Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • Page 17

Exclusive Associated Press United Press Service Gribune International News Service ART BOOKS SECTION SIC SUNDAY MORNING, JULY 28, 1918. BOOK REVIEWS AND LIBRARY NOTES Edited by GEORGE WHARTON JAMES- TO A PHRASE In "The Wonders of Instinct" Absorbing Story of Insect Life Is Told; to Be Read With Genuine Delight by the General Reading Public. HE story of Fabre and his years of struggle that he might have the opportunto alone with his friends, the insects, is one that was almost as slow in gaining recognition as were the efforts the unassuming scientist who labored for the love of the task. But Fabre lived to hear himself acclaimed as one of the great men of his time and -to see his works read by men and women with no scientific leanings. So it was that' when he died his sole regret was that he could not spend a few more.

years at The Harmas, as he called his little home and rocky patch, where his vegetables languished and his "bugs" waxed fat To write of insects and of their ways in such a manner as to interest the general public and to stimulate 3 wider study of the wonders of the myriad population underfeet was, the old 'gentleman's ambition. He could not understand why it was that expeditions should be fitted out and thousands of dollars spent that study of sea creatures might be perfected when an almost unknown world was always at hand on land. From boyhood he was wont to make friends of the crawling things. He noted their ways, experimented with them and became in time an authority. Not until the better part of his life had been lived did he sueceed in saving enough money to buy a small place and devote all of his time to his passion and his work.

It was by accident that he was recognized. When the first of the Fabre books. was published there came realization that here was a man who could write of the common bug as romantically and as interestingly as some may write of fairies. He opened up a wonderland and breathed into his work so exalted a love for subject and such power of description as to make the reading universal. He is never technical or obscure.

Fabre tells of the spider that rolls its eggs in a ball of web and holds it. by her legs, turning it over in the sun to aid in the hatching. Of the marvelous instinct of the burying beetles he writes in manner as engrossing as are certain chapters by explorers in strange lands. Of a bee, the Eumenes, he writes: "The Eumenes' cupola is the work of an and the artist would be sorry to cover his masterpiece with whitewash. I crave forgiveness for a suggestion which I advance with all the reserve befitting so delicate a subject.

Would it not be possible for the to take pride in her work, to look upon it with some affection, and to feel gratified by this evidence of her cleverness? Might there not be an Insect science of aesthetics? I seem at least to catch a glimpse, in the Eumenes, of a propensity to beautify her work. The nest must be, before all, a solid habitation, an inviolable stronghold; but, (Continued on Page 18) I kave been combing the sands of my thought for you--You Who left me the trace of your fragrance In lieu of yourself, A pungency as of sandalwood, Or things long lain in lavender, Very faint, But of a stabbing sweetness. Now that I have found you, Your delicate coloring, Which once delighted me, Has faded in the wash of many tides. Yet you can still Sting the tears to my eyes, Little Phrase-someone-said-to-me long-ago, Who might have meant so much But who meant so little But I thinkI have untangled you from the seaweed of forgotten things, I think I shall toss you back into the sea! -In "Poetry" for July. By HAZEL HALL "The Eclipse of Russia," Authoritative Story of Tragic Chapter in History Is Revelation of the Genius and Weakness of Nation; Story of Intrigue From Inside USSIA, the Side-show in the great exhibition of war, is destined to figure with increased prominance in the world news, and for that reason, if for no other, anything authoritative that may be written on the subject is of a timeliness thta makes of its reading almost a necessity.

True it is that there has been an extraordinary number of books written on the Great White Country, just as there will be many more, but the subject Is an exhaustless one and one concerning which no cursory reading will satisfy. It was to be expected that the romantic possibilities in the revolution, the downfall of a Tsar, and the giving of powers of government to those who, for years, had dreamed of the opportunity, should be seized upon by all manner of writers just as it was to be expected that the traveler who found himself in Russia in days of its exciting upheaval should feel the urge to set down historic events in printers' ink. And SO the books, many of them casual descriptions or personal pressions, have been turned the hundreds, and in the fists Have many that are notable. But the Russian' book of today must be more than a recital by an accomplished writer; it must bear the stamp of one who knows whereof he writes. Because of the chaotic conditions and of the -phased Russian mind the unauthenticated work on the theme may be worse than useless.

If the newer works- on. Russia, which aim to supply unquestioned information "The Eclipse of by E. J. stands out with distinction both for its exhaustive treatment of the subject and for the author's certain reputation as a scholar of things Slavic. It was not 30 many years ago--- Famous of Enemy's Flyers Wrote a Story of Adventures Before He 'Was Downed; -Has a Message For Allied Airmen.

and yet before a world had dreamed of the possibility--that, Dillon, in another book, prepared his readers for the end of Tsardom and ventured some remarkable predictions as to what was in store for Russia. For years he has enjoyed unparalled opportunity to' study all the movements in the political life of the country. Known personally to leaders in the government body under the Tsar he is acquainted with tha aristocratic viewpoint. In addition he' has worked with the movement, is a graduate of two Russian universities, and professor at Kharkoff, editor of a Russian paper and leader -writer for two others. He was the intimate adviser of Count Witte, and of him it has been said that, if it is possible for the Saxon mind to understand the Slav, he is the best man fitted for the task.

It is said of this book that it is the true story of Russian autocracy and its preparation for anarchy; of the secret dealings and treaties. between Tsar and Kaiser; of Rasputin and the Russian court, and of the tortuous doings of -line diplomacy and that it is a revelation of the genius and the tragic weakness of the Russian people. One must read the whole of this book, to realize that it baffles any isolated quotation. There is in it the sincerest attempt I have found to reflect the Russian mind and to create an understanding of a race that is at one time intensely idealistic, intensely spiritual, and elementally ferocious. It is the author's belief that of all races the Slav is the most complex and puzzling and he has made out his case in convincing manner, The personal recollections and, the eye-witness accounts give to the volume an intimate and first-hand value that appreciably heightens the interest.

The writer's estimate "The Red Battle Flyer" there is related in language more or less censored the story of Manfred von Richthofen, Germany's star ace. The story was written by a German (now fallen in battle) and has had a eirculation of over a million readers in Germany. The question as to why this book should be published in this country is one that will be asked by the average reader. The perusal of the volume will answer the question: Von Richthofen has. told with his story many of the German plans and ideals of air battle.

He has furnished a book to be studied by American aviators and army officers and, incidentally, has written an exciting and intensely interesting book. The most famous. of German aviators was Freiherr von Richthofen, who was killed in action in April of this year, after being credited with eighty aerial victories. This book is the story of this German's exploits and adventures told in his own words. It is.

the story of countless thrilling battles in the air, of raids, and of acts of daring by the flying men of both sides. "Richthofen's Flying has become: famous in the annals of aerial warfare. This book tells how the "circus" was formed and of the adventures in which its members participated. "The Red Battle Flyer" is offered to the American public, not as a glorification of German achievements in the war, but as a record of air fighting which, because. of its authorship and of the insight it gives into the enemy airman's mind, will prove of interest and value to our own flyers as well as to readers gen-.

erally. The German aviator, who, it will be remembered, was given a military funeral by the allied forces after he was brought down, writes his book in the spirit of a healthy young man intensely interested in an exciting pursuit. He shows himself to have been of an admirable character in many ways and, save in his glorying. in the dropping af bombs, does not exhibit the Hun qualities that were many of his companions'. Richthofen was a racognized master of air fighting.

His book explains the secret of many of his suecesses, and he brought down eighty planes before he. was downed. Red Battle Flyer," by Cap-' tain Manfred Freiherr Richthofen: New York, Robert M. Me Bride $1.25.) of the vacillating Tsar. is founded on court experience and is a picture in keeping with the present popular one.

Nowhere. else is to be found the information concerning the relations of Nicholas and Wilhelm, for -Trare in addition to the documents now widely known as the "WillyNicky" correspondence, is given act (Continued on Page 18).