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

Mrs. Undset commits no such banal-
ity. The woman is as beset as ever
when the book ends. but she has
learned one thing-that a new happi-
ness Is not to be had when one has
gone deeply into life along a certain
route. and that, though her marriage
is not the dream for which she hoped,
1t is the best thing which she can
expect.
The book, in short, Is q little essay
on time with his stealing step. It
Is wise and depressing, but it is not,
the reviewer Is obliged to say, par
ticularly interesting. The deariness
Of the characters Is too thick. Cne
sees their problems. but one cannot
care much what happens to them.
One feels that If one knew the woman
IN life, one would not fnd her a mem
orable person. Moreover, Mrs. Und-
set has cluttered up her tale with q
constantly running description of do
nestle duties-the woman sews, tends
the children, tends the home, shifts
the furniture and the like entirely too
much. The reviewer is obliged to
say that she vastly prefers Mrs. Und-
set in the heroic mood Gone domes-
tic she is still wise-but what a set
ting for her wisdom!
THE MOON Is FEMININE. BY Gle
mence Dane. Garden City: Dou-
bleday Doran & Co.
THE accomplished Miss Dane is in
her eerie mood In this new novel,
and she can be eerie about as grace
fully as any one of whom the reviewer
knows. She has set her scene In the
early 10Th century in the fashion,
able city of Bath; she has taken for
her hero Mr.. Henry Cope, who had
green blood in his veins, and for her
story his tragic love affair with beau
tiful Lady Molly Jessel, who, being an
artist. with an artists eye for color,
perceived the strange tint Of her
levers blood when all others merely
thought him delightfully."- eccentric
Henry has a green companion, a sea
gypsy who haunts him. and to break
the spell between them Lady Molly
goes herself to meet this creature of
the other world alone on the shore
at the full Of the moon. The next
morning she is found dead on the
sands, and Henry some time later leaps
from the cliff. 1t is the sea, tugging
back to her those who have her blood,
who has done this. 1t is Miss Glenn
ence Dane who gives the account grace
and consistency and saves 1t from the
perilous consequences Of its extreme
fragility.
PEACE WITH THE DICTAToRs?
BY Norman Angel. New York:
Harper Il Bros.
THIS book is a symposium, being a
partial record of series Of con-
versations held In London between
protagonists of the various dictator
ships and a group OF English defend
ers of democracy, with an American
occasionally putting In a word. The
work follows the plan of letting each
country's representative speak Of his
governments aims-the German ex-
plains national socialism. the Italian
fascism and the Englishman the par
liamentary system. 1t becomes abun-
dainty evident. from these spokesman.
that both relationships are preparing
for aggressive warfare. The question
then asked is whether the democratic
states should attempt to keep the
peace by conceding to the demands
Of the others or whether they in their
turn should take up weapons.
Mr.. Angel makes the answer that
there Is no remedy except in a de-
fensive alliance between all the DEM
ocratic countries. This agreement shall
bind all to defend any one of their
number which is attacked and shall
be open to the membership of any
nation which will meet its conditions
and obligations. The conditions are
that any disputes between members
shall be submitted to third party
judgment" and not be settled by re-
sort to arms. In other words, it is
the League of Nations once more, but
rebuilt to meet a new series of in
ternational issues.
To those who say that it sounds
remarkably like the old balance-of
power system Mr.. Angel replies that
had Germany known, IN 1914, that
she would have to fight the array Of
nations which came in against her she
would never have opened hostilities
The World War would have been
prevented, says Mr.. Angel, quoting
historians, if there had been a great
alliance against war in existence at
the time. BY creating such an alliance
now he hopes that the nations may
avert a second such catastrophe. The
dictators threaten, and he proposes to
meet them with greater threat.
Well, there may be something to
it. provided that the greater threat is
solid and sufficiently glowering
Neither dictatorship nation has shown
any spirit so far that is above the
level of the bully, and bully is al
ways amenable to kicks and blows.
out Stlll-bAlc League ASdluI MAYBE
they'd better give 1t a new name, Just
as Disgusting face litter.
I FOLLOW ST. PATRICK. By Oliver
st. John Gogarty. New York: Rey-
nal g. Hitchcock
THIS beautiful book is An attempt,
in mood at once reverent and
light, to follow the movements Of the
great saint of Ireland over his native
land. The author. with great learning
at his command, has gone about over
the island to every spot where St. Pat
rick is recorded as having been. and
has examined all accounts Of the
saints wanderings, with the end in
view that he should re-create his coun-
try's patrons life. The result is no
plain history, but a discursive, argu-
mentative and poetic series of essays
and meditations on Patrick's life,
labor of love, a beautifully written