Evening star., 1938-10-09

Maurois, that deft catcher Of literary
markets, sensed the fashion year and
more ago. He came out then with his
history. Since that time, Sir Philip
Gibbs has written one or two books Of
eentlemanly lamentation. expressing
the sad state Of mind which must nee
essary belong in these days to 4
writer on whom the mantle of Kipling
once fell. Mr.. Beverly Nichols, from
enthusiasm over the Oxford move
ment. has gone to raptures over Eng
lish Fascism and has set down his new
vision in q recent work. Rex Weldon
Finn, too. has written q book in which
he explains the development of various
English heritages into the present. day
England. And 80 august an author IS
James Truslow Adams has only re-
Gently published first volume of his
tory Of the growth of the British Em-
pire.
But, with all this outpouring OF
words, no Leftist writer has, until now,
put in his due Interpretation of his
England. Such an Interpretation,
Notwithstanding, was to be expected:
the left-wing writer's are very seldom
slow In catching a popular subject; a
year or two ago, indeed, one OF them
wrote a life of Napoleon always a
saleable thing In which he set forth
the idea that the Corsican was In his
beginnings a champion of organized
labor and only fell from power by his
subsequent betrayal of his proletarian
friends. Well, here is the left wing
history Of England.
1t records the islands story through
the medium Of the rise of the masses
OF the people from 4 state of ignorance
and serfdom to the present. And that.
OF course. Is substantially the history
OF England, no matter from what party
viewpoint you look at 1t. 1t is q rise
however, which has been waqed
through the efforts of all classes. To
attempt to give 1t class interpreta-
ton. therefore, is to take = narrower
view OF the facts chan Is warranted.
The facts, however. are here. The
reviewer found the book to be interest,"
ing and full Of kind of material not
ordinarily encountered in national his
tories. 1t seems to her q good under
taking.
BOOK OF KINGS. BY Philip Freund.
New York: Pilgrim House.
Mr.. Philip Freund is strange young
writer who sometimes has shown an
unmistakable genius for expressing
subtleties in a manner of grave un-
derstatement. The reviewer remem-
oers his past work with pleasure. His
present book. a novel, is, however.
less meritorious. 1t is the story of a
family Of Germans who live In the
upper East Side district of New York
City and grow up and find places for
themselves according to their individu-
alities. And somehow it seems to tell
nothing beyond its own plot; that
other-Worldliness which has hereto
fore hung over Mr.. Freund's tales is
quite lacking from this work, And
the story In itself is not sufficiently
interesting to compensate for the ab-
sence OF quality. The reviewer is sorry
but this just seems to be an off-job.
Perhaps Mr.. Freund will redeem him
self In works to come He has shown
that he can create, even though here
he only reports.
A BANKING CENTENARY-BAR
CLAYS BANK dominion, CO.
lonial and overseas) 1s36-1s2s.
Barclays Bank ID. c. & o.. as 1t is
generally known, Is not Just 4 bank
ing institution in the ordinary sense
Controlled by the parent house, Bar
clays Bank, Ltd, the operations of
the group with its numerous affiliates
are now widely dispersed across two
hemlspheres and four continents. The
branch ofices in the West indies,
Guiana. the Mediterranean, Palestine,
Egypt, the Sudan. the African con-
tinent, America, Canada, France and
Italy, constitute important trading
posts Of the British Empire. This
narrative Of the development of this
banking empire is therefore an es-
sential part Of Great Britains CO.
lonial history.
In the period Of the banks exist
ence fall, among other momentous
events, the development Of the steam
ship, OF the railroad, the invention of
the telegraph. the birth Of oil. steel
and aluminium industries, electrical
Inventions. aeronautical discoveries
and the introduction of the factory
system OF manufacture which has
brought about such fateful changes in
our social structure. The manaeer:al
problems of human relationship in
volving thousands Of employees there
fore occupies the authors. It is stated
that large British institutions like
Barclays Invariably attempt, and not
lnfrequently achieve, the reooncilia-
ton OF liberty with authority"
The chapters about the banks his
tory in foreign countries make inter-
esting reading. Earthquakes and fires
are mentioned side by side with the
development Of the sugar industry.
Discussions about Egyptian currency
are interspersed with references to the
historical bombardment Of Alexandria
and the famous loan to His Highness
lsmail Pasha. Then there is the es-
tablishment Of branches in Palestine,
the penetration OF Africa. In the be-
ginning the Cape was merely "a sta
tion on the East, India Co.'S route"
and some time was to elapse before
Cecil Rhodes first set foot on South
African soil. Incidentally, his voyage
to Natal took him no less than 70
days.
The dimcult trading period Of the
World War is also treated. Subse-
quent incidents are stories almost of
our own day ''in which the Statute Of
Westminster and the ottowa Confer
ence may form convenient chapters
for the historians Of the future"