Read Ebook: The Book Review Digest Volume 13 1917 Thirteenth Annual Cumulation Reviews of 1917 Books by Various Jackson Margaret Editor Reely Mary Katharine Editor

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"A good collection of recipes. ... For the intelligent mother."

"A most useful book for mothers, and one that will save many doctor's bills."

"This is a valuable survey of American, Canadian, and Australian experience in governmental mediation and arbitration, with statements of the attitude of the labor unions toward compulsory arbitration, mediation, and conciliation."--R of Rs

"The book is divided into four sections: Government mediation and arbitration, Trade unions and compulsory arbitration, Trade unions and mediation and conciliation, Recent aspects of labor disputes. The fourth section discusses arbitration of recent labor disputes and also the Adamson act, from the employees', employers' and public viewpoints."

An untechnical introduction to Hindu philosophy by Ananda Ach?rya. The author discusses the six systems of Hindu philosophy all of which differ from the philosophies of the rest of the world by presupposing that the soul is ultimate reality. His analysis leads up to a tabulation of the four states of our psychic life, viz. waking, in which we are conscious of the outward universe; dreaming, in which we are conscious of the inward universe; dreamlessness, in which we are unconscious of the inward and outward universe; Turiya, in which we are self-conscious in the absolute sense. The four states correspond to conquest of the objective world of sense and emotion; conquest of the subjective world of intellect and reason; conquest of the subtile world in which the first two lie in seed form; freedom in the identity of self with God, and the attainment of the absolute. His doctrine of error, expounded at some length and consisting in thinking of non-existence as existence, suggests the Christian science idea. The study is stimulating and inspirational.

"Unqualified approval can scarcely be the meed of an author who professes to be scientific yet has no notion of history and no clear sense of the value of definition. These faults vitiate the 'Brahmadarsanam.' Despite these defects, the 'general reader' will learn a good deal from the Acharya's book, and his exposition, albeit rather too flowery and poetical, of Hindu monism is, on the whole, to be approved."

"Sri Ananda Acharya is an excellent writer. He has a faculty for making the most abstract and profound subject absorbing and entertaining. His method is direct, concise, yet vivid and human."

"Brief and popular exposition of Hindu philosophical doctrine presented to us by a Hindu in terms which are not exposed to the suspicion of western or of Christian prejudice. His book is well worth reading. But we must repeat the caution that its teaching may mislead those who are unfamiliar with the phraseology and development of western speculation."

"Satisfactory to such as it satisfies. And others will take refuge in 'common sense.' Perhaps the better, or best, attitude is to welcome the book as offering an exposition of the Ved?nta school of philosophy not readily to be found elsewhere in such clear and full detail."

Reviewed by C. H. P. Thurston

"We knew very little of Germany before the war, and we know practically nothing of what has been going on in that country since August, 1914. Our conception of the whole war is confined to some trite phrase, such as 'democracy against autocracy.' ... In view of this deplorable situation, it is fortunate that Mr Ackerman has written this book; it is a book that every American, and especially every American liberal, should find of the greatest value." Ward Swain

"When the more impartial post-bellum histories of the war are written, volumes like Mr Ackerman's will have become invaluable source-books. And this solely because of the facts presented, not because of any insight. To disagree with Mr Ackerman's interpretation of his facts does not necessarily imply that one maintains the opposed or pacifistic view. It means rather a criticism of his plausibility. So many flagrant inconsistencies appear in the book because, I believe, his viewpoint towards our entrance into the war is the result of a reasoned rather than a felt conviction. To reconcile his early statement that Wilson's two years of diplomatic patience and appeal to public opinion did more to liberalize Germany than all of England's and France's attacks in the field with his later statement that only a crushing military victory for the Allies will free Germany of her autocratic rulers--such a task would require more dialectical skill than Mr Ackerman possesses." H. S.

"The author, who stayed in Germany during the last two years of the war and whose dispatches to the American press betrayed a keen insight in German public affairs, offers mainly a description of the internal struggle between the Bethmann-Hollweg and the Tirpitz factions and its reaction upon American foreign policy. While in general his judgment is reliable, his description of Bethmann-Hollweg as leading the democratic forces can hardly be called well-chosen." J. Koettgen

"One of the most illuminating phases of his book is the view he gives of the discussion and division of opinion among the people and in the government itself as to submarine warfare."

"The earlier chapters are by far the most interesting. The last two chapters--on the United States at war, and President Wilson--descend to journalese and add nothing to the book." Frank Fitt

"Whatever may be said of the value of this evidence, the portions of Mr Ackerman's book that deal with Germany, though containing little that is new, are of interest to the American public; the chapters on America's entrance into the war, with long quotations from speeches and editorials, make the most obvious sort of padding."

"For the serious student of affairs the importance of the book lies in the large mass of information which it contains as to the struggle which was going on all the time in Germany between the two great parties, the Pan-Germans and the party of comparative moderation which centered round the Foreign office."

"A liberal Catholic, a lover of freedom, enunciator of the maxim that 'liberty depends on the division of power,' and an opponent of capital punishment, Acton was in advance of much of the opinion of his time. For this reason, if there were no others, the correspondence is worthy of attentive study."

"The importance of these letters is due essentially to the fact that they relate to Lord Acton rather than to Lord Acton's times and contemporaries." W. S. B.

"Though he knew too many men as well as books to be dull, the lovers of personalities and gossipy biography are warned off. On the other hand, those who wish to understand something of the beginnings of continental liberalism in church and state will find so much instruction in Lord Acton's letters that they will be well repaid for the attentive reading which they demand."

"This new volume of Acton's own correspondence is welcome in so far as it throws light on his elusive personality, but it must be added that the letters are not often as interesting as we had hoped. For our part, we should have preferred a strictly chronological order for the Acton-Gladstone correspondence, which would then have illustrated clearly the long and intimate friendship existing between these two eminent men. As it is, we are carried backward and forward, from one topic to another. His editors have diligently annotated the text, and their biographical references are valuable. But the book is, like Acton's other writings, not at all easy to read."

"Apart from the notes and the index it cannot be said that the editors have done their work particularly well. Their worst sin is their method of arrangement. ... This sounds like order, but in fact produces chaos."

For descriptive note see Annual for 1916.

"In thus stating the problem it seems that the author must realize that he is dealing with a question of the distribution of wealth; that is, with the method of its apportionment among those who produce and handle farm products. But he considers marketing as entirely a part of production. In his review of the present system of marketing and in his analysis of its cost he dwells only upon activities which are mechanically necessary to put goods in the hands of the consumer. ... Mr Adams goes farther in recommending government aid than many authorities--Mr Weld, for instance, in his work on 'The marketing of farm products'; but not so far as Mr Elwood Mead, who has the Australian and European situation in mind." W: R. Camp

"The author has produced a valuable work. It is analytical, not dogmatic, keeps in view the facts, and is constructive. It overturns preconceived opinions and demolishes the positions of some writers and many agitators. The reader of the work has the sense of dealing with something substantial and trustworthy and feels that he has secured a much better foundation for judging the case of the much maligned marketing or middleman system." J: M. Gillette

"The book is valuable in pointing out definite defects and discussing corrective measures. It does not contribute much that is new to the solution of the problem." N. D. H.

Reviewed by C. L. King

A new book of verses, selected from the author's contributions to newspapers and magazines. Mr Adams parodies Amy Lowell, Sara Teasdale, Edgar Lee Masters, and Horace, and writes on The indignant captain of industry, The patriotic merchant prince, and other modern themes. "Don't tell me what you dreamt last night" is inspired by Freud, and "Strange cases" relates a series of tales with surprising conclusions--surprising because not unusual.

"Besides his funniness, which depends as much on his assumptions of intimacy as on a gentle irony, Mr Adams is felicitous in his use of exacting metres and involved rhyme-schemes. Most choice is his use of slang in paraphrasing Latin."

"As any one might know by mention of 'F. P. A.' as the author, this is a delightful book. It is so full of a number of things!"

"John D. Adams has gathered together his articles on carpentry which have previously been printed in magazines, and they now appear in book form under the title 'Carpentry for beginners.' Beginning with the simplest of articles which the average small boy can make, the author proceeds to describe others, more difficult, some of which would be a credit to a cabinet maker. ... For those who do not care to undertake the laborious task of getting out their own stock, each article has its mill bill. This enables the builder to have all material cut and planed, leaving only the putting together and finishing to be done."--Springf'd Republican

"The photographs, drawings and descriptions are so clear that with patience one should turn out very creditable pieces of furniture granting that one has the necessary knack."

"A good reference book."

"Its material is drawn from a first-hand examination of original sources and from an independent examination of the historical evidences. It is to be regretted, however, that in reproducing old documents he has chosen to modernize their spelling and punctuation, and that he has thought it necessary to change dates from the old style chronology to the new." E. F. E.

"Since the present cannot be understood without a thorough knowledge of the past, Mr Adams's scholarly account of 'Shakespearean playhouses' is an important factor in any study of contemporary development. Mr Adams's book will be welcomed by all students of the theatre, whether of its contemporary or historical phases."

"Walled in by slums stands our square, a valiant green space, far on the flank of the great city," writes the author in a foreword. He has told a series of stories of the people of the square, the little sculptor, the doctor, the Scotch tailor and others. The stories deal with matters of every day life but are told from the point of view of a romanticist. Contents: Our square; The chair that whispered; MacLachan of our square; The great peacemaker; Orpheus, who made music in our square; "Tazmun"; The meanest man in our square; Paula of the housetop; The little red doctor of our square. Some of these are reprinted from magazines.

"It would not be altogether candid to say that their truth to life impresses one as he reads these pleasant chapters. That there is no evil under the sun which true love may not remedy might well be the motto of each essay."

"The author's style, stimulating and capricious as it always is, sets heart-strings to vibrating and brings tears close to the surface."

"They are pleasant stories, ... and if they make one feel that they belong to some enchanted dreamland rather than in and around a New York east side park, they are, nevertheless, agreeable and entertaining."

"The stories are luminous with a delicate humor and wholly free from the vulgarity which sometimes characterizes stories in or about the slums."

"Dr Adler, starting as a pupil of Freud, has now been disowned by the master because of the diminished emphasis laid by Adler on the sexual element. The neuroses grow, according to Adler, from a sense of inferiority, due itself to some actual or imagined bodily infirmity. The neurotic individual, even as a child, feels himself inferior and his position and outlook insecure; this feeling, not acquiesced in, leads to a self-assertion that seeks fictitious and strained means of expression, while at the same time shrinking from the real tests of life."--Survey

"The book is not pleasant reading, and one has, all through, the impression that Adler is trying very hard to defend himself in a position, which really does not need such valiant efforts, to gain the fulfillment of his own craving for security." Wilfrid Lay

"Furnishes many suggestions of therapeutic value. ... Any person, whether neurotic or not, would be much interested in and benefited by a reading of Dr Adler's work."

"'The neurotic constitution' prompts the observation that if all the studies of Freud and his method are to be translated for the American public they should at least be put into intelligible English."

Reviewed by R. S. Woodworth

"'The jig of Forslin' is a much more ambitious effort than 'Turns and movies.' ... Its theme, as explained in the preface, is 'the process of vicarious wish fulfillment by which civilized man enriches his circumscribed life and obtains emotional balance. It is an exploration of his emotional and mental hinterland, his fairyland of impossible illusions and dreams.' Forslin, alone in his hall bedroom, dreams himself by turns a murderer, a juggler, the lover now of a woman of the street, now of a great queen, now of a lamia. He ranges through all periods, all climes. The sound of music binds his dreams together."--N Y Times

"The poem as a whole is unlike anything else. The sensibilities will be offended, the coarseness of the picturesque novel is introduced, and yet there are sections of mystical beauty and lyrical intensity. It will arouse discussion, and rightfully so, because, whatever one may say of form and method, there is little or no artifice in the substance. As a poet Mr Aiken gains immeasurably with this poem." W. S. B.

"The author has not quite completed the dramatization of his narratives. They are poignant as stories of other men and women, as dramatic monologs, if you will, but in spite of painstaking efforts on Mr Aiken's part their vicarious significance in Forslin's life does not really emerge from the fluid mixture."

"The author has not tempered the rashness of his colors, but, by substituting vision for reality, he has in a manner lowered the gas, and, in the restful though morbid twilight, effects are more poetical and less repulsive. Mr Aiken employs many verse-forms, including free verse. He is a born metrist." O. W. Firkins

"The evident purpose is to render man's vicarious satisfaction of the tabooed impulses. The thing will be done some day, but it will take a greater knowledge of life and man and Freud than this poet seems to possess." Clement Wood

"'The jig of Forslin,' no less than 'Turns and movies,' is a poem of youth, but of youth imaginative, not sensuous."

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