Evening star., 1937-06-12

Author OF "ThieDeS Like U.s."
Mr.. Anderson 1Dul be remem-
bered as the author of "Hun-
CRY Men," Which Don the Dou-
bleddy Doran Story Magazine
$1,000 prize contest. (F. A..
StOkeS.)
by George VS. perfect exemplariness-
and left to fall heavily on the head
of the young ruler who 80 hated
"hunbug," as Mr.. Martin says, that
he not, or would not play up to
a role which he knew was essentially
false It WAS his misfortune, not that
he loved a commoner, but that he
loved like q man. That was too
completely contrary to decades of
tradition, says Mr. Martin. The people
could not revamp their thinking
quickly enough to take In 50 new 4
notion.
That Edward has done the inst-
tuition OF kingship in England q
service by his personal misfortune
may perhaps be discovered. says this
author. It is high time, he feels, that
the British debunk their minds where
the monarchy is concerned. III they
cannot be sensible about monarchy"
he declares, they had better have Z
republic and try to be sensible about
. president" He closes with q quota
ton from Lord Ponsonby appropos
OF the abdication:
The rivets Of the halo have
loosened on the Crown. II We want
to keep the Crown, let US finally
dispense With the halo"
The book is intelligent reading, and
should be acquired by those who have
been following works written on the
subject.
THE GAUDY EMPIRE. BY Alfred
Neunann. Translated from the
German by Eden and Cedar Paul
New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
IN THIS book Herr Neumann seems
to have done for the Second French
Empire very much the same thing as
Philip Guedalla did for the past CEN
tury in his The Hundred Years"
That is to say, Herr Neumann has
made the history OF . period his hero.
He has dramatized the very movement
H that history, Subordinating men to
historical development, showing events
themselves as pittfu and instgnificant,
but productive tn their combination Of
= pattern that has immense signif-
cance. His book Is irunical and witty.
It can be read with pleasure by the
intelligent.
It Is, one ought to say, perhaps, .
novel. But its accomplishment Is an
analysis Of time and not Of people.
The Second Empire Is the hero, and
even the Emperor y subordinate to
that central interest.
The work begins early in the reign
Of that Napoleon who was to be
known as "Augustulus" and 1.-The
pinchbeck," and carries on until his
abdication and death. Morny, Roche
fort. Eugene, Cavour, Maximilian-
they are all bits of Herr Neuman's
mosaic, but none Of them receives en-
phaSis much beyond another. There
is in this authors contemptuous esti-
mate OF mankind . marked reminder
of Anatole France, but, being q Ger
man, Herr Neumann has Z radically
different method OF expressing his
scorn. Instead OF climbing 4 high
peak OF detachment and looking down
With the advantage OF altitude to give
him clarity. he moves into the very
midst OF his material, paints an in
nnitude OF detail. discusses q thousand
possibilities, pours into his pages the
fruits Of tremendous research, and
sometimes seems to lose his way Alto
gether in the richness Of his learning
But he holds to his pattern, as the
reader who perseveres will see.
Substantially. his pattern show,
that the experiment in empire made
by Louis Napoleon WAS no more than
a dream, that 1t had its roots In q
dream-not a splendid one, but q
logged and somewhat drab one-end
that 1t lived by creating illusion and
perkhed in its 1rst hard shock against
realities. And, by inference, Herr
NeumAnn says-r will allow the phil
osophical reader to believe-all human
institutions are similarly subject to
mocking Interpretation.
The book Is one OF the very GOOD
things OF the year, in the reviewers
opinion. 1t cannot be recommended
TO the seeker for what Is known q,
hght reading" but then, the need,
OF that seeker are very well looked
after, as it is. II can be urged upon
the philosophical as worthy theil
attention.
The MIRACLE OF ENGLAND. B,
Andre Maurois. Translated from
the French by Hamish Miles. New
York: Harper Bros.
THIS book has been on the best cell.
ing lists Of certain OF the citv',
book shops now for some weeks. Blu,
that, perhaps, is to be expected O,
any work by the ingenious NJ Andr,
Mauron. NJ Maurois has long sine,
contracted the best-selling habit; h.
refuses indeed to write anything bu
best sellers. He has already acouainte<
the population OF English speaking
America with the fascination OF tn,
careers OF Byron and Shelley; he. ltk,
more than one predecessor, has mad.
excellent copy out OF the romantic fie
ure OF Lord BeaconSfeld. And nov
coronation year being At hand, h
takes up the whole English nation 70
us. 1t seems indeed to be q sort o
international week, from the book re
viewing angle; confronting US We hav
| . German novelist estimating q perio.
Of French history. an English novels
and playwright interpreting our ov,
land for our better understanding
and . French essayist and biographe
furnishing us With q history Of tn
English race and government. Ho,
these Interpreters DO get around, to b