BOOK REVIEWS AND NOTICES The People's General: The Personal Story of Lafayette. By David Loth. (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1951. 346 pages, biblio., index, frontis. $3.50.) If, after reading the very fine book on Lafayette by Mr. Loth, you still feel he was more than human, go right ahead—we won't stop you. It is the best biography we have seen and instead of a review it is easier to write a resume for the benefit of possible readers in the Society. Here it is. Lafayette was born fab.ulously rich, blessed with good health. The less said about his youth the better, and his marriage was a "mercantile arrangement." He was not impressed with his King, Louis XVI, nor his Queen, Marie Antoinette, and like all Frenchmen he had no use for England. He had only a vague idea of America but when he read about a thing called "Independence" and a bunch of farmers chasing a lot of English regulars he was tickled. Of course Lafayette wondered what all the shooting was for, but he soon grasped the idea and it didn't take long for him to declare to family and friends, "I am going to America, come what may." Now, that was something for a lad to say, whose father was dead and who scarcely knew his mother, for, notwithstanding his King was supposed to be father to all orphaned noblemen, Mr. Loth says that old Louis was "almost as bad a father as he was a King." This didn't augur well for a boy who always needed someone to lean on, but adventure was in his blood and upon the death of his mother, who left him a couple of million dollars income annually, tax exempt, he lost no time in purchasing a ship to carry him to America. He landed at Georgetown Bay, S.C., on June 13, 1777. From there, after nine hundred miles of overland travel during a month of hardships, he reached Philadelphia only to find that he was not wanted. Nothing daunted, however, Lafayette sat down and wrote to John Hancock, President of Congress: "After the sacrifices I have made, I have the right to demand two favors: one to serve at my own expense: the other is to begin my service as*a volunteer." There was no getting away from that, so on July 3 ist Congress "Resolved that his service be accepted and that in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family and connexions, he have the rank and commission of Major General in the Army of the United States." That settled it—and, as Washington was passing through Philadelphia, he invited the Marquis to join him and his staff at dinner; it was a good dinner, plenty of everything, nothing left out, and Washington treated him as one of the family. Think of this, will you? Lafayette, a boy of nineteen, made a Major General without ever having seen a battle or conducting a maneuver; yet he handled himself well, stated to Washington 322