Evening star., 1938-05-29

DRY GUILLoTINE. Belbenoit.
Dutton.
WOMAN ON HORSEBACK.
Barrett Stokes.
MASTER KUNG. Grow. Harpers.
its predecessors. That is to say that II
is broad, brilliant and powerful-and
that it is a bitter sermon against war
throughout. Even as did Education
Before Verdun," it calls on its readers
to abhor the folly and waste of armed
conflict.
It tells the story of young German
officer whose virtues as soldier are
beyond question. but whose loyalty is
eventually shaken by the dishonesty
and chicanery of the high command
The young man then becomes Com
munist. That is the essence Of the
thing, but it contains an army of char
acters, winding ramifications too COM
plicated for a reviewer to trace. It is
splendidly if somewhat foridly done
Readers who have gone through the
preceding ones of the series should
have it, by all means.
MY AUSTRIA. BY Kurt Schuschnigg
New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
THIS book by the last Chancellor OF
= Austria was begun in 1896. 1t was
completed only short while before the
Nazi coup which resulted in the Chan
cellor's resignation, arrest and i'm
prisonment. AS it is published, its
unhappy author is being held for trial
by Hitler's cohorts and, as Miss Doro-
thy Thompson says in her introduce
ton, there is a strong likelihood that
he will not survive the ordeal.
The book is Herr Schuschnigg' S
statement of the forces which have
struggled for control in Austria since
the fall of the empire in 1918. It is,
however, so POLITICALLY and emotionally
written that it does not tell much to
the reader. It shows its author to be
unquestionably man of lofty idealism
and one who has put concern for his
country's welfare above all other con-
siderations; every syllable of the work,
indeed, breathes an unmistakable sin
cerity. But beyond this expression Of
spirit it is vague. The author seems
to have known the forces and events
about which he writes so well that he
has expected his readers to understand
him with very little elucidation. The
reviewer, for her part, found herself
unable more than once to be sure Of
just what parties opposed what other
ones. This type of confusion seems to
be common to the work, which must be
put down more as spiritual express
sion of its author than q matter-of-
fact history.
THE THOUGHT READING MA
CHINE. BY Andre Maurois. New
York: Harper and Brothers.
THIS is a light harmless little story
about a machine for reading the
unspoken thoughts of unsuspecting
human beings, and how the apparatus
almost wrecked the home life of a
young professor, and what happened
when the mechanism is groomed for
the general market. 1t is hardly more
ambitious a work than could be
planned by a smart undergraduate;
it ought to have been knocked out
by so practiced a writer as M. Maurois
inside month. However, it is anus
ing, in mild and predictable manner.
Its scene is in an American college,
whittier the young professor, French
man, has come as q visiting lecturer.
The machine device affords the au-
thor opportunity to write some satire
on American educational systems, but
it is satire of a very gentle variety.
On the whole, there is little to say
for the work except that it is readable
and entertaining. It seems a very
small thing to have come from man
of M. Maurois' great reputation-or,
on the other hand, does it? The re-
viewer has found him to be pretty
much of a clever opportunist in times
past. The present book, If you share
her viewpoint, would appear to be .
fairly accurate revelation of the in
genious Gaul's opinion Of American
reading perspicacity.
WHAT HATH A MAN? BY Sarah
Gertrude Millin. New York: Har-
per and Brothers.
THIS novel is highly moralistic
tale about a man who, in his
youth, admired the career Of the
great imperialist, Cecil Rhodes, even
to the point of naming his own son
for the hero; and who later came to
confusion because he could not recon-
cile imperialism with the doctrines
of religion and humanity. It is, in
truth, hardly more than q tract
against war and conquest, dressed out
with a handful of characters. The
reviewer found it impossible to be in
terested in work so made-to-order,
admirable though It's thesis Is. She
predicts that few readers will differ
with her opinion in the matter, too
A novel is novel, or it is not. This
one is not. And that Is about all
there is to say for it.
I LOST MY GIRLISH LAUGHTER.
BY Jane Allen. New York: Random
House.
THIS is one more Hollywood ex-
travaganza, q novel told in the
form Of letters purportedly written by
the secretary of q motion picture ex-
ecutive to various friends. clients and
acquaintances, telling the customary
story of headlong and fantastic pur-
suit Of fame by would-be performers
and writers, and Of waste and folly by
picture oficials. It is amusing and
readable, though nothing beyond that.
It can be recommended for the killing
of a dull hour. More than that, 1t
would seem to have little point or, for
that matter, intention.
MINGLED YARN. BY Willie Snow
Iky,rsSro NaVx, vork. The NRo ova{1-