Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-29
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49, g. MzssA
WRITERS:
JOSEPH VANCE. BY william De Nor
gan. New York: Henry Holt & Co.

| 1t is with the art which Marc Antony
| uses when. at the beginning of one of the
| most skilful orations that ever made his
| tory. he says. 81 am no orator as Brutus
| is, that MIR. De Morgan calls his novel
] An Iu-Written Autobiography Joseph
| Vance" is. on the contrary a skilful piece
OF work.
Whether Mr.. De Morgan consciously
! modelled his book upon sort of composite
| eighteenth century novel or not, 1t is GER
| tain that he must have been influenced by
| the spirit of that fresher and more leisurey
age. In the quaint chapter headings in
| the pleasant disturbances which seems
/ like dilatoriness but is really effective in
| presenting his people from many avenues of
| approach, in the vigor of his low-life scenes
Joseph Vance" recalls Tom Jones'" In
| the quick alienation of humor and pathos
| and In the dizziness of the wit, there is
more than trace of Lawrence Sterne. The
| opening sentences are characteristic of the
| whole
| MY father and mother never could come
to clear understanding about what had
disagreed with my father the day he lost
| his situation at Fotherg1ll's.
| "My father thought it was the sausage
and mashed potatoes he had for lunch at
l
much mustard and pepper as you liked
MY mother thought 1t was the beer"
| Due acknowledgment having been given
| to Its efghteenth-century characteristics
| 1t must be stated that the theme: the de-
velopment-the unfolding under fortunate
| inhuences-of a nature inherently In tune
| with what is fine. from cockney lower
| class life into chivalrous gentle hood. is
make stipulation. For in the gentle op-
| timsn the many genial and kindly people
| with whom the book abounds. there is little
trace of the bitter analysis Of motives
| with which the latter-day reader is familiar.
| What tragedy of frustrated hopes there is
| In 1t becomes, in the atmosphere of Joseph
Vance's Victorian world. tender pathos.
| Joseph Vance" himself is fine and
| convincing charac ter study. The father,
| Christopher Vance, with his British hard
! headedness and his British shrewdness, his
warm heart and his perverse and whimsical
| humor, his long struggle with his habits"
| over which he so often triumphs only to
| be vanquished at last but without losing
! strangely enough-either his sons love or
/ our own esteem. is possibly more dis
tinct creation. Doctor Thorpe and Aunt
Izzy, Jane and JEANNE. General Desprez
and ''Lossie" and Josephs mother, with
| her direct aim and her inconsequential
| speech-each one Is admirable. and each
one is to be added to our company Of book
| friends.
The book is rich in humorous conceits
| The episode of the secondhand sign which
| VI
the house Of Vance is inimitable. 1t Is
also keeny satirical of one important ele-
ment In our all-conquering labor unions.
The downtrodden professional man will
1 take an unkindly delight when Christopher
Vance delivers himself follows:
when mans a carpenter he mostly
knows little about Carpenterin'. When
| he's liner. similar. When Bricklayer
the same Odds good Of any tradesman. But
when he's Builder he knows nothing, and
no need to neither"
| DlsENCHANTED. By Pierre Lott. Trans
lated by Clara Bell New York: The
Macmillan Company. -a'
A riot of eastern luxuriance of beauty
poisoned forever by a spirit of moral and
spiritual revolt, M. Pierre Lott has chosen
a strong theme for his romance, Olsen
chanted." How far he is justified in claim
ing for Turkish women Of the higher class
advanced culture at war with the oriental
standards Of the relations between men
and women the western readers have small
prospect Of finding out. There Is probably
in Turkey much discomfort among the for
mer Roses and Pearls OF the harem as
a direct result OF the diffusion OF western
literature. M. Lott would probably not
advance the claim-as has been done for
him-that he has attempted. sincerely and
enthusiastically. the emancipation Of the
women OF the Turkish harem." But he
probably does realize that he has found
that pearl Of great price for the artist,
novel setting and plot for a romance.
1t must be stated that the French writer
has developed his theme with greater moral
seriousness and with less DETECTION into
the purely sensuous possibilities OF his SUBJ
5ect than has usually marked his work
His story is Of the hopeless tragedy In the
fate Of Djenan and her two girl friends,
educated in the arts and science Of modern
life-and into the inheritance OF its pess-
mism-only to stifie in the vacuum of the
harem. And the champion who was raised
up for them-or whom they evolved for
themselves-was such a hopelessly Gallo
artistic champion! M. Lott has made the
world too-sympathetic spectators of the
sufrerings of these dainty and spiritual be-
ings. His readers shudderinsly revolt with
Djenan from the indignity of a Turkish
marriage. That 1t is with an amiable and
handsome youth only heightens the pathos;
1t is the cynical system of compulsion and
subservience of womanhood that is to
blame. Hamdi Bey is much a victim as
Is his rebellious wife.
Although "Disenchanted" is darkened by
tragedy. it is none the less beautiful with
color and melody. Even through the trans
lation much of the original cadence can be
heard. Miss Bell has succeeded well with
a difficult task. The rapid succession of
eastern scenes, gorgeous interiors narrow
teeming streets, the drifting caiques on the
Sweet Waters, old rose gardens where
stained marbles are drifted deep with fallen
petals, the spectacular march of the sea-
sons-all these dazzle and enchant Yet
the scene that remains longest is of
Djenan's bed room. with it's austere mod
ern refinement of white and enamel and
the Turkish texts gorgeously embroidered
in gold thread upon the walls There the
drama of "Disenchanted" begins and there
it ends.
LIFE AND LETTERS OF ROBERT Ed
WARD LEE. BY Rev. ]. William
Jones. DID With portraits of Gen. Lee
New York and Washington: The Neale |
Publishing Company.
The value in this new life Of Gen. Lee
lies in the wealth Of letters and personal
anecdotes. Dr. Jones. who enjoyed the !
great confederates confidence as chaplain |
at first in the war and later at Wash +!
ington College-has had peculiar oppor- |
tunities for knowledge of that many sided |
personality which is increasingly the won->I
der of both north and south. To these |
opportunities the author has brought a |
sincere admiration Of his subject and an |
appreciation Of Lees personality. particu- |
larry in It's domestic and religious phases
In the great diversity of national types |
brought to the front in the progressive |
stages Of our history that of Lee Is pre- |
eminent in its perfect balance and poise |