davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1946-08-04
An Old Series
NeorsItsEnd
ESCAPE IN PASSION

By Jules ROMANS. Translated
from the French by Gerard
Hopkins. (Knopt; $780,
One thing seems to me worth
mentioning about this latest volume
of Jules Romans Men of Good
Will" novels. That is that it bears
on its jacket cover the promise that
the next volume will end the series.
1t is high time. What began as an
honorable project, if a self-doomed
one, has in its latest manifestations
turned into sensationalism and
vulgarity.
The present volume adds to the
Idishonor. Like its predecessors, it
Is divided into two books and the
first of these, THE Magic Carpet"
is pointless filth. Reading it, was
constrained to wonder about the
ethics which govern the writing pro-
fession No one believes in censor
ship. I do not believe in it. Yet,
in all other professions, there is
standard of conduct, failure to OBJ
serve which carries with it penal
ties and even expulsion. What
standards are obligatory on the
author? He is left to function
according to his conscience, and
when his conscience is untroubled
by a shabby and even harmful out
put, there seems to be no way to
deal with him. The publishers might
exercise the needed control in such
cases, but they are actually the
last people likely to do so-they
profit. 1t is indeed a question.
What seems to have happened
with Mr.. Romans is that, setting
out to write many-volumed novel
which would interpret the political
and social changes which have taken
place in Europe this century, he
found his human material colorless
as he concerned himself with the
large aspects of his plot. And to
cure the colorlessness, he decided to
fall back on accounts of vice. BY
this means he might assure himself
of profitable public. In his recent
volumes he has exceeded all justi-
flcation in loading this material into
his pages. 1t is as if, for every
chapter Of interpretive social and
political material, he has felt it
obligatory to furnish one of smut.
So, as I said, I regard it as a good
thing that he is coming to an end
with his widely praised series. It's
decline into senility has not been
a pretty thing to witness.
Evening star., 1946-08-04

nishes Arkady Leokum with his plot
and the execution thereof is in har-
mony. A completely unreal young
man who wants to write" abandof1s
his desire and takes a job turning
out smart ad copy. He rises with
meteoric speed in the agency world; ;
he becomes rich. And all the time,
believe it or not, there is the voice
of his conscience telling him that
he has thrown his genius away. So,
eventually, the young man hurls
the filthy lucre from him and, turn
ing his collar up, goes forth to burn
and write" I should say that his
story belongs strictly in the uh-huh
department.
Evening star., 1946-08-04
G. B. S. 80
u. d. .. w
Edited by S. Winston. (Dodd,
Mend. S3l

GutLCU 'Oy -. w tSLCH. tDOUu,
Mead: $3.)
This volume is the tribute paid by
fellow intellectuals to George Ber-
nard Shaw on the occasion of his
Goth birthday. As Shaw has always
been unique phenomenon, so, ap-
propriately, Is the book. There are
other distinguished men Of letters in
the world, there are number who
are venerable. But no one need to
think twice to realize that Shaw is
the only contemporary writer who
would receive such a printed ovation.
That does not mean that the
volume Is extraordinary in terms Of
content. 1t consists of series of
papers about Shaw in his various
aspects-as critic, playwright, broad
caster, script writer, Socialist, man
of religion, educator, scientist, poll
tician and so on. There are also
some letters from friends in the
collection and poem. The material
is all good critical stuff, but pretty
routine.
The thing which makes the book
unique is the distinguished as
semblage of contributors. They
represent the leadership of the arts
and intellect in the British Isles. I
will not say that it is the universal
ity of Shaw which has brought SO
many of the illustrious together in
mis- name, because I do not think it
It is his ubiQuity which has done
that-the fact that he is everywhere
all over the intellectual scene and
cannot be missed wherever you
look. There is no one else of whom
this can be said.
Among the Literary Great.
Here are the names Of those who
have contributed to the volume: Sir
Max Beerbohm, John Masef1eld, Gill
bert Murray, w. r. Inge, Laurence
Housman, Sidney Webb, G. E. M
Joad, j. B. PriestIey, Aldous Huxley
Lord Dunsany, H. G. Wells, j. d
Bernal, J. C. Trewin, James Bride
Sir William Haley, Maurice Dobb
Edward j. Dent, Val Gielgud, Emil
Davies, Roy Limbert, Daniel Jones
A. S. Neill, Sir Kenneth Barnes
Evening star., 1946-08-04
What Is Wrong
With Our Present
National Economy?
ECONOMICS IN ONE LESSON

By Henry Haslitt. (Harper;
S2.J
The zone lesson" which Henry
Hazlitt undertakes to teach in this
little book is that our present ma
tional economy is based on a
fallacy. The fallacy is that our
policy makers consistently look only
at immediate results when they
decree an economic measure. They
aim at attaining full employment
keeping high wage standards,
achieving plenty and other ad-
mirable ends. But, because they
do not study the long-range effects
of the regulations which they enact
they more often than not bring
about the reverse of their hopes
Our economy, in other words, con-
sists of lot of plasters put on the
Nations surface when what we need
Is renewed strength for the Nations
economic system.
Holding to this text, Mr.. Hazlitt
himself a professional economist
examines the current crop OF
plasters one by one and shows just
why they will not work. He takes
up Government lending and Gov
ernment spending, made work and
spread the work schemes, tariff, re-
lief, Government housing, price fix
ing, wage laws, union practices
subsidies and the other panaceas
and demonstrates in each case how
they tend toward impoverishment
of the Nation as whole, even at
the moment when they benefit
some special group. 1t makes sense
and everybody ought to read it.
Thus. for example, treating OF
Government housing, Mr.. Hazlitt
points out that. while the end is
to bring good living conditions 10
special groups, the means serves
to reduce the general prosperity
The special group is given its su-
perior dwellings at the cost of
forced levies on the rest of the
community. The people who pay
these levies have less money to
spend and invest and business and
employment suffers accordingly
The same thing is true when the
question is that of protecting GER
tain industries by a tariff or of
lending our tax money to foreign
countries on the ground that we
will thus secure export business
with those countries. AS the loan"
in most cases will never be repaid,
all that we have done is pay for
the exports ourselves.
Mr.. Hazlitt, in short. is SO quaint
as to believe that trade is an ex-
change and not a unilateral trans
action. He writes we'll. He is not
one of those economists whose style
indicates that they are congratu-
lating themselves that no one will
be able to understand them. Nei-
ther is he of the Stuart Chase
school of popular" writers who
energetically encourage one on
every page to make a strong mental
effort and, in effect, breathe down
ones neck in their enthusiasm. He
is comprehensive and you will hs
pleased by his common sense-un-
less, that is, you believe that Gov
eminent funds are innocently found
in baskets on the doorstep where
some kindly fiscal stork has left
them.
Evening star., 1946-08-04
.AStoy of Three
American GIs
nLondon
LOVE FROM LONDON
By Gilbert w. Gabriel. Mac

" N~SfsSk AVA W.
milan: $2.50J
Ostensibly writing a novel against
race prejudice, Gilbert w. Gabriel
here has set down a violent deflni-
ton of certain prejudices of his
own. 1t is his simple little thesis that
the American of more than one gen.
eration's residence in America is
(a) a hypocrite, CD a snob, (c) a
coward, I'd boor and (e) a drunk.
On the other hand, Americans of
comparatively recent transplanta-
ton from Europe's blessed strand
are (a) sincere, (b) democratic, (c)
brave, Cd chivalrous and (e) utterly
charming in their manipulation Of
their chewing gum.
Such a naive notion could hardly
have occurred to an intelligent man
in a reasonable moment-and Mr..
Gabriel has a long record of intel
hgent performances behind him.
That alone would brand his ex-
traordinary book as an emotional
outbtust. But there is other evi-
dence. Any experienced reader
knows the tremor that enters into
prose when an author puts his
personal feeling into his characters
and plot, irrespective Of its relevance.
Mr.. Gabriel's book is full of that.
It is so full OF it that it becomes
almost embarrassing.
His story is OF three American
soldiers in London in preinvasion
days. One is the son of German
immigrant father and Mexican
mother. Another Is the second
generation Of Scandinavian i'm
migrant family. These boys are
just Frank Merriwell. They make
their conversation through their
chewing gum, speak gutterese and
engage in racketeering with PIX sup
plies. But their pure little hearts
shine through all. The other boy
is the son of an
Evening star., 1946-08-04
Ruthless Women
Set q Pattern
BELL TIMSON
By Marguerite Steen. Double
ddy: S2.75.I

By Marguerite Steen. Double
day, S2.75.)
There has lately been a more or
less regular series Of novels dealing
with the adventures of ruthless
women. The heroine with the
slightly square chin has been mus
cling in on the dimple girl-at least
in the popular levels of fiction
Scarlet, Amber, Kitty and the rest
these drivin' women have set
pattern Of feminine conduct that
is strictly long-rana has
mattered to them except that they
should attain their aim of coming
up in the world. Morals were laid
aside for expediency and love-the
common great motive in novels with
heroines-has been with these par
ticular heroines, merely a major
weapon. 1t is a far cry from the
fragile little girl, who used to weep
and suffer her way to eventual
happiness in a strong mans arms
and I, for one, regard it as a pass
ing fashion. I consider the fragile
little weeper Elvincible, when all
is said and done. And, in this
novel by Marguerite Steen, author
Of the spectacularly thrilling melo-
drama, THE Sun Is My Undoing. 4"
I believe that see a sign that the
fashion is coming to an end, that
square chlns are at last on the way
out. may be mistaken but it
seems to me that the writing is
on the wall.
For Miss Steen has obviously real
lied that the ruthless heroine who
effects her social ascent chiefly by
choosing the right husbands and
lovers is becoming monotonous and
has inflicted on her tale certain
rather obvious notifications. I en-
phasize the word. The plot of Bell
TimSon" is still the stock plot OF
the self-rising lady. It's differences
from its predecessors are superficial
and arbitrary. But the very fact
that they have been made by an
astute commercial writer indicates,
I think, that the stock plot is get
ting too shop worn to last much
longer. Let us nope.
What Miss Steen has done is tc
take her heroine out of the glamour
business of costume, put her in
modern times, give her irreproach-
able sex morals and make her ar
outlaw in all other respects. Bel
is introduced at the age of "a, Just
having divorced her faithless ne'er.
do-well husband. She is the daugh-
ter of lower middle class English
parents and the mother of two
daughters of her own. Marriage ha.
given her distaste for emotiona
relationships and grim determina.
ton to rise above want and shah
biness. She sets out to earn hel
living, the time and place being
England. 1912. And how she earn.
it makes lively reading.
Through 1t all her personal life
Is irreproachable and she mitigate.
her laWlessness by her passion fo
her children. She Is out to max,
money-so that her daughters may
have good position. That hel
possessiveneSs toward her offsprin,
thWarts her intention is of cours,
tnevitable-authors must have irony
Bells girls grow up frustrated ane
stunted by their domineerint
mother and reach middle age with
out having loved or married. Excep
that the novel Is written vividly,
cannot give 1t much of rating.
Evening star., 1946-08-04
Bringing Happiness
To Tonsy
SUMMER IN APRIL
By Donald Macardle. lip
pincott;. $780,
Reviewed by
INA pEN6PEPTON

NINA FEMoETt 1oN.
Summer in April does not aspire
to any greater heights than to be
Just another novel, but the author
has displayed such insight into child
psychology that the reader is left
with the feeling that Tansy Bren-
nan is not merely a f1ctional char
acter portraying girl OF Is who
Is sophisticated and sensitive beyond
her years, but that here is a real
life problem.
Tansy Brennan has never known
her father. All that she was ever
able to CLEAN from her Aunt Alice
and her mother, a beautiful and
successful business woman, was that
her father had left them stranded
when she was very small. Many
of her childhood hours were spent
in attempting to break down this
wall of reserve. which shrouded the
subject of her father, a subject
which had grown to proportions of
immense Importance in her young
life.
Luck, young man, wild sense
of speculation and an unwavering
determination to unearth the truth
forced her mothers hand, set Tansy
on the road to happiness and helped
her to cross that short but hard and
trying road that runs between
childhood and maturity.
While the effect of a broken mar
riage upon a child is a hackneyed
subject, Summer in April" is
written so deftly that it does not
detract from the appeal Of the book.
The story is staged in England,
during the prosperous days follow
ing World War I. This same novel
is to be found in England, published
under the title of "Tansy."
Evening star., 1946-08-04

advertising DuS-
mess. 1t is not
relevant, signif-
cant, or fraught
with an honest
purpose or well
written. But 1t
is on the adver-
tising business.
And so it Is in
the fashion. And
so it is worthy OF
publication. A
reviewers life Is
filled with these
grim reflections.
The tritest OF
Evening star., 1946-08-04

lo VAN poAA "a oAA
old New Eng
land family and
has on him the
horrible taint of
cultural b a c k
ground. He is
a rat.
There is a girl
involved in it
a little refugee
from Gibraltar.
She loves the
rat. But when
the rat finds out
that she is not
of unmixed Cas-
{,lfo- II1ol Ln
Evening star., 1946-08-04
Brief Reviews
BIOGRAPHIES.

More Devil Than Saint, by Count
Alfred de Marigny. (Ackerman.) }
The self-told life of the defendant
in the notorious Sir Harry Oakes
murder case. Written to sell.
Yankee storekeeper, by r. E.
Gould. (Whittlesey House.) Self
told story Of a successful New Eng
land country merchant. Amusing.
Americans: A Book of Lives, by
Hermann Hagedorn. John Day.
Seventeen well-known Americans In
short Biographies. from Mark Twain
tosWendell Willkie.
Evening star., 1946-08-04
Bridge
By Frank B. Lord

The largest delegation Of local
bridge players ever attending a tour
nament outside Washington is
booked to participate in the summer
world and national championship
games this week at the st. George
Hotel in Brooklyn. The event will
be under the auspices of the Amer
lean Contract Bridge League. Will
liam Cheeks, local manager, also will
have charge of the entertainment
features of the tournament. No in
ternational or national champion
ship titles are held by Washington
players.
An individual game was con-
Quoted on last Monday night by Mrs.
Dixie T. Wright in the La Sale
Studio. The winners were Miss Rose
Wurzer, first, and Gen. Robert Odic,
second.
In Wednesdays game at the
Stephan Studio on Euclid street the
results were: Mrs. Lester Gibson
and DR.. C. c. Mcdonnell. first; Capt.
Russ McGhee and j. r. Belt, second,
and Mrs. Howard Campbell and Mrs,
N A. Olmstead, third. In the Friday
night game at the same place DR..
and Mrs. A. j. Steinberg were first
and Mr.. and Mrs. Ben Rossan and
Capt. and Mrs. Karl Itkin tied for
second.
Making four contract in minor
suit doubled, and an extra trick
with a hand having less than one
honor count is an unusual accom-
plishment. DR.. Arthur Hooe did it
in game at the Bridge Studio of
Washington, IT'S N street NV.
He sat South and the distribution
of cards was as follows:
North
AA1097
065
AQ976
4 AS
West East
A854 AKQJ32
2K93 0AJ74
" y ~ y V n
%K2 %43
South
as
VQ10s2
D5
+QJ 1O9S76
North dealt and bid one diamond;
East overcalled with one spade. DR..
Hooe called two clubs and West
passed as did North. East then bid
two hearts and South three clubs.
West then got into the bidding by
going to three hearts. North and
East again passed and South went
to four clubs which West doubled.
He opened the eight of spades which
was won in dummy. DR.. Hooe then
saw that if he could catch the out
standing club honor which he sus-
pected West had from his double,
he could make seven trump tricks
and two other aces for total of nine
tricks. He needed ten. He had two
chances of making the tenth; one by
diamond f1nesSe, the success of
which was unlikely, and the other
was to set up the queen of hesrts
in his own hand. He selected the lat
ter method and after winning the
first trick led the five of hearts
East won and returned the king
of spades which declarer trumped
with the nine of clubs for the pur-
pose of deceiving the doubler.
He then led the six of clubs and
West, believing that East must have
something higher, let it ride and il
won. Next he laid down the seven OF
clubs, Vests king dropped to dunn
my's ace and with East's three spot,
all the trumps were accounted for
He then played the six of hearts
and East covered with the jack on
which declarer played the queen
thus forcing West to play the king
The ten and eight of hearts were
then set up in declarers hand, and
he was enabled to make five. East
could have saved the extra trick by
leading . low heart.
Evening star., 1946-08-04

breaks her little heart. Then she
sees the light and duly loves the
sturdy young man with the chew
ing gum.
To execrate good English because
good English is spoken by a class
whom one-shall we use the ugly
word?-hates, to exalt gum because
members of this class do not use
it-that may be a way to fight pref
udice. But I found the book an
ugly and neurotic performance.
Evening star., 1946-08-04
Life With Mama
And Aunt Fran
THE SISTERS LIKED
THEM HANDSOME
By Stephen LongStr'

oy ~ y r. - Z ~ CS'tS Sot WV
(Messner;; $780,
Stephen Longstreet, who has in
the recent past turned out Heming-
way and Steinbeck novels SO nat
ural seeming that, except that they
did not, Messrs. Hemingway and
Steinbeck might have written them
here turns his versatile hand to an
Edwardian memoir in the manner
of Clarence Day. To be sure, he
denies any such intention in his
introduction, saying, Il have tried
not to find the past silly-a carica-
ture, a vaudeville show, that some
writers of the past dig up and
present in funny clothing as some
thing We should laugh at" But
no later than his second page is
he into the precise vein which he
disowns and he works it throughout
his volume with badly creaking de-
Evening star., 1946-08-04
News About STAMPS
BY james Waldo Fowcett

The Post Office Department In
formation Service has published
an interesting report on exhaustive
tests" recently made in the Los
Angeles area to prove the "prac-
ticahility of the helicopter for the
carriage of mail" Readers desiring
copies may write: Isaac Gregg,
chief of the Information Service
Post Office Department, Pennsyl-
Vania avenue at Thirteenth street
NV, inclosing clipping OF this
notice.
Postmaster, General Robert E
Hannegan has issued invitations to
a long list of scientists, stamp COL
lectors and others to attend the first
day" ceremony at the Smithsonian
Institution, August 10, when the
commemorative for the centenary OF
the establishment founded by James
Smithson will be released.
The July issue of Coronet maya
zine contains an interesting article
on the Collectors Club of New York
"the most outstanding
organization in the world devoted
to the pursuit of philately."
Collectors of stamps showing
bridges may be interested to know
that the American Institute of Steel
Construction, Inc, 101 Park avenue
New York City, publishes a pamph-
let, No. 157, entitled Prize Bridges ;
The Grace Log for May-Jne con-
tains an article on Friendly Chile
which should attract the attention
of collectors of the postal adhesives
of that country.
According to George A. Scott, phi.
latelic writer for the Associated
Press, '1ate in 1945 Brazil prepared
a 40-centavo stamp to mark thu
opening of an international bridge
connecting Brazil and Argentina
But before the scheduled date O.
issue, November Is, Brazil's Presi'
dent Getulio Vargas was oustet
from Office. Since his portrait ap
peared on the stamp, the issue wa!
Evening star., 1946-08-04
YOUR MIND.

YOUR MIND.
Lectures on Psychonaalytic Psy-
chiatry, by A. A. Brill (KnopfD An
explanation Of the history, meaning
and application of psychoanalysis,
by prominent psychologist.
Evening star., 1946-08-04

LongStreet.
vices. For, after all, 1t has been
quite a while since Life With Fa-
ther" ran up those splendid royal
ties and its mannerisms have all
ready been exploited any number
of times.
THE Sisters Liked Them Hand
some" Is presumably a life with Mr..
Longstreet's Mama and Aunt Fran,
two beautiful ladies who had many
admirers. But it bogs down into
a series of random "reminiscences
about Mr.. Longstreet's childhood, in
which neither Mama nor Aunt
Fran have much part except to be
routinely inconsistent and, one un-
derstands, feminine" 1t is not
humorous. In that respect at least,
Mr.. Longstreet keeps his promise.
ZIONISM.
The Jewish State, by Theodor
Herzl. (American Zionist Council. }
The work on the Zionist idea orig
inally published in 1896, reissued on
the 50th anniversary OF the date.
Includes a biography of Theodor
Herzl. pioneer Zionist.
LANGUAGE.
Basic Language, by Dagobert de
Levie. (VanniD A work undertak-
ing to furnish basic vocabulary IL,
English. French, German and Rus
sian.
Evening star., 1946-08-04
The Advertising
Business Again
PLEASE SEND ME,
ABSOLUTELY FREE

By Arkady Leokun1. (Hdrper,
$780,
Presumably this novel was pub
lished because there has been q
recent fashion of novels on the ad-
vertising business. It is on the
Evening star., 1946-08-04
Best Sellers
NATION WIDE

according to Publishers Weekly
FICTION.
1st-This Side of Innocence, Taylor
Caldwell
2d-The Hucksters, Frederic Wake
man
3d-Brittania News, Margery Sharp
4th--Then and Now, w. Somerset
Maueham.
5th-The Snake Pit, Mary Jane
Ward.
N0NFICTION.
1st-Peace of Mind, Joshua L. Iieb-
man.
2d-The EgE and I. Betty MscDon-
aid
3d-Last Chapter, Ernie Pyle
4th-Top Secret, Ralph Ingersoll.
5th-I Chose Freedom, Victor Krav-
chenko.
Evening star., 1946-08-04
GAMES.

GAMES.
Mathematical Puzzles, by Geoffrey
Mott-Smith. New Home Library
Book Of teasers for the qualified.
Evening star., 1946-08-04
Walter WincI1eIl

B'Oddeasting on Sunday July n. said:
"Do what you can to get all your
friends to read a new book about
to be published In a special 81
edition. The book Is called:
GENTLEMEN: YOU ARE MAD!
1t might bring war; mongsrs to
their senses"
Publication dote, Aug. 8. Poperbound 81.
clo'hbound $3.50. Reserve your copy
now at your bookstore or nswsdsaIer, or
BAXTER FREREs, Publishers, rs William Street.
New York 5. Phone, Bowling Green 9-4esa,
Evening star., 1946-08-04
THE SUNDAY STAR Washington, D. c. c.
". L.
Tbe Sunday Star
Weekly Book Survey

The Sunday Star has arranged ,Dth some OF the
leading booksellers OF Washington and suburban
areas to report each ,0eek the books Dhich sell
best as a guide to ,ohat Washington is reading
A title must be named by at least three stores to
appear ON this chart.
This report is for the week ending July 80
Evening star., 1946-08-04

By Jules ROMANS. Translated
from the French by Gerard
Hopkins. (Knopf: $780,