Calhoun School - Ink Pot Yearbook (New York, NY)

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in k p o t beloved friend By Bowen and Von Meck O NE of the more recent works of literature is BELOVED FRIEND, by Catherine Drinker Bowen and Barbara Von Meck, an excellent collection of the letters of Peter Tchaikowsky. the famous com- poser, to his beloved friend. Nadeida Von Meck, and her replies. From this prolific correspon- dence. which continued for more than a decade, has been woven the story of a most fantastic romance. which leaves the reader breathless with its strange beauty. The letters are entirely authentic, many having been contributed by one of the authoresses, Bar- bara Von Mack, who, incidentally, is the grand-daughter-in-law of the heroine. Rubenstein, the great pianist-composer, first introduced the works ot Tchaikowsky to the widow Von Meck. She immediately fell in love with his music. and soon proceeded to write to him and tell him ot her admiration tor his compositions. Tchaikowsky replied, and from that day on continued a most fascinating correspondence between the two. Despite the brief marriage of Tchaikowsky and the fact that Nadeida Von Meclc had grandchildren. nevertheless the two felt deeply for each other, and laid bare their hearts in the most poignant of le++ers. Madame Von Meck, being an extremely wealthy woman, provided Tchaikowsky with every possible luxury. But perhaps the most miraculous part of this romance is the fact that Tchaikowsky and Madame Von Meck never visited each other, although they lived close by-never were introduced-saw each other occasionally at the opera, only at a distance, however-never attempted to see each other, and never did meet each other during their entire lives. Barbara Von Meck and Catherine Bowen have contributed a most worthy book to the world of literature. It is surely destined to become a universal favorite. JEAN ADRIAN GREENBERG, '39, fighting angel By Pearl S. Buck F IGHTING ANGEL is the biography of the author's father. Andrew came of what was called the preachin'est family in Virginia. His story begins on a farm and tells of his struggles to receive a good education. He wandered about China for more than half a century. He went there young, and there he died, an old man. Part of his lite work was the translation of the New Testament into the Chinese language. He was a devoted tighter for the souls of the heathen. He was so sure of his rightness and so impatient because there was so little time to save the millions of souls, that he went through all the hazards of banditry, of famine, of epidemics, of the Boxer Rebellion, and of revolu- tion, but still on he moved the same. serene. odd, devout Andrew, so sure of himself and his cause. His is a portrait of one single soul fighting for other's souls which have been lost. and thus he is pre- sented as the FIGHTING ANGEL. FANNIE MILLER. '39, from these beginnings By Will Levington Comfort FROM THESE BEGINNINGS is an amusing, realistic picture of an American family in moderate cir- cumstances. It is written from a humorous point of view, but with a sympathetic treatment of a young girl's emotional lite. Wilton Crosby, the well-beloved father, had been writing a book for many years. Judith, like so many mothers ot today, is the inevitable go-between, trying to inspire the confidence of her daughter. Paula, without losing that of her mother-in-law, Mrs. Crosby. She must be an understanding link be- tween old and young, as well as mother to three children. This bool: introduces lightly a situation that exists, to a certain extent. in every American home. Its charm lies in the vivid personalities of the characters. The author is the brilliant and talented daughter of the well-known writer, Will Levington Com ort. PHYLLIS AARONSON, '39, fifty-three

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in k p 0 t of lena geyer By Marcia DavenporT W HEN David asked Lena for permission To wriTe her auTobiography, she refused, giving a very iusTiTiable answer. There has never been a book wriTTen abouT an opera singer ThaT was True. You would make me appear like a Hollywood sTar and I don'T wanT ThaT. David. BuT Tinally, aTTer many monThs oT TacTful approaches To The subiecT, David goT her To give in, and Thus, OF LENA GEYER. WiTh This in mind, you are prepared Tor a book ThaT hides none of The coarseness of The poor Bohemian peasani' who rose To such fame wiTh her Thrilling voice. Lena lived in a small world, encircled by her very few friends who, one and all, lived in The glory oT her sparkling, energeTic person. She was noT beauTifuI, buT, as one of her dearesT friends said, She is The only woman I know who, Though noT beauTiTul, has a glowing radiance abouT her, ThaT fills The room, opera sTage or concerT-hall, ThaT she happens To be in, wiTh an alive and fiery beauTy. OT course, her voice was parT of her charm, for There was someThing elecTrifying and viTal in iT ThaT en- rapfured people wheTher she was giving a command performance for kings, or singing To The Town oT Sioux CiTy, on one of her Tours. Coming Trom Prague To America To be near her dear maesTro, she began her career in dire poverfy, buT happy neverTheless, To give her whole self To her arT. Going back To Europe To gain recogniTion, she ToughT againsT her personal desires and always puT her music before even The whole world. Much doubT has arisen as To wheTher Lena is a ficTiTious characTer Tor she is so naTural, so TruThTul, wiTh her liTTle faulfs ThaT she is really noT a book heroine. Marcia DavenporT is in a fiT posiTion To wriTe a book abouT such a greaT arTisT, Tor her moTher is a greaT singer and her faTher a noTed violinisT and she has been raised wiTh a deep undersTanding of music. Through her pen we see a magnificenT woman, Lena Geyer, and aT Times, almosT her Tasci- naTing voice. Ll LLIAN FICHTEN HOLTZ, '39, north to the orient By Anne Morrow Lindbergh T HIS is noT a book such as one Conrad or Hugo mighT have wriTTen, buT iT is wriTTen in a sTyIe so human, so beauTiful in iTs simpIiciTy, ThaT iT aImosT equals The works of The greaT auThors. The descripTions of Their many sTops, when Mrs. Lindbergh and her famous husband flew To The OrienT via a norThward rouTe, long remain in one's memory, so vividly are They painTed. In Norfh Canada, visiTing a IiTTIe seTTIemenT comprised solely of men who had noT been in a populaTed, civilized communiTy Tor many years, in China, volunfeering Their services To The sTricken Chinese, and Then on To Russia and Japan, The Lindberghs conTinued Their Thrilling iourney. ATTer finishing This greaT book, one feels as if one had been NORTH TO THE ORIENT wiTh Lindberghs. JOAN AMBERG, '38. the nine old men By Drew Pearson and RoberT S. Allen T HE NINE OLD MEN is one oT The TinesT books ever wriTTen abouT The Supreme CourT. ITS auThors. Drew Pearson and RoberT S. Allen, are leading experTs and wriTers on foreign aiifairs in The UniTed STaTes. They have exfensive conTacTs which make Them auThenTic sources of public inTormaTion in WashingTon. The book describes each of The nine iudges on The bench, Their personal and social lives, and The backgrounds ThaT have helped shape Their opinions. IT Tells how The courT during The one hundred- and-TorTy-seven years of iTs exisfence, has risen from an insigniTTcanT body, which meT in any dingy room ThaT iT could obTain, To The powerful posiTion which iT now occupies in The governmenT, siTTing in a whiTe marble palace, in WashingTon. JusT who are The nine old men who siT in The Supreme CourT? How do They live and work? WhaT have been The eTTecTs oT Their recenT decisions, veToing acTs of The PresidenT and Congress? The book answers all These quesTions. IT exposes The Supreme CourT in an inTeresTing and lively manner. IT is a daring and revealing picTure of The Supreme CourT, iTs personaliTies and iTs TuncTions. IT should be read by everyone for a beTTer undersTanding of The mosT powerful courT in The world. CONSTANCE MEI ROWITZ, '39. fiTTy-Two

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in k p o t the broken song By Sonia DougherTy THE BROKEN SONG is a very unusual sTory laid in Russia during The Time oT The Revolufion. The Oblanofis are a very inTeresTing Tamily, and Their advenTures and The diTTerenT people They meeT .while moving Trom place To place To escape The RevoIuTion make a very enTerTaining book. There is an exciTing climax and Tinal happiness Tor all. Miss DougherTy's THE BROKEN SONG holds The reader's inTeresT Trom beginning To end. NATALIE SILVER. '42. vein of iron By Ellen Glasgow VEIN OF IRON is The sTory oT The FincasTles Tor Three generaTions-grandmoTher, John and Mary Evelyn, and Their daughTer Ada, who brings us up To modern Times. Ada has The same spiriT oT courage in meeTing The harshness of The TwenTieTh cenTury ThaT her greaT-greaT-grandmoTher had when facing capTiviTy aT The hands oT The Indians. All Through The book runs The VEIN OF IRON, forTiTude, sTrengTh, a will To live ThaT holds generaTions TogeTher. LEE EITINGON, '38. lost horizon By James l-'lilTon L OST I-IORIZON is The Thrilling and amazing sTory of Three men and a woman missionary abducTed by plane Trom India To a TibeTan lamasary. The principle oT The Lamas is moderaTion in all Things, and Through mocIeraTion They achieve an incredibly long life, The head lama being cenTuries old. To me iT is noT The sTory buT The philosophy and The inTiniTe wisdom ThaT make The book so precious. LEE EITINGON, '38, to the mountain By Bradford SmiTh WITHIN This Tender sTory is The drama oT modern Japan-The sTruggle beTween The old and The new, beTween ancienT, OrienTal TradiTion and wesTern innovaTion, beTween The lovely grace of a kniqhTIy culTure and The spiriT oT war and conquesT, beTween ChrisTianiTy and ShinTaism. IT is a novel of beauTy and signihcanceg iT broadens undersTanding. AT The cenTer oT The sTory is The ill-sTarred love of Two charming persons-Shigeo, a quieT, sensiTive sTudenT, son of a rich and rakish merchanT, and genTle Kimi, rescued Trom a house in The Yoshiwara To which her poverTy-sTricken parenTs sold her aT TiTTeen. LiTe seems To Torbid Them happiness eiTher TogeTher or aparT. IT TogeTher They dishonor The old TradiTion, Tor They are Tor- bidden To marry, yeT They love each oTher Too well To parT. They Tind Their own TranscendenT soluTion. To The delighT of The narraTive and The greaT range of living characTers, are added in every page, impressions of Tokyo Today, so vivid They have all The illusion oT realiTy, so unusual ThaT They have The TascinaTion of a newly-discovered counTry: such varied scenes as: Kimi's Tamily, six oT Them, living in a Tiny room, sleeping under rags, wiTh only a Ii++le rice Trom The governmenT-dole, noT suTTicienT To provide one meal a clay: The Tamily life of The rich oil merchanT-a business man's banqueT, a sTag parTy wiTh geishas To enTerTain-a baThing beach as crowded as Chicago's: The unTorTunaTe women in The Yoshiwara, described wiTh resTrainT and digniTyg The deparTure and reTurn of soldiers from The Manchurian war-insTances oT heroism-The war propaganda: The crowded uni- versiTy-sTudenTs sTriking and bossing Their Teachers-communisT sTudenTs TorTured inTo confession- sTudenTs picnicking and ashamed oT Their TrighT aT a liTTle earThquake: young people so paTienT. quieT, and conTrolled we almosT believe The Japanese can never be so violenT-and Then an oTIicer pushes a lighTed cigareTTe in a suspecT's nose. Bradford SmiTh's pen is uniquely TiTTed To TranslaTe To us in TicTion The psychology oT The Japanese -a Task requiring knowledge, sympaThy, peneTraTion. Even more remarkable Than his insighT is The depTh oT Teeling wiTh which he Touches and moves The reader in The Tragic problem oT Kimi and Shigeo. Rl-IODA MINTZ, '37. TiTTy-Tour