Evening star., 1938-06-26

ING. Yutang. Reynal and
Hitchcock.
| WOMAN ON HORSEBACK.
Barrett. Stokes.
MY AUSTRIA. schuschnigg.
Knopf
MY GOODNESS, SAID THE
PRINCESS. Carson. Kinsey.
SIT DOWN WITH JOHN L.. LEWIS.
BY c. L. Sulzberger. New York:
Random House
THE author of this book was as
assigned by the United Press to
cover the activities of John L. Lewis
from the outset Of the c. I. o. He
has had, therefore, a considerable
period Of association with his sub
ject and can be relied on for know
ing whereof he speaks. His publishers
announce that he uses an impartial
approach in the present work, and
that. too, can be believed. However,
no one reading the book can fail to
see that Mr.. Sulzberger admires John
L. Lewis tremendously, and that his
effort to be impartial Is founded in
his belief that nothing gravely detri-
mental to his hero's character could
be found anyway. 1t is. in other
words, an impartiality founded. in &C.
ceptance. Perhaps it is as genuine
as impartiality based on criticism.
at that.
Be it as it may, this book gives a
rosy picture of MIR. Lewis. 1t shows
him as wit, as strong leader and
as a bringer of benefits to labor It
says little about the points for which
Mr.. Lewis has been criticized. It
says little about his accumulation of
personal wealth out of the making
OF his G. I. o. It concentrates on
showing him putting employers and
arbitrators to embarrassment by his
rough-and-ready tactics, and his wise
cracking remarks. And there is q
plain JOY in the telling of these mat
tiers, which makes it clear that the
author glories in them and in their
perpetrator.
The book is neither a biography of
Lewis nor history of his career
since he entered into the organizing
business. 1t is episode, tending more
to the portrait style of thing than
to anything else. The most interest,"
ing part Of 1t, to the reviewers mind.
Is the account Of Lewis break with
the President. This tells how Mr..
Roosevelt, annoyed by constant labor
troubles, exclaimed one day of en-
ployers and organizers, "A plague o.
both your houses!" And it adds that
when this was reported to Mr.. Lewis.
he inquired, Which house? Hearst
or Du Pont?" That, now, while prob
ably owing its genesis to a certain
musical comedy, Is not really bad.
THE s1NG1N' FIDDLER OF LOST
HOPE HOLLOW. BY Jean Thom-
as. New York: E. P. Dutton Co.
THIS is the true story of Jilson Set
tiers, the blind Kentucky noun
taineer known now as the "Singin'
Fiddler" Its author, who has already
written Of the picturesque hill peo-
pie, is founder Of the American Folk
Song Festival. She writes here with
enthusiasm Of the mountain cul.
ture which, as she reiterates, in
cludes Elizabethan turns of phrase
and the Elizabethan habit of ballad
making. If there is any one in the
United States who has not heard as
much about the hill men already the
reviewer cannot imagine who 1t is
Still. Miss Thomas Is probably as
authentic as any enthusiast ever is.
The story of old Jilson is of course
dramatic. Blind from infancy, he
learned to play the fiddle untaught
and early began to make his own songs
to f1t the music. He was well on in
years when kindly doctor took him
to a hospital and had his eyes SUBJ
jected to an operation; he recov-
cred his sight dramatically. Then by a
chance Of fate his talent was discov-
cred; he was asked to make records,
to broadcast and to appear in theaters.
Finally he went to London and sang
before the King-of whom he had
sung so often in his song romances.
1t is a sort Of fairy story in itself, fit
subject for one of Jilson's own COM
positions.
Miss Thomas unfortunately cutters
up her narrative with a lot of irrele-
want matter. put in, one gathers, for
the sake of keeping the mountain
atmosphere picturesque. She is not a
skilled writer but lays everything on
several layers too thick. Still, Jilson
emerges alive and believable. Per-
haps it is the photographs of his ex-
cellent old face which bring about
the achievement.
KINDLING. BY Nevil Shute. New
York: William Morrow & Co.
THIS is a mild little novel about
how a great English banker de-
cided to do something for the unem-
ployed of one-time prosperous ship
building town and, for his efforts,
landed himself in jail, only to be re-
leased after time among the plaudits
of the workers whom he had helped.
It seems, somehow, slightly improb-
able but is written with great earnest
ness and can be read without particu-
lar pain. A nice little book, In short.
For so much, the reviewer can rec
ommend 1t.
GOYA REBEIL1oUs GENIUS. BY
Marion Chapman. New York: The
Egmont Press.
THE painter Goya clearly belongs to
that class Of men whose lives were
designed to serve as special benefi-
cences to the writer's Of historical nov-
els, others in the group being Sir
Walter Raleigh, Parnell, Aaron Burr
and Benevenuto Cellini. Such heroes
never die. but periodically are brought
forth to shine before dull world with
a glamour which they themselves would
probably find startling. carrying the
tidings that blazing romance Is not,
after all, limited to imaginary doings,
for here, look you, are real men who
wondrously did thus and 50. The
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