The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-10

sacrifice that our Redeemer Himself en- joined.
 Ut is sad commentary on our re- ligion of today that a presumably Christian journal, the Daily Chronicle
 London) sh ould hold this Christ-like conduct up to ridicule and contempt and stigmatize it as 'horrid absurdity' and declare that for such qualities man ought to be turned out of the service (Civfl service in India) '1 challenge the Daily Chronicle and all others who follow It's opinions to find one act which does not reflect Christ's own teaching committed by Gerald Etheridge. He forgives the sinner, raises the fallen, comforts the weak, He works and suffers to reclaim the Pagan and almost the lost soul of Anna Lombard"
 That is what Victoria Cross had to say to the book reviewer of the London Daily Chronicle" There is no report of what the Chronicle had to say in reply. That reviewer is no doubt like two young men, prominent in Birming ham, who when pressed for an answer on any given subject, or when con versation grows wearisome, interrupts such dissertation to enquire respect fully How'll you have your eggs?" and 'sWhat does can of tomatoes of that size cost. any way?"
 The story of Anna Lombard" deals with the love of Gerald Etheridge,' d civil service commissioner of the ln- dian government for the heroine-dis- closed by the title name Gerald meets Anna and instantly falls in love with her. Anna fell in love with Gerald too. But just at this time Gerald was ordered to an unhealthy station in ln- dia and being a wonderful (wooden headed) Englishman he declines to tell his love to Anna because if he mar
 ried her, she would have to go to that unhealthy part of India. Right there Gerald made all of the trouble in the book. for he goes off, never tells Anna he loves her, and leaves her to the fascination of other men. Great mis- take that--in India or Alabama. Now when Anna was left alone. with idle heart and hands she did the worst thing possible-she fell in love with and married a negro--we'd call Jim negro-he was an Indian.
 When Gerald returned to his post where Anna was, in a year or two, he discovered, in a dramatic manner, this secret marriage of Anna's. Now Ger aid could not help loving Anna, even then, and the strange, the difficult to understand, part of this book is that Anna loved both the negro to wh om she was secretly married and Gerald at
 
 ,, either one of them up. That was all very well for Anna, but the thought that comes to any fair minded reader is what "pie-faced mutt" was Ger ald. If does not seem to show much Christian feeling, forgiveness and so forth to love woman who tells that man that she loves a negro as well a she does him-but she can't give up either And she doesn't give up either lover until the negro dies-during which sickness the wooden -h eaded Ger aid nursed the negro to try to save his life. Now that nursing business of your enemy back to hoped-for life, may be and is Christian-lilSe but--do i you know any man who would do it | under those circumstance. Echo an l swers--way off. The strange thing is l Annals divided love for these two men. l The author makes it plain that Annas 1 loved the negro devotedly and she | loved, but in a different way. Gerald 1 just as well. Leaving out the different races of the two lovers. it is difficult | to understand this divided haert of any l woman. That woman may care for a number of men, of course, but isn't there always just the" one? This 1 review department doesn't know. but would like to. We'll. after the negro husband of Anna died Gerald married the widow after the poor woman had gone Into seclusion-for a great many reasons. The last part of the book this review will leave for any pros pective reader to find out--the review declines to go furth CT into details for obvious reasons. The book Is like all that Victoria Cross writes. quite in teresting, even if this review cannot afford to go into all of the details.