davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1949-12-11
Mrs. BIonche Knopf Tells
Of Literary Expeditions

Another recent visitor was Mrs.
Blanche Knopf. who came to be
received into the Legion d'Hon-
neur by French Ambassador
Bonnet at a private ceremony at
the Embassy. The honor was be-
slowed on Mrs. Knopf, an editor
for Alfred A. Knopf, in recogni-
ton for her work in bringing the
best In contemporary French
literature to this country in trans
lation.
Interviewed while still wearing
her decoration. Mrs. Knopf said
that since the founding of the
firm in the '20s, she had made at
least one, If not two trips an
nually, except during the war
years, to scout European manu-
scripts. She has brought back
such French masters as ROLAND,
Glide and more recently innova-
tors such as Satire. Camus and
Simone de Beauvoir. On her most
recent expedition, completed two
months ago, she found tremen-
dous upsurge Of industrial and
artistic activity in Italy. and
hard work" going on in the
literary circles Of France.
Mrs. Knopf stayed at the
Brazilian Embassy as the guest of
Ambassador Nabuco and his sister
Miss Caroline Nabuco, who is an
author. Mrs. Knopf is a friend
of Miss Nabuco, but as Of this
writing, not her publisher.
Evening star., 1949-12-11

orphanage in provincial town.
Instinct is no help. The child can
remember nothing. A hoped-for
resemblance either to himself or
to his dead wife is too nebulous to
be convincing. Jean, with that
unquestioning acceptance of the
child who receives no individual
attention. bids both consciously
and unconsciously for Hilary's
love. But Hilary. unwilling to as
sumo responsibility and endless
doubt, unwilling to expose himself
to emotion again. unwilling to dis
turb a coldly comfortable life, re-
sists the child's pleasure and
growing dependence.
With facile skill and insight,
with commendable restraint and
with not too many Hollywood
touches, Miss Laski builds up the
suspense of the relationship of a
man and a child desperately in
need of one another. Little Boy
Lost" does not go very deep, but
it goes straight to the heart.
M. MEG.
Evening star., 1949-12-11

Jeeves makes the admirable
Crichton seem an indolent dolt.
will be tempted to say that the
great brain has never moved more
majestically than in this saga Of
eight sundered hearts reunited.
And BERTHE. although laboring
under the disguise of Gussie-
Fink -Nottle for reasons far too
complicated to enter into here,
quite surpasses himself in the mar
ration, reaching an absolute peak
in review of a village concert
largely dominated by reciting,
snake e-darlcing and cross-talking
Kegley- -Bassingtons. Beyond this,
his faculties stretched almost to
the breaking point by the neces-
sity of avoiding the middle aisle
with Madeline Bassett, he gets off
many gems of philosophical
thought, including one particu-
larly deep bit about "the con-
sistent tendency Of fate to give
good men the elbow"
Carry on, Jeeves. M. MEG.
Evening star., 1949-12-11

kind of haze thrown around it,"
he believes the novel should be an
art form just as painting and
music and the ballet. No believer
in economic determinism, he de-
plores characters who are mere
victims and has Presented in
Alexander Feast" only people
who were completely in control
of their environment and thei1
own worst enemies.
The rich mixture Of "Alexan-
der's Feast" was two years in pre-
earation and went into five drafts
all of which are on display at the
University of Virginia in Char
lottesville, where Mr.. Kelly lives,
He finally finished 1t last winter
when he came home from six
months on the Nile. He's now
working on a third novel, although
he would be perfectly happy do
ing nothing" and only writes when
completely convinced by what he
is doing He doesn't know how
near to finishing it he is.
IT keep on fooling with the
manuscript until my publisher
takes it away from me-" he ex-
planned,
Evening star., 1949-12-11

who has forbidden himself fur
ther feeling. reluctantly trying to
determine If a 5-year-old boy in
a miserable French orphanage Is
his own. But being the niece Of the
redoubtable Harold Laski, British
Labor leader, Miss Laski is far
too political to bypass any COM
mentary about demoralized
people, who. have progressed from
"deceiving their conquerors to de-
ceiving each other, and finally
themselves. 1t is not a pretty
picture.
But this is merely incidental to
the racking uncertainty Of Hilary
wainwright, a British poet, who
since the death Of his wife has
asked only to be cleft alone. !" when
he is confronted with wide-eyed
Jean, the ragged, eager waif who
may or may not be his son.
Induced by a French under
ground worker to search for his
son, whose Polish mother has
been murdered by the Gestapo,
Hilary is led. through vague and
unsatisfactory clues. to a bleak
Evening star., 1949-12-11

Pacific Ocean in 1860. The un-
foreseen effect is to split the earth
in two. At first Asia and the
Eastern seaboard of America drift
close together. Finally there is
complete cleavage Of the two
global segments. and they drift
apart. There are, Of course,
characters whose lives are COM
plicated by the split. In the
course of years wars and revolu-
tions require more super-bombs
and bring about further dismem-
berment of the poor earth.
Mr.. Balint's first novel, cal
pha," brought breathless praise
from certain critics. He later
wrote Beta" and Gamma" and
two other novels. Since I haven't
read any of them, 1 can discuss
only Don't Inhale It'll" regret
Evening star., 1949-12-11

quiet. erudite Georgian was the
only man who ever stopped q train
to borrow a match.
After he left Washington Mr..
Bayne went to Macon, Ga, where
he has been successfully an ed
itor Of the News and the Tele-
graph. Now a hearty 78. he has
taken the time to put on paper
the thousand and one delightful
stories Of his more than 60 years
in the newspaper business. It is
in no sense a formal auto
biography. It is, rather. a series
of good stories about people,
places and things. It rambles
without particular pattern, like
good conversation.
Most Of the book is about a
place in which the far-traveled
Mr.. Bayne lived off and on for
rs years and, perhaps. his favorite
place: Washington.
Mr.. Bayne came to the Capital
in 1883. His first job was on The
Star, where he conducted a col
umn called I'm Hotel Corridors" F"
Later he did various other chores
for this paper as well as for other
Washington papers still In exist
Evening star., 1949-12-11
John Kelly Tolks
About His Art

A young man with the every
day name of John Kelly, who has
written a pair of caviarish novels
that have left critics variously
stimulated, bafded and just plain
put out, was a recent visitor to
Washington.
The author of "All Souls
Night" and the recent "Alexan-
der's Feast" is quite undismayed
about the irritation Of one distin-
|guished bookman who complained
that he didn't know any people
like those in Mr.. Kelly's latest.
II didn't think he did," says
the black-haired esthetic Mr..
Kelly, who believes that he played
fair with his readers by resolving
the story on the human level
while leaving the allegorical mean
ing for individual solution. He
describes "Alexander's Feast" as
"a grand toccata and fugue for
f1Ve voices.
A great lover Of music who
spent much of his time, prewar,
travelling around the world to
music festivals. Mr.. Kelly stopped
off here last week to address the
Arts Club Book Fair, where he
told his listeners that no novel
perfect in form had been written
since Nine. de La Fayette's LA
Princesse de Cleves." He was en-
route to New York where he was
booked to see II operas and four
ballets.
Completely out of sympathy
with the contemporary novel,
which seems to him just "a sum-
mary of current events with a
Evening star., 1949-12-11

although the fact that he has
signed a contract with Simon &
Schuster, first Of two publishers
who approached him. might have
a great deal to do with it.
There won't be anything to
startle anybody in it. said Mr..
Allen modestly when interviewed
the other day in his office at the
Ring Building. without dumbly
put something in it that will"
No longer a familiar figure at
the White House, Mr.. Allen has
but one presidential portrait on
display and that is OF the presl-
dent of Columbia. whom he rev.
erently. calls lone of the great
minds of the century" This nat
urally brings up the question OF
whether, if he waited a bit, Mr..
Allen might not be able to add
yet another President to those
who have known him. He and
Gen. Eisenhower are great pals.
All Mr.. Allen had to say to that
was, "Ho, no, no."
Now on chapter five OF his life
story, Mr.. Allen is about to plunge
into his Washington experiences
which began in the late '20s, when
he came here TO be assistant man
ager of the Wardman Park
(where, incidentally. he still lives.
and dictates chaper OF his
memoirs every day. and laugh
ingly rose to be a District Com
missioner, secretary OF. the Dem
ocratic National Committee and
eventually director of the RFC.
a plum handed him by his friend
Harry Truman. who. he will tell
you confidentially, is "a terrific
human being"
Now a director Of a clutch OF
corporations and treasurer OF the
Democratic Congressional Com
mittee, the waggish Mr.. Allen
hopes by his book to show that
this is fine country. that he
never met q crook in politics. and
that there are some good Repub-
licans, too.
He just ho-ho-hoed some more
when asked If he had any par
ticular reason for reassuring the
country about the Republicans,
who are looking upon Gen. Eisen-
hover more as one of their own
every day.
mo matter who's nominated in
80, I'll vote Democratic" says the
ever-loyal Mr.. Allen.
Evening star., 1949-12-11
Glorious News for Wodehouse Fans
Jeeves and BERTHE Are Back Again
THE MATING SEASON

lie MIA 1NJ SEAOON
BY P. G. Wodehouse. (Didier;; 81
For some it is Holmes and
Watson. For others it is Jeeves
and BERTHE Wooster. For these
last-named there is glorious news.
The splendid old combination is
operating in this viciously in
volved little scenario with a
suavity that gives rise to the
thought that Mr.. Wodehouse and
his inspiration were never out Of
each others sight during its con-
struction. True. as BERTHE re-
marks here and there, the blue
bird is a little slow in picking
up its cues. but when Jeeves
comes shimmering onto the scene
even though it be a drafty old
mansion stuffed to the rafters
with baying aunts, masquerading
clubmen, morose Wears and lus-
cious parlor maids-people are
delicately assisted out of the bouil-
lion In which they have been so
deeply immersed.
Those of us who feel that
Evening star., 1949-12-11

ness. ne ducCQutcS, QulpS dIlO
tall tales which he cites are used
to illustrate his points. Many of
them are familiar. and some, de-
spite their age, persist to this day,
making the rounds In modern
settings.
It is not too much to say that
Mr.. Boatright sheds a sharp light
on American humor in general.
The frontier community. in spite
of it's crudities. its superficial diff
ferences from the cities of the
East, undoubtedly was more Amer
ican in the traditional sense, more
completely a democracy. A new
conner was never asked where his
parents came from or why he
left the settled life of some old
town. II he was an honest, CO.
operative citizen he was accepted;
nobody cared about his racial
stock or education. Thus the hu-
NOR that such communities in
spired had root in the American
character. A century ago a large
portion of the continent was
frontier. What made the gold
camps and new towns laugh prob
ably was much closer to the sort
of thing that makes most Amer
leans laugh today than all the
more subtle humor circulated in
Boston and PHILADELPHIA in the
earlier years.
AS Mr.. Boatright points out,
literary travellers widely misrep-
resented the frontier. Those who
were Sufficiently cosmopolitan in
temperament to report what they
saw with reasonable accuracy"
received scant attention. The
Eastern public listened mostly to
"smug provincials and insulars"
and others "who found all democ-
racy distasteful, but especially
the democracy Of the frontier"
They exaggerated wildly the vio-
lence and easygoing ways OF the
West.
One way of replying to these
Misrepresentation was by ex-
travaganza, piling up horrors for
those who were determined to be-
lieve the life was like that and
soaring the daylights out of
strangers. There was the Texas
editor who told of a little town
out West that must have been
overlooked by Dickens and other
English travellers. I'm one day
they recently had two street fights.
hung a man. rode three men out
of town on a rail, got up quar-
ter race. a turkey shooting, a
gander pulling. a match dog fight,
and preaching by a circuit rider.
who afterward ran a foot race
for applejack all around. and, as
If this was not enough, the judge
of the court. after losing his wears
Evening star., 1949-12-11

salary at single handed poker, and
whipping a person who said he did
not understand the game, went
out and helped lynch his grand
father for hog stealing"
This tendency also gave rise to
tall tales, boasting and Dragging
of NEUROLOGICAL stature and to
hoaxes with which the greenhorn
and tenderfoot were initiated.
Frontier editors and orators came.
on the other hand, to satirize
effete emigrants. especially law
yers land other loafers" who came
to upset the Western code of
honesty and justice. The early
settlers had their own ways. There
was the poor widow with hungry
children who stole and butchered
a calf. The jury acquitted her on
the ground that she had stolen
in self-defense. And there was
the lawyer who, feeling his clients
case was hopeless, advised him to
beat it. But where?" asked the
client. "Ain't I already in Texas?"
Folk Laughter on the Ameri-
can Frontier" will make a worthy
addition to any shelf Of Ameri-
cana.
FIVE NOVELS
BY Ronald Firbank. (Ne,p Di-
rections; So
This omnibus of the late Ronald
Firbank's work will give admirers
some Of his best writing and no
doubt introduce many new read
ers to an original and provocative
stylist. These novels first ap-
peared between 1919 and 1884.
There is an interesting intro
duction by Sir Osbert Sitwell,
whose amusing photographed
books have gained him a wide
audience. Sir Osbert knew well
the sickly young eccentric who
fitted in and out of London in the
'20s between travels in other lands.
Sir Osbert speaks of the beauty
and wit Of Firbank's style. but
feels that the chief claim to be
advanced for the novelist is a
startling technical achievement"
This is that "his dialogues are
quicker and less weighty than had
hitherto been designed for a novel.
He altered the pace Of the dia-
logue for the novel and already
his influence can be detected in
writer's Of more content than him
self, and. indeed, In the most un-
likely quarters"
The novels in this collection are
"Valmouth," "The Artificial Prin-
cess" "The Flower Beneath the
Foot" "Prancing Niger" and
''The Eccentricities of Cardinal
Pirelli."
Evening star., 1949-12-11
| Poetry
THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN


BY Robert Hillyer. (Altred A.
Knopt; $2.75J
Mr.. Hillyer takes the theme for
this narrative poem from an in
cident on Jules Verne's "Myster-
ious Island. Capt. Nemo's sub
marine yacht Is moored in an
oceanic grotto in the East In
dies. Two war-weary American
poet-sailors come upon it on the
day the captain. nearing 100,
dies. They learn the story Of his
adventurous life through diary
they discover. There is intense.
chiseled beauty in the writing OF
this poem, but there is obscurity
in it's meaning. E. T.
Evening star., 1949-12-11

q CO., lnc.s S3./
Reviewed by r
This, the final volume Of the
eolorful Battle Report series, tells
the story Of "the fleet that came
to stay"-in the home waters OF
the Japanese empire-and how it
stayed there despite the fantastic,
suicidal attacks Of Japan's dying
air force. It is a narrowing, NOV
ing story Of American heroism and
sudden death in the strangest air.
sea battles of all time, told by men
who were there.
No official war book to date has
contained 30 fun and 30 authen-
tic an account Of the divine
wind" assault by which the des-
perate. encircled japanese hoped
70 annihilate the American Navy.
Capt. Karig and his associates
have gone to Japanese official
sources to reveal the origin and
development of Japan's grim ban
zai force Of the air. the special
attack corps. And from the lips
of survivors and hitherto conf
dental records Of the Navy they
have fashioned q detailed narra-
tive Of the kamikaze operations,
from Leyte and Lingayen Gulf in
the Philippines to Two Jima and
Okinawa.
The Navy stayed and took the
worst that the Jap suiciders had
to offer. because 1t had a Job to
do. It had been assigned to sup
port amphibious landing forces
and 1t refused to bulge from its
post Of duty. It even diverted its
fast carrier task forces from their
primary mission Of sweeping the
seas clear Of the Japanese fleet
remnants. in order to aid the men
on the beaches long after the
landings. There were heavy losses
to our ships and to our personnel.
At Okinawa alone SO Of our ships
were sunk by suicide planes. It
is worth noting that no ship
larger than a destroyer was sunk,
although many larger ships were
severely damaged. Nearly 5000
Navy men died in support Of their
comrades -in-arms ashore. It was
rugged going for our immobilized
Evening star., 1949-12-11
to report that I didn't find II
funny or even amusing.

to report that l didn't fnd 1t
funny or even amusing.
The author strains hard enough
for laughter, or seems to. Per-
haps that's the trouble. Ones
risibilities can't be carried by as
sault. What ideas the book de-
velops are strictly leftwing. Amer
ica comes to be ruled by a die
tator called the Boss-from big
business and the far right, of
course. The misunderstood Rus
slams are glad to be split off an
earth dominated by the dicta-
torial Western democracies. All
radicals are liquidated
except one Communist Senator,
who is kept alive as a museum
piece and an official opposition.
And so on. Mr.. Balint does H.
lustrate the book with some effec-
tive drawings. &C. B. j.
Evening star., 1949-12-11
Rare Book of Americana Casts
New Liqht on Native Humor

FOLK LAUGHTER ON THE AMERICAN FRONTIER
BY Mody c. Boatright. (Macmillan; $3J
Reviewed by CARTER BROOKE JONES'
The which tapped this
now yields of the most unusual books OF the
Boaghs book collection of funny stories about
other that frontiers 1t penetrating
the motives and back Of type OF extravagant
that seemed prevail in all regions emerging from wilder
Evening star., 1949-12-11
|Murqhunitu Luski's New Novel
Goes Struiqht to the Heart
LITTLE BOY LOST


BY Marghanita Laski (Houghon, Mif1n Co.; s2'75J
aghanita first heard from in this country through
Toasted English" hard breathing satire
British Christmas this touching
father search Of his lost in the
wretched corrupt atmosphere Of early postwar France
main the ordeal Of
Evening star., 1949-12-11
What Will Happen When q Super-Atom
Bomb Splits the World in Half
DON'T INHALE 1T!

BY Emery Balint. (Caer Associates: $275J
Balnts book hardly needs the warning boas)
that is satire This becomes obvious in the
Further reading makes that the compost
burlesque Of broad dimensions
describe it, the story the expert
bomb the depths the
Evening star., 1949-12-11
By Mary McGroN

George Allen longtime life of the White House party is now
he point of no return composition Of his memoirs which
will be called Have Known Me- and which ne
SAYS will have no political significance at all.
puckh codant OF Presidents Roosevelt ana
Truman doesn't know why he writing DOOR,
Evening star., 1949-12-11

recited in this book give an idea
Of how rugged it was for the men
who underwent the hellish ordeal.
Other naval phases Of the clos
ing months of the war, from the
retaking Of the Philippines to the
Sd Fleet attack on Tokyo. the
dropping Of the atomic bombs on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the
dramatic surrender on the deck of
the U. s. s. Missouri, are de-
scribed, with a wealth Of human
interest detail. Capt. Karig and
his collaborators deserve a Navy
like well done!" for the Battle
Report series, a worthy compan-
ion Of Capt. Samuel Eliot Mori-
sons more comprehensive and
more technical, operational his
tory of the Pacific war.
Evening star., 1949-12-11
Retired Washington Newspopermon
Looks Back Upon Some Golden Days
COMING OF THE CROWS FEET

BY Charles J. Bayne. (Tupper Loue, INC; $500
Reviewed by EDWIN TRIBBLE
Since Washington 30
legends Charley Bayne have rather than dimn-
hed He able newspaperman who not only contributed
achievement here but also to the JOY
living Marquis contributed nightly to the
generally undened that the
Evening star., 1949-12-11
Capt. Korig Ends Battle Report Series
With Final Victory in the Pacific

BATTLE REPORT, VOLUME v: VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC
BY Capt Walter Karig s. N R.; L. Harris
u s. N r. Frank A. Manson, u N (Rtnehart
& Co., Inc; So
Reviewed by REX COLLIER.
The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1949-04-30
PRINCE HALL o. E. S. COLUMN

GUIDING STAR NO. ll-STATED MEETINGS Isl
DEGREE WORK. Ord Wednesday Worthy Edeiron-raI
ey White sag Ersine TE 3l4ol Worthy Patron Mr. James
Randall 1874 W. Grand Blvd; Seereary-rars SrAes DAWN
365S 3oth Street. La. 1851 .,-xr,see l., r,;
day. DEGREE WORK Ord Friday WorinY =.
Blanche Graves S0s7 gath Street. TY 6-SSlS worIhY "a
TOn--Mr James Clark ss27 aoih sireen Seefeisf-''
Carrie B. Riley, 1889 Parker. PL VS.
GOLDEN LEAF NO. 4-STATED MEETiNeS Isl ss ~
DECREE WORK Ord Wednesday Worthy Maron-rars. Nao
ioe Collins ll643 McDougan. TW l.66eS WorInY
Mr. S. C. Reid i7l2s Maine ss7s seersarY-Ndiss Hose
A. Fisher 32ll Yemans. ..x-r,,,@s =. ri
PRISCILLA CHAPTER NO. 2l-STATED MEETINGS as, Isl r,h
Wright sss Medhury. IT, 23s7s Worthy Peiron r'I ~
Hoey io27S TO- ss422 Secretary MIS- Ayes
YanesY. 3l37 Russell TE 9slsG v ,.rrr,Ncs Ia, Thurs.
day. DEGREE WORK Ord ThursdaY: worthy s p.r
Willie Austin Mchedale. IL 2-3sT2i Woriny ranon
Mr. George Glenn 1884 Majestic; Secretary mrs oPa ~
ST. AGNES CHAPTER NO. as STATED MEETINGS. IND
Wednesday DEGREE WORK lh Wednesday wor 1sn M ,h
Mrs. Lorraine Daniels soes 23d Street ~ sss
Patron. Mr.. Jerry Fleming. 6552 Boxwood
iarY Beatrice Fleming. sSS2 lockwood IL o,vSIy
.v SHAPJEh NO ~ 1,dsD Worthy Marion Mrs
Avas Hendreih 3sss French Road III Isl morI NJ
Mr. John Robinson 1870 Maple CH Osssi Seereiair' vars
wATERFoRD CHAPTER NO 90 STATED MEETINGS LIST Thur.
day. DEGREE WORK Ord Thursday. worthy N1eI.on ~
Emms Smith sols Oakland TR lAo4n WornY tstos co
william Hunter Secretary MIS- Iissn OO
DoR1ciAN CHAPTER NO. a. STATED MEETINGS and Thurs;
Greene l47 Marsion tn. losos; Worthy Patron mr.
henrY Calvert. 1855 BrYdeni Secretary MIS- ne"e" ~
ess Benton TE lolss .--,,,,s a., ,so,d.v |
DEGREE WORK 9Th Monday. Worthy Marion ai wsI,.r
Doyle. 1850 Bangor TY. 7S772i Worthy Paon Nsi "s
81 cYe 1892 Mslross TH l94sl, Secretary MIS- ""''
me CHAPTER NO. %. STATED MEETINGS Isl F0nosi 81
GREE WORK Ord Wednesday Worthy Marion Az r wrvsn
Fields 37sl Canton WA Secretary Mrs Florence
fisldi s2sl Canton WA s-l99o
The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1949-04-30

ord matching running of the cen
fury in British Guiana, Saturday
The Baldwin Wallace flash ira.
versed the l00-yards in ga to be-
come the fifth man TO tear off the
distance at that rate of speed.
CALIFORNIA; Mel Patton did it re-
Gently, you know.
And out in Los Angeles, Fred
johnson Of Michigan State hook
ed up with this same Patton in
the 100. and thereby lost his
chance TO be a triple winner in
the dual meet held with South
ern Cal. Fred had copied the
broad jump and the low hurdles
earlier.
STARS NEW FACES
AS reported here last week,
there will be quite a few new fac
es on the Philly Stars 949 edi-
ton. The infield may or may not
include Mel Duckett who hadn't
signed as | sat down TO beat this
out on the Corona. But the back
stop department will be presided