The San Francisco call., 1908-04-12
"ON Wives for New,

Ul0 wives lM HeH
By David Graham Phillips. suthor Of The
Second Generation. Light Fingered Gen
try" etc. Published BY y. Appleton Co..
New. York Price Sl5o.
PIainness OF speaking carried To-
and sometimes beyond--the limits OF
deoency is coupled with a raw edged
realism in Mr.. Phillips new novel
There is no denying the vigor and
strength Of IL. The story moves for
ward with sincerity and intensity and
its sweep is bold and sure II it have
q purpose il is 10 warn women-mar-
ried women inclined 70 be fat-agsinst
the deadly matrimonial sins OF physical
and mental Incidence; or, perhaps. i IS
to reveal the sordidness OF the marriage
relation when love is grown stale and
cold: or. perhaps. TO strip away what
the author regards as the shams OF con-
vention shat cover the Unhappinesses oil
marriage made too early, too hastily
or on too small a common basis OF taste
and temperament.
The story opens with an idyllic chap
ter that tells the simple. natural. alto
gether romantic love tale OF a city boy
and q country girl. They are next seen
in their maturity. the man vigorous.
keen, alert, young for his years; the
woman fat, lazy. whining. slovenly, i'll
from under exercise and over feeding.
They have grown q world apart, or,
rather, the man has grown and the
woman has not There is inevitably
another woman, and when she comes
the tangie begins.
Apropos OF marriage. Mr.. Phillips
writes.
Taking society IN its entirety, deer
and strong attraction. resulting ir
unity OF mind and heart, plays but ar
Insignificant part IN marriage Instead
we find a vast variety Of modi viveno
for the sake Of appearances or of the
children or OF some other externa
force or bogey forbidding divorce. Ever
marriages that pass for happy are Otter
some Of these makeshift varieties. Be
cause q conventional couple. blunt o.
nerves and unanalytic. and undisturbeC
BY serious temptation TO wander, re
gard themselves, and are regarded, 81
sucoessfuiiy married, it by no means
follows that they are. Disease Is no
aaways accompanied by pain; some o
the very worst diseases-those o
steady, relentless decay. for instance
are painless. The disease IN the mar
ried life OF Murdock and Sophy has
passed from the acute stage to tn
chronic. And they and their children
. thought Il cured"
Mr. Phillips whole view on divorc'
can be summed UP in this wall from
Mre. Murdock: we were both OF "a
brought up IN the old fashioned Ameri
can way. We were taught that love i
the basis OF marriage and that whei
love goes II is a degradation for tw'
people TO live together"
The plot OF the story is a sordid on
Of middle aged infelicity. with tn
rnoraI-AIr. Phillips always breaches
rnoral-that q woman must keep he
looks and her figure or risk losing he
husband To add force 70 his argumen
the author goes into ioathsome detail
and unveils the mysteries-the horrors
. one might say-of an elderly slattern i
sShe was dressed" he goes on relent
Iessly. as was her early morning Gus
tom. in a mussy fussy negligee over
torn silk petticoat and an old corse
cover. Her long, Indian straight hal
had been carelessly rolled with kno
on the top OF her head. In her child
hood she was taught those small econo
mics that are temptation 10 degen
crate into the slattern-was taught I
be careful OF sunday Clothes to b
ever mindful that frequent washing
harder on garments than use, TO wea
ont the old clothes around the nous
when nobody would see-nooooy De
ing those whose good opinion is 9
should be worth more 10 one than ina
OF all the world DesloS.
when this same miserable creatur
consults q doctor for the neuralgia an
dyspepsia she gets lecture that clear
" embodies the authors views;
You'll have to change your VINO
course OF life. You and your hUspah
have reached the perilous period
married life among the well TO q
Things aren't as they used to be--ti
.. husband and wife working togethe
growing old together. sinking togeths
into the stupor OF old age when the
ought still to be young. Now, one
the other is sure 10 keep alive. and II
one Inat dies must inevitably
sioughed of. When ii is II
woman that stays alive the TRACED
usually ends--or takes on another,
more acute phase--in the divorS
court. When it's the man we don
d know about the tragedy so often-me
are more mercifUl 70 women tina
yemen 70 men But I'll te
Won what 20 DO. Rouse yourself. Tai
an interest IN things--in helping thos
about you. Make your house your ow
instead Of a mere hotel, with yoI
house keeper as manager. See thu
your husband is fed and clothed an
made comfortable to the smallest az
fafl. See TO il that there's a reaso
besides pious napdoodle-a real res
son why your husband should prefer I
keep on with you" And {
on for several pages-ail, 1t must
conceded--good sound sense.
IN contrast TO this picture the heroir
IS presented as a very superior pei
son indeed. but hardly type. for ST