VIEWS OF AN AMERICAN.
The book in question has been written by Mr. Ivy Lee, of New York. It is entitled A World Enigma, and it deals with the great problem of Soviet Russia. It consists of a record of impressions formed by Mr. Ivy Lee— a well-known American citizen—during a fortnight's stay in Moscow. The book is copyrighted and is for private circulation only, but it is worthy of an extensive circulation. Its merit, in my judgment, consists in the fact that, with little. in the way of personal comment Until the very end of the book, the writer simply records his impressions of conditions in Russia. While, of course, Mr. Lee's account is bound to be sketchy owing to the brevity of his visit, his impressions are most vivid ; and for my own part, I feel that I have a clearer view of conditions in Russia since I have read the book than I had before. It is admirably written and the interest of the reader is held from start to finish. Here, for example, are a few opening sentences from the introduction designed to impress upon the reader the great extent of Russia and the vast population. Mr. Ivy Lee .says :- " When I visited Mr. Rykov, Prime Minister of Russia, in the Kremlin at Moscow and told him that my stay there was for ten days only, he smiled and said : So you are assuming to get an idea of. Russia in ten days. I, as head of the Russian Government, have spent all my life here. I am in daily contact with the men who. are supposed to know all about Russia, yet only last week we lied reported to us for the first time the existence of a new tribe of Russian people of whom none of us had ever before heard.' "
Previous page
