Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1905-10-28
ROBERT HIcHENs' THE GARDEN
OF ALLAH"
READ BY EVERYBODY AND RE-
GENTLY pRAMATlzED.s

This is what the critics will call a
strong" novel, and in many ways, 1t
is so. II is unusual, anyway, In its
description, characterization and de-
movement
The style though perhaps rather
forid, is, on the whole, good and brings
before the reader with vividness pic
lures of the great. burning desert. and
the life of the people that inhabit 1t.
One almost feels the heat Of the pitiless
MONDAY sun, and experiences some OF
the annoyances of the caravan as II
travels through the sand-storm.
Mr. Kitchens knows the desert region
well having lived for some time in
Algeria. and he evidently possesses the
right temperament and artistic In
stincts 10 receive and impart the
psychic impressions which he develops
in his novel.
All this deserves praise and will have
II in a large reading. But the strength
OF the story itself; the power that in
heres in II to submerge the critical spir-
Il of the reader and swell emotion,
hinges upon a mere belief in a parti-
cular creed.
Take the story as story land not
as an abstract study in psychology,
and the reader who does not think
that breaking monastic VOWS is a sin;
who thinks that the bonds OF marriage
and fatherhood are more sacred than
any youthful promises to celibacy could
be, will regard the whole turning of the
tale as not only puerle but farcical.
Domini will be held in the light Of a
religious fanatic and her husband
weak-minded man, for the situation is
this: Domini. an Indifferent Catholic
girl, goes to Africa to get away from
the fiippant life Of London society
she travels for real sensations. When
she reaches the desert II so impresses
her that 1t seems to call" (like the
voice that calls the theologue to his
field, and she answers It by turning
to a more serious life, practically en-
tering the Catholic church again.
In her rambles she meets a mys-
FERROUS man-Androvsky- Is also
seeking something from the sands, and
when they meet, as Is often the case
with such temperaments. they love.
Then they quickly marry, and with a
retinue Of servants (for Domini has
money!, they pass on into the desert to
TimbouCtu-to love in silence and joy
In the desert their souls had been
fused together"
Most novelists either from propriety
or cowardliness. drop the veil over the
very last act. and do not satisfy the
readers curiosity with details of the
honeymoon. When two marry they &C
away from their friends-and, in books
from their readers. But Mr.. Hichens
stays with his lovers. He devotes a
chapter to their first night in the de-
sert and leaves no "pulsing, thrilling
sensation" untouched.
"Androvsky took his arms slowly
from Domini and turned to let down
the flap Of the tent. While he was
doing this she stood quite still. In a
brief moment while Androvsky was
fastening the tent she seemed to live
through centuries of intense and com.
plicated emotion-the wind stirred in
her hair, she felt reckless. hayward
sayage-and something more. A cry
rose in her that was like the cry of a
stranger" This continues for a long
time until the end of the journey Is
reached when something discloses to
Domini the fact that Androvsky was
once 'Trappist monk. He had 'brok.
en-" his VOWS and run away to seek
larger knowledge Of life. When Do
mini demands an explanation always
the first solution of continuity In the
marriage relation), Androvsky gives
1t, with humility and contrition quite
unnecessary. At least, so It will seem
to the non-Catholic reader.
As monk Androysky has lived a
pure life and at last quite legitimately
committed the great crime of marry
ing a virtuous woman. To the nor
mally constituted reader nothing could
have been better done. For a monk
TO leave his prison, drop his narrow
life and beliefs, go out into larger
life, meet a good woman who was
waiting for him, and then marry her
according to all the conventions OF
civilized society. This Androvisky did
But when Androvisky tells his story
his wife is shocked, and an attempt
Is made to have the reader feel the
enormity OF the offense. Here lies
the weakness of the book, for such
an attempt fails. No intelligent reader
can enter into the spirit of so deep q
ianaticism. And, as a mere protective
study, the story has no deep signia.
canoe.
"All the selfshness vanished from
her and was replaced by a burning
sense OF her own personality, of what
was due to 1t, OF what had been done
IN 1t. of what 1t now was. She saw II