Springfield weekly Republican. [volume], September 19, 1918, Page 8, Image 8

About Springfield weekly Republican. [volume] (Springfield, Mass.) 1851-1946

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8
BOOKS and AUTHORS
A LABOR COMMONWEALTH
DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTRALIA
HurnruM wage established
finw of Supply and Demand Repu
diated by Arbitration Court—
Treatise by C. H. Northcott
A thesis on “Australian Social De
velopment ’ by Clarence H. North
eott, which is published by Columbia
f nniversity as one of the studies in his
tory. economics and public law. is a
sober, intelligent work, which might
|t« better if it did not keep so insis
tently before the reader the fact that it
i* a product of -social science." What
is needed is a clear, impartial, orderly
•ccount of Australian development.
jmd. in the main. Dr Northcott gives
U» this. He does not, however, go so
iar as we should expect in a “scien
tific 1 ’ work because ve do not see
much of the social forces that have
ehaped the country. To carry out a
'•work of such scope there would be
need of a study of early immigration
and of the contributions to the social
ietructure made by the various groups,
diverse in fortunes, but representing
a certain British solidarity in political
‘ training and social aims. On the other
hand, he covers excellently, though
perhaps, without much novelty, the
jjolltical and economic development of
(the country in the past 20 years.
One thing which strikes the reader
ia the alert political intelligence of
Australian political leaders. For them
'politics must be truly matters of prin
ciples. And what is more, these men.
marrow though they may be. are
acutely aware of their principles. In
a. long-settled country, with one o
v.wo main cleavages, many people drift
into their political affiliations, and
'then justify those affiliations by self-
Jnterest or tradition, or fail through
indifference to justify them at all.
<ytn Australia everything in the politi- j
leal world is apparently thought out.
IA few years ago. for example, a ques
tionnaire was sent to representative
.liberals: and that questionnaire could
mot be answered except by men who
had Etopped to think about their politi
cal philosophy. Only four questions
Were asked, but they completely cov
ered the ground:—
Could the political principle behind Aus
tralian liberalism be classified under any
o? the following heads: Individualism,
iaissei falre. or a sane conservatism? If
gione of these is satisfactory how would
(you describe Its political principle?
How far does liberalism accept the prin
ciple of social welfare as a political
ideal? What meaning does it give to it?
Where does liberalism draw tue limit of
•tste control?
Wherein does liberalism differ most
radically from the policy of the labor
party?
The liberal view, individualistic as
Opposed to socialistic, is that of the
‘well-to-do and better-educated classes
tor of old-fashioned anti-democratic
Toryism Australia lias hardly a trace,
jit is extremely important, though not
Astonishing, to note that labor, at
Jeast among its journalistic exponents
end its leading representatives, is
equally keen in self-scrutiny. A labor
letuestionnairp some years ago con
tained the following questions:'—
I Ceo!d*the politics! principle hehird the
'&Lnstra!!sD labor movement be classified
'as "socialism " If so. <vhat does the
jxerm mean to you* How far is syndical
ism manifest In the movement :
■ What Is the relation of "busaanitanan-
Sbm'’ to labor principles':
'■ B. B. Wise, speaking of *he liberal and
.labor parties, says tbey "differ fnndainen
Ssliy in political principles and in their
.'conception of the purpose and method of
•wißdnlstration." In your opinion, how do
'-•they differ most radically in princplc?
• What is the labor party's "conception
,es the purpose and met hod of admmlstra.
Won?”
Recent years have seen in Aus
tralia the development of what may
ha called a labor philosophy of life.
This mav be described as collectivism,
aiming at state socialism. It has
greatly broadened the limits of state
control. As another writer has said:
“Labor stands for giving to Aus
tralians the opportunity to become an
enlightened people. Every child must
he educated at the expense of the
community. Education must be made
.tree right through, from the primary
'school to the university.'' Health, the
protection of motherhood, guarantee?
bt leisure—all these are set above
profits in the labor unionists’ creed.
v-With machinery put to its proper
■use, that of contributing to the hap
piness of mankind, increased leisure
will give opportunities for the cuKi
'.ation of those higher faculties la
tent in man, but now repressed by
tire pressure of a social system which
jr.akes the satisfaction of mere ma
terial wants an all-absorbing Strug-
gle." This idealistic, but fundamental
ly true, statement is found in :he
Aulcs of the Australian workers' union.
Dwel’ing on A-usiralia's essential
democracy. Dr Xorthcott says: "The
intolerance of special privileges is
jthe reaction from a period when spe
cial privileges tended to become m
trenched in the economic and political
[development of the country- The
Ur eat mass of democratic legislation
‘represents the effort of a people, po
vlitically emancipated, to correct the
‘abuses of the past and realize the
fulness of individual and social de
!■> slopment for which the term ’democ
jracy’ In a young, free, rich country is
Un adequate expression. The state
socialism of Australia is the direct
consequence of its isolation, tile na
ture of its immigration, the condi
tions of its settlement, the long dis
tances of the continent, the sparseness
of its population, the concentration in
cities, and. final!’.-, the nature of tiie
social ideals. State ownership of
land, an assisted immigration, ’lie
(priority of pastoral development, the
Gong carriage of wool and wheat to a
few distant ports, and scarcity of cap
ital within the country—these were
the conditions that have giver, im
pulse and form to .\ustfa!ian state so
cialism. Government Enterprise has
meant the use of the state's capital
and resources for the purpose of se
curing to the whole of society the
rich return to be derived from nature
in a new and undeveloped country.
Without such expenditure the de
velopment of the machinery of civil
isation in the country would have been
Mess speedy, and the rich profits aris
'Sng from its exploitation would have
(teen distributed differently. The bit
ter lessons of an era of land monopoly
and class privilege, combined with
the more pleasant lessons of the pe
riod of state aid. bear fruit in the
aocial attitude of to-day.”
Dr Northcott assures us. however,
■(that in Australia two antithetical so
cial theories are found, for the capi
talistic and land-holding classes na
turally do not iegard with favor the
progress of state control. To the
classic individualism the newer group
“opposes an ideal of social and
economic justice, to be realized by a
col'ecth’e control of monopolies and
,ti e extension of the industrial and
Kaoßomic functions of the state and
eßlunlcipolity.” "The doctrine of sup
*• ZiSSml.
competition, is superseded by that of
n living wage as the first charge on
industry. Freedom of contract has
given place to a legally established
collective bargaining, enforced through
courts of conciliation and arbitra
tion.”
Dr Northcott finds much to censurs
in Australian life, though one can
not but think that he takes a too
professional view in chiding Australia
for its insufficient attention to “social
sciences.” Australia is itself a social
laboratory, and it is not certain that
I the teaching of social science is more
needed than the teaching of the lib
eral arts; indeed Australia's defects of
culture might properly have been con
sidered in Dr Northcott's thesis. In
characterizing the labor leaders, he
does say that they are “almost al
ways self-educated, unremoved oy
training or mental culture from The
opinions and prejudices of the aver
age citizen, who has a dim perception
of the social idea! and is a firm be
liever in the efficacy of legislation."
“Their leaders are like unto them.
They are strong in that type of per
sonality which marks the man who
has risen from the ranks, but they
are limited in intellectual strength
and breadth. .. . Their concept of !
loyalty inhibits impartiality and
breadth of judgment. Thus, "an em- !
ploye’s representative on a New South \
Wales wages board declared that he j
was -there to do the best for the class 1
he represented.” Well, he could hardly 1
have done otherwise, especially if the j
representative of employers was also.
there “to d- the best for the class he 1
represented.” But in this narrowness
of view Dr Northcott sees a possible
menace to the state, especially as la
bor leaders must carry out the party
platform, and are not encouraged to
show initiative or even desirable mod
eration.
THE LOEB CLASSICS
Growing Series of Literal Transla
tions From Greek and Latin
The rule of literalness ha,s been fol
lowed for better or for worse in the
Loeb classical library, which grows
toward completion delayed, no doubt,
but. happily, not checked by the war
and its demands upon society. In
“The Greek Anthology ." with an Eng
lish translation by W. R. Paton,
literalness has not been pursued at
the expense of finish and epigrammat
ic point. Of the five volumes to be
dovoted to this famous work two
have appeared. The subjects covered
so far are as follows: “Christian
epigrams. . “Christodorus of Thebes
jIL Egypt.” “The Cyziene epigrams,”
Tile proems of the different antho
logies.” “The amatory epigrams” (a
few. of which have to be rendered in
Latin), "The dedicatory epigrams,”
"Sepulchral epigrams” (by far the
largest group) and "The epigrams of
set Gregory, the theologian.” The ex
pressiveness. the pictorial qualitv, the
neatness of characterization, the’sense
oi completeness, which characterize
the originals, are well preserved in
English. 'I he “amatory epigrams” are
mainU- erotic and cynical, but im-!
passioned in language and sure in
art:—
Thy mouth blossoms with and
thy cheeks bloom with flowers, tbv eves
are bright with Love, and thy bands
aglow with music. Though takest captive
eyes with eves and ears with song: w itn
thy every part thou trappest unhappy
young men.
The precise meaning of an author,
no doubt, can often best be rendered
for the student by a translation that
follows the idioms of the author's lan
guage rather than the translator's.
But this imitation, whatever its uses,
is not the literary art of translation.
A typical effort of this scrupulous
textual reproduction is C. R. Haines s
rendering of "The Cominunings With
Himself of Marcus Aurelius Antoni
nus.” together with his speeches and
sayings. For example: —
This too serves as a corrective to rain
gioriousness, that thou art do longer able
to have lived thy life whollv. dr even
from thy youth up. as a philosopher,
ebon canst clearly perceive, and many
others can see It too, that thou are far
from Philosophy. •. . . If then thine
eyes haTe verily sehn where the truth lies,
care no more what men shall think of
thee, but be content if the rest of thy
life, whether long or short, be lived as
thy nature wills.
The epithet “faithful” may also be
applied to Theophrastus’s ’“Enquiry
Into Plants,” difficult because of its
botanical, terms, which Sir Arthur
Hort has translated, and which fills
two volumes.
Other translations from the Greek
are “The Geography of Strabo.”
volume 1, by Horace Leonard Jones,
who uses in part the unfinished version
of John Robert Sitlington Sterrett;
Achilles Tatius, by S. Gaselee; "Dio’s
Roman History.” by Earnest Carv.
and Procopius 11, by H. B. Dewing!
From the Latin
Of three volumes to be devoted to
Seneca's “Epistulae Morales,” of
ford college is the translater, the first
which Richard M. Gummere of Haver
hag now appeared. The influence of
Seneca on English thought and writ
ing was at one time considerable, and
Seneca is one of the authors to whom
we can still turn to for wisdom and
consolation. Prof Gummere’s transla
tion. while strictly faithful to the
Latin, is in English of reasonable
emphasis:—
I do not approve of this in a philosopher
his speech, like his life, should be com
posed: and nothing that rushes headlong
and Is hurried Is well ordered.
Here we see the deep and somber
wisdom of the Stoic creed, as we see
it In Marcus Aurelius.
An American. too. translates
Seneca's tragedies, known for their
extravagant rhetoric, but with a record
of influence on subsequent literary
drama. Tn two volumes Frank Justus
Miller, professor in the university of
Chicago, gives ns "Hercules Furens."
“Troades,” "Medea,” “Hippolytus,”
“Oedipus," “Agamemnon,” “Thyegtes,”
Hercules Octaeus,” Phoenfssae” and
"Octavia.”
For reasons which a vast number
of schoolboys can confess—-if they will
—translations of Caesar’s "Gallic
War" have long been among the best
selling books. In the Loeb classical
library. Caesar's “Gallic War" falls to
H. J. Edwards, who succeeds always
in making the meaning clear, and In
putting it into idiomatic English.
The Loeb volumes are sold in the
United States by G. P. Putnam's Sons
(cloth. $1.80; leather $2.25). The
volumes are all well provided with
scholarly bibliographies and with his
torical introductions.
“COLORADO’”
tailed “The Queen Jewel of the,
Rockies” by Author Who Clearly
Believes It Is
“Colorado, the Queen Jewel of the
Rockies” (Page; $3.50), by Mae Lacy
Baggs, one of the “See America
First” series, is an elaborately bound,
ll.nstrated volume dealing with the
history, development and natural
beauties of tnia western state. The
author brings to her task of present
ing the allurements of the state—of
which she knows no equal tn the
world —an enthusiasm that is con
tagious. If it should seem that too
much Las been attempted in this
single volume for perfection through
out. the obvious love and admiration
THE SPRINGFIELD WEEKLY REPUBLICAN: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER I*. 1918
sufficient excuse for her generosity.
After an opening chapter “Glimps
ing Colorado.” Mrs (?) Baggs begins
with the most primitive time, in fact,
"Before Adam.” Then come chapters
of successive developments: Indian
days, the first white men. the trap
per, trader and hunter, the gold dis
coveries. The larger part of the
bulky volume deals with Colorado rs
to-day—her cities, mountains, rivers
and industries. The unusually excel
lent illustrations, some in color, and
a clear map. add considerably to the
reader’s enjoyment of the book. “Col
orado Intellectuals” are given proper
atfent'on. while at the close is an
extensive bibliography' for further
enlightenment regarding this “jewel”
of the Rockies,
TRACING ARTHURIAN LEGEND
BT WELLESLEY PROFESSOR
Scholarly Treatment of Malory’s
•■Le Morte Darthur’'
What must be classed as a labor of
love, since there is little probability
of pecuniary profit in it, is a careful
research in medieval literature tor the
springs of the Arthurian legends. Jl l
is the work of Prof Vida D. Scudder j
of Wellesley college, and is called “Le !
Morte Darthur of Sir Thomas Malory |
& Its Sources” (E. P. Dutton & Co;
$4).
"Out cf the least vital period in
English letters, the 15th century,”
says the author in her preface, “comesr
one vital book, the '.Morte Darthur of
Sir Thomas Malory.’ Never completely
forgotten even when the ages of ro
mance were most discredited, its fas
cination for all classes of readers has
increased ever since the romantic re
vival, of the early 19th century. Poets
and scholars have delighted in it no
less than children, and its importance
grows clearer as the importance of the
Middle Ages becomes more recognized.
, . Many medieval books, in the
light thrown upon them by scholastic
research, may now be considered from
the point of view not of process but
of product, not of scholarship but of
pure letters. This is one of these
books to be appreciated as never be
fore. Placed in its true setting and
against its true background, rightly
related to its predecessors as the
climax of a long development, it ac
quires new and striking significance,
both as a social document and as a
work of art.”
The volume of nearly 450 large
pages divides roughly fliito two main
parts with a brief third. In the first,
Miss Scudder deals with Malory's pred
ecessors. tracing the Arthurian ro
mance through early British myth and
chronicle and French verse and prose
romances, and the Merlin and Lance
lot romances. The second part begins
with a chapter on the man and his
I book, and proceeds to analyze the book
through nearly 200 pages. Sir Thomas
died in 1471. in the same year with
| Thomas a Kempis. That was the apa
of Caxton's great service to England
in the introduction of printing, and
the “.Morte Darthur” has the distinc
tion of being one of the first books
that came from the Caxton press. Of
hardly less importance is the fact that
Malory had had the wit to reduce his
materials to a tithe of their original
bulk and thus make possible their in
clusion in one volume. “To the schol
ar he niust probably remain a mere
compiler who added little or nothing;
but to the lover of romance his book
is the glorious consummation of a
long development.”
The third part is a critical review
of Malory’s work in the light of his
sources. Three chapters deal with com
parisons between his work and others.
Then there is a study of some phases
of Malory's art and of causality in
Arthurian romance. “The chief differ
ence between the English 'Morte Dar
thur' and the older romances is the
Intensification of purpose. Where it
was confused, it has grown plain;
where it worked blindly, it has come
out into the light. And the last angle
from which Malory's work can be
appreciated is that which compares his
plotting with the frustrated attempts
at design and unity in the intricate
romantic development which preced
ed.”
It would be asking too much to
expect the general public to be enthu
siastic over a book like this of Miss
Scudder's, but anyone with a taste for
literature and time enough to pursue
it as a profession or indulge it mod
erately as a pastime, will enjoy her
treatise. Designed as a lcey to a door
openingeon a vanished period, it is a
key which gives pleasure in the pos
session and handling for its own
worth. As to what lies beyond that
door. Miss Scudder sums up the case
as follows: “is is hardly too much to
claim that the ’Morte Darthur’ is the
most important single bool; produced
in England during the Middle Ages.
Chaucer is indubitably a greater
genius than Malory; the schools of
Langland produced more penetrating
writing on one special line. Certain
poets have perhaps surpassed Malory in
charm. But no other book so carries the
weight and force of a whole epoch,
crystalized in the alembic of the imag
ination and emerging in its immortal
Part alone.”
AMERICAN PAINTERS
Appreciations Ivy Frederic Fairchild
Sherman
"Landscape and Figure Painters of i
America” is the title Of a collection
cf short essays by Frederic Fairchild
Sherman, v.'ho has chosen 10 represen
tatives of the country's artists for
consideration. No extensive Criticism
is attempted; rather Mr Sherman’s
desire seems to be to point out to
others the beauty he has found in the
works of his chosen artists.
Blakelock’s smaller landscapes and
figure pieces form the subject of one
chapter. Others considered are
Homer Dodge Martin. Robert Loftin
Newman. Albert Pinkhum Ryder. El
liott Daingerfield. Winslow Homer
Alexander H. Wyant, D. W Tryon'
and .J. Francis Murphy. The only
woman of the group is Lillian Geneth.
The book, tvliich is printed by Mr
Sherman (*1.75), is attractively bound
in blue, and its illustrations offer ex
amples from the works of each painter.
A * EDUCATIONAL (AIM MEN ITT
I» “’TFc Hire” Will I.etingtoo Com
fort Describes His System
Will Levington Comfort’s reader
w,l rv'oice with him that he has
•nade much of the “beauty side oi
things' in his book, "The Hive”
(George H. Doran company; *150.1
The community at atonestudy which
he here describes has full appreciation
of the beauties of Nature and lif ?.
and insists on growth and develop
ment ol the spirit from within as im
p >rtant factors in its educational
plan. “The perfect way to develop
tho nurd of the child is to teach him
•o sit and listen at the feet of his
own master, the Soul." Mr Comfort
refers to the soul as the better part
of every man—"the b;g tollow who
takes us over when we do that which
Is worth while ”
Conquering of fear ia an aim of Mr
Comfort’s educational regimen. "Fears
belong to the abdomen. You can feel
them there. They are quicker than
thought. “Courage is spirit.” and *‘ e
ifwf Vrftii? ’W* be t ?| t Th - rt
are many quotations and letters from
those who have enjoyed work a'
Sbnestudy. These persons seem to
confirm the claims made by Mr Com
tort for his method of trainirig. “in
tellect stays upon the ground. In
tention is the lifting of the wings of
the mind.”
Besides the chapters especially
concerning the "new race,” there are
many touching on affairs of the life
within and without, and not a few of
them give inspiration and suggestion
to those who would profit by read
ing and reflection. “The point o* it
all is that man is spiritually worm
to his Irrthcr and to the race; giving
h.msclf and his service to his brot.ier
and to the ri.ee he gloriffes the texture
and statuie of his own soul/’
A NEW HISTORY OF FRANCE
General Survey by Mme Duclaux.
Intended for War Time Read
ing
A history which is written as a
“particular form of war work,” as
Mme Duclaux (Mary F. Robinson)
has designated her “Short History of
France” (G. P. Putnam s Sons: $2.50),
must necessarily be written from a
somewhat temporal point of view and
to reach a particular group of people
of the author’s own time. In her
preface Mme Duclaux prepares her
readers for her plan when she explains
that her volume is addressed neither
to school boys nor historians, but is
for “the class of cultivated and igno
rant men and women,” that great body
of the public, made up of people o:‘
various degrees of culture and educa
tion. who want to secure in reasonable
compass an account as vivid as pos
sible of French history. ”
In the main, Mme Duclaux has been
successful in gauging her work so as
to satisfy the demands of the public
she has chosen. There is a general
unity of impression and a grouping
of periods of time which must bring
to the average reader’s mind a clear
idea of the background of modern
France. From the days of Julius
Caesar to Louis XIV. the author has
selected and arranged skilfully, with
more of the panoramic effect than we
encounter in her narrative of the
years to follow. The persistency with
which she has traced the growth and
mingling of the races and stock which
have been bred into the French peas
ants of to-day is admirable.
As early as the Crusades, however,
we begin to resent a little Mms Du
claux’s feeling of breathlessness ani
lack of space, and while we would
hesitate to give up her brilliant com
ment on, and interpretation of. these
events, we cannot help wishing that
she had spent a little more time re
cording the actual events. Her book
is of uneven value even to those peo
ple she is writing for. because of her
occasional obscure allusions and her
very genera! fault of taking too much
knowledge for granted in her readers.
A person who is well versed in French
history and one who has only the
haziest notion of its outstanding fig
ures. would alike be disappointed in
her treatment of Joan of Arc. prob
ably because of the lack of a truly
scientific attitude on her own part
toward the subject, the writer has
failed to bring to her readers that
sense of continuity and gradual de
velopment which we instinctively look
for i@ any volume entitled a history.
Mme Duclaux’s book is full of mar
velous outbursts and epochs of glo
rious discovery, but we are apt to get
lost between the prominences. There
are several little inaccuracies, as ir.
the account of the crowning of Na
poleon and of ihe battle of Valiny, an i
omissions, among which may be name-1
a flagrant neglect of Mlrabeau in the
account of the French revolution.
On the other hand, Mme Duclaux
has vivified dry facts, and painted a
series of brilliant romantic pict#rer,
for those people who would like ;o
know history, but consider it too dry
tc read. Her figures of speech ars
telling and her analogies clear. The
revolution need not be better de
scribed than as "a fiery plough” which
‘cut through France a fertilizing fur
row. dtep and unspeakably cruel, yet
on the whole salutary.” “It buried
out of sight all that hitherto had
caught the eye and glittered while it
lifted out of the depths, in a supreme
upheaval, fresh beds of virgin soil full
of growth and unsuspected vigor of
production ” Her characterizations
of Louis XIV and Louis XVII are ex
ce. lent: and she has given us a truer,
more sympathetic picture of Na
poleon in a few pages, than many
histor.ans have evolved in two
volumes.
The::- are two main ideas which
make jp the author's message to her
readers. The first is the impression
of the invincible courage and im
mense vitality, both physical and in
tellectual, of the Gallic race through
centuries of invasions and horror,
since the days of Roman Gaul, and
the srtond is the vein of uncompro
mising logic in the French character
which is “a determination to pusn
a proposition to its logical conclu
sion.” the determination which has
brought France into her present sit
uation in the world war. and to that
oliiame with England “which was
foreshadowed more than a hundred
rears ago, in the tragic Paris of
1813.*
THE BRITISH NAVY'S DEEDS
Survey of Its All-Important Tasks
in the Great War
lust a brief outline of what the
British navy has been doing these
past feur years is to be found in John
L-yland’s “The Achievement of the
British Navy in The World War”
Dtran; *1) but it is a record that
nvans much in gaining victory for the
allies. Mr Leyland makes no boasts,
and brags not at all over what has
been done, but considers it only sim
p’e justice that England and the
world should be clearly told what is
tire to the British navy, quoting as
true to-day the words of the 17tn
century John Holland concerning the
wars of his time —“The naval part is
the thread that runs through the
Whole woof, the burden of the song,
j the scope of the text.”
Tip navy is the connecting ’ink in
it all and if B uish forces have been
fighting on 17 fronts during these past
feur years. It is because a large Brit
ish navy existed. The grand fleet was
ready at the very first to guard the
X’.rth .-tea and blockade the German
fleet, there were ships to guard the
trensport*. to co-operate with the
French and Italians in holding the
Mediterranean, and to clear the seas
of raiders. And when mines and
submarines made new types of boats
r.eoessF.ry, they and their crews were
found ready and anxious to Pear thel ■
fu’l share of the burden. Entirely
new aito is the Royal naval air serv
ice—the “navy-that-files"—so closely
silted, however, to the "navy that
floats’ that tho members fly the white
ensign and their flights are divided
into port and starboard watches.
And while insistent upon fu'l
credit being given the navy. Mr Ley
land also insists that that branch
should not he called upon to do the
impossible. The navy was not meant
for land work, and the expedition of
the Dardanelles this author charao
ti-rige;l_a»ya word of the limitation
of sea power.” In legitimate service
the British navy has a record to be
proud of —in ships and men. No one
can doubt this after reading Mr Ley
land's concise, unemotional recital of
::s achievements.
A GREAT FLEMISH PAINTER
Frenchman’s Comprehensive Study
of Peter Paul Rubens
The 63 years of the life of Peter
Paul Rubens, the great Flemish mas
ter, were so filled with activity—part
ly political, but largely artistic—that
to bring any adequate consideration of
his life into comparatively small com
pass needs a sympathetic and mas
terly hand. Rubens's life was divid
ed into three distinct parts—the first
including his early years and his so
journ in Italy; the second the 15
years in Antwerp, notable for the
"Elevation of the Cross,” “The De
scent from the Cross.” “The Coup de
Lance” and the Medici gallery; and
I the third comprising his years as em
bassador to Spain, England and The
Netherlands, and his residence in Ant
werp to his death in 1640. This varied
life has been treated by Louis Hour
ticq. inspector of fine arts of the city
of Paris, whose work, translated by
Frederick Street, is published in the
United States by Duffleld & Co, un
der the title "Rubens” (2.50).
M Hourtioq reveals the'personality
of the painter, the intimate of the
crowned heads of liis time. Whom he
served as painter and embassador
both. We get glimpses of his home
life, family and friends. We learn
how the great masterpieces grew un
der the painter's brush until their
true number cannot be definitely told.
The admirable illustrations, showing
the wide scope of the Fleming’s art,
add materially to the attractiveness of
the book.
FROM THi NEW FICTION
INDIANA FARM GIRL S STORY
••A Daughter of the Land,” by
Mrs Gene Stratton-Porter ,
“A Daughter of the Land” (Double- j
day. Page; $1.40). by Mrs Gene Strat
ton-Porter. is notable because it is
simple ar.d elemental, because it has
sincerity and breadth, and because the
story tells itself without resort to the
artifices and trickery so often called
to the aid of plots and scenes want
ing in inherent spontaneity. The story
is purely American in theme and
inspiration. On the Indiana plains
it has its origin. What a contrast it
offers to the great mass of insipid or
manufactured fiction with which we
are continually regaled! Neither the
trivial affairs of our society folk nor
the decayed spots in our social fab
ric, which many writers delight to
uncover, have place here. Mrs Por
ter writes of the people who compose
the backbone of the American race—
the strong, sturdy children of the
farm who work, aspire and achieve |
and carry on the ideals of the found- |
ers.
Singularly enough, “A Daughter of
the Land” is almost plotless. But the
absence of this expedient passed al
most unnoticed in the wealth of ar
resting incident which packs the nar
rative. It is the story of Kate Bates,
youngest of the 12 children of Adam
Bates. Indiana farmer. The narra
five covers the best years of her life,
beginning when she is 18. There are
many incidents, to be sure, which will
stem impossible, or at least improb
able. to the younger generation of
readers. But those in their 40s, and i
particularly those familiar with rural
or farm life, will appreciate the truth
and fidelity of the pictures.
Especially true to life is Adam
Bates, the father. He is patriarchial
and dictatorial. He makes slaves of
his boys and girls, and his wife is
his echo. When a boy marries he gets
200 acres of land and money for build
ings and stock. But Adam keeps the
deed, which is not recorded. The girls
work until they, too, marry, to help
in paying for these increasing 200-
acre plots. But when a girl marries
she gets nothing. Sixteen hundred
acres of land stand in the name of
Adam Bates when Kate is inspired to
rebel. But her revolt is slow’ to crys
lalize. Her sisters have taught school
and Kate desires to follow’.tlieir exam
ple. Her father, however, abruptly
vetoes her ambition. She is the young
est and must help her mother.
Rounding the corner of the neigh
borhood church one Sunday Kate is
impressed by the preacher’s text.
“Take the wings of the morning!” Its
application to her situation, though
hazy, is inspiring. She borrows money
and takes the normai course. When
this is finished differences with her
father over the choice of a school re
sult in her being turned out of her
home. Put Kate goes to Walden to
teach. Here she meet 3 worthless
George Holt. The next summer she
meets John Jardine at Chautauqua.
He is rich and Kate might have mar
ried him there, but she is too honest
to persuade herself that she would be
satisfied with city life and a luxurious
home. Later, however, their relations
become close and it seems almost cer
tain Kate will yield to his importuning.
But when she finds that, despite his
•wealth, Jardine is an illiterate, she
rejects him. and in her moment of
despair marries the worthless Holt.
From this point forward Kate’s
trials begin. Again and again she at
tempts to “take the wings of the morn
ing," only to crash to earth once
more. And so she struggles onward,
hampered by a dissipated husband,
but always brave and optimistic until
her father dies, leaving the deeds still
unrecorded. Then her mother and
brothers and sisters turn to Kate, who
effects a distribution of the paternal
wealth which makes happiness and
preserves friendship and harmony in
the family.
It is impossible in the space of a
review even to skeletonize the inci
dents and experiences in Kate's trying
career. But she emerges a strong,
well-balanced and far-seeing American
woman. Her story grips the attention
and stirs the heart. She makes her
mistakes and bravely faces the conse
quences. These facts alone would
make the story striking, for the char
acter is natural and human and her
efforts and setbacks are in no sense
manufactured or exaggerated.
“STRAYED REVELERS”
Conversion of a Pacifist Yonng Wom
an to the Opposite Sentiment
Ciotilde Smith Westbrook, heroine
of “Strayed Revelers” (Holt; $1.50).
by Allen Updegraff, is a “modernist.’'
But a “modernist” is not a new type,
despite the unfamiliar name. “Mod
ernist” U merely a comprehensive
term embracing the group of theo
rists who are antiwar and “anti” sev
eral other things. Some of these per
sons have received the active atten
tion of the department of justice since
we entered the war But Clotilde’s
"modernist” sentiments and activi
ties are not Interfered with by the
court*.
She is. of course, a pacifist, like all
her Greenwich Village friends who
.in Uje But mgr«
important yet, Clothile is a disciple
of truth, with a large "T.” When
she learns that she is not, as she al
ways believed, the daughter of the
wealthy Rev Percy Westbrook, does
she despair, or attempt to hide the
fact that Henry Hooghtyling of
Woodbridge, a Dutch farmer, is her
father? Not at all! She sets out at
once for Woodbridge to discover the
estimable Henry. Woodbridge, it de
velops, is an artists’ colony in the
Catskills, whence the bulk of Clotilde's
Greenwich Village friends emigrate
each summer. Thus will be under
stood the potential sensation when
her new relationship becomes known'
But the announcement is delayed
Henry—known locally as “Hen Hoot”’
—is ihe first to receive enlighten
ment, for Ciotilde goes directly to him
As a true “modernist,” she “glories”
in her unconventional parentage. But
Henry, who is physically “not’ good
for nawtliin’ no more!” promptly
faints when told, and his amazonian
wife, Ethel, who comes on the scene
while Ciotilde is attempting to re
store him. shooes her away.
Henry, however, who is something
of a philosopher, temporizes and de
lays acknowledging the relationship
publicly. The advent of an unknown
daughter apparently has no terrors
for him, but he is slow-moving. Then,
there is Ethel, who must be inducted
into the new situation by degrees.
Henry indulges in amusing discourses
which reveal that he is a pretty
good 'modernist” himself. Meanwhile,
events in the artists' conotiy prove the
shallowness of some "modernist” theo
ries. One of its members kills her
self when she fails to vindicate the
tenets of the “modernists.” Another
one suddenly changes from pacifism
to pro-war when her husband enlists.
And finally Ciotilde herself is con
verted to pro-war sentiments and con
ventional standards of conduct when
Corpora! Clement Townes, a former
Greenwich Villaget. hut now an avi
ator in the French army, returns and
claims her love.
The story is satirical and humorous
by turn, but toward the end merges
into pure romance. The poses of the
Greenwich Village group are riddled
by the author’s satirical shafts.
“MINNIGLEN”
Castles with a Romance of the Fiery
Scots
It is something <Sf an effort to asso
ciate the popular English romancers.
Agnes and Egerton Castle, with a
modern story. Their best and most
entertaining work is identified with
the “costume” period—indeed, they
were among the pioneers in that field.
While their latest story. “Minniglen”
(Appleton; $1.50) is of the present
—the war is not neglected either—the
two leading characters are haloed with
the traditions and lineage of an older
and more picturesque generation than
the present one is thought to be.
The, story is connected with an an
cient castle ill the Scotch Highlands,
and Allan MoClurg. the hero, is im
bued with all the fierce pride of his
race, and an overwhelming love for
Minniglen, his sterile : estate. The
heroine, Anne Jocelyn, also comes of
an ancient race, who were supporters
of the Jacobean cause. But she is
very poor.
While the guest of a newly-made,
wealthy British peer at his ornate
Scottish “estate.” Anne is lost in a
fog on the moor. She has fled thith
er from the attentions of her host's
son, whose bride they desire her to
become. On the moor she is rescued
by a man, whom she believes to be
tho tactiturn young laird of Minni
glen. Thereafter she cannot tolerate
her erstwhile lover. She returns to
London. • Later she meets MeClurg
at her aunt’s home, and though other
meetings.follow, the young Scot doe,
not indicate marked preference for
her. But when the war breaks lie
rushes to London, carries Anne’s af
fections by the force of his own and
speedy marriage follows. On their
wedding night Anne recalls the meet
ing on the moor. The young husband
flies into a rage and accuses her of
idealizing him ir. the person of an ! 1-
legitimate son of his grandfather, who
“has gone daft on religion.” With
out more ado, MeClurg leaves his
bride, joins his regiment and rushes
off to the front. While improbable,
this event creates a tense situation
which only the greater stress of war
i 3 able to solve satisfactorily. Anne
receives comfort In her forlorn state
from her former rescuer, who is some
thing of a seer and religious mystic.
He is one of the best-drawn charac
ters in the entertaining romance.
I,ORD TOM'S ’WIFE*
-More Adventures of the “Scarlet Pint
perner’
That übiquitous man of mystery, the
"Scarlet Pimpernel," ia again in the
forefront of the lively events in Ba
roness Orczy's latest romance, "Lord
Tony's Wife" (Doran; $1.35). The!
story occurs during the worst days
of the French terror, just before the
final overthrow of the French king.
A prolog outlines an abortive peasant
revolt against a French duke, dur
ing which the latter’s young daugh
ter is insulted by the leader of the
rioters, who is the miller’s son. The
young man escapes the duke’s harsh
vengeance, but his father, innocent of
complicity in the affair, is hanged.
Four years later the duke and his
daughter are among the IVench emi
gres in England. The miller’s son.
now a well-educated young man. is
there, too, under an alias. Posing as
a wealthy banker, he has ingratiated
himself in the duke’s favor, with
promises of money for the royalist
cause, and his suit for the hand of
the duke's daughter is favorably re
garded. The latter, how ever, has given
her heart to Lord Tony Dc-whurst. and
when his friend, the ’’Scarlet Pim
pernel," discovers that the erstwhile
miller s son is carrying out a deep
laid plot to get the duke and his
daughter into the clutches of the ter
rorists, in order to satisfy his long
smoldering revenge, the young lovers
are married secretly.
But the villain in the plot triumphs
temporarily. He prevails upon the
duke to kidnap his daughter, and go
with him ostensibly to Holland. But
in reality he carries the two to Nantes
where the infamous Carrier holds
Sway. The "Scarlet Pimpernel" is
quickly in pursuit, and there ensues
a series of exciting incidents until the
Englishman, true to his dare-devil
reputation, succeeds in snatching the
young woman from her perilous plight.
The "Scarlet Pimpernel's" task is
made "extra hazardous" through the
intrusion of his most relent lose enemy
who attempts to make use of the oc
casion to effect his capture. It is an
exciting and well-told talc, replete
•with thrilling plots, counter-plots and
daring deeds. The background of the
Terror is effectively employed and the
romance is animated.
John Murray of London has pub
lished a new and revised edition of the
late George Rae's textbook on "The
Country Banker: His Clients’ Care and
Work,” originally published in 1885
and many times reprinted, but now out
of print. The work has'been brought
up to date by F. E. Steele.
VAKIOUS BOSTON MATTEES
AIDING FRENCH ORPHANS
A War Charity That Has Many
Contributors—Growth of Com
munity Singing
Correspondence of The Republican
BOSTON, Tuesday, September 10
The recommendation of Gov McCall
that those who wished to help the
French on Lafayette day should pay
some attention to the “Fatherless chil
dren of France” has drawn attention
anew to that interesting organization.
It will be remembered that Marshal
Joffre is president of the society, and
that on liis return to France he car
ried back with him a large subscrip
tion from the children of America as
welt as from their elders. The three
relief societies for France in which
Americans are most interested are “the
American fund for French wounded,”
“the children of the frontier” and
' the fatherless children of France.”
This last-named society limits its
w°fk (o helping children who have
-ost their fathers during this war, and
its work is carried on with great sys
tem and with little red tape, so that
practically all the money subscribed
goes directly to the orphan.
The one object of the society is to
enable the mother to keep her chil
dren at home with her, instead of
sending them away to an institution
or a benevolent individual. For, al
though the French government makes
some provision for fatherless children,
it is not enough to furnish adequate
food ana nourishment. By careful
calculation it hie been found that 10
cents a day additional for each child
to supplement what the government
gives will insure the welfare of each
child, and permit the mother to keep
the boy or girl at home. So when one
hears that $36.50 will provide for a
French orphan, this does not mean
that the orphan requires less food
than the average French or American
child, or that-lie is to be kept on star
vation diet, but merely that the
mother with this extra sum provided
for each child is able to buy wisely
the extra amount of nourishment that
is needed. who have observed
the working out of this plan say that
it has also been of great help to the
small shopkeepers of rural France,
most of whom are women. For, though
no single purchase is large, these
widows with the regular sums paid
by the society keep considerable money
circulating and help the small traders
to support their own little families.
The director-manager in France
gives his time freely to the work, and
he is helped by government school
teachers from the invaded districts and
by so-called auxiliaries from the war
office, while the minister of education
provides the offices used by the or
ganization. Occasionally some circum
stance favors the organization. For
Instance, when exchange on Frailce is
high, the amount contributed here for
five orphans will provide for six when i
it reaches France. Without giving 1
too many figures, it may be said that
the enthusiasm resulting from the ap
peal of Marsha! Joffre during his stay
in this country provided money for
several thousand orphans for a'year,
in addition to what had been already
subscribed. These subscriptions were
generally for a year and most of them
have now expired. Many of these sub
scriptions have been renewed for a
year or for a longer time and thou
sands of new names have been added
to the list of givers. Xet the demand
for givers far exceeds the supply. At
one time, for example, when about
34,000 orphans were taken care of by
the various committees in this coun
try, the central committee in New
York had appeals on hand for about
150,000 orphans.
The impossibility of misuse by re
ceivers of the stipend is shown 'by a
glance at its methods. The central
committee in France receives the
names of needy orphans from locai
committees. It receives names also
from individuals who are recommended
by those whom it knows to be trust
worthy. A Paris committee then in
vestigates all applicants and decide?
whether or not the applicant shall be
accepted. From the lists of the ac
cepted the American subscriber may
make Ills choice. Some prefer girls,
some boys, some are interested in very
little children. Some like to enter into
correspondence with older boys and
girls; thus pleasant personal relations
are established between the giver and
the receiver of the gift, and seldom
does the adopter of one of these older
chlldren withdraw his subscription at
the. end of a year. The lists of chil
dren are sent back to France with
the name and address of the American
subscriber set against the name cf tho
child, and each quarterly Instalment
is forwarded directly to the mother of
the child by postal order. The record
of the payment is kept by the govern
ment of France in the archives of the
post-office in the name of the Amer
ican giver. Mies Elizabetlfi S. Crafts
I is chairman of the executive commit
tee of the Boston branch of the or
ganization. and Allen Forbes of the
State-street trust company is treas
urer. and in addition to the strong
names of the active committee. Pres
ident-emeritus Eliot and Prof Barrett
Wendell of Harvard. President Mac
laurin of technology. Maj H. L. Hig
ginson, M. Flamand and Morris Gray
are on the honorary committee.
Subscribers to the fund believe that
besides helping the individuals to
whom their money goes they are aid
ing,directly the war cause. For the
morale of the soldiers at the front is
kept up by the knowledge that people
ill other countries as well as in their
own are ready to aid children who
may be orphaned, and Gen Pershing
himself wrote a letter that was pub
lished widely in this country this
spring to the same effect. The charm
ing collection of letters published in
Chicago under the title “The Father
less Children of France” is made up
of letters from many of the young
recipients of the fund or their moth
ers. and with its many portraits,
makes the reader understand just
what these children are, and shows
their appreciation of the Amer
ican interest. In adidtion to in
dividual subscriptions, many clubs
in this country raise money for tho
yearly care of a single orphan or of
more, and it is likely that the num
ber will be greatly increased througn
the governor's recommendation, and
the telegram sent by Marshal Joffre to
the officers of the fund last week.
Though many Bostonians—the ma
jority. indeed, of those engaged in
war work —have taken no vacation
from the various activities in which
they are engaged, this first week in
September has marked a renewal on
the part of those who have
had a brief respite, and more
than one “drive” Is under way.
Preparations for the fourth Liberty
loan have begun in earnest, and the
women of the state seem to be espe
cially well prepared for the campaign.
While busy women with experience in
so-called war work can always add to
their duties without neglecting any of
them, new forms of service are not
likely to evoke much enthusiasm until
•/ter this drive has been completed.
Open-Air Singing
The singing from the steps of St
Paul's was one of the most Impressive
features of the celebration of Lafa
yette day in the city. The chorus was
assisted by • small vested choir and
'. ”’lt j . ... ~v.. .
'accompanied by a quartet of trumpe
ters and an organist at a small porta
ble organ. The purpie and white vest
ments, the cross-bearer in the center,
and the standard-bearers with the col
ors of America and France, made •
picturesque group near tho great iron
gate, and though the volume of sound
was tii latter in the less familiar
French songs, the great crowd, extend
ing far into the common, sang heartily
our national airs, the hymns and the
•’Marseillaise.” Even during the win
ter this singing from the steps of St
Paul’s, and the crowd reaching to the
common, has become a notable and
familiar feature of Boston city life.
On the common, too, near the band
stand on the other side from St Paul’s
and Tremont street, great crowds at
tending open-air meetings have united
in mammoth meetings. The new
vogue for singing was revealed at its
climax on Saturday at the stadium,
when 40,000 or more voices were blend
edin hymns and popular songs. Commu
nity “sings’ are especially popular in
Greater Boston. Under the direction
of the musical director of the Harvard
summer school, Cambridge people in
general as well as summer studen's
were invited to gather on Monday
evenings in the open near the music
building, and there a fine chorus was
to be heard each week. The men of
the United .States radio school m Cam
bridge have had instruction in com
munity singing the past month from
Ernest W. Naftzger, a Young Men's
Christian association song leader, who
has some original ideas as to the’most
effective songs to be sung by troops.
So general has community singing be
come. not only among our soldiers and
sailors, but among nonmilitants,
that it is not surprising to hear that
Maj Henry L. Higginson has promised
to give encouragement and support to
this chorus singing in Massachusetts
by accepting the directorship of the
“Liberty choruses” that are to be
formed throughout the state. Doubt
less, Maj Higginson was somewhat in
fluenced in accepting this office by the
council of national defense, which
counts this chorus singing as a very
important addition to the speeches and
other parts of the program at war
meetings. In organizing this work,:'
Massachusetts will not be in the very
front, as already a number of states
have effective organizations for com
munity singing for war purposes.
Cambridge and Boston Commons
The beautiful estate of John Gor
ham Palfrey in the heart of old Cam
bridge is one of the last to be buiit
on. It is not so very far from Shady
Hill, Prof Norton’s old home. Nor
ton's woods, surrounding the houss
and extending over considerable space,
were once the only real forest that
many Cambridge children knew until
they were grown up and had an op
portunity to travel. But the most ex
pert explorer could find hardly a trace
no-w of the small forest, although at
Shady Hill, the house is still intact
and occupied by strangers. The woods
are crossed by streets, and here dwell
many of the younger members of the
Harvard faculty and other newcomer*
to Cambridge, but the extensive Pal
frey- grounds are almost in their orig
i Inal state, and they have been in the
[ market since the death of the last jf
! the historian's daughters a few years
I ago. Hence this was the spot chosen
for tile new building of the Harvard
; radio school, which w ere dedicated on
Friday.
This is a separate set of buildings
from those on Cambridge common,
also dedicated the same day. The lat
ter are practically dormitories or bar
racks, with only a few for adminis
tration and other purposes. But on
the Palfrey estate is a great drill hall,
300 feet long by .100 wide. This great
instruction hall is the chief buildin'S
of the group, and, all in all. together
with the others on the common, hardly
a quarter of a mile away, they make
the radio school comparatively inde
pendent of the Harvard buildings, al
though until the end of the war they
will continue to accept much Harvard
hospitality. Movies, however, dances
and,many other social affairs can be
held under their own roof-tree on the
Palfrey estate, and these boys will
continue to publish their own sprightly
newspaper, the Oscil!a:or.
In spite of the overcrowding of
Cambridge common, few trees have
been sacrificed to the new buildings.
This safeguarding of the trees is true
also of Boston common, and e’en the
watchful Boston common society has
had little to say in opposition to the
present rather unusual aspect of the
inclosure. Yet in spite of much care
ful planning and more or less practi
cal work, tho trees on the common
arc not in the best of condition. The
case is far from hopeless, howeve*.
There conies a time when old trees
must die. and many of the elms on the
common are of extreme age. and cer
tain insect pests flourish In spite of
all efforts to remove them. Under
Maj or Peters's predecessors. Arthur A.
Shurtleff. the landscape architect, was
able to do much less than he. had
hoped. But he designed the broad
walks leading to the state house, and
all the work, including some tree
planting, has been well done, and Mr
Shurtleff believes in preserving the in
dividuality of the common by haring
trees in parallel rows, following the
walks as in the old days. In the rows
themselves the trees may be planted
reasonably close together, provided the
paths are far enough auart.
To accomplish what he desired.
' even in this limited state house
I region, Mr Shurtleff. secured the
| co-operation of the public by ~p-i
i peals to the Boston common so
| ciety, the state house commission
j and the Boston art commission..
Many lindens, too. hate been planted
along and Lafayette and New Liberty
malls, and on some of the malls run
ning down from Joy street and on
the much-traveled mail from Spruce
to Charles street. But lack of appro
priations stopped the more extensive
planting planned five years ago. Many
of the old trees, however, now dying
in what may be called the state house
section of the common, have been re
placed by young trees placed consid
erably to one side, so as to open up a
fine vista toward the state house, .ind
the present city council has made a
fair appropriation of money for plant
ing trees elsewhere. The pits will be
dug this autumn, ahd the trees plant
ed next spring. This, it is hoped, wifi
prove to be only the beginning of bet
ter things for the common and. inci
dentally. for the state house, whose
exterior beauty is so dependent on the
setting given it bv Boston common.
AFTERMATH
I [Gordon Seagrove in the Chicago Trib
une.)
The laughing streams if Picardy
Will never more grow green.
But umber, and in bending rows,
F’or sorrows they have seen.
The laughing streams of Bleary
That whispered to the grain,
Full-budded in contented fields,
M ill whisper now In pain.
And larks that filled the morning ait
With reeded note so gay,
To-morrow cannot voice again
The joy of yesterday.
For. silently, on every side.
The brown-cloaked legions sleep.
While over them, with healing hand*,
Time’s aging shadows creep.
Sweet rest to you. courageous one*,
'Neath France's suc-ed sod.
Who bled and died to bring anew
The blessed fruits of
JT hflrtflMWlllli iHtl Bi IIJM-gUA-ju