| Show Standard-Examiner Standard Book Reviews Edited Edited- by Maurice Howe T GREAT T by L. 1 Abbott published by hy Doubleday Doubled Fage Co Garden City Y This book published contemporary con contemporary tern tern- p rat to the of or the tho fundamentalists and modernists treats of or 12 characters chosen over o er a a. period of nearly 2500 00 treats years treats of or them as they re Te reflect tc fleet the tho spirit of progress of ot and intellectual e evolution tron tion rather than tradition and dogma dos 1 Lawrence r. r Abbott unaffected ed eS writer vv riter the thc author of Impressions of Theodore Roosevelt and anI tho the editor of ot Letters of ot Butt dutt chooses these 12 charac charae- characters characters as personifying best the tho spI- spI spi spiritual ritual and Intellectual evolution e l Erasmus St bt Francis Voltaire Y Jefferson on Beethoven en Darwin D. Pasteur Francois Millet John Marshall and Abbott has lIas a a. likening for Cor call call- calling ing some somo of or his Ills subjects with terms lorms t of or by his predecessors or contemporaries TIle The 1 he ho writes rites in naming St St. S t. t Francis may may seem acetic to somo Iome a shocking hocking perversion perv of terms Ii IIi Ili spirit a tint saint on his human side sine he ho loved lo the world its beau beau- beauty t ty its companionship of ot men nten and an l women Tho The great lesson Ie n he taught tall as I I. I think Jesus taught laughl I it was tees how men may live 11 to together to- to gc gether her in this world without envy y gr S 11 ed d or cruelty cruelty whatever whatever may bo the bothe the life lite of the world to come com l' l ls l's As s striking la Is Abbott's Abbotts treat Abbotts treat treat- treatment ment of or some tome ome of the twelve mod mod- modernists Voltaire In particular al although ai- ai though tl ugh John Morley and lallen lallen- t tyre re think as ho he docs does lie He defends lag views equally eQ 1 III as aa well as he shows why wh he senses St. St Francis Worl and tu oa as a. a t The Traveler lra veler Jefferson eHerson J as The Aristocrat and Emer Imer- Emerson Imerson Emerson son as Tho The Humorist strange strange as the appellations may mn seem The short biographies are arc the storehouses ol ot learn learn- learning ing in Hut But Abbott writes in n a simple simple kindly and gracious man loan manner her ner lief peacefully choosing his hL ma ma- material material material and infrequently alluding to to theologian who would throttle th a a. simple reasonable and lovable 10 Christianity by enveloping it in n 1 a mat mass s of man made philos- philos philosophies ol iles and theologies Erasmus Er is 18 said gald ald to have disliked the tho same of theologian There are passages that depict much of the character bt St 1 Francis Fran- Fran cis sald Let the brothers take tako carp care care not to appear long faced gloom gloomy j. j or pious over but hut let thi m be Joyous about their faith in God Go 1 laughing anI and nd agreeable companions With sparkling wit Vo v rites writes of lC Freron F- F Freron roil an ln antagonistic contemporary othor day Jay b a vallo a II 0 lake Poor J ct Freron s b a a. snake But nut weep not reader let your jour our grief grid sub Bub subside not Freron but tho the poor snake that died Of Voltaire's modernism mo Ab- Ab Abbott Abbott bott says sas Tho The good that may maybe maybe be said sa of oC him Is that at a n. time when ecclesiastical vice vi co and po- po political Justice prevailed pre he sin sin- sincerely cercI hated both and fought bigot and tyrant brant even at the risk of or his own life Abbotts Abbott's deliberate fairness s in writing is well v illustrated in a apa pa passage age on Jefferson After ACter re reviewing re- re reviewing viewing some of or the unfortunate trends rends of or Jeffersonian policies ho he 10 says s us u's I confess con Cess that I have been swayed by this nationalistic prejudice against t Jefferson al- al although although though hough I am now ready reay to admit that hat In the reaction against extreme ex- ex extreme individualism the tho pendulum pen of or American government o has swung too far on the national national- nationalIstic nationalistic side Twelve Great Modernists is a book to be bo read and re read Robert nobert A. A Wilkinson |
