Evening Star Newspaper, March 2, 1930, Page 102

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 2, 1930. LIMATE, soil, tide-water rivers and Eli Whitney—these the foundation of Virginia and other Common- wealths of the South. Potentially rich, from the begin- ning, were the soil and climate of this section in the solid gold of tobacco and cotton that were to dominate the industrial future of the South. Its tide-water rivers were open invita- tion to sea craft, bearing vessels well up into the land itself. Means of exchange and com- munication before the era of canal and rail- way. Later, much later, when the planter had grown discouraged over the problem of seeding his cotton through the slow and laborious and unprofitable hand process, there came the Yankee schoolmaster, Eli Whitney, with his Jinvention, the gin. In no long time cotton became a crop of gold. And the South was on its way. That is, the crop was on its way, provided only that workers of the right skin and brawn to stand the moist heat of the South could be found. They could be found. The slaver grew feverishly active. And the black man—thousands of him—took an ocean voyage, all the way from Africa to America. In the course of time there grew up in this land of the free a curious institution—economic at base, political in eventuality, social in many a dire reaction. However, with the advent of the Negro in great numbers the Southland settled into a domain of lord and serf. Among the “lords” were those of direct descent from the Enhglish nobility. Among them also was many a new-rich lord, many a parvenu, such as in our own day the familiar boom has produced— land, oil, mines, war even, and, in the case in hand, the boom in cotton. Very little is said about this new-rich class of the cotton rush, but there it is, nevertheless. No harm done, for few nowadays are interested in the pre- hensile sport of climbing genealogical trees. And, besides, it is not the story of interest at this point. That which does count materially and spiritually is that Virginia came to be a flower of great beauty and merit among the Commonwealtas of the New World. It, for example, specialized in Presidents for the new Republic, in philosophers, in men of letters, in political theorists, in orators and in many an- other calling of high prominence and worth. The list of the great Virginians is a long one, bearing many names of world renown. And around these names shrines have been set, de- voted to the memory of one and another, shrines to which the world itself pays homage. Notable among these and within an hour of the Capital itself are three—Mount Vernon, Monticello, Arlington. Washington, Jefferson, Lee. And, suppose, just for fair and true measure, we, at this point, include Lincoln Memorial. Perhaps not strictly and exactly within the other group—but, yes, it belongs right here. Arlington is the least distinct of the three named as a Virginia shrine. A great Virginian, Robert E. Lee, yet—well Arlington is better known as the “great bivouac of the dead” than as any other thing. Never- theless, the story of Robert E. Lee, Virginian and American, is a great story from more than one point of view. And here we have— h!ARSE ROBERT: KNIGHT OF THE CON- FEDERACY. By James C. Young. Ilus- trated. New York: Rae D. Henkle Co. THE title of this book gives fair impression . of the deep affection, of the general es- teem in which Robert E. Lee was held in life. And in his death there has been no change of heart toward this great man. It is this spirit of devotion that animates the author of the Lee story. And so far as reading and study one, there is ne spot where there couid be any diminution of that sentiment by any one. The biography follows the common pro- -gpdure of time sequence—birth, youth, man- ‘Tipod, old age. But here there are many pauses, justifiable and rich pauses, for emphasizing conduct at certain junctures, since such con- duct is a revelation of character and tempera- &@ent. Always the good boy. Always the good man. Indeed, as with Washingtom himself, the unchanging freedom from flaw, either in be- havior or convictions, makes Lee, like Wash- ington, a shade removed from the com- pleie understanding of frail human nature. Gen. Palmer, in his great new war book, calls Lee “the splendid Virginia,” and proves the title as well by laying down definitely, as a sol- dier would be able to do, all the proofs and buttresses to such a title. And this book does the same. It is not a war story—yet every story of Robert E. Lee is bound to be a story of the Civil War, where this man, at the start, took so valiantly a hard position and, having taken it, devoted his excellent training, his fine mind and his conscientious devotion tc his native commonwealth, to the cause which, from its be- ginning, was destined to be “lost.” While the soldier stands out here, and must, it is the obvious desire of the author to give the full agpicture of Lee by putting such emphasis as the man himself permits upon his part in domes- tic affairs, in matters of immediate foncern, Such treatment serves to round the character of Lee, to bring out his simple tastes, his love ot home, his quiet preoccupations with books and other unwarlike matters, his methodical habits, the routine of his days whether the business in hand were peace or war, his dignity, his con- vincing self-possession. Probably nowhere in history is there a more dramatic picture—a more solemnly dramatic picture—than that of the two men, Lee and Grant, at the crucial mo- ment of formal surrender. That is the picture that every American holds, in equal homage to conqueror and conquered. The spirit of this writer is the supreme count for the book it- self. That and an unusual success in making a fresh and moving recital of events that have been written and rewritten over and over again, THE RED FOG. By Bonnie Busch and Lucia Ramsey Maxwell. Washington, D. C.: The National Patriotic League. ! LITTLE book of facts that have been hunted out and gathered up just to let you know. The warrant for this action at this time A Knight of the Confederacy—Kathleen Norris Brings Out a New Novel Other Books Published for Spring Reading. appears to be a substantial one. Therefore, these authors have herewith submitted to you— “to the patriotic women of the United States of America”—definite activities, fairly widespread, whose design is to operate against the youth of this country for the ultimate purpose of turn- ing youth into an active agent of political dis- organization. The young folks of today are the men and women of tomorrow, effective instru- ments of government, even of no-government. Moreover, they are easily reached, their minds unanchored to principles, untaught in the wis- dom of experience. So it is to these that persuasive discontents turn, shrewdly, for ad- herents to their cause of Socialism, Communism, whatnot of political disintegration. The books separates into two parts. The first part deals with the many agencies operating within institutions of learning—secondary schools, colleges, universities. This is a body of direct testimony. Not hearsay, not guess work. Instead, facts drawn from various forms and agencies of propaganda formally pro- jected by these forces of disorder, of disunion even. The second part enters rather more definitely and objectively into the methods and means of the various bodies that are, in a very real sense, of one mind in their ardors for their cause of “liberty.” It seems to me that this is a book for fathers and mothers to read. Schools, alone, cannot function adequately in the doubie role of parent and teacher. These should know what agencies, usually of that fascinating secret cast, are working among their children. So read this little book. It will not take you long: Read it with your neighbors. Talk it over with the teachers. A century and a half ago the fathers won for us this great Government. We—you and I—should not permit it to be injured, even marred, by alien discontents whose chief gift is that of reckless interference. Read this book—it’s just a little book! PASSION FLOWER. By Kathleen Norris, au- thor of *“The Foolish Virgin,” etc. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co. WRI'I'IEN according to a formula of modern social life. Young heiress runs away with the chauffeur. Left by her family to make her own way with her man. Plucky girl, much in love, ready to pay the debt to youth and hasty marriage. So there is work, house- keeping, children, weariness and a letting down from the tidiness and neatness of less burdened days. But the two are, after a fash- ion, getting along—and across the yard is a lovely lady. A good neighbor, friendly and sympathetic toward the young pair. Her hus- band is an old man—well, rather old. Cer- tainly not half so lustily handsome as this other man. Too bad his wife is so careless about her looks. You know how it runs. Well, it runs just that way here. Then, after much to-do, there is separation, divorce and a new marrying between the lovely lady and the disappointed young husband. I think the old man died— but, no matter. I've forgotten. He's out of the way, at any rate. And then gradually the young man knows the fool he has been. He really did love his wife. He was devoted to the children. The new one is a sore tax en his endurance with her eternal “Do you love me?”—morning, noon and night. A woman ravenous for flattery. A furiously jealous woman. That's the story, in the rough. But it is not in any adequate measure the spirit of the story. That spirit goes back, thousands of years, to tae eternal male—always a little boy, always in need of care and understanding and excusing.” Vain beyond belief! And this vanity is, at bottom, the secret of his amatory short- comings. Always the source of it. Not that “undying love for which I would jeopardize my immortal soul,” and so on and so on. That is the story. This man is essentially good enough —but, he is only a boy. The high point of the story comes with the sturdy bed-rock char- acter of the first wife, the girl who ran away with the chauffeur. With no posing, she Is what a woman must be toward this lovable youth. She mothers and understands and does not talk overmuch. But she suffers—of course. And the end of the accounting? No matter. Read it, for here is a fine story whose foundation is deep, whose building is & most competent use of imaginative artistry sum- moned to serve one of the purposes of current life. THE BEAUTIFUL YEARS. By Henry Wil- liamson, author of “The Pathway,” etc. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. JUSTautfleboymdhhdmundtbehther and the world qudflnut. 'Specially the worid roundabout and the boy with his dog. The father was there, in spots, after the fashion of the tribe. But a lad alone can do quite a alive and having a fairly geod his best friend, padding out into the open enough. did. It is with this §is by selves could be—more so. Henry Williamson has that rare brand of imagination that sets him in the heart of the countryside—its trees in their own private and particular meanings, the fields murmuring together of the growths that they are going to produce, the rivulet whispering of where it is going so fast, so end- lessly, the patterns of sunlight on the trees, the melancholy of twilight and homing birds. And having felt these, and innumerable other secrets roundabout, Henry Willlamson hands these over to readers in words that, knit to- gether, become true pictures of poetic beauty. This is a man whose feelings and impressions possess a beautiful means of transmission in the art of the writer. So, here we have the boy, roaming all out-of-doors, making up tales of wonder, almost of miracle, which he hardly dares to tell to the dour father at home. Yet, once in a while there is a flash between the two, just a gleam of oneness, by way of which the paternity of the little fellow stands clear in the older one. Beautiful and subtle work that grows upon the reader to his own great en- richment. THE VILLA JANE. By Janet Laing. New York: The Century Co. A STRANGE place, that Villa Jane, Weird happenings within it, and frightened neighbors around it. Not surprising either, for to it fair ladies came, one after another, The goings of these were mysteries as to the when, and why, and how. A Don Juan, turned first, husband, then bigamist, then mad, then mur- derous—or so it looked. That was the moment when Miss Anothera” Montmorency, terrified over the mysterious disappearance of her dear- est. friend, after a particularly showy wedding in which a most fascinating man stood as the party of the second part—then it was that Miss Anothera constituted herself the super- sleuth in a most mysterious problem of disap- pearance and possible crime. You can see what a clever writer would do in a situation of this kind. This is a clever writer. And she does all that thé most exacting can expect her to do with the matter in hand. “I am the detec- tive in charge,” Miss Montmorency would say— and at it agaln. A corking story. A fine wit behind it. The comic sense in full play under the most serfous of demeanors. But—the crim- inal escapes, leaving a letter for Anothera Montmorency, detective. Let's look over her shoulder for a word or two of it: “Lady—you were splendid throughout. * * * If any one could have caught me you would have done it. And in a sense you have done it. * * * Take the advice of one who has been frequently mar- ried and do be careful about your next fiance. Your last was a pudding-faced fool and utterly unworthy of you. * * * Take also the ad- vice of one, who for years has lived upon it, and have nothing more to do with crime either as a criminal or as a detective. * * * You are too rare and sweet for them. * * * You have made me, whom you rightly hate, wish that 1 had never seen the Villa Jane. You may hear of me again under other names--but you wiil never see me again. Yours devotedly— The Man You Missed This Morning.” LOOT OF THE FLYING DRAGON. By Ken- neth Payson Kempton. Illustrations by Wilfred Jones. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. BOB'BON. Away back in 1718. Pirates in those days, even in rigid and righteous Bos- ton. A particularly pesky one in this case, be- cause he, Nicholas Hornigold, posed as a staid merchant while he did his dirty work of sea robber by way of naid scalawags. 'Prenticed to old Nicholas was Barnaby Vane, who, curious as all boys are, came one day upon some pretty damaging stores in the cellar of the good merchant. So off the boy was undled in a pirate ship, labeled, ominously, ale of Goods not to be returned.” That is the beginning of a sea tale so stirring and busy as to carry any reader along in about every sort of sea rascality that could be imagined, and that, as a matter of fact, did not have to be imagined a hundred years ago, more or less. In every day of great evil there is a St. George or other shining knight to pursue and finally to overcome one or another of the various dragons of sin. So here is Capt. Benoit, with whom young Barnaby Vane falls into many an adventure of pursuit of the rascals, of out- witting them through a whole story length. We share in sea fights, stolen wealth, secret caves discovered to be packed with plunder, and s0 on and so on. It is not often that a story of piracy carries with it a high idealist bound to bring the wicked low. But that is just one of the points that sets this adventure a notch above the majority of these. A lusty matter quite exceptionally well set out for the pleasure of readers, young and not so young. Books Received MADDER MUSIC. By Mildred Cram. Baosten: Little, Brown & Co. WHAT HAPPENED AT ANDALS? By John Arnold, author of “The Murders im Surry’ Wood,” etc. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. WOMEN HAVE TOLD; Studies in the Femin- ist Tradition. By Amy Wellington. Illus- trated. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. SALONS; Pictures of Society Through Five Centuries. By Valerian Tornius. English version by Agnes Platt and Lilian Wonderley. New York: Cosmopolitan Book Corporation. FREE. By Blair Niles, author of “Condemned to Devil's Island.” New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co. GATHER THE STARS. By Diana Patrick. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. INDIA IN BONDAGE; Her Right to Freedom and a Place Among the Great Nations, By Jabez T. Sunderland, M. A, D. D., former president of the India Information Bureau of America, editor of Young India, author of “India, America and World Brotherhood,” ete. New York: Lewis Copeland Co. THE CRYSTAL ICICLE. By Katherine Keith. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co. THESE LORDS' DESCENDANTS. By Gloria Goddard. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co. AMERICA SET FREE. By Count Hermann Keyserling, author of “The Travel Diary of a Philosopher,” etc. New York: Harper & Bros. THE RUNNER; A Romance of the Niagaras. By Ralph Connor, author of “The Sky Pilot,” etc. New York: Doubleday, Doran & Co. WALTHER RATHENAU; His Life and Work, By Count Harry Kessler. New York: Har= court, Brace & Co. ON BOARD THE EMMA; Adventures with Garibaldi’s “Thousand” in Sicily. By Alex= andre Dumas. Translated with an intro- duction by R. S. Garnett. New York: D. Appleton & Co. DAMPIER; Explorer and Buccaneer. By Clen- nell Wilkinson. New York: Harper & Bros. GOD HAVE MERCY ON US! A Story of 1918. By William T. Scanlon. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Co. EDWARD COKE; Oracle of the Law. By Hagstings Lyon and Herman Block of the New York Bar. Illustrated. ; Boston: Houghton, Mifflin Co. JOHN MERRILL'S PLEASANT LIFE. By Alice Beal Pearsons, author of “The Insider,” etc. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. FRANCE; A Nation of Patriots, By Carlton J. H. Hayes, professor of history in Columbia University. New York: Columbia University Press. CROWD YOUR LUCK ON DEATH. By Harry Kasputin. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co. OREGON DETOUR. By Nard Jones. New York: Payson & Clarke, Ltd. THE MUSTER OF THE VULTURES. By Gerard Fairlie. Boston: Little, Brown & Co. STORM By Leonie Aminoff. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. Protecting A Ifa /fa. IT was not so many years ago that agrie cultural experts were trying to convince farmers of the value of alfalfa as a stock feed and the economy of raising it rather than all hay, as had been the custom. Having attained this end, they found another problem, -and that was how to combat the bacterial wilt which developed to ruin many an alfalfa crop. The farmers once they became accustomed to alfalfa wanted to keep on with. it, so it was up to the Federal experts to find a successful remedy for the new problem. With this end in view, two Federal scientists, H. L. Westover and W. E. Whitehouse, st out for Europe to see what they could discover in the way of wilt-resistant alfalfas. Their journey took them through most of the grain- raising countries of Europs, and Mr. Westover returned recently with more than 170 varicties of alfalfa which will be used in experimental work. Mr. Whitehouse, after accompanying Mr. Westover for the greater part of the trip, left him and went to Persia, whence he brought seeds of apricot, almond, apple, pistachio and melons - for development in this country. The Life of MARY BAKER EDDY Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science By SIBYL WILBUR An Authentic Biography Mrs. Eddy’s life is here de- picted with illuminating clearness. The auther, care- fully avoiding invention, has presented the facts in a re- freshing manner. Miss Wil- bur was not a Christian Sci- entist when she wrote this biography for publication in a magazine of general cir- culation. Published by THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCIETY Bosten, U.S. A, 408 P;.e' — 18 Illustrations Cloth Edition: $3.00 For sale at leading bookstores