Evening star., 1938-03-06

Falls Scholarly
Will Book by Swedish

all ~ very important. And 1t might
be, too. But he does not make it
80. He is hardly more interesting
than his characters. in fact, and
that is putting the interest rating
very low.
MY EARS ARE BENT. BY Joseph
Mitchell. New York: Sheridan
House.
MR.. JOSEPH MITCHELL, an inter-
" viewer for the New York World
Telegram. knows lot Of interesting
people. He prefers anthropologists,
farmers, prostitutes. psychiatrists and
an occasional bartender. He likes least
the talk Of society women, industrial
leaders, authors, ministers, explorers.
moving picture actors and any actress
under the age of IS. Where politicians
stand he neglects to say, but his ex-
periences with them leave no doubt
that they are somewhere below the
latter category.
This book tells some of his adj
ventures in interviewing. and he is
able to speak without the limitations
imposed upon him when he is writing
for a family newspaper.
His subjects range from Nicholas
Murray Butler to Sally Rand, with q
liberal sprinkling of drunks, mari
huana smokers, voodoo ritualists, Bow
cry buns and revivalists.
A young girl nudist who wanted to
be the Sally Rand of the New York
Worlds Fair greeted him in her mud
ist costume Sally told him proudly
how she had given her mother
tractor for a birthday present. An
other girl had an idea that would
revolutionize the strip-tease. She
called 1t the strip in reverse" She
would begin, she said, nude, def
nitely nude" Then she would start
putting on her clothes. She would
put on garment after garment
maybe a ton of clothes Until the
audience began to moan. Il do it all
for art she explained.
Then there was the Countess Jeanne
Vina La Mar. lady prize1ghter, who
described herself as lust ball of
fire. And Miss Maize" kind
hearted benefactor of buns, who is a
saint except that she smokes, drinks
booze and talks rough" And Mr..
John Buddy Hassett, left-handed
first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodg-
ers. who says: Il can Groom and sing,
but IN the summer usually Groom"
Huey Long was. Mr.. Mitchell ad-
mits, made to order. He describes the
last time he saw the Senator from
louisiana: %" he was sitting up
in bed at the Waldorf Astoria with
hangover. He had on a pair of
baby blue pa jamas and he was yawn-
Ing. Reporters in the room were
asking him questions. To every oues-
ton he would say It's lie and laugh
throatily."
Elder Michaux told him: Il know
Father Devine says he is God, but
think he exaggerates a little"
And on and on goes this parade of
ear-benders. Their comments are of
obvious value to sociologists, practi-
cally indispensable to behaviourists
and fascinating to readers. E.T.
SOME FOR THE GLORY. A political
novel by Louis cara (Bobbs-Mer-
rilD:
RACK where American politics has
its roots. in the precinct. Author
zara begins with the novel of Ameri-
can Government and politics-ward
politics peanut politics, rabble- -rous-
Ing politics and big and little politics
woven around the life of its Orphan
boy hero. small brilliant and aeeres.
sive Michael Hawks.
Some for the Glory tells in the
form Of a novel a story that is real
and vital. vibrant with politics and
people, tricks of the political trades
'and the Horatio Alger touch that sees
Hawks rise almost to the presidency.
The author Is plain-spoken all the
way through. Spades are spades. and
no words are minced. Sensitive read
ers will vince here and there as they
read the book, but the truths are
there
Next to little Mike Hawks, who
grows up in the Franklin Street Or
phanage Of an unnamed American
city, the main character is Big John
Stacy, massive old-time ward boss, who
sees great possibilities in the orphan
who became printers apprentice in
Big Johns territory.
Hawks knows how to get votes in
the real American way, shaking,
back-slapping, through the favors and
efforts OF Stacy's organization, by be-
ing the watchdog for the poor and
underprivileged, by speech-making and
handbill, picnics, parties and clubs.
The young hero marries a pretty
young dressmaker and together they
forge to the top. Successfully, Michael
Hawks becomes precinct captain, pre-
cinct committeeman, alderman, State
senator, twice mayor, twice governor,
then candidate for Vice President and
President.
Other characters are typical of all
classes, all types of the American
strata. Merchants and neighborhood
friends, with Michael when he is q poor
printer, are still with him at the top.
One Of them was young lawyer be-
ing evicted from his shabby offices.
Mike Hawks adopted" this lawyer,
Hugh Stevens, and it was Hugh who
succeeded Mike as Governor many
years later.
What happens to Big John Stacy
is another intriguing phase Of the
books history OF American politics.
r. A. E.
THE FATE or THE GRosvENoR.
BY Jonathan Lee. New York: Co
Nci-Friede.
A RIVAL to any story of the sea in
= volving extreme privation and
courage, Mr.. Lees reconstruction Of
scanty fact into a moving chronicle is
q notable addition to the library Of
oceanic adventure. The wreck of the
British Indiaman Grosvenor and the
subsequent horrors experienced by its
T.