Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-11-06

tn1s nolTor Wn1cn gave 0nAl rising
point to the tale. It Is dimcult to
understand just why 1t has been
cut out. Better to have omitted the
story altogether than to have mutt
lated it to its injury mystery Of
censorship, clearly.
The other stories which seemed
top rank to the reviewer are The
Happiest Man on Earth" by Albert
Maltz, from Harper's: Johnny Pye
and the Fool Killer" by Stephen
Vincent Benet, from the Saturday
Evening Post: Man and Woman"
by Erskine Caldwell, from the New
Yorker, and The Amazing Mystery
OF Storick, Dorschi. Pflaumer. Inc.,"
by Daniel Fuchs, from Scribner's S.
Well-and perhaps THE Enemy"
by Caroline Gordon, from the
Southern Review, although this is
badly weakened by its unlikely
ending.
And As for silly ones-their brief
list Is IS follows: Always After
noon," by Nancy Hale. from Red
book. and The Fragile Bud" by
Robert Whitehead, from American
Prefaces. They are both the sort
Of thing which one Is used to seeing
In print, but why they should have
been singled out as representing the
best work Of the year is q dazzlingly
impenetrable mystery.
The jury, 1t may be said, was COM
mead ~ YW1tA ~
Marsh and Edward Weeks. And
the prizes were awarded in q man
ner which fiouts the Judgment Of
this reviewer utterly. Mr.. Stein
becks tale got no better than third
prize. while second prize went to Q
tale which does not appear among
the bests listed above-"Fire and
Cloud" by Richard Wright, from
Story. First prize, to be sure. went
to The Happiest Man on Earth"
Readers are free to treat these opin-
ions with that fine scorn which
every one reserves for dissension on
really vital matters.
THE SILVER FOX. BY Rene Han
sard. New York: William Nor
row, IL Co.
This Is . deliberately fantastic
novel in which the theme of the
reincarnation of individual identity
Is about equally mixed with q criti-
cism of national socialism in mod
ern Germany. It may sound like
q believe-it-or-not. but the fact is
that, Notwithstanding some obvious
weaknesses. 1t all makes q highly
entertaining book.
The reincarnation theme hangs
about the melancholy soul of Mary
Stuart, she who was called the
Queen Of the Scots. What q debt,
indeed, do authors owe to her SUI
ferings! This time her literary ap-
pearance Is In the person of q
young German madchen, who Is
reaching the towering time of her
youth in the early 1s30s. Her par
ents know this young woman as
Ursula, but she is, verify, Mary.
She has Mary's appearance and she
remembers her former life as queen.
More Importantly for the book, she
also remembers her death.
Coinciding with her return to
mortal life are the reincarnations Of
Boutwell, and Lexington. The for
mer is "an international spy; so
black . title describes the tradi-
tional villain without amplification;
the reader never knows what he is
spying on or for whom. But there
he is, still a bastard, logging the
poor Queen. The latter, who In his
tory was Mary's secretary, appears
as a mild Scotch man of letters,
still in love with his royal mistress
and satisfying his passion by devot-
Ing his life to research in her his
tory. The three meet and the old
drama Is played out once more,
even to the headman's Ak for Ursula.
As the plot has it, Ursula is de-
ceived by the modern version of
Boutwell, into assisting him, inno-
Gently, In his obscure labors at
espionage. Hitler's government dis
covers the plot and the Brown
Shirts swoop down for an arrest.
But Boutwell, has been warned and
has run away. leaving Ursula-or
Mary, II you wish-to take the pun
ishment. It being Nazi Germany,
the punishment is the block. Ursu-
las head is cut of. Lexington Tor
the mild Scotch writer) sees the
whole horrid business clearly, but,
by the weakness of his nature, is
unable to warn the lovely victim.
He mopes about in the background,
serving the novelist as 4 conven-
lent instrument of editorial com.
ment. It is only a novel for passing
reading, but it is done with 4 good
deal of effect.
The actual episode of the execu-
ton of beautiful young woman for
espionage would seem to rest on
events reported In the newspapers
As having taken place in Germany
since Hitler came to power. The
superstructure, however, must OBJ
viously be granted to be strictly
original. Probably the pathos of the
case Of the recent victim drew q
parallel in the authors mind with
that of Queen Mary. Be that as it
may, Mary Stuart trails her legend
once more through = writer's pages,
just Is >she will be doing, one is
reasonably sure, when the years
since her death shall have doubled
themselves. What the truth Of her
mind and heart was no amount Of
study can possibly show. But her
legend-ah, that is such stuff As
books are made of. It is doubtful
that any generation of authors will
neglect It Is long Is 1t survives in
human memory.
SOCIALISM ON THE DEFENs-
I'VE. BY Norman Thomas. New
York: Harper and Bros.
The interesting part Of this book
to most readers will probably lie
In its closing chapter, where Mr..
Thomas discusses the future Of
~ L.