figuring in the headlines but it
will do excellently to I'LL an hour or
so Of entertainment. Line drawings BY
G. Sapojnikof illustrate the text and
are delicate and humorous.
THE FIRST REBEL. BY Neil H.
Swanson. New York: Far&r IL
Rinehart.
THE first American rebel against
British Colonial authority. accord
ing to Mr.. Neil H. Swanson, was not
one of those embattled farmers who
faced the royal troops at Lexington,
but a hitherto obscure Pennsylvania
named James Smith. James, says
Mr.. Swanson, faced the royal troops
year l765, which was 10 years before
the Revolution. To put the story
OF this first rebel before his latter
day compatriots is Mr.. Swanson,s
purpose in his present work.
The title of the story, however,
would seem to be little in excess
OF the facts which the narrative bears
out. James Smith did lead an action
against the Colonial troops of the
English King, to be sure. But it
was not an action which had sepa-
ration from the crown for its aims.
1t was what might be called a family
disagreement
AS Mr.. Swanson tells it, Smith lived
in group of settlements on the ex-
treme edge OF the Pennsylvania FROM
tier. Merchants in the East were
shipping guns West to sell to the In
dians. The settlers OF Smiths locality
objected to the trade. knowing that
they themselves probably would be
the targets which the savages would
select. When protests went unnoted