Evening star., 1938-01-30
CHANG ROLE IN CHINA'S LIFE
Correspondents Book Shows Endless Confusion and Agony
Oriental Nation-Other Personalities in Current
Books-Fiction of the Army.

the life Of Its subject. It would seem
to be rather = history Of some IA
NOUS cases In which the same man
played the part Of defender than
q history Of that man. But as the
cases are interesting, even sensational,
and as tits = new thing to be able
to see . criminal trial through the
eyes of the defender, the book has its
special quality Of interest. The IA
nous figures Of the English bar in
recent years move through the pages,
and the story throws considerable
light on English court practice. 1t is
for these features, rather than for its
biographical matter, that the work
can be recommended. In those re-
spects. however, 1t stands Is an in
teresting thing.
WAR LOSSES TO A NEUTRAL. BY
Eugene staley. League Of Nations
Association.
ITO JUSTIFY the pressing need for
some clear-headed thinking about
the position Of the United States IS
neutral in the present Chinese
japanese conflict, Mr.. Staley, who is
assistant professor of international
economic relations At the Fletcher
School Of Law and Diplomacy, has
prepared this study Of the economic
costs of neutrality.
Although his conviction that the
United States should join In some
community action to punish aggressors
is clearly presented, he has attempted
to make this little pamphlet q strictly
unbiased weighing of the factors Of
neutrality. While he believes thav
some punitive action is necessary
against aggressors, MIR. Staley is con-
vinced that any attempt by the United
States to punish Japan would be ex-
tremely costly to this country.
He examines dispassionately three
classes Of policies: ND No positive re-
strictions on economic relations. ca
restrictions applied equally to China
and Japan; 90 restrictions applied
only to Japan as the aggressor (eco-
nomic sanctions). His conclusion is
that Japan lis quite vulnerable to
economic sanctions in the form OF a
withholding of raw materials supplies
and a refusal to take japanese ex-
ports, providing the sanctions were
applied unitedly and firmly over a
long period of time by number OF
countries, including above all the
United States, the British Empire and
the Netherlands"
Although he devotes the majority
of his book to examining the direct
economic costs of war to a neutral,
Mr.. Staley holds that the greatest
costs of war to neutral, and even
to the participants, are the indirect
costs of its disorganizing effect on
normal economic life and its misdi-
rection of energy and inventive ability
away from peaceful progress toward
the arts of war. From the point
of view of economic gain and loss, it
behooves neutrals to think OF how
their policies will affect the general
menace of war, even more than how
they will affect existing interests in
trade, investment and shipping"
c. B. M.
ACT OF GOD. F. Tennyson Jesse
New York: Greystone Press.
1T is rather hard to tell just what
= the theme of this book may be. Is
it dissertation on religion. is it on the
futility of life on the Riviera. is it to
expose the fallacies of Catholicism or
to glorify the integrity of one Catholic
priest? The story itself is very
simple one. A remorse-driven man
and an intelligent priest, drawn by
their common love Of ancient history,
are the best of friends in spite Of diff
ferences in religion and worldly view
points. A fool woman, cousin to the
man, commits the inane sacrilege of
impersonating the blessed virgin and
being accepted as modern miracle.
The acceptance of the miracle. its ef-
feet on the Provence town and some
of its inmates, and her final confession
and its effect on the priest. constitute
the story. The oxford Group. few
Lesbians, suicide and violent storm,
all seem dragged in by the heels to
make an interesting, If clumsy. plot.
r. r. T.
THE TESTAMENT OF CAL1BAN.
BY David Edstrom. New York:
Funk g. Wagnalls CO.
MO ONE can read David Edstrom's
life without being moved to COM
passion for human weakness. Strug-
Cling against his terrible desires in
attempt to become superman, Ed
strom set out to live the emotionless
life of stole and pondered the love
Of Sweet Jesus" The result was only
to intensity his passion and finally to
drive him to the depths Of depravity.
women, drink and dope. With his
clay figure, Defiant Lucifer," he rep
resented himself in his darkest mood.
At length his body broke under the
strain, tuberculosis took him and he
was forced to rest many weary months
in a sanatorium.
Edstrom's redeeming character was
his rare sculptural ability He had an
amazing lucidity Of mind, enabling
him to visualize in three dimensions
and in infinite detail q completed
sculpture before he 50 much as set
hands on the clay. He could execute
the entire masterpiece within few
hours after inspiration.
Early realizing his talent, he
bummed his way across half the