Evening star., 1937-10-06
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
BY MARGARET CERMOND.
THE WINDING ROAD UNFOLDS. By
Thomas Suthren Hope. New York:
G. P. Putnam'S Sons.

1917 in response to the irresistible urge
OF man to take up arms for his country
He was one OF the countless number of
lads under military age who feared that
tate might never again afford them an
opportunity to participate in an ad-
venture which the warriors of the Middle
AgeS-and those of even later times
looked upon as the most glorious ex-
perlence OF man. It is the way of youth
to be thrilled by the fireside reminis-
cences Of fathers and grandfathers who
were acquainted with war, to forget the
word-pictures of battered mutilated hu-
man beings and to be inspired by tales of
the glory of conquest. Jock, the young
Scots private whose story is told in these
pages, was sixteen years old when he
volunteered and passed muster without
onicial discovery of his true age
The sincerity Of the spirit of high
courage and adventure which led these
lads to volunteer-just as it has led the
under-aged since the dawn of war his
tory to join their elders on the field of
battle-is evident in these few lines from
the diary which Jock kept and upon
which the recolections so simply and
forcefully told are based:
July 20, 1917, Ypres Arrived at
Ypres, the Mecca of all good soldiers"
July %, Ypres. Still at the ramparts
Ypres, and thoroughly enjoying myself
Lucky to be with Mac and the boys. It's
all so exciting. An Australian division
next door to U.s."
July 80, Ypres. Potidjhe dugout. To-
morrow is the great day. Feeling fine
and looking forward to going over.
Weather very hot"
1t was fifteen days later when Jock
again made note in his diary. And
in those fifteen days he had received his
baptism in the ghaStly business of war
Fifteen days in the Ypres salient had
wiped out illusions about the glory of
experience on the battlefield. He had
seen the CLASSY, staring eyes of dead
companions; the CURIOUS Jerks" of the
limbs OF fellow soldiers caught in wire
entanglements and slaughtered by Boche
machine guns; the outlined details of
head battered in by a rifle butt; the
peculiar stumbling of wounded men,"
and he had felt the splash of cold blood
from the bodies of dead Germans placed
on the edge of shell hole to give better
protection to those within.
Five months is for the most part but
negligible span of time as life Is
measured in world at peace. The
same span in the life of soldier in the
Great War was measureless Years.
generations, centuries were lived in the
endless horrors of the trenches. Jour-
ney's End" "All Quiet on the Western
Front" What Price Glory?" and a host
OF other war books have told the story.
and still it is without end Savage is
the Indictment not only of war but of
stateSmanship-or lack of it-that was
powerless to prevent four years of use
less slaughter, vet what has the world
gained by knowledge of the futility of
that costly experience? The same lust
for power and blood is today being
satisfied in several parts of the world
and craftsmanship once more is prov
ing itself unwilling or unable to do any,
thing about it.
Perhaps the experiences suffered by
such noble lads as Jock are not regarded
as important in the conduct of rela-
tlonshlps between nations. Perhaps a
lad who served only five months before
being wounded and sent home when his
age was discovered is not supposed to be
able to tell the horrible story of war.
But perhaps some day statesmen will
discover the fact that the plain citizenry
OF civilized nations has become en-
llghtened through the books of men
who have stripped war of its glory and
presented it in all Of it's naked, ruthless
brutality.
This book may be in sense Just
another war story. 1t is good one
nevertheless, and will bear serious read
ing.
X
| 1TTwTT nTXTE DEyyrr n.
Babcock. New York: Arcadia House.
Billy Camelton, the heroine of this
rather charming novel, is a wealthy
Southern girl, an orphan and the pride
and terror of three aunts to whom the
traditions OF name, family and ladyhood
are sacred Their lives revolve around
tnis capriclous niece, whose safe and
suitable marriage is the goal they hope
to reach as quickly as possible after she
returns from school. That Billy might
have other ideas has not entered into
their calculations, for the very good
reason that young ladies of her social
status are not supposed to have ideas.
unfortunately for the dear aunts,
Billy has a number of ideas and not
one OF them includes marriage Shocked
by her audacity and awed by her beauty,
Aunt Nan sends for the bishop-the
bishop and bottle of smelling salts
constituting first aid for all of her ills.
The result is that the bishop. a
chaperon and host of eligible suitors
are engaged to iron the independence
out OF Billy's character and turn her
into model wife.
A grand debut party is arranged and
an OF the eligibles are in attendance.
But two invitations have been answered
with regrets To Billy the most impor-
tant person in the world is Jane Bierce
her schoolmate and dearly loved friend.
Jane Is not able to come to the party.
and neither is her distinguished brother.
But as gesture of friendship BILLY has
never seen him and heartily dislikes
him) he sends unique Egyptian stone.
the ancient emblem of immortality. 1t
is set IN silver ring, especially FASH
ioned for it, and Billy is advised to know
that it is a token that will enable her
to recognize the Immortality of love.
The party and the schemes of aunts
and bishop fail, of course, and then
Billy bestows her affection on an Armv
onicer. The course of love runs smoothly
and the date for the wedding is about
to be set. Then things happen which
open Bllly's eyes to the truth. Fear
lessly and with complete honesty she
faces her problem and handles it in her
own way.
A postponed visit to Jane in New York
aHordS an opportunity for the reas-
sembling OF her naturally abundant re-