Springfield weekly Republican. [volume], November 21, 1918, Page 8, Image 8

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

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8
BOOKS and AUTHORS
JHE PAST AS TEACHER
BEAUTY THAT IS ABIDING
pTSFIBATION OF LITERATURE
Fros Gilbert Murray’s Address on
“The Religion of a Man
of Letters”
Gilbert Murray's presidential ad-
Bress to the (British) classical asso
ciation on “The religion of a man of
letters” cannot now be unknown to
.leaders of The Republican’s literary
Columns. When it was first pub
lished in an American magazine, some
months ago, The Republican quoted
br'efly from it, and appraised its high
character. It next appeared in book
form in England, and its virtues and
much of its substance were at once
Bet forth in a notable article in the
London Times Literary Supplement,
which was reprinted on this page
four weeks ago. Yet the work is
•till unfamiliar to the American pub
lic, and Its significance and charm
for all who appreciate the worthiest
qualities of literature, and particular
ly for those who appreciate the *ub-
Ject-matier of classical literature, are
so great that no possible steps to fur
ther the public’s acquaintance with it
•hould be neglected. Published now in
• handsome little book by Houghton,
Mifflin company ($1), it should speed
ilv make its way among those who
can sympathize with its reasoned zeal
fcr the abiding things of the mind.
The full title is “Religio Grammatici.”
or "The Religion of a Man of Let
ters ”
Religion, as Prof Murray under
■tanJs it. Is a means of escape from
the pressure of that external world
by which we are forever encom
patsed. "Man is imprisoned in ’he
•xtonal present, and what we call
• man’s religion is, to a great ex
tent. the thing that offers him a se
cret and permanent means of es
cape from that prison, a breaking of
the prison walls which leaves him
•tending ... in a ... free
world.” The scholar’s talisman must
not be praised at the expense of oth
er talismans. “Some find it in the
ology; some In art, in human affec
tion. in the anodyne of constant Work,
tn that permanent exercise of the in
quiring intellect which is commonly
celled the seat ch for truth; some find
tt in carefully cultivated illusions of
one sort or another, in passionate
faiths and undying pugnacities.” Some
do not find it at all. and do not
■earch for it. being content to live fu
riously in the present.
Prof Murray does not overlook the
part that the exact student of word)
Biust play in healthy scholarship
Only he is here concerned with ths
•oul of scholarship rather than the
mechanism. And in his courteous,
persuasive way, he challenges those
Who see no good in studying the past
At all. Can we achieve progress by
(contemplating the past in a living
present that obviously calls for ac
tion? Yes by doing just that. For
th chains of the mind are not broken
by Ignorance; they are broken by un
derstanding You cannot study the
future: you can only make conjec
tures about It. And. in studying the
present, man has a tendency to be the
riave either of theories or of facts,
•nd needs to widen either his expe
rience or his imagination.
Material progress, however, is not
In Itself an all-sufficient aim. For in
life there are two elements, “one tran-
Bitory and progressive; the other com
paratively. if not absolutely, nonpro
gressive and eternal.” The soul o’
man is chiefly concerned with ’he sec
ond. It is absurd to compare ovr in
ventions and our material civilization
with those of the age of Aeschylus o’
Aristotle or St Francis, for our supe
riority is beyond nuestion and be
yond measure. “But compare any
chosen poet of our age with Aeschy
lus any philosopher with Aristotle,
•ny sa’ntlv preacher with St Fran
cis. and the result is totally differ
ent. . . . The things of the spirit
depend on will, on effort, on asp'ratton.
on the qualitv of the Individual soul,
•nd not on discoveries and material
advances which can be accumulated
and added up. . . - The ufdifting
of man has been the work of a chosen
few . . . and the record in the
•gramata’ is the record of these chosen
few. . . The soul of man. com
prising the forces that have made
progress end those that have achieved
Jn themselves the end of nrogres, the
moments of living to which he has
said that they are too beauf-fu! to
he allowed to pass—the soul of man
rt..nds nt the door and knocks: It Is
for each one of us to open or not to
open."
The main stream of our culture, as
Prof Murray reminds us. is that which
runs from Rome and Greece and Pal
estine. the Christian and the class'-
cal tradition. “In that stream we
find our unity, unity of origin in th"
past, unity of movement and imagina
tion in the present; to that stream we
owe our common memories and our
power of understand ng one another.
. . . The German emperor's dic
tum, that the hoys and girls in his em
pire must 'grow up little Germans
and not little Greeks and Romans,'
Is both intellectually a ph'llstlne poi
icy and politically a gosi>ei of strife ’’
The German emperor—or ex-em
peror—is not the only Philistine upon
whom Prof Murray visits his censure.
In a closing passage of matchless
beauty and of lasting cla’m to our
attention merely as a demonstra
tion of the emotional power iu
barent in English prose—a pas
gage of so great eloquence that ft
must be copied here without abridge
ment —the eminent classical scholar
sets forth the spirit animating all
time scholarship and culture.
"The enemy," he says, "has no defi
tiite name, though in a certain degree
■we all know him. He who puts al
ways the body before the spirit, the
dead before the living, the necessary
before the beautiful; who makes things
only In order to eell them; who has
forgotten that there is such a thing
as truth, and measures the world by
advertisement or by money; who daily
defiles the beauty that surrounds him
and makes vulgar the tragedy; whoso
innermost religion is the worship of
the He in his soul. The Philistine,
'the vulgarian, the great sophist, the
passer of base coin for true, he Is all
about us and, worse, he has his out
posts inside us. persecuting our pence,
■polling our sight, confusing our val
ues, making a man’s self seem greater
than the race and the present thing
more important than the eternal. From
him and his influence we find our es
cape by means of the ’grammata’ into
that calm world of theirs, where
■tridency and clamor are forgotten in
the ancient stillness, where the strong
iron is long since rusted and the rocks
'•t granite broken into dust, but the
great things of the human spirit still
shine like stars pointing man's way
onward to the great triumph or the
great tragedy, and even the' little
things, the beloved and tender and
funny and familiar things, beckon
across gulfs of death and change with
a magic poignancy, the odd things
that our dead leaders and forefathers
loved, ‘viva adhuc et desiderio pul
criora’ (living still and more beautiful
because of our longing).”
LETTERS TO WHITMAN
Written by Englishwoman who
Was in Love With Him
In publishing "The Letters of Anne
Gilchrist and Walt Whitman" (Double
day, Page & Co; $2), Thomas B.
Hamed, one of Whitman’s literary ex
ecutors, has added a picturesque
chapter to Whitman’s already com
plex biography, and has laid bare to
the eyes of al! who care to read, the
secret of a great woman’s soul. Anne
Gilchrist’s deep love for Walt Whit
man was not even known by her son,
Herbert H. Gilchrist, who speaks in
his memoir of mother’s “close literary
and personal friendship" with the
poet.
Perhaps the most perfect tribute
ever paid to the poet was the passion
awakened in Mrs Gilchrist when she
first read “Leaves of Grass.” She
was an Englishwoman of wide culture
and high intellectual attainment, but
roading the words of Whitman caused
“the birth of a new soul" in her, she
said. Not only her intellect but her
whole personality was irresistibly
drawn to the poet’s spirit. Driven by’
a strong woman's passion, she con
fesses to him in a letter written in
1871. more than two years after re
ceiving his poems:—
It was the divine soul embracing mine.
I never before dreamed what love meant;
not what life meant . . , hi Muy,
1869, came the voice over the Atlantic to
me—O, the voice of my mate! It roust be
so—my love rises up out of the very
depths of grief and tramples upon de
spair, I can wait—any time, a lifetime,
many a lifetime—l can suffer, I can dare.
I ean-learn, grow, toil, but nothing in
life or death can tear out of my heart
the passionate belief that one day I shall
hear that voice say to me: "My mate.
The one I so much want. Bride, wife,
indissoluble eternal! . . . Understand
aright, dear love, the reason of my si
lence I was obeying the voice of con
.science. I thought I was to wait. For it
Is the Instinct of a woman's nature to
wait to be sought—not to seek. . . .
But now I will wait no longer. A higher
Instinct dominates that other, the in
stinct for perfect truth.
And from across the Atlantic, from
Whitman’s pen, there came back to
crush her loving woman s heart, the
“perfect truth” which she was seek
ing:—
But I muset at least show without fur
ther delay that 1 am not insensible to
your love. I too send you my love. And
do you feel no disappointment because I
write so brefly. My book is my best let
ter, my response, my truest explanation
of all. In it I have put my body and
spirit. You understand this better and
fuller and clearer than any one else. And
I too fully and clearly understand the
loving letter which is has evoked. Enough
that there surely exists so beautiful and
delicate a relation, accepted by both of
us with joy.
More letters Whitman must have
written than the six which appear
in this volume. But Mrs Gilchrist s
letters are sufficient to give us both
sides of the story. We see her strug
gle to dominate the great passion
which was ruling her life. She feels
herself irresistibly drawn across the
Atlantic, and comes to America
against the advice of the poet, who,
perhaps, felt that physical nearness
might destroy the "beautiful and deli
cate relation" whose existence he rec
ognized. Records of their persona!
encounters and what happened during
the years Anne Gilchrist and he”
family spent* in America are missing
here, and must be looked for else
where.
But whatever happened then, it is
from the letters written after her re
turn from America that we get an
impression of the whole Anne Gil
christ. In the words of Bliss Perry,
“There is deep respect and affection
on both sides, but henceforward there
are no lyric raptures.” The power
ful emotion which caused her to pour
forth her whole soul in one stream
is diverted now and her letters pre
sent her as the charming, many-sid
ed person that she was. The letters
breathe forth warm spring landscapes
and rich human relationships. Her
teward for her great devotion is con
tained in one sentence which Walt
Whitman wrote to her son, Herbert: —
But I cnnnnt let your book go to press
without at least saying—and wishing It
put on record—that among the perfect
women I have met ... 1 have known
none more perfect In every relation than
my dear, dear friend Anne Gilchrist.
THE NEAR EAST
Presented by an Anonymous Anther
Who Viewed Affairs from “With,
in”
The anonymous author of "The
Near East from Within” (E. P. Dut
ton Co; $5) is evidently a diploma
tist of high position and exception
ally well informed. One finds here
a complete revelation of the vast
machinations of the kaiser during the
last 20 years as regards the Balkan.-,
Turkey. Egypt and Russia. It seems
Incredible that the diplomatists of the
present allies did not discern at an
earlier date the signs of the coming
storm.
According to the author, it is a
fact not generally known that when
the second Balkan war broke out. be
tween Bulgaria. Servia and Greece.
Servia entered into a secret agree
ment with Russia. Long before this
Russian influence in Turkey had
waned, largely owing to German in
trigues and money. The German em
peror was really never in close sym
pathy with the sultans of either Tur
key or Morocco, but recognized the
value of Moslem friendship should
ever Russia make a definite stand
against the growth of German influ
ence in the Balkans or become fear
ful of the undoubted dominance
which Germany had secured in Tur
key.
Servian politics, the country’s re
cent development and the state of
Servian civilization are rather frank
ly treated. There are excellent char
acter sketches of the sultan Abdul
Hamid, bis successor, Mehamed Re
chad, King Constantine of Greece,
King Ferdinand of Bulgaria and many
other rulers and prominent men.
The book explains and clears up
much that has hitherto remained con
fused. mysterious and obscure. It Is
written in a temperate way. but is
nevertheless a thrilling story from
beginning to end. There are many
good portraits of kings and politi
cians.
HOW THEY FIGHT
“Present-Ray Warfare,” by Jacques
Ronvler
The world war has been so pro
tracted that methods of warfare have
been completely revolutionized. The
average man has hardly been able to
keep up with the bewildering amount
of new terms relating to the present
struggle. While the number of books
written about the war is legion, there
are relatively tew that explain to the
THE SPRINGFIELD WEEKLY REPUBLICAN: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1918
ordinary civilian the meaning of the
new conditions, the methods of fight
ing and of training the fighters, etc.
One of the best of these is “Present-
Day Warfare,” by Capt Jacques
Rouvier of the French military mis
sion to the United States (Scribner s,-
$1.35).
The author says that his idea is not
to write a book on tactics, but to make
clear to the civilians of this country
(the United States) the conditions of
warfare at the present day. Capt
Rouvier has succeeded admirably in
his plan, for he gives a most interest
ing and vivid account of the way in
which the fighters of all kinds are
prepared for their work “over there."
Among other things, one learns
that the training of the machine gun
men and automatic gunners takes a
very long time, and that the men
themselves, like those in the aero
plane service, have to be picked with
the greatest care. The author writes
with great clarity of the strange form
of warfare under, sometimes far un
der. the trenches and No Man’s land,
and describes the construction of gal
leries and mines.
Capt Rouvier also treats of food
supply, sanitary problems, etc., and
altogether his book is a worthy addi
tion to the popular literature of the
war. The illustrations are particular
ly good.
RELIGION'S MYSTICAL SIDE
“The World Within,” by Prof
Rufus M. Jones
Rufus M. Jones, in writing “The
World Within" (Macmillan; $1.25),
has produced a type of devotional lit
erature that handles with skill the
tools of reflection, yet does not aim
pnmarily at philosophical statement.
Its method of combining intuition with
reasoning is thus suggestive and
strengthening where mere assertion
would not convince the reader who
was not already of the author’s mind.
It says simple things simply and
more complex things clearly. There
is that downrightness about its pres
entation of spiritual principles that
we expect in the writings of Prof
Jones, whose mysticism, while con
templating the eternal, never loses
hold on the every-day world.
Prof Jones believes that “the old
leligicus phrases are inadequate”
“Human hearts everywhere." he says,
are longing for fresh and vital assur
ance that in this time of the world’s
greatest spiritual need the everlast
ing arms of divine love are under
neath us.” We cannot accept the
visible universe as the ultimate and
final reality. “One comes back from
tile study of the spiral movements of
world-making nebulae with very lit
tle to comfort the longings of the
heart.” Only a person can manifest
a heart of tenderness or a spirit of
love, and the mechanical system can
never reveal a person. Once th»re
was a “person who felt that his ife
was a genuine exhibition of the di
vine in the human, the eternal in the
midst' of time.” There is then a
"deeper universe” within.
We must remember that the in
visible is the builder of the visible.
"Michelangelo saw the dome of St
Peter's in the viewless realm of his
own soul before he raised it into
visible beauty above the groined
arches of the cathedral.” And every
creation of art is an instance of the
same truth We may even agree with
Plotinus when he tells us that it is
truer to say that the body, is in the sou,
than that the soul is in the body.
And so we go on drawing inspira
tion from the "deeper universe.” "The
saint is no accidental mutation. Moral
dexerity and beauty of character ar*,
the result of human effort and of co
operation with God, as surely as phy
sical health is the result of corre
spondence with the conditions of life.'
If man is ever to rise above the
biological level, he must discover a
way of living which delivers h*m from
the Olav of natural forces. “This lays
unon him an inner compulsion to de
vote him’elf to an Meal: that is, to
an unselfish nnd spiritual cause, a
cau«e for the promotion nnd advance
ment of interests other than his own.
There is m need to conceive this Is
a grandiose manner. The shoemaker
who makes an honest shoe not because
be wants his wages but because he de
sires to produce an honest and. valu
able commodity is living the spiritual
life. And so on through a varied range
of reflections Pr->f Jones carries his
tboris into the affairs of us all.
Prof Jones tells us that In St Paul’s
view the system of ethical life grows
out of the “new creation” produced
by the spirit of Christ in the inner
man. But Prof Jones does not go so
far as he might into an analysis of the
the elements of Paul’s philosophy,
though he says that the Stoic concep
tion of God as soul or spirit of the
universe may unconsciously have in
fluenced him. Other Greek concep
tions undoubtedly influenced St Paul
also. But. as has been said. Prof Jones
is not writing a treatise in philosophy
for students.
“THE ADVENTURE BEAUTIFUL”
Lilian Whiting Tells How the Other
Life May Spiritualize This
"The continuity of life, unbroken
by that change we call death, has
become a more immediate question it
the hour than ever before in all
human history.” With this estimate
of her subject. Lilian Whiting, writ
ing under stress of war. begins "The
Adventure Beautiful” (Little, Brown
& Co; $1). “Imagination is construc
tive. Raised to Its highest power, it
is insight and intuition, and these are
able to penetrate the unknown and
construct an hypothesis.”
It may be said that Miss Whiting,
in addition to scientific fact and
speculation as to unseen forces In the
world, has utilized insight and intui
tion in discussing what Charles Froh
man called “the most beautiful ad
venture in life”—death. “Phychica! ex
periences." "Powers of the ethereal
body" and "The nature of the ethereal
world” are chapters concerning what
many are unwilling to accept as sub
jects of serious study. Prospective
habitation in the ethereal world is not
all to be dreaded, and it should be a
joy forever if Miss Whiting’s vision
reaches clearly into the infinite.
Of the practical influence of this
belief on life here, she says: “The I
chief aim in this science of living,
perhaps, is to unify the life which
one lives with the life that he knows
nnd feels that he ought to live." Thia
book tends not to a life of dreaming,
for “the spiritualization of life Is not
achieved by forsaking the duties of
life.” The prelude to the great ad
venture must be a period of progr;s
sive usefulness.
DR GORDY ON LINCOLN
A book with Wilbur F. Gordy as
author naturally attracts the notice
of his many friends and acquaintances
in Springfield. The public now has
from his pen "Abraham Lincoln”
(Charles Scribner’s Sons) address'd
to the younger reader. It la the first
of a series called ’Heroes and Lead
ers in American History." Here are
pictured in clear and simile Eng Han
the struggling youth, the man of re
sponsibility and the leader of our na
tion. „ . _
FROM THE NEW FICTION
ABOUT “THE SILENT LEGION”
•
J. E. Buckrose Shows How the
‘Home Folks” Bear Their War
Burdens
Mrs Buckrose is the author of a
considerable list of novels, but she
has not before attained the sympathy,
feeling and insight revealed in "The
Silent Legion" (Doran; $1.50). It is
a war novel, of course, but the
struggle itself is far in the back
ground. It Is the "home folks”—the
silent legion of fathers, mothers and
sisters of the men at the front—with
whom the author deals. We see these
courageously meeting the news of the
death of sons and brothers, cheerfully
bearing the losses and privations im
posed by war’s mandate, and grimly
determined to see the war “to a
triumphant finish.” This side of the
picture has been too long neglected.
But with a woman's intuition and
sympathetic understanding. Mrs Buck
rose paints it in all its lights and
shades.
Chestnut street. Flodmouth, Is rep
resentative off a thousand Chestnut
streets all over England. Well-to-do
middle class folk—tradesmen, profes
sional men and men with small, suc
cessful businesses —dwell here. But
the war has wrought transformations
in their lives. Mr Simnson has lost
a son and his business. Yet “he had no
Idea at all that he was a hero. As
a plain matter of fact, he would have
been exceedingly annoyed had any one
called him such a thing. . . . For he
shared to the full that strange in
stinct which forbids the middle class
to blow its own trumpet. The Upper
class has blown delicately for ages
through long silver trumpets. . . .
But the class to which Mr Simpson
belongs simply does not blow.”
Charming Mrs Simpson, though In
noor health, bears her sorrow cheer
fully. and when diminished income
banishes the servants, Barbara Simp
son comes home from a year’s army
nursing. Her cheerful acceptance of
altered conditions is representative of
all the women in Chestnut street. Miss
Pelling uncomplainingly does her
work when her income also diminishes.
The women sew and do war work, as
their time and means permit. Mr
Simnson cheerfully goes to work at
30 shillings a week under a man once
his own office boy.
These scraps of the complete pic
ture reveal the courageous attitude of
“the silent legion.” But. as the story
progresses, it more and more becomes
the story of Barbara Simpson. On
her return from army nursing a
long-time suitor finds himself “rich
enoueh to marry.’’ But Barbara's love
has fled. Then Brooks, the silent,
wounded Canad'an soldier, appears.
Their love Is of swift growth. But
with the Spartan courage of the
"silent legion.” Barbara renounces her
happiness to care for h“r failing moth
er. and help her father, who care
fully conceals his discouragement.
The mother, however, discerns her
daughter’s s’lent sacrifice in time to
prevent, it. The author injects humor
as well as sentiment Into her picture
of the hardships of war.
“SHAVINGS"
Joseph C. Lipcoin In a Characteristic
Tale x>f the “Cape"
Mr Lincoln’s stories of the “Cape"
come rapidly but probably too seldom
to satisfy his multitude of readers.
One is sure to be entertained —indeed,
it is well nigh impossible to lay down
a Lincoln tale once it is begun. Mr
Lincoln never concerns himself with
problems. He does, of course, provide
a good deal of sentimentality, but
that is merely incidental to the delinea.
tion of a shrewd, humane and homely
central figure. Retired deep-sea salts
are the author’s favorites, but in
"Shavings” (Appleton; $1.50) he intro
duces a different sort of man. albeit
no less genuine a Cape Codder. "Jed"
Winslow is a veritable Uriah Heep, so
humble is he. But don’t make the
mistake of most of his fellow-towns
men in Orham of thinking that he is
a "plumb fool.” “Jed” is impractical
and, as man;’ believed, “queer.” But
one agrees with the discovery of his
best friend. Capt Sam Hunniwell. aft
er long debating whether "Jed” “was
a dum fool or a King Solomon." that
he favors the Jewish king.
“Jed" makes toy windmills in the
little shop just oft the main road of
Orham. After the author’s introduc
tion the reader feels well acquainted
with the dreamy, elongated toy-maker.
Quaint and quiet of manner, with a
shrewd philosophy and pungent wit,
he is a "character" and one of the au
thor’s most lovable creations The
story follows familiar lines, yet differs
in many details from preceding Lin
coln tales. "Jed’s" manner, we learn,
originated In the exacting demands
of a querulous, invalid mother and
has been strengthened through years
of introspection and self-depreciation.
But while the bulk of his fellow-towns
men look upon him with something
akin to contempt and use him as a
target for their d«ubtful witticisms,
the broadly humane impulses, the gen
erosity and the wisdom beneath his
diffidence are understood nnd valuer
by the diseprnifig few. Among these
are Capt Hunniwell and his daughter,
Maude, and "Jed's” tenants, Mrs Ruth
Armstrong and her little daughter.
"Jed"—or "Shavin's,” to most Or
hamites—pursues the even tenor of his
way until Mrs Armstrong overcomes
his reluctance to rent his house. Two
। romances develop, and, although
I "Jed's" role never gets beyond that
of first assistant to Cupid, he passes
through the unhappiest moments of
his life. But his native optimism
comes to his aid and his loyalty never
falters regardless of temporary heart
aches.
There is the customary group of
secondary characters whose activities
and quaint vernacular are the source
of numerous chuckles. The war
brushes events momentarily, but only
as it aids ID helping "Jed’s" plans for
the welfare of his friends. The story
is rather longer than is customary
with Mr Lincoln, but It never falters
despite the abundant dialog and fre
quent departures from the immediate
theme. Tt will rank among the most
richly diverting of the author’s many
romances.
“THE HEART OF NAMI-SAN”
Pleasing Japanese Story Translated
Into English
A Japanese novel which has met
with success elsewhere appears in an
English version with the title of “The
Heart of Nami-San” (Stratford com
pany; $1.50). Kenjiro Tokutomi,
called the "Japanese Tolstoi” by his
admirers, takes as his central figure
a young bride, daughter of a gen
eral, and married to a young naval
officer. Her beauty and lovable na
tuie win the sympathy of the reader.
Her husband. Takeo, also has quali
ties which arcuse admiration. Cus
tom und the condition* of their life
come between them in spite of ’heir
perfect understanding and happiness
together.
The story of the battle of Yalu
river, in September, 1894, in which
Takeo takes part, is thrilUngly <old.
Graft is shown to l>e an eastern as
well as western question in war and
polities. There is much to stimulate
the imagination in the oriental en
vironment pictured 'in this pleasing
story, with its personalities so appeal
ingly human, although handicapped
by what seems to us a traditional civ
ilization.
A NOTED NOVEL ON LABOR
“Belle, the Conqueror,” Now Is
sued Complete
Nexo’s "Pelle the Conqueror,” the
significant novel of the labor move
ment in Denmark, the first three
volumes of which Ur.ve been reviewed
in The Republican, is now available
in a complete edition issued by Hen
ry Holt A Co. Like those preceding
it, the final volume presents Its inter
pretation of life through a narrative
characterized by the sketchy but con
vincing realism, such as the Russians
have made familiar. In this 'volume
Nexo offers the solution —his solution
—of the social problems he has al
ready developed. The value of the
work, as a whole, aside from its merit
as a story, lies not so much in Pelle’s
scheme of a “peaceful revolution” by
means of co-operative industries as its
presentation of working-Class philos
ophy
Pelle, the hero, is a labor leader
whose ambitions are not tainted bv
envy or by a Philistine, commercial
sense of values. “You’ll be rich one
of these days, shoemaker." says the
night watchman who finds him at
work early in the morning. “Pel.e
laughed; he was rich!" . . . “To
Pelle books were a new power born
slowly out of his sojourn in prison.”
The late Dr Rauschenbusch re
marked that socialism has meant at
least the intellectual salvation of
many poor workingmen by opening
to them the kingdoms of thought. It
is after discovering these kingdoms
and others like them that Belle :s ab e
to laugh in the consciousness that he
is already rich. On another occasion
he finds himself "planning kingdoms
where the only poor people were thos?
who grudged others things.” His
aristocratic sense of values is shared
by his wife, who says. “Yes. it’s a
good thing the best can't be had for
money.”
Yet Pelle and his friends are awake
to the misery about them. The words
by which a Jewish clockmaker in Chi
cago once described an acquaintance
are true of Pelle—"T'ings hurted
him." His friend Morten, too. refe.--
ring to a young girl, almost a child,
whose honor has been sold, says
“For even one child to have such a
fate is too much, and how many there
are in the hell in which we live!"
Pelle is firm, too, in the code of loy
alty to one's fellow-workers, and in
the resolve to climb not over them
nor out from among them but with
them.
As may be-expected in the work
of a lineal heir of the gleemen who
made tales of Norse heroes, this novel
of environment, class consciousness,
and class struggle, is salted by an epic
respect for the kingship of person
ality. Hugo’s hero in “Ninety-three.'’
ns Stevenson remarks, is the French
Revolution: Nexo’s hero in “Pelle.'
on the other hand, is not the Danish
labor movement, but an individual.
Similarly, his title is not “Les Miser
ables,” but "The Conqueror." Pelle,
moreover, does not say in familiar
tones, "The system has made me what
1 am, an enemy of society," but, "The
IP usage I suffered as a child taught
me to be good to others, and in prison
I gained liberty; what might have
made me a criminal made a man of
me instead."
And this Pelle Is no less a con
queror because his greatest conques*.
the conquest of the social order, re
mains unfulfilled. For in this he dif
fers from the agitators among his
comrades: while they are content to
struggle for an immediate and tem
por”ry advantage, a little more wages,
a little shorter hours, he urges them
to work with him by peaceful, con
structive but—he believes —more gen
uinely radical methods, for a triumph
they and he may not themselves live
to see. the achievement of a new
world order
“SIMPLE sours*
Modern Instance of King Cophetna
and the Beggar Maid
John Hastings Turner has written
a story that in England has not only
been a success as a book, but has
"scored" also on the stage. “Simple
Souls” (Scribner’s; .$1.35). The story
is on the surface an extravaganza,
but like many other bits of improbable
fiction, it is told in such a solemnly
realistic style that it carries the read
er along breathlessly, despite his sub
conscious reflection that it is a wiidiy
improbable tale.
The protagonists are the duke of
Wynninghame. a biologist whose spe
cialty is reptiles, and Molly Shine, a
shop girl of remarkable beauty and a
passion for romance which stamps
her as an idealist in spite of her home
surroundings In East London. The
duke is as cold-blooded as'the reptiles
he delights to study, and as absent
minded as a scientist is reputed to be
—ln fiction. His Interest in Molly is
absolutely impersonal, a feeling of
commiseration for an idealist who is
unable to gratify her taste for dreams,
and he finances her by a weekly re
mittance through his secretary' and
forgets all about her. The mon^y
complicates things for Molly at home
when its source is later discovered,
and the duke, being made to feel (not
bv Molly’s consent) that he has com
promised the girl, offers to marry her
and presently does so, to the scandal
of his sister, who is the archvillain in
desiring to uphold rigidly the tradi
tions of the aristocracy.
How things shape themselves for
the duke, who gradually learns that
marriage involves certain responsibili
ties. and for the other characters,
must be left to the reader. It would be
unfair to anticipate the plot or the de
liciously humorous situations that un
fold in every chapter, if Mr Turner
can repeat his success in a second
book, he will make himself secure
with the reading public for a consid
erable time. He shows that he pos
sesses dramatic power, humor and a
keenness of character delineation t iat
augur well for further successes.
“CHEERFUL—BY REQUEST”
Entertaining Short Stories by Edna
Ferbei
Not all the dozen abort stoi'les by
EJna Ferber in “Cheerful—By Re
quest” (Doubleday-Page; $1.40) bar
monize with the title. There is a
frequent note of sadness, and some
times a tinge of tragedy darkens a
story’s fabric. But the author whe
w uld truthfully portray men anl
women as they live from day to day
must pay heed to varied moods. And
If sadnesa and the approach to trag
edy alternate with cheerfulnesr her^.
they but emphasize the “humanness”
of the stories as a whole. Looking at
them from another angle, however,
one may discern a cheerful spirit,
I the characters concerned meet their
I difficulties and handicaps with brav
ery and are buoyed by hope and cour
age when despair and tears are the
easier alternatives.
The reader may accept the tales a’
their face value, whether sad or glad.
They have no other meaning, and no
hidden purposer Miss Ferber is never
subtle, and in her short stories seldom
troubles about a definite plot. Each
story is an incident which, while re
lated in a sketchy manner, conveys to
the mind a definite idea of the mental
and physical characteristics of the per
son portrayed.
This person Is generally of the type
of busines woman who, of course, has
long been Miss Ferber’s favorite char
acter in fiction. We meet the women,
buyers in the big marts and listen
to their exchange of ideas and confl
denees. and learn about their uncanny
instincts in scenting the 'correct
thing.” and about their shrewdness
in bargaining. But the author does
not neglect their human side We
learn, too, that desnite big salaries
and heavy responsibilities they like
gayety and hunger for love exactly
as do their less "emancipated" sisters
In “The Gay Old Dog.” "The Tough
Guy” and “Shore Leave” Miss Ferber
develops interesting masculine char
acters. The second of this trio Is
perhaps, the most diverting story of
the entire collection. The central fig
ure lives up to his title, but his baser
impulses are completely burned awav
after an impulsive enlistment and six
months’ service in the trenches. The
story is told with skin and has a
strong human appeal, while "The
woman Who tried to be good” and “The
girl who went right” are also wor
thy of special mention. The collec
tion as a whole is unusually enter
taining.
MOUE LABRADOR TALES
Two Volpines of Norman Duncan's
Final Work
It is just two years since Norman
Duncan dropped in his tracks on n
golf link and the world lost a gifted
story teller. With a feeling of sur
prise the public will greet -two mere
volumes of his Labrador tales, making
the count of his title pages an even
20. The surprise will be of the pleas
ant kind, for the author had a large
following, which was not looking for
anything more after the news of ais
death. The two are issued simultane
ously and in uniform stvle. "Battles
Royal Down North” and "Harbor Tales
Down North" (Fleming H Revell
company: $1.35 each).
The uniformity of the volumes in
cludes an appreciation by Dr Grenfell
and a biographical note identical in
each. Then follow a number of inde
pendent tales, in which some of the
same people reappear at intervals. One
finds here the breath of tne wild coast
and the tang of the sea and the peril
of ice and fog such as they that go
down to the sea in ships, especially on
the Labrador, are quite familiar with.
"Battles Royal" indicates by its very
name the quality of the experiences
within the matching of human wit
nnfi endurance against the elements.
The other Is a land book, with dramas
of love and devotion, no less strong
or appealing than the first. The twain
will take their place worthily bv the
side of tneir fellow-children of Dun
can’s braia and heart.
HEROES OF THE RED MEN
“Boys’ Book of Indian Warriors, by
Edwin L. Sabin
In "Boys’ Book of Indian Warriors”
(Jacobs; $150), ^Edward L. Sabin
makes available for young readers the
principal exploits' of some of the most
famous Indian chiqfs and warriors
of the North American tribes. Be
ginning with Piskeret, a famous fight
er of the Adirondack tribe, who. in
1044. made a successful forav single
handed against the savage Iroqucis.
he brings the stories down to Sitting
Bull, the famous Sioux chief.
Twenty-four sketches are included
In the book, which makes a thick
volume. Mr Sabin writes his sto
"es from the Indians’ point of view,
and thereby, it may be assumed'
somewhat idealizes his subjects. But
he is only too correct in indicating
that the Indian was not all bad. nor
the white man all good. "The Indian
fought as he had always fought.” he
says, "and 09 times out of 100 he
firmly believed that he was enforc
ing the right. The white man fought
after his own custom and sometimes
after the Indian’s custom; and not in
frequently he knew that he was en
forcing a wrong.” ,
Each sketch is compactly histori
cal, but possesses a strongly romantic
flavor. Many of the earlier stories
are of local interest, because they de
tail the exploits of Indians whose
tribes inhabitated what are now >he
New England states. Each sketch is
accompanied by a picture of the chief
or warrier who is its subject. Boys,
and even adults, will derive informa
tion and pleasure from the well-writ
tcl book.
“LOST INDIAN MAGIC"
Grace and Carl Moon, who have
spent many years in studying the In
dians, are the authors of “Lost In
diah Magic" (Frederick A. Stokes
company; $1.50). It is the story of
a young Indian boy named. Kayyah,
who succeeds, with the help of an
Indian girl named Sah’-ne. in recov
ering the lost Indian magic for his
people in Ah’-co.
Their mighty talisman which had
been handed down to them out of the
past, had been placed in a little
carven bear of turquoise. This had
mysteriously disappeared from the
sacred altar of the medicine lodge
about five years before, and many
people had attempted to recover it,
but had failed. It is a thrilling story
of mystery and adventure for boys
and girls from 0 to 15 years of age.
INDIAN AND ANIMAL TRAILS
“Over Indian and Animal Trails”
(Frederick A. Stokes company; $2),
by Jean M. Thompson, , contains
stories of the wood folk, which are
told by the old Indian chief to a little
Indian boy named . Little Beaver
“Why the Weasel Fears the Heels of
a Rabbit”; ‘The Naming of Little
Beaver.” "The Ghost of Muskrat Vil
lage." and "How the Bobcat Won His
Name,” are some of the many In
structive stories. These tales taught
Little Beaver many lessons—lessons
ol loyalty, courage and unselfishness.
The book Is designed especially for
children from 8 to 14 years of age.
“AN ENGLISHWOMAN’S HOME”
Mrs A. Burnett Smith, better known
by her pen name, Annie S. Swan, pro
vides an account of her experiences
in England, near London, since the
war began. "An Englishwoman’s
Home” (George H. Doran Co; $1.35)
tells of a home that Is only a mem
ory. The call of country, destroying
the happy companionth’p of a beauti
ful home, -Increases the devotion to
country and brings forth a spirit and
courage that terrorism makea the more
determined. The letters which make
up the book are published n » written
to Mra George IL Doraa, a friend.
VARIOUS BOSTON TOPICS
PEACE SOCIETIES ACTIVE
Have Carried on Valuable Educa
tional Work During the
Years of War
Correspondence of The Republican
BOSTON, Tuesday, November 12
Long before the downfall of Ger
many the question of the terms of
peace had become vital to the many
Bostonians enroled in various peace
societies, and members of these organi
zations had begun to realize that they
could talk about peace without being
stigmatized as "pacifists.” The league
to enforce peace, whose sentiments and
policy arc so well known throughout
the country, has a large New England
membership and liberal contributions
tor its work were m*d e by Bostonians
at tne convention in Philadelphia last
spring.
America n peace society, which
publishes the Advocate of Peace
moved its headquarters to Washington
L Ut 11 has a good SU P-
P ? r L ln Eoston - The most independent
of the organizations for peace is the
' vol 'hl peac^e foundation which was en
dowed by Edwin Ginn with $1,000,000.
and so does not depend on membership
fees. Then there is the league for
permanent peace, which, starting as
the woman’s peace party, is now work
ing most effectively in Boston under
its broader name.
The world peace foundation Is
housed In the stately mansion on
Mount Vernon street, formerly the res
idence of Mrs Mary Hemenway, the
philanthropist. It was incorporated
laws of Massachusetts in
July. DiO, as the international school
of peace, but a few months later its
name was changed to its. present title
from the beginning it has consistently
carried on the program as laid down
by Mr Ginn—“patient and thorough
work of education through the school,
tne codege. the church, the pamphlet
and the book.” It works in full co
operation with other peace organiza
tions and many of its pamphlets are
circulated through these. As the war
has itself been a positive means of ed
ucation in favor of peace, the world
peace foundation has issued little di
rect peace propaganda of late. Yet it
still does valuable educational work
both in its pamphlet series (of which
several volumes have been published)
and m its league of nations series
(also In pamphlet form), of which five
numbers have been issued in vol
ume 1.
The two latest numbers I n this
series, published in April and June of
this year, are “The Background of
the War,” which g:ves in convenient
form the history and texts of the triple
alliance, including’ Russia’s ’'reinsur
ance” treaty with Germany, and of
the triple entente and its friends. The
June publication of the foundation was
an essay on "The Monroe doctrine
after the war” by Prof George Grafton
'' uson, with an appendix showing th rt
European background of the Monroe
doctrine, with American statements of
this policy by a number of our presi
dents, With diplomatic and senatorial
action.
As these publications are distributed
free or at a nominal price, they show
the value of the work of the world's
peace foundation. In one of its stand
ing orders this foundation approves
the general principles and policy of the
"league to enforce peace" and instructs
the general staff and representatives
of the foundation to support it, and
it strongly indorses tlje idea of a league
of nations. Rev Edward Cummings is
the general secretary and Denys R
Myers Is corresponding secretary and
librarian. Edwin D. Mead, who from
the beginning was one of the most I
h ghly valued members of the staff on
account of protracted ill-health, is now
retired on a pension. The advisory
council of 68 is made up largely of
well-known clergymen, college presi
dents and college professors and a few
women. Though the foundatiofi has
discontinued its general reading room
it has an excellent reference library
of more than 2000 volumes Denys P.
Myers, the librarian, has lately been
in Washington, looking up certain ma
terial that (with the approval of the
government) will be issued especially
for the benefit of the young men in
the student army training camps.
The league for permanent peace,' of
which Mrs J. Malcom Forbes is presi
dent, has also been doing important
educational work during the war. At
its pleasant rooms^et 421 Boylston
street, it has an up-to-date circulat
ing library, where can be found not
only books relating to the peace
movement, but everything worth
reading concerning the warring coun
tries. their development and their
most recent history. At its rooms
have been held regular meetings for
making surgical dressings and for
other forms of relief work. In every
way it has bent its energies toward
winning the war. It has nad courses
of lectures and conferences on peace
topics, and this season has already
started two fine courses. The first
on Friday mornings through Novem
ber at the league rooms is by Dr
George Nasmyth, who has been an
active worker and officer both of the
world’s foundation and "the league to
enforce peace. He is a forcible
speaker, and la this course on "The
federation of nations" before tne
study class of the league he is pre
senting every phase of a subject that
is bound now to be of national in
terest. The second course under the
auspices of the league will be given
on the evenings of November 15 and
21), and December 10 and 21. the first
at Ford hall, the others at Pilgrim
hall. The first lecture will be given
by Judge W. H. Wadhams of New
York, the second by Theodore Mar
burg of Baltimore, the third by Ham
ilton Holt, and the fourth by Thomas
Raeburn White of Philadelphia—all
on various aspects of a league of na
tions.
Mildred Aldrich’s New Book '
“The Peak of the Load” by Mildred
Aldrich. which Small, Maynard & Co
published Saturday. Is a pleasing se
quel to “A Hilltop on the Madne,"
and “On the Edge of the War Zone."
It comes to the reading public at a
most opportune moment, when every
one is thinking intently of our boys In
France, and longing to know some
thing of the impression they are
making. Miss Aldrich, with her gift
of word-painting, makes us see the
American troops, both as they appear
to her, and as they appear to the
French people in the villages through
which ’hey pass. This book, like her
others. Is made up of letters, and they
were written from April 20. 1017, to
August 4, 1918. Thus she covers the
thrilling period of the German drive
for the Marne, the sufferings of the
refugees, driven from their homes for
a second, and sometimes a third time,
and finally the exciting dny when it
was seen that Foch was driving them
back, and that the brave American
boys were an important element in
bringing victory.
Of great in'erest are Miss Aldrich’s
accounts of her occasional visits to
Paris, during one of which she lived
under oil the thrills of an air mid.
Particularly worth rending are her
descriptions of the celebrations of the
Fourth of July, nnd of July 14—with
the American* holding the setter of
the stage on the first occasion, and
the British on the second. In fact,
the whole book is a series, of watef
color sketches of war-time France,
for they are full of color, and though
they depict only a small section of
the war zone, the aulhor’s imagina
tion helps us to visualize the whol*
country under conditions that would
have been only tragic had they not
been redeemed by the cheerfulness
and bravery of the French people
themselves. Unlike the other books
by Miss Aldrich "The Peak of the
Load" is not illustrated, for while the
censor permitted the manuscript to
leave the country, under recent regu
lations he could not pass the pictures.
It Is worth noting that "On the Edge
of the War Zone" has had a sale of
UO.OOO copies, and it Is likely that
"The Peak of the Load” will be equal
ly popular.
Paintings By Women
Two notable exhibitions of paint
ings by women opened here on Mon
day. The first, at the Vose galleries,
Is of oils by Mrs Johanna K. W. Hall
man of Pittsburg. Mrs Hailmann ha*
only one or Iwo portraits in the ex
hibit. and the larger number are of
western and tropical scenes in ths
West Indies—notably the Bahamas.
These are ail painted in light tones,
and have a certain sharpness seldom
feit in conventional, tropical picturin'.
Yet they are obviously true to type,
just as is the case with Mrs Hail
man’s picture of New England sand
dunes, perfect in color and atmos
phere. Interesting, too. In its realism
is her picture of munition works ut
Pittsburg—grim and gray, as seen at
night with here and there a cloud
of smoke or. the flare of fire within
the buildings. A number of brilliant
flower pieces deepen the impression
of the artist’s versatility. Mrs Hall
mans paintings, though oils, are all
shown under glass, and. with their
thin, delicate tones at first strike on*
as pastels.
Marie Danforth Page is the artist
whose exhibit had the private view
at the guiid of Boston artists on
Monday. Like Mrs Haiiman’s exhibi
tion, it will continue for two, weeks.
Mrs Page is a prize-winner, having
received medals and other honors at
several exhibitions outside of Bos-j
ton. and she is especially populaa
here in her own city. Her present
exhibition consists wholly of portrait/
and of these the larger number a®
of women and children. There are twl
men in the collection of 19—one ! I
well known young lawyer, and t/L
other an ensign, who, as it happeli-,
has just received his orders—but the
majority are of happy, smiling little
children. unusually life-like. Mrs
Page has great insight, and is able to
fix on her canvas the fleeting expres
sion that marks the child’s In
dividuality.
Two or three of her pictures in this
exhibition are really studies of
maternal affection. One of them has
the same model that won her the
prize at tne Philadelphia academy for
her Mother and Child" a few years
ago Two others are from another
model—an Irish mother with a fine
earnest face. In one she holds In a
close embrace her seven-weeks-old
, J n tbe secon d she leans over
the bed of the same child, here a few
mont.is older. Pose and expression of
mother and child In both cases are
remarkable.
The exhibition as a whole is a great
encouragement to those who believe
ln future of American art. The
guild exhibition that preceded thia of
Mrs Page s, contained about the same
number of portraits by Richard
a member of the staff of
the state normal school of art. This
LLLL n ° table collection, with a touch
f e decorative in the background
o, some of the portraits.
LILY AND HOST
Take them and twine fW*.
Flowers Immortal,
Blooming forever
At liberty’s portal-
Take them nnd fold them.
Tenderly pressed.
The Illy of France L
And the rose of the West!
Symbols of union.
Henris that are strong.
Striving together.
Conquering wrong;
Brotherhood’s meaning
They shall attest—
The lily of’France
And the rose of the West
With the strife over,
Peace at the end,
France and America
Together shall bend,
Lay on the graves of
Heroes at rest—
The illy of France
And the rose of the West!
ARTHUR WALLACE PEACH
Northfield, Vt., October 20, 1918.
RKEIMS ,
Rhelms—Oh Rheims, your stones are
ashes ,/
Gone the glory of Verdun;
Silent are the chimes of Solssons,
God forgotten lurks the Hun,
To destroy all earthly symbols
Of a faith we held secure,
Oh Christ, we’re marching on.
Rhelms, your roof is now high heave-’
Youth for freedom and for France,
All Its fairest flowers have yielded, *
Gone Is chivalry—romance.
And the hope we once could cherish,
Will It ever come again?
Oh Christ, we’re marching on.
Rhelms Is whispering a message
Thro’ the darkness and the roar, 1
Mid the crash of steel and iron, /
Cross the hideous fields of gore. l
Gentle wonder love we’re smiling,
He is coming, He is here, I
With Christ we’re marching on. J
RUEL CROMPTON TUTTLB £
Windsor, Ct.. November 11, 1918. IT
FROM THE GOLDEN BOOKS
The Soul’s Night Vision ' i!
[Charles G. D. Roberts; "Songs of the
Common Day"; Longmans, 181)3.]
In the wide awe and wisdom of the
night /
I saw the round world rolling on ita /
way, I
Beyond significance of depth on bight, I 1
Beyond the Interchange of dark and 1 ,
day.
I marked the march to which Is set no /
pause;
And that stupendous orbit, round
whose rim
The great sphere sweeps, obedient unto
laws
That utter th e eternal thought of
Him.
I compassed time, outArlpt the starry
speed,
And in my still soul apprehended
space,
Till, weighing laws which these but
Blindly heed,
At last I came before him face to
face, —
And knew the Universe of no such /
span
As the .u, ,t:st infinitude of Man.
Even the Berlin police are said toJl
have adopted the motto "The
bo pleased.’’ ** J I