Evening star., 1937-06-19

to the publisher On time.
The last generation is this mans
son. Shelby ThrAll, who eoes through
the svolutions Of 4 Newspaper career
until, IN hts aos, the American dream
comes to LIE in him again. He UNDER
stands then what his father has bsen:
he resigns his Job and buys Z weekly
country Newspaper and picks up where
his parent left of. A. he puts It to his
wife. I'VE may starvs from now on
and you may have to beg in the streets
to support our child. But from now on
We are following that dream. I cant
explain 1t to you =" ."
No. It cannot be explained. Again,
like the people OF the ballad, it does
not talk. It survives in little inhabited
places. 1t joins no isms, pursues no
causes. reaches for no power. It Il IT.
self. Had exposition Of this dream been
attempted by undiscriminatins hands
1t would have been An ohscenity. But
Michael Foster has carried his attempt
of. He has undertaken an infinitely
delicate thing. with success. His book
l. memorable. One hopes that II viii
be remembered.
STAR BDoOITEN. by II. q. Wells.
New York: The viking Press.
THIS book has been advertised ~ .
return to Mr.. Wells earlier man.
ner. One hardly knew what to expect
OF that for Mr.. Wells has had several
earlier manners, but one hoped, op-
timistically, that there would be no
outer-planetary dallyins in . book 10
announced, since there was one time
in his career when this popular man
OF letters could take his cosmic rays
or leave them. Alas. the hope mis-
leads US. The present work indicates
that the marriage Of Wells to Cosmos
Is still felicitous. He is occupied here
IN visualixing better race and he
reaches out to Mars to hnd his source
Of inspiration.
Briefly. the book Is no more than
Mr.. Wells description Of what he
thinks an improved species would be.
He has done that before, but appar-
emily sees no reason why he should not
do 1t again. He uses new device this
time for introducing his bettered men;
they are to be produced by interven-
ton OF the Martians, who, Observing
life on our planet As we observe the
amoebA beneath the microscope, have
decided to introduce certain changes
In our breed. Acting on this plan, they
send cosmic rays earthward and the
rays so directed act upon the human
genes to produce superior offspring. He
does not present this As something
actually to occur, but ~ the idea Of
4 neurasthenic man of letters 1t leads
to much discussion among the neu-
rasthenic man Of letters friends, and
IN their mouths Mr.. Wells put his de-
scription Of future humanity.
Well 1t Is not particularly exciting.
The vision Of 4 better race IL about
what any rational person would en-
tertain. It might be 4 bit of oristnal
thinking If 1t came from the pen OF 4
bright college Junior. But 1t Is just
another volume when you think about
its author. Yes, just another volume.
Ine reviewer honestly can think OF
nothing more to say Of 1t than that.
And. OF course. that H. q. Wells wrote
1t. Who says 4 rose by any other name
would smell rs sweet?
GL1TTERING DEATH. By Joseph
Peyre. Translated from the French
by James Whitan. New York:
Random House.
THIS novel, which won the Con.
court Prize for 1885, IL a pure
romance, refreshinsly devoid of prob
lems. 1t Is the tragedy Of 4 bull
tighter. one who has achieved great
heights In his occupation 30 that he
Is called in Spanish journals - great
artist" and who falls under the domi.
nation OF q mercenary woman, enters
the ring when he L. unAt to fight and
Is killed. It IL told with allow, lucid
beauty and genuine tragic feeling.
While the theme Il essentially hui
man, 20 that the interest Of the reader
Will be in the emotions Of the hero
f1rst Of all, the author has drawn in,
With great realism, the world OF the
arena. The various hansers-on, the
language Of the sport, the promoters
honest and crooked, and above all
the public emotion ~ to the hght itself
ALI these are vividly alive In his
work. The hero, Ricardo, surprisingly
to American readers perhaps, Is shown
to be q sensitive man Of finely
tempered emotions, 70 paAsionately
devoted to perfection in his occupation
that the term artist" does not seem
an extravAgAnce when applied to
him. 1t is strange world, to our
public, very unlike that which sur
rounds any of our sports. But its
strangeness does not come between
the reader and the human theme; on
the contrary. 1t enhances 1t.
The novel Is recommended for its
beauty and the technical mastery
which its author ukes in developing
the classic tragedy form.
THE STRIKERS. BY Goetse Jeter.
New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co.
THE reviewers reaction on seeing the
= title Of this book WAS to sigh,
Another one!" There Is. however, q
certain difference between this book
and any Of the recent many which
have been poured out to catch the
public interest in labor troubles while
that interest still Is keen. The present
book 10 neither to the left nor to the
right. The author seems to feel that
strikes are 4 phenomenon coming from
an unrest that ID deeper than dissatis-
faction With wages or hours, that they
are 4 bad business for the workers
economically, but inevitable as an out
let for that same unrest, about which
he is unsatisfyingly vague. beyond his
assertion that 1t does exist.
His book makes all these points. 1t
shows the workers Of 4 shoe factory
in = small city led out to strike by the
promises extended to them by m op-
portunistic labor leader. It shows how
the majority of the men care little
about the "issues" held out to them BY