The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-12-22
BY ESTHER GRIFFIN WHITE.

Inc HON. W iiildm dudley FOuIke,
publicist and litterateur, and one of
Indiana's most distinguished citizens,
has put out through the Cosmopolitan
Press of New York, a book of semitic
tional character under the alliterative
title Of Dorothy Day"
Although disclaiming, in the preface
the books photographic character,
Mr.. Foulke stating that it is a com
position rather than direct study
from nature, he admits that its Incl
dents are founded upon "recollections
of personal experiences, as we'll as
the knowledge of what others have
done and thought" ard that they
have been combined with each other
and with imaginary occurrences in
such a way as to constitute no true
story of the life of any particular per.
son, though il is hoped their main
features are essentially true Of Ger
tain class OF persons who lived jus,
before and during the Civil War
The story is made up Of three books
"Childhood, The New Era, and
The War"
Nothing more charming of its sor,
has been written, perhaps, than tina,
section Of the story under the head OF
'"Childhood.' The more SO indeed, be
cause it is the first accurate and real
istic picture of a Quaker household
as it existed not only before the wal
but since. A picture thrown into
higher relief by contrast with others
which have sought to reproduce life
among the Society of Friends bu
which have been out of drawing
whose perspectiyes have been dimmec
and whose color values have not bal
anced.
The outsider may write convincing
~ of many things save Quakerism
For unless he is on the right side c
the footlights he is entirely unable t<
give it the proper atmosphere.
This was amusingly illustrated re
Gently in this city in The Girl of NJ,
Dreams" when the principals talked
the strangest lingo, presumably 'tht
plain language. but really a sort 0
mongrel linguism which gave to tina
otherwise delightful "evening's en-
tertainment" certain grotesquere.
The author. Of Quaker parentage
and thus having what the Friends cal
IA "birthright membership" was abb,
to reproduce with great faithfulnes
the personnel, routine and spirit of
Quaker menage-photograph in de
tail.
This. of course, might have beer
done with success if but a camera-lik,
resultant had been attained,
But the latter is not a photograph
1t is Il painting, delicate but palpi
tating in color, with subdued nuance
whose richly-hucd tone silhouettes viz
idly the figures and objects in the com
position.
The principals in the caste. to var
the figure.-all of that high-bre
tyne known to the world as the es
sence of QuakeTism-live and NOV
and have their being most humanity
the action all revolving about tn
imaginative little boy. one fancies tn
writer Of the story himself, the pleas
, ures and restrictions of his life an
hose of the grownups with whom h
was surrounded.
1t is pleasant picture of 'ante-be
lum' days in New York, the settin
shifting to the country and the sea
shore. and. aside from its petulia
interest in it's life-like delineation Q
a Quaker environment. appeals in it
universal aspect--the child-mind draw
ing its conclusions from its particula
point of vantage.
The writer is the possessOr of an a
Turing narrative style which lends i
self admira bly, to this form of charat
ter drawing and storytelling and of
humour most exquisite. In the pa
lance of the vaudevillians there ar
innumerable laughs" in book one, nc
of the nature called forth, however
by the axe-hewn jokes hurled over tn
vaudeville footlights with bomb-lik
force. if not always with accuracy {
aim-but of that delightful and irr.
sistible sort which is a natural reSu1
of the action and progress of the pic
rather than in detached and unrelate
situations.
1t is the humour of Moliere,
if might so be put. in contradistinctio
to that of George Cohan. say.
Dorothy Day" herself is not Intro
duced until the writer goes to college
in book two, and while a charmin
figure. does not dominate the action
She is, indeed, bit illusory, flashin
in and out of the picture and is a
art-like creature. FOND of faatasti
if harmless tricks at the expense {
her infatuated admirer but later foun
TO be possessed of what is sometime
| denominated sterling qualities
| Compelling, vir!le and convincin