THE SUNDAY OREGONIAN, PORTLAND, DECEMBER 17, 1922
Forty-Odd Yean In the Literary Shop,
by Jamea I.. Ford. E. P. Dutton &
Co., New York city.
ALTHOUGH published over a
year ago, few products of
memoir-writing: authors have
so exactly suited the tastes of the
discriminating and appreciative
public as have these sweetly humor
ous and rich reminiscences of James
L. Ford. They are the mellow mem
ories of a man who lived, during; an
Interesting age, close to the roots
of the tree of literary and dramatic
fame, where he could watch them
Buckle the sap from the soil, feed it
to the trunk of ambition to nourish
and sustain the branches bearing;
the fruit of success.
While memoirs are Invariably
charming;, due to the fine perspec
tive afforded of famous persons be
fore fame has thrown shadows over
human qualities, that charm depends
upon content and manner of expres
sion. Expression often condones
for lack of interest, and vital things
can impress when written of in
careless style, but when there is
added to a meticulous choice of ma
terial and words to portray it a cer
tain magnificence both in subject
and treatment the book containing
It is certain to live.
Yet In the year that has passed
since publication of "Forty-odd
Tears in the Literary Shop" when
conversations have turned toward
the book It has been observed that
while many have enjoyed it few
have fully appreciated it. To pay a
proper tribute to Jantes L. Ford it is
necessary to steal one of his own
expressions and speak of his "match
less literary splendor," a phrase he
employs to compliment another
celebrity.
It was Mr. Ford's fortune to be a
dramatio and literary critic during
an age that produced genuine stars
whose names are bywords on the
tongue of this, the following gen
eration. In such capacity he was
near to fame in the making; he even
drank beer with Georges Clemen
ceau in a basement restaurant on
Third avenue before the "Tiger"
was heard of, and now that his mind
has been mellowed by time and dis
ciplined by the requisites of a rare
good taste, he has put down in de
lightful fashion what he saw and
heard during his career.
To provide an idea of the content
of his book it is only necessary to
say that he reviewed "Uncle Tom's
Cabin" In the original cast; that his
etrategy helped , bring Eleanora
Duse before the public eye; that he
recites the happenstance of the first
"leg show," that he knew P. T. Bar
num before the latter made his pro
found remark that the public loves
to be humbugged, and that as, a boy
he spent his spare dimes on the dime
museums which presaged, the pres
ent dramatic era. In telling of these
events he is always keenly humor
ous in an indirect way and with no
loss to the even beauty of his prose.
He knew every writer and stage
celebrity of the mid and later Vic
torian periods, and a glance at the
photographs, some quaint and some
richly significant, with which he has
illustrated the book provides happy
retrospection.
Not only contemporaries of Mr.
Ford, but those of us whose ac
quaintance with his friends has
been gained by hearsay, can love
his writing, both because of its in
comparable beauty and because it is
a treasure of intimate history. His
personal contacts were in the large
majority with stage folk. He writes
less of the literati than of litera
ture, but he reviews the literature
produced during, his active life with
such a modern and discerning eye
that the whole panorama la vividly
shown.
It is audacious of any reviewer
to give unreserved assurance that
h book will be a treat; yet If we
dare to presume, that assurance is
extended. Local book sellers, such
is J. K. Gill & Co., Meier & Frank's
nd others, who have observed the
demand for the volume and who
etlti continue it on their shelves,
substantiate this opinion.
From a Bench In Our Square, by Samuel
Hopkins Adams. ins riougniuu
flin company, Boston, Mass.
The transient in New York is in
variably fascinated with the open
squares which he finds here and
there; strange, incongruous (blots of
foliage and greenery in settings of
drab stone and bold-colored brick.
Exclusive Gramercy park and Its
sheltered key-owners pacing off
their constitutionals within; Union
square with Its rabble of radicals
and old men and women, creeping
in out of dingy side streets to enjoy
the sun and an open apace; Wash
ington square, full of noisy, playful
foreign children whose domain im
pudently encroaches on the southern
extremity of Fifth avenue; Stuyve
sant square, relic of a. better day,
still silently respectable end re
mote; these are some of the parks
which attract the sightseer .
The real charm of these spots is
not so obvious that it can be acutely
realized at the first visit. Pity it
is that few New Yorkers are suffi
ciently interested in humanity to
note the things of interest about
them, and the majority of Manhat
tanites know their parks only
through the written word. They
are populated 24 hours a day, save
In the coldest weather, and the peo
ple who use them are interesting if
they come under any kind of con
sistent observation.
Rather a long preamble to such a
ehort review. Samuel Hopkins
Adams deserves it because he has
caught the spirit of one of the parks
and puts it into the permanent form
of literature. This book is a collec
tion of eight short stories; each a
eplendid portrayal of this segment
of flotsam life 'Which populates New
York's parks. Mr. Adams had pub
lished another volume, "Our Square
and the People in It," and in his
new one he brings back several of
the fine characters of the first. The
two books compare favorably in
charm and content, yet they are not
affected by similarity. "From a
Bench in Our Square" is a very hu
man book that will repay the time
of reading.
In Memoriam, and Other Poems, by Mar.
tin Feinstein. Thomas Seltzer, New
xorK cuy.
Mr. Feinstein has a poetic mind
or hlgn order; so high, in -fact, that
at times he is found groping or
struggling for expression. These
little struggles are not, however,
painfully obvious, and for the most
part his poems and they are poems
In the real sense are easily writ
ten, easily readable gems. His va
riety of themes, perhaps, exceeds
the vast majorityof other poets.
The title poem, "In Memoriam,'
won for the writer the Nation's
poetry prize. He who reads It must
be possessed of a proper ability to
analyze and a deep appreciation of
poetry; otherwise it will seem a
queer, weird hodge-podge. In fact,
it portrays almost to the point of
perfection a certain frenzied frame
of mind in which fighting soldiers
were often thrown at the time of
comrades' death. It is one of the
few poems la the volume which is
By SiefcsrdV Halter.'
James L. Ford, whose book, "Forty-Odd
Years In the Literary
Shop" (E. P. Dntton & Co.), is
one of the moat charming sets
of memoirs, published In years.
not exalted In phraseology, even
though it is, in a very disconnected
way, exalted in theme.
Mr. Feinstein cannot be called fan
tastical in his treatment, even
though he Is an impressionist. His
interpretations have a peculiar fas
cination, such as describing a dans
euse as a chariot of fire, and his
imagination and imagery rank with
Ms poetic sense. The most frequent
reaction from his poetry is that of
calm observation; In the majority of
his poems he observes but does not
feel, and this might be counted
against him, for it often gives a
feeling of aloofness. His senti
ments, when he has them, are not
personal, but studied results; rather
lofty and seldom in the vein that
shows what he has written is what
he hag felt.
Overlooked, by Maurice Baring. The
Houghton-Mlfflln company, Boston,
Mass.
Undoubtedly this Is one of the
strangest novels that has appeared
this year. To say whether or not
it is really, good is impossible. It
is rather vague, but not Incoherent,
due to the teller being blind and
therefore removing the element of
visibility from it. The story is about
a girl, Kathleen Brandon, who is, to
put it bluntly, lackadaisical and apa
thetic about almost all things, espe
cially about love.
Gradually she grows toward spin
sterhood, trying to overcome her
apathy, but each time retiring with
in herself just at the crucial point,
until finally a strange series of
events produces a stranger climax.
Most of the girl's story is retold
by the mother of Anthony Kay, the
blind man. As he sits around the
various European watering places
where the story is scened he has
a way of drawing all the various
characters to him, and compelling
their confidences. His mind is rather
a charming thing and his percep
tion and understanding are In no
way affected by his lack of sight.
Naturally this must be so, in ordfr
to permit him to gather and hold
together the threads of the story.
By taking away the sight of this
man, the element of description Is
largely eliminated, but In its place
there is Introduced a series of con
versations between Anthony Kay
and other persons in which they
describe people to him a4 he re
tails his ideas of what they should
look like according to the personal
ity they have projected to him
through conversation.
It is the manner of telling which
mostly affects the story. The busi
ness of being once removed from ac
tual happenings is rather baffling
to the ordinary reader. The plot and
the idea are quite adequate and once
the difference is interpreted the
book proves fascinating to some ex
tent Its most attractive feature is
the character study afforded through
the second sight of Anthony Kay.
Mother Machree, by Martin J. Scott, S. T.
The MacMillan company,N .New York
city.
Not a novel, not a romance; a
simple narrative full of beauty and
of Christian philosophy. It is rather
seldom that publishers venture on a
book with so little of the ordinary
thrills and so much of the ethereal
variety. "Mother Machree" may not
fall within the classification of
classic literature, but It is a mighty
fine imitation.
Barney Kenney is approaching the
age of 9 years when he first tries
to secure a place on the cathedral
choir. He is an orphan and in the
care of an extremely lovable end
admiring sister. To become a choir
boy it is necessary tovgo through a
long and tedious apprenticeship,
and when Barney first applies to
the father he is told that there is
no vacant place for him. He is so
persistent, .however, that the father
finally ears him sing. Barney se
lects and sings "Mother Machree,"
and once his voice is heard a place
is speedily made for him on the
ohoir, and before the story ends lie
has risen to leading soprano.
The book may be considered by
some a trifle too sweetly senti
mental; it Is, truth to tell, pretty
sweet. The author is undoubtedly
a very sincere churchman and a
most devout lover of music, for
he writes almost entirely about re
ligion and music. There, is a touch
of genuine sadness at the end, bet
ter done than the sentiment fur
ther front. The sister is a fine
character and her relations with
her brother comprise one of the
really pretty phases of the book.
Anne Severn and the Fieldingg, by May
Sinclair. The MacMillan company.
jew rork city.
. Anne Severn was 10 years old
when her mother died, and she went
to live with the Fieldings, and there
begins one of the most remarkable
novels of the year in several re
spects. One of these is the manner
of telling; concise clarity, with
rather too little than too much elab
oration. Another is that a clean
story has been made out of rather
a sordid circumstance, a eircum
stance that is pathetic, and a third
is the sharp character contrasts in
volved, and involving the plot.
The little girl grows up into a
staunch, true woman, to whom love
is absolutely everything, whose
whole life is to help anyone she
loves and who never flinches at any
crisis, no matter how much it may
hurt to carry it through.
Two of the three boys in the
Fielding family, Eliot and Jerold,
are sharply contrasted to each other
and to Anne, and there is another
character, Maisie, who fills in the
gaps and carries back and forth.
Into this group comes a love for
two persons who belong to each
other and which cannot be fulfilled
because of the others. It is Jerold
who lacks the, ' courage to go
4 ' H
X$r ' ill
'isl li
a if!
through, who cannot face trouble
and who avoids anything which is
not pleasant or which he does not
enjoy. His cowardice Is the con
trasting element of the whole, took,
and it brings unmentionable pain
to several of the others.
It Is Anne Severn,, the courageous
and lovable girl, whoee persever
ance finds the way out of the diffi
culty. Passionate, staunch-hearted
Anne etands by herself when the
time comes to use her courage to
procure happiness at. the pain' of
others, but -with as little pain as
possible, when she is certain that
her way is the right way..
So far the book would seem some
what drab, but there is plenty of
color In the illicit and overwhelm
ing passion which- twists and dis
torts those it affects. The story is
given a bold treatment, but never
for a single sentence does It de
scend Into the vulgar. Here again
the wonder of Anno Severn's char
acter serves as an uplifting In
fluence. -
May Sinclair's style is so care
fully shorn of all unnecessary words
that It seems actually abrupt. In
places it Is so compact that the
reading becomes a iblt difficult, but
It is never boresome; In fact, the
book Is one of those very few which
hold the reader to It. -until the. end
Is reached. '
A History of the Great War (In four vol-
volumes), by John Buohaa. The
Houghton-Mlfflln company, Boston,
Mass.
It is something to write a history
that is authentic, analytical and de
tailed, but it is far greater to write
one which incorporates these quali
ties in a literary masterpiece of
stirring appeal, dramatic intensity
and dignifed expresson. Such a work
is certain to win the attention of the
soldier, the student and the scholar
alike.
Perhaps not for a few years to
come, because the war is still too
much of a personal matter, but even
tually evory home will possess some
kind of a history of the great strug
gle, just as every home now pos
sesses some literature on the civil
war and on other Important periods.
The desire to own a record of the
great war is now making itself man
ifest and the Important problem
which confronts the reader of books
Is the selection of the history which
he desires to own. Great histories
of this period are yet to be written.
Probably they will surpass Colonel
Buchan's work, perhaps some other
work already published surpasses it,
but it Is certain, and entirely evi
dent after even only a' casual pe
rusal, that this will be accepted as
one of the standard histories of the
war and will be the well from which
quotations will be drawn by the
thousands.
It is a great history. Its physical
aspects are worth mentilon. The set
comes in four volumes, bound in blue
cloth, each volume having approxi
mately 600 pages. It is well illus
trated with maps and plates and the
binding is staunch and strong. This
first edition may not, probably -Will
not, be the only one published; ,de
luxe editions are almost sure to fol
low, but nothing but pride of owner
ship will result from possession of
this, the original.
The author was commissioned at
the outbreak of the war, in the Brit
ish army. By 1915 he was a lieutenant-colonel
and for a time he was
liaison officer between the British
and French armies. In 1916 Mr. Lloyd
George appointed him director
of information in the British
foreign office, a position which
he held until the. end of the
war. Throughout the conflict Mr.
Buchanan was thus the very
focus point through which passed all
the secret information and enjoyed
a unique opportunity for seeing the
war in every aspect and from every
angle, to have a birdseye yet de
tailed view of the Btruggle as a
whole. Add to this his first-hand
knowledge of modern warface, an
Intimate acquaintance with most of
the allied leaders and statesmen, and
his training as a historian, and the
result qualifies him as few other
men are qualified to write a stand
ard and permanent history of the
great conflict.
He has searched hard and studied
diligently in preparing his history.
He has checked over his findings
first hand with the leaders of each
campaign to be certain of authen
ticity, and he has added to his vast
fund of Information a literary style
that is dignified, exalted and entire
ly in keeping with his subject He
furnishes. In exquisite prose, a record
of every battle, the troops and lead
ers which took part, the conditions
under which it was fought, the man
ner in which it was won or lost, and
the significance of the outcome; and
all this in chronological order so
that the war Is unrolled for the
reader from the start to the finish.
One quotation will serve to give
some idea of the style of the whole
story: .
"Tha vale of the Meuse is s nurs
ery of winter fogs. From the Woevre
clay and the deep trench of the river
they rise to cloak every fold of the
intervening plateau. On this Febru
ary day the air was thick and damp,
and a raw wind blew from the east.
The short season of orema.nr
springtide, which the early weeks of
me montn saw, had given place to
the cold brume of November. It was
perfect weather for the German at
tack. Their guns, massed far be
hind In the open wheel to wheol
were firing by the map, and had the
exact range of the French line. The
French guns could not find them to
speak back, for the limit of visibility
was low. We are to picture a sud
den overwhelming blast of fire, pre
cisely directed and fed from accumu
lations delivered by no less than 14
new strategic lines, suddenly un
loosed upon a front prepared for no
more man tne average field bom
bardment. Its success must be im
meaiate ana overwhelming. The
French first line disappeared, and
the German Infantry, when at dusk
they advanced, promenaded into pos
session. .
Grand ODera SInsra nf iwiair v... tt
C. Lahee (New revised edition). The
Page Company, Boston, Mass.
No other division of artistic publio
entertainment requires as much
unowieage on tne part of an audi
onto n, uuea opera, hot a proper
appreciation it is necessary for the
listener to know something both -of
the opera he hears and the singers
taking part in it. Unless he has
the ability to interpret the music
as ha hears it, and unless he knows
the significance of each separate
rendition, the ordinary natron can
easily be bored. Consequently it is
of full importance that books on
either opera and opera singers be
not only authentic but illuminating.
The volume in question here has
been regarded since the date of its
first publication, 1912, as an authen-
tic history of standard merit. This
is the rirst time it has been re
vised and brought up to date, and
in view of its combination of record
and charm it is to be hoped that a
.revision win occur at every ten
year interval in the future.
It must be borne in mind that the
book concerns only American opera
houses. The plan used by the author
has been to take each opera house
In turn and relate its history. The I
revision consists of two added chap-
tors, one on the Metropolitan opera
company In New York and the other !
on the Chicago Opera association.
The content of the two chapters is
the history of each organization
since 1912. Each singer as he or
she appeared on the scene is dis
cussed, sometimes for several pages,
mostly for the duration of ft para
graph of justifiable length. But this
prosaic method has not detracted
from the fascination of reading
about musical careers. - As was the
first book, the added parts are most
charmingly written' and provide en
tertainment even for the novice
student of opera history.
Perfect Behavior, by Donald Ogden Stew
art. The George H. Doran company?
New York city. .
Of course, there could be very few
better targets for the humorist or
satirist - than American etiquette
and social usage on account jof the
obviously ridiculous customs and
habits of persons, perhaps well-
enough Informed, but careless. How
ever, Donald Ogden Stewart has
done such a good job of his parody .
outline of etiquette that the book
will undoubtedly cause more hilari
ous laughter and genuine mirth
than any other published this year.
It surpasses his "Parody Outline of
History" and It surpasses all other
parodies recently published.
One or two serious comments and
then a quotation or two to provide
some idea of the content. He wisely
aims at the fallacies of common so
cial usage, and the foolish habits
and the funny blunders, generally
making his directions so absurd
that they imply what really is the
correct att'tude or deed. He like
wise provides a regular. Coney
Islahd laughing mirror for people
to see themselves in, if they are not
too obtuse. Of course, the whole
book Is absurd,' but deliciously ab
surd, and any one sneaking off to a
quiet corner for solitude with "Per
fect Behavior" will quickly reveal
his whereabouts by uncontrolled
and hilarious laughter.
Mr. Stewart begins with the eti
quette of courtship and leads
straight through to the wedding,
giving valuable instructions on how
to meet the wedding guests with
regard to the presents they have
sent. The best man is advised, if
the, bride's little brother asks too
many questions while he Is unpack
ing, to give little brother his razor
to play with. In a few minutes the
ambulance will call and the best
man can then resume his unpacking.
Stewart is nothing if not complete.
He tells everything from the neces
sary qualifications of each usher to
the requisite temperaments of the
bridesmaids, and few persons will
fall to recognize some wedding they
attended in the descriptions. As to
the ceremony "After the Scotch
mist left by the ushers has cleared
there come the . . . and the
bride. In the meantime "the bride
groom has been carried In by the
best man and awaits the procession
at the foot of the aisle, which is
usually 440 yards long .' . . At
the reception it is customary for the
ushers and the best man to crawl
off into separate corners and die.
The festivities are generally con
cluded with the disappearance of
the bride, the bridegroom one of the
uninvited guests and four of the
most valuable wedding presents."
Through with the wedding, the
author takes up the etiquette of
travel, opening with instructions in
telling elderly ladies how to board
the wrong street car. She should,
he says, always stand directly under
a large sign marked: "Street cars
do not stop on this corner," and
then he explains the procedure after
boarding the car, telling them al
ways to be sure to enter by the
door marked "Exit."
Save to give some Idea or tne gen
eral tenor, such quotations are pro
foundly inadequate. The book Is
sublimely funny and full of funny
wisdom, which, nevertheless, is truly
wisdom.
Mr. Lloyd George, by B. T. Raymond.
The George xl. JJoran company, iew
York city.
Showing both sides of a question
is one thing; being fair in tne
analysis la quite another, and this
Bhould serve as a mim warning to
anyone before reading Mr. Ray
mond's treatise on the late prime
minister of England. Whether or
not publication of the book has been
hastened in order to make it more
timely is not known at this desk,
but timely it is and if the writer
may seem too emphatically opin
ionated here and there, he has at
least afforded an excellent criti
cism of Lloyd George and his posi
tions during his reign.
No man is really great unless no
attains ereatness in the face of
opposition and perhaps Lloyd
George has been fortunate in re
spect to such opportunity. Of op
position there has been much; tor
instance. Ireland, Kitchener, Dil
lon. Redmond, Cromer, Curzon,
Northcliffe and others. Indian policy
is another instance, and labor is
as great as any of the manifold
problems which were brought to tne
Welshman for solution.
It is possible that Mr. Raymond
makes a serious mistake in his
views on Lloyd George's handling
of the Irish situation. Briefly, he
would give you to understand that
the prime minister first sought to
dominate and compel, and then,
finding . these methods amiss, he
gave a free hand. That may be so,
but it probably Isn't Qommon im
pression would have it that Lloyd
George was particularly steadfast
in his Irish policy,
He would seem to be wrong also
In some of the points he makes-
concerning India, and the greatest
of these is the inference that Lloyd
George appointed Montagu secre
tary to India because he was great
ly Indebted to Jewish ministers,
while, as a' matter of fact, that ap
pointment was interpreted as be
ing one of the prime minister's most
courageous acts.
But Mr. Raymonds treatment of
the many oppositions and the many
personalities which contributed to
or deflected from the fame of his
subject are always Illuminating. A
certain portion of the reading pub
lie is bound to consume with con
siderable avidity any volume about
the most spectacular and powerful
prime minister England has had in
at least two decades. Mr. Raymond
has been a keen observer and he
writes his views in an intelligent
manner. He has contributed a work
that will be highly useful; probably
more so than the expected auto
biography of Lloyd George.
Looking On, by Jimmy Howcroft Pub
lished by the author at Little Forest
cottage, Ltipnook, Hants, England.
Of far greater importance than
the content of this small booklet
is the circumstance of the author.
Howcroft is an airman who was
desperately wounded during the
war. Since 1916 he has been un
able to move hand or foot, and his
doctors are mystified that he should
be able to live. His spine is frac
tured and he is in constant pain.
Most of his verse was dictated to
his nurse in the London hospital,
where he was looked after for five
years.
In spite of such a handicap How-
crofts verse is consistently cheer
ful and bright Occasionally there
is a slight flaw In the lines, but it
is a wonder that there are any lines
at all. With seem'ngly nothing to
look forward to, Howcroft looks
forward to much. His 'poetry, dic
,.tated from bis bed, has already en-
abled him to leave the hospital for a
pleasant country home, and he now
plans by his new edition to start a
poultry farm and to be Independent
rather than assert Ms eligibility to
help.
The verse is In various veins.
Some of It Is sprightly, some
dreamy and one or two poems are
frankly beautiful. A soft that
might have been crushed by misfor
tune, as the body was crushed, has
remained beautifully full of poetry.
Under Four Administrations, by Oscar
S. Straus. The Houghton-Mifflin com
pany. New York city.
The first real significance In the
career of Oscar S. Straus was when
his appointment was advocated by
President Cleveland to the post of
minister to Turkey. The results, of
the appointment, or rather the lack
of any opposition to such a marked
step, indicate the character of this
autobiographer and a perusal of his
book makes the reviewer regret
previous extravagances in dispens
ing adjectives.
To send a Jew to Turkey at that
time was not exactly the thing to
expect. Prejudice was stronger then
than it now is, and present broad-
minded policies of politicians were
not tnen in vogue. Nevertheless the
appointment was made, and subse
quent results not only Justified it,
but paved the way for a figure to
be remembered as well and as long
as any of the four presidents under
whom Straus served.
Oscar S. Straus has written more
of a history than an autobiography,
and any book about him would be
the same, for he has, for 60 years,
participated in more important
events and come into close contact
with more important men than has
perhaps any other individual. In
those 50 years he has lived and
worked on five continents; has oc
cupied more than a dozen govern
mental positions of trust and has
taken part in nearly all interna
tional conferences as a representa
tive of the United Statesi
However, he has given us more
than a cold recital of the facts of
his life, or the political facts of the
years of his life. He has .written a
thoroughly delightful book, full of
enjoyable sidelights, In which he
moves along the events and men
participating to their ultimate end
ings with no small degree of lit
erary skill. And as he goes along
he has taken time to look to the
right and to the left in order to
observe what lies on the edges of
the path. He tells of Lloyd George
in a festive mood, Kipling taking
care of his daughter at a social
function, Grover Cleveland's enjoy
ment of a glass of beer at midnight,
and many another happy little in
cident. As In the title of his book. Mr.
Straus Is almost unpardonably mod
est throughout its text. The story
of a life is, of course, the story of
that life's contacts with events, but
the personal part can be carried
prominently in the foreground or it
can be subdued to the status of a
mouthpiece, and this latter policy
has prevailed here. Straus Is no
more concerned ' with himself than
he was when he was offered 1,000,-
uuu irancs to act as a mediator
between the Turkish grovernment
ana Baron de Hirsch when the Con
stantinople railway was being
planned. '
His vigorous work in Turkey as
minister to that country earned for
him the appointment as one of the
four members from America to the
permanent court of arbitration, at
The Hague, and it was during this
service tnat he became a close
friend of Roosevelt a friendship
which resulted in his appointment
to the chair of secretary of com
merce. Taft in turn offered him the
Turkey portfolio again, and Straus
felt it his duty to go to that coun
try a third time. This recent his
tory is fairly well known, as is the
part played by him at the peace
conference, but what he has to say
concerning these years is not en
tirely devoid of news value, and
even close followers of events will
find a few revelations that have
not heretofore come to light.
Autobiography of Countess Leo Tolstoy.!
a. w. iueDscn. Inc., New York city.
Relegation to that distinct class
limited to persons anxious to study
Tolstoy's life and Tolstoyan doc
trines and to know something of
the Inner struggle between theory
and inclination which went on in
the heart of the great writer be
fore he "went away" is necessary
for this brief paper. For that class
the book is tremendously vital; for
the general public it - is of little
import, although In the simple story
told by the countess there is a
wealth of emotion and the revela
tion of untold Buffering.
By no means is It a book for en
tertainment purposes. It Is heavily
prefaced and explained by notes;
thorough study of Tolstoy from
the domestic side with brief refer
ences to his works, making of it
a volume for the student rather
than for the literary dilletante.
The translation has been made by
S. . S. Kotellansky and Leonard
Woolf. The autobiography was
written - early ' in the preceding
decade at the request of S. A.
Vengerov, a periodical publisher,
and it was written with some re
luctance on ) the part of Countess
Tolstoy, apparently bf cause she
was loath to reveal the sufferings
which her husband's strange the
ories and his inability to live up
to them caused her.
At any rate the result is the
final note in the great story of
Tolstoyan history. This side of the
writer's life has never been touched
on before, and needless to say the
wife has written with a sufficiently
keen penetration to afford an en
tirely new view and understanding
of Tolstoy. The countess has that
Russian gift for emotional self-ex-
First Choice
3ffar GUjrtslmaB (Stbtng or
fnr $our asn Sithrars
THIS FREEDOM
By
A. S. M. HUTCHINSON
Author of
if Winter comes
This great novel not only head the
list of best teller throughout the
United State as shown by Book
of the Month, but also head tha
lilt of book most in demand at the
Public Libraries a shown by The
Bookman.
Last Christmas you gave your
friend IF WINTER COMES
this year give them this new novel
which ha also won national appro
bation. $2.00 aall Bookseller
Bote LOTUS. BROWN ft CO. NUukts
Outdoors and Us
By Mary Carolyn Davies
Beautiful Child Poems with wonder
ful illustrations ia color and black
and white.
At All Bookstore. Fries 12.50.
The Penn Publishing Co, Phila.
pression in " simple terms to a
marked degree. The wholo story
of her early life and her life with
Tolstoy is a deeply moving thing.
Every page is a bitter cry of suf
fering, of passionate, complete dis
appointment. It is a record of a
complete and inevitable misunder
standing, which, through its very
lack of understanding. Illumines
with somber completeness all that
has heretofore been uark in the life
of an immortal genius.
The Optimist, by E. M. Delatield. The
MacMillan company, New York city.
Here Is a novel written on a point
which every person given at all to
thought has thought about It is
more than an attempt to reconcile
the differences between the old
school and the new; it draws the
line sharply between the -passing
generation and the new one, be
tween father and children; with the
children out of reverence to their
father trying to shield him and pre
vent him from learning the doc
trines of the liberal-minded young,
and the father, thoroughly cog
nizant of juBt these things, striving
to hold his children within the field
of his own beliefs.
In "The Optimist" appears the
clash of the old contented order
with rationalism, one might almost
say the agnoBtio spirit of the times.
Canon Morchard is a thorough Vic
torian, and drawn opposite him is
young Owen Quentllllan, an author
of analytical and pessimistio essays.
The canon has five children, all of
whom share something of Quentll
lian's ideas, and these children do
their best out of respect for their
father to keep him from realizing
their mental separation from him.
Canon Morchard, antagonized and
informed by Quentllllan, knows the
minds of the younger element and
tries to prevent his own children
from emulating the general trend.
Thus the two sides, father and chil
dren, walk together with the space
between them until the unavoidable
disillusionment
Such a book, to be well-turned,
demands careful characterization
and this book has just that. It Is
seldom that fiction characters are
bo well drawn- and sharply deline
ated. It is also seldom that a novel
contains so much food for thought.
As a matter of fact, for general
reading, "The Optimist" will not
prove exceedingly popular because It
has enough in it to make it heavy.
Speaklng of the Turks, by Mufty-Zade K.
Zia Bey. Duflield & Co., New York
city. ..
' According to the common frame of
mind, speaking a good word for the
Turks is just like sticklrjg your
head in an alligator's mouth. It
could be done if the alligator could
be given to understand the purpose
of the experiment and was willing
to co-operate, and this is something
akin to the attitude taken by Mr.
Z;ia Bey In his entirely commend
able and cleverly written book. He
seeks to pacify the alligator of
public opinion by going at his work
in a very dignified and restrained
manner.
'Yet in spite of popular prejudice,
in fact because of it, it Is perfectly
natural that many persons should
like to know something of the Turks
from the Turkish point of view, and
Mr. Zla Bey has afforded such an
opportunity in his temperate treat
ise. The author is well-qualified for
h's task. His is a very cosmopoli
tan mind, saturated with enough
of universal philosophy to compre
hend and explain the differences of
national philosophies and religions.
We may take exception to his ap
parent desire to show similarity be
tween our own religion and theirs,
although even-in this he is not with
out some, success, hut we can always
readily agree to the contrasts he
draws between our civilization and
the Ottomai system. ,
It may seem rather strange to
speak of an Ottoman system of civ
ilization, but such an expression
conveys the purpose of the book.
Zia Bey would have us know that
such a system does exist, if in a
decadent state. He speaks of it al
most apologetically, however, and
tefers to the restraint it Imposes
upon a strong national vitality.
By using a moderate tone and
subduing a patriotic enthusiasm, the
author has served his purpose far
better than had he indulged in
rhapsody. Writing cleverly and
clearly, he has achieved a broad and
dispassionate survey of Turkey and
her people that contains both sIk
nificance and interest
INTERNATIONAL BOOK REVIEW
A new publication venture, "The
Literary Digest International Book
Review," just launched by Funk &
Wagnalls, should fill a long-felt
want for the upper literati. The first
number, appearing on news stands
during the past week, indicates that
it may surpass in scope even The
Bookman," and while its aggregate
content the Journal is a monthly
will not liksly exceed that of the im
portant weekly literary supplements
of some of the large newspapers, it
will be more representative of the
International output, and of para
mount authority In its criticisms.
The purpose of the publication is
best expressed by a quotation from
EDGAR
RICE
BURROUGHS
r j, i tT
""jlTS HEREr
Awthee ef THE TARTAN TALES
How Gahan, Jed of Cathol, raced in hit
airplane through the fury of a Martian
tempest to the rescue of the fair Tarn of
Helium; how he was wrecked in the ooze ,
of adead sea bottom, and escaped to find
himself surrounded by a strange race of
bodiless heads and headless bodies; and
how he met the unknown Chessmen of
Barzoom and played the game of life and
death is told in this most marvelous
of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Martian tales.
At All Bookstores
A. C. MtCLURC
j THE LITERARY PBRIgCOPE' I
BY JBNNETTE KENNEDY,
Assistant in the Circulation Department,
Publio Library.
IN ST. JOHN ERVINE'S informal
essays on other writers, entitled
"Some Impressions of My Elders,"
he makes some interesting compari
sons of present-day British writers.
He says: "Wells is instinctively
friendly. He has none of the chilly
aloofness of Mr. Yeats nor of the
shy constraint of Mr. Shaw nor ot
the nervous coldness of Mr. Gals
worthy." Of Mr. Bennett he writes,
"There is not anything in the round
world, made by God or man, which
does not interest Arnold Bennett
Familiarity breeds contempt in most
of us, but It does not breed contempt
in him. He never gets used to
things."
Alfred Knopf, the publisher of tha
translation from the Russian "Ter
tium Organism A Key to the Enig
mas of the World," by P. D. Ous
pensky, admits that he is not com
petent to judge of this work, but
he commends it to the attention of
all Interested in philosophy, theoso
phy and the fourth dimension.
Thomas Burke's memorable de
scriptions of the London of "Lime
house Nights" have associated his
name unforgettably with the Lime
house district He has a new book
out on other strange scenes and
streets in London. It is called "The
London Spy."
.
If you want to study human na
ture go to the Bible, for, according
to 'William Lyon Phelps, the New
Testament abounds in revelations
of the character of men and women.
His literary interpretations, of New
Testament stories according to mod
ern standards are contained in his
work called "Human Nature In the
Bible."
-
At last a cook book for men, with
recipes by other men, has been com
piled by C. MacSheridan under the
title "The Stag Cook Book." A fea
ture of the collection is that each
formula is set forth with unmis
takable clearness.
Edith Wharton is starting a new
serial in the December Scrlbner'a
entitled "A Son- of the Front." An
unusual group of Americana living
in Paris at the outbreak of the great
war provide the characters.
W. H. Hudson in his last book
describes himself as a field natural
ist, for, he says, "A field naturalist
is an observer of everything he sees,
from a man to ant or a plant and
is also an observer of himself in the
first place." -;
When asked why he wrote the
poem "Reynard the Fox," John
Masefleld's reply was, "At a fox
hunt and nowhere else can you see
the whole of the land's society
brought together, as the Canterbury
Pilgrims were for Chaucer."
V
It appears that Margot ' Asquith
did not succeed in telling her whole
story In two volumes of autobiogra
phy, for volumes. Ill and IV, cover
ing the war period in London, are
now appearing.
.
There are biographies for every
tastes in this season's output. For
all who are interested in the life of
the theater and its people John
Drew's "My Years on the Stage,"
Mrs. Patrick Campbell's "My Life
and Some Letters" and "The Print
of My Remembrance," by Augustus
Thomas, are available. For others
who want a distinctly literary fla
vor there are "Letters of James
Gibbons Huneker" and "A Book
About Myself," by Theodore ,Dreiser.
For biography of public men since
the civil war Henry Morgenthau's
the dedicatory editorial: "Impar
tially to give the news of books the
world over; to recognize apprecia
tively such reality of Interest as
may lie beneath whatever foreign
guise, whether of language or of
literary method, these books may
assume, is the province that belongs
to the critical literacy journal for
which there has been an increasing
demand. And it is in whole-hearted,
enthusiastic recognition of the valid
ity of this demand that the Interna
tional Book Review commences its
career."
Whether or not the initial number
Is representative in caliber of those
to follow cannot, of course, be de
termined now. This number in
cludes reviews of important books,
not only recently published, but of
some that are already widely known
and have been widely read. The
variety of Teviews will probably be
more limited in the future. Further
more, with the modern facilities of
book distribution and what might
well be called a very avid reading
public, a monthly review is at a dis
tinct disadvantage in comparison
with weekly publications. A book
can often achieve a wide circulation
before the monthly paper has an op
portunity to comment upon it. But
read a book review after you have
CO.. PUBLISHES
J g g Jjlf aF 'ar. "
"All in a Life Time" and Baron
Rosen's "Forty Years of Diplomacy"
present the world of finance, poli
tics and affairs. For readers who
seek the humorous aspects of life
Irvin S. Cobb's autobiography. -called
"Stickfuls Memoirs - of a
Newspaper Minion" has been pub
lished. In "Definitions" some of the
judgments, comments and criticisms
which Henry Seldel Canby, the well
known editor of the New York Eve
ning Post literary review, expresses
are: "The novel has melted and run
down into a diary." "Some review
ers use a book to write about them- '
selves, their tastes, their moods,
their reactions." "More people seem
to be engaged In occasional produc
tion of poetry and fiction, in Amer
ica, than in any single money-making
enterprise. The flood pours, but
it is not literature."
"Six Characters in Search of an
Author" is a play from the Italian
which Is having a successful run at
the Princess theater In New York
It's author, Luigl Pirandello, ha3
written a novel, "11 Fu Mattia Pas
cal." a work which has been ac
claimed "the greatest novel of thai
New Italy," and this novel Is to be
published in this country in an Eng
lish translation early in January.
The drama "Six Characters in
Search of an Author" has Just been
published here. In translation, with,
two others, "Henry TV" and "Right
You Are," under the title "Three
Plays."- This Is Mr. Pirandello's
first introduction to American read
ers. The translator declares in tha
preface that they are significant of
what "this young, Impulsive, fasci
nating, boisterous, after-the-waf
Italy" is doing In the theater, where
"Pirandello and his associates have
broken the bounds set to the old
fashioned sentimental Latin play."
In a December magazine Grant
Overton has written an article on
"Fifty Gifts for Christmas" and his
advice on book selection Is pertinent
and suggestive. "Carefully given,
books make ideal Christmas pres
ents," he says. "Their almost un
limited variety, their character of
permanence are in their favor; but
what is moBt in their favor is a
book's power to express a sympa
thy of the spirit. There are two
things to remember. The first 13
that you aren't picking a book for
yourself. The second is that the
choice of a book because It is
classic and therefore "correct," or
very popular, and therefore a fairly
safe bet upon pleasing, is the way to
fall. Your aim is to express, in
your gift of a book, something that
no other gift could convey."
A reviewer, recalling Stephen
Vincent Benet's gift for poetry, be
moans the writer's change to the
art of the novelist. "We are sorry
to see a remarkable visionary tal
ent and the gift of dreams used to
make a nice young novel. It is too
much like cutting rainbow scarves
into a golfing suit, ruining the j
scarveB without making decent
knickers."
The anonymous author of "Mlrr
rors of Washington" has finally
disclosed his Identity. He is Clin
ton W. Gilbert.
Peter B. Kyne says, "Personally,
I can't see a bit of odium attached:
to the experience of turning out a
book that happens to become a best
seller. Can you?"
"The briefest reason we know,"
says a reviewer who has been
asked in numerous letters Why he
ever says kind words for the writ
ings of Scott Fitzgerald, "is that he
can write."
read the book as it is to read tha
review first?
The staff of the new journal in
cludes on Its list the names of the
most prominent authorities: Richard
Le Gallienne, Maurice Francis Egan,
George Barr McCutcheon, Christo
pher Morley, Amy Lowell, Brander
Matthews, Heywood Broun, Zona
Gale and others, all famous in a.
literary way and thoroughly capable
of expressing sound opinion, with,
perhaps, one or two exceptions.
Aside frbm this attraction, the big
feature of the venture is that it
will discuss the books , of all na
tions. then, isn't it quite as Interesting to
A Romance
The
of Early
California
cL.h
of cold
steel fines
in your car
By Harry
M you tarn
thtt oaiei.
Sinclair
Borne to you
upon the nikht
Drago
Wind come hot,
temoMtnotiai mo da
1
oflove.
bat
webe
Ae il voa
like "Rinnu"
'yoa win
Saianna.
BALDY OF NOME
By Esther Birdsall Darling
A true story of Alaskan Dog Races
and th most widely known dog In
the world.
At AU Bookstores. Price SS.50.
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The Whelps of the Wolf
By George Marsh
A story of the Hudson's Bay Country.
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svta.
tm i
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a... I Mac away 1
I Company I
1