The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-07-11

preaching a sermon On divorce While
the characters are strongly ard artistic
ally drawn trey seem 10 Lack so-T7st hAfig
Of rae magnetic force ard vlgor which
distinguish most Ct Mr. Crawford's Gre
atoms Col W!inpO-s IS a gentleman Of
the old school On tire shady side 81 5e'
-ho hest Years OF whose life lays been
rss<ed IN a devoted but hopeless love for
Helen Harmon. whose er-tng and insane
husband Henry Harmon, IS confined IN
Bioomlngdaie asylum n far away Ne"
York Il IS q passion which antsoAted
her marriage, and NJ which she learned
accidentally when il was too late. she
IS q uliddle-aged woman when they meet
ia Iucerue, With a mentally UndeTeloped
son Of g whose condition is due 20 the
blcvs ais brutal father used 20 bestoH
apou his head This husband and father
hy his brutality and snadelity had FOR
feited every claim 70 love ana respect De-
fore insanity claimed Mn. Eut IN Helen
Harmon the author has painted woman
% tine an6 high character. whose prIn-
c3plss--anG horror Of dlyorce-tne allure
.u.nts Of love are powerless 10 overcome.
This very slight plot Is used as frame
work Tor long nongiies anc discussions
of the divorce question which Mr.. CraE-
ford handles with great strength and
farCe ana purity OF tnought-lt must -
confessed from the standpoint OF a gener-
self-repressfon carried almost 70 the verge
Of ascetcfsm. ard. being essentially ana
lz-t!cal the story lacks much OF the
charm OF sentiment. The beauty Of de-
rerlption the delicate fancy and glow OK
passion when has made Mr.. Crawfords
earlier works 30 widely popular. bur u
contains much ire writing and some
aphorisrns that viii % deeply appTe-
csated by thoughtful people. as. for In
stance when he says. There seems 10
be a good deal to be sad in favor OF
marriage and. therefore. against divorce,
and Il - not surprising that woman.
whose life IS IN reality far more affected
by both questions tnan mans lie Is,
should have also the more profound con-
ylcfious about then.
woman brings ia into the world, NO
man is our first teacher woman makes
the world what It Il from century to CEN
tary. Ne can 10 more escape from wo-
man and yet continue 10 live our Hives
as they should he lived, than we can
hide ourselves from nature. We are in
her care or her power more than half
our years and often during all, from hrst
lo last. We are born Of her. we grow OF
her as truly as trees and flowers come
from mother earth and draw their life
from the soil - which they are planted.
The, man who denies his mother is a bad
man. and the man who has not loved wo-
man - man in darkness"
And again:
For youth is the elixir OF NE and
the touch Of old age Is q blight On
youth when youth Is longing 10 be lid.
Eut youth that is willingly young mas
power to give the old a breath Of itself
again before the very end In their
children men live again, ana in their
chiIdren's children they remember tie
loneliness Ct childhood
erEgr, fTr
thoughtful reficciion-for while the story
itself is pleasantly entertaining-as any
tling that Marion Crawford writes must
bets true thought and fascination lies
In it's subtle analytical thought. in The
beauty and nobility Of It's reason. 1t is
"a book whose homer and purity must APP
peal TO all readers who have wearied Of
the modern srotic novel with its fervif
passion aud suggestion Of the seventh
! commandment as its motive.