Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-08-21

| THE IMPORTANCE OF LIVING. |
Yutang Reynal & Hitchcock.
CHANGING THE SKYLINE. BY Paul
Starrett. New York: Whittlesey
House.
THE best kind of autobiography, as
the reviewer has remarked here
more than once, is the one in which
the author has real story. to tell.
judged by story standards, and brings
to the telling some kind Of expert
knowledge AS to why he should have
a real story to tell-the reason is
surely elf-evident AS to the expert
Observation-Disclosures the reason may
be, it is true that man who knows
anything thoroughly. from A to 2.
whether it be navigating undersea
boats or mule skinning, is a more
interesting talker on his subject than
a generally informed fellow-citizen is
on generalities. The combination OF
these excellences is to be found in
this book. Its author is probably
the foremost American builder-he
puU up, lOl 1lio AL oI ohyoSinPCk Jobi
the famous Flatiron Building of New
York City, and for the climax of his
career he put up the Empire State.
In between he built dozens Of famous
structures. 1t is evident, therefore,
that his life has been an interesting
one, and it is also evident that he
has expert knowledge in abundance.
He tells his story entirely in terms
of that knowledge. There is very little
information of a personal sort IN the
book, and what there Is serves mostly
to explain how it was that the author
happened to become a builder He
was the son of educated but poor
parents, he left school in his early
teens in order to help his family
financially, he worked as listing
clerk for 81 the week and as an
insurance clerk for IS and $40. He
was told that he would never amount
to anything because he was too off
fdent When, finally, he went to
work as a craftsman in a builders
firm, and found the work that claimed
him, his difIidence left him easily
enough BY the time he got around
to bidding on the Empire State he was
able to exchange plain talk with that
famous plain talker, former Gov.
Smith, and hold his own without
any trouble.
Washingtonians may be interested to
know that he built in their city the
New Willard. the Munsey and Star
Buildings. The story which he tells
of the New Willard is amusing. He
was asked one afternoon to prepare
an estimate by the afternoon of the
next day. with no more knowledge
of plans than a vague statement that
the owners wanted the hotel to be
about like the Raleigh" Proceeding
on this, he did make his estimate
and it was accepted, but he had some
very bad moments before the building
was completed, and not until then was
he sure that he was on the safe side
Of the ledger.
The financing of great buildings is,
of course, matter of importance,
and Mr.. Starrett takes some pages of
his book to discuss the methods of some
great 'expansionists." among whom he
worked for years. He was for a long
time with the George H. Fuller Co.
and later with the United States
Realty & Construction Co.. which
listed among its directors Charles
Schwab, Henry Morgenthau, Charles
Francis Adams. John w. cBetchaa
NHi11iN,.SN To
Cornelius Vanderbilt. He also dis
cusses the personalities of famous
architects with whom he worked, such
as Stanford White and Cass Gilbert;
he writes of labor unions and the
problems which they create for build
ers, and he gives a flock of good anec-
dotes concerning the men with whom
he has worked, from humble foremen
up to such eminences as the present
Postmaster General of the United
States.
1t will probably be matter Of sur
prise to the ordinary reader to learn
that one man has been responsible
for the erection of so many outstand-
ing structures. But Mr.. Starrett men
tons in his story, in addition to those
already named in New York. the
Pennsylvania Hotel. the Pennsylvania
Railroad Station, the New York Life
Insurance Building, the National City
Bank, the New York Times Building
and annex the Plaza Hotel and the
Macy Building; in Washington, in ad-
dition to the structures already named,
he built the Lincoln Memorial In
Cincinnati, Ottawa, Baltimore, New
ark, Buffalo, Toxic and Havana he
also put up prominent structures. In
Detroit he built part of the Ford plant.
OF all of this he writes with the in
imitable flavor of close knowledge. He
talks shop and, when a man has good
shop to talk, it is unquestionably the
best talk in the world.
It may amuse local readers to know
that The Star Building was one Of
the few jobs on which Mr.. starrett
lost money. It happened to be one
Of his first contracts. He places the
blame on his own lack of experience
and says that his loss would have been
greater had it not been for the under
standing attitude Of the buildings
owners.
IMAGES IN A MIRROR. BY sigrid
Undset. Translated from the Nor
wegian by Arthur G. Chatter. New
York: Alfred A. Knopf.
THIS Is, one of Mrs Undset's mod
ern romances. 1t tells of a woman
who gave up successful stage ca
reer to marry poor man, and who,
finding herself burdened with chill
dren and family cares, turned for a
moment toward love affair as a pos
sible escape. She did not take the
step which she contemplated. She
remained with her husband in her
sordid little home and with her teem-
ing noisy family.
Had an American writer of wifely
tales told this one, 1t u probable that
the experience would have led the