The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1912-08-18
Textbook SHELF
BY THE BrBLIoPHILE
THE UNKNOWN WOMAN"

THE UNKNOWN WOMAN"
/ BY Anne Warwick. The John Lane Com
| pany, New York.
Anne Warwick has taken the ever pres
emit theme of the eternal triangle to write
novel concerning under the title of THE
Unknown Woman"
| The scenes are laid in Italy and New
| York and the author has added many
| laurels to her crown by her clever de-
| lineation of character her wonderful In
| sight into human nature, and above all,
a broad comprehension and unwavering
human interest in people and events.
| In "The Unknown Woman" we find an
/ artist, Maurice Maury, who having lived
many years in Italy. returns to New
/ York where he caters to fashionable
clientele.
| His VILE Allessandro Maury, lis the
/; unknown Woman" and she is credited
! with being a creature of fire and force,
! being half Italian. She Is credited with
being a creature of fire and mystery;
beautiful, of course, and virtuous accord
ing to her own lights. She has diabol-
| ical temper and not angelic pride. As
young girl she had an experience which
in other days would have labelled her
| ruined" and so disposed Of her once
| for all but In these days it is different.
She not only marries Maury without tell
ing him of that early experience, but she
| does not even deign to be ashamed of 1t
| when he finds it out IT all happened
before she knew him-therefore it has
nothing to do with him. Her daughter
| has an ENHANCEMENT with her mothers
'betrayer' and the mother looks on the
marriage with perfect competency
| AS character builder Anne Warwick
is past grand master, and the wife,
| Allessandro Maury is one of the finest
and most capable of women, who at once
repels and attracts. The lining of her
chacter, with all Its broadness is splen-
didly done and makes excellent foil for
| the big grown up artist child of hus-
band
The action is quick and telling and there
| is color and atmosphere plenty, and
while the story is dramatic 1t is not too
much so to seem unreal, but poignant
enough to hold the interest Of the reader
until the denoument is cleverly brought
about.
SOCIALISM AND THE GREAT
STATE"
ESSAYS IN CONSTRUCTION" BY II.
G. Wells, Frances, Evelyn Warwick, L.
C. Chiozza Money, e. Ray Lancaster.
c. J. Bond, f.. s. p. Haynes, Cecil
Chesterton, Cicely Hamilton, Roger
Fry, G. r. s Taylor, Conrad Noel, He
bert Trench and Hugh P. Vowles. Har
per Brothers, New York.
the Great State"-the joint production of
H. q. Wells, the Countess of Warwick.
Sir Ray Lancaster and many other writ
ers and thinkers of note-is intended to
give "a fresh review of our general ideas
Of social reconstruction" 1t is not So
ciallst volume in the narrow sense, but ii
presents fairly complete picture of
constructive social ideals" Socialism Is
a creed susceptible of many differences
of opinion as to methods and programmes.
but underlying 1t are aspirations and
belief In the future in which all socialists
and immense numbers of people who
would be shocked by being called social
lists agree. The time now seems ripe for
restating these aspirations and this be-
lief Fl. G. Wells, whose remarkable
powers of generalization and gift of i'm
aeinative thinking fit him for the task.
outlines the problem. He points out the
constant conflict between what he calls
the Normal Social Iife-the simple life
based upon agricuture-and the surplus
energies of mankind. lie shows that
never before have these surplus energies
grown to such proportions. We must
have, ultimately, either a revolutionary |
movement of some sort with a return in !
part at least to the Normal Social Life. !
which does not permanently satisfy. or
we must guide the surplus energies, work. |
ing toward the conception of the Great |
State. At the same time he greatly sim
plifes conflicting views by showing In a |
broad way the lines on which mems opin- |
ions divide on the question of the social |
order.
Following Mr.. Wells Lady Warwick /
writes Of the Great state and the Coun- |
tryside," pieturing sthe life of the agri-
culturists, when by improved methods
they shall be able to extract the utmost |
from the soil while improved transit IA |
cilities give them all the advantages of
town life. In his essay upon Work
In the Great State l.. G. Chiozza Money |
points out the tremendous waste of hui
man labor that comes through COMPETE |
ton and mddlemon, suggesting a kind of
industrial conscription-a plan which, II |
will be remembered, found favor with the
late William James. G. J. Bond writes |
of Health and Healing, and shows in a
convincing way how national health
service would work Sir Ray Lancaster |
in 'rhe Making of New knowledge out
lines scheme by which the ablest men
who have the necessary talent shall pre-
fer original research to other professions |
Other articles are Law and the Great |
State" by f.. g. p. Haynes: Democracy /
and the Great State by Cecil Chester
ton; women in the Great State by
Miss Cicelv Hamilton; art and Litera-
ture in the Future" by Roger Fry; The
Development of the Great State" by G.
r. Stirling: "The Great State and Chris
tianity" by the Rev. Conrad Noel; Ira
dition and the Great State" by Hugh p.
Nowles: "Y outh and the Great State by |
Herbert Trench. Each of these authors I
have written without dogmatisn, frankly |
recognizing difficulties and presenting no
JItopian view, hut a sane, hopeful look |
into the future. The book Is remarkable |
for It's scope and thoroughness. Its vivid
restatement of many problems as parts of
one big problem is Illuminating; its sug-
gestions make the Great State seem a
practical possibility and create faith in its
ultimate arrival.
GEORGE WENDERN GAVE A
PARTY"
BY John Inglis Charles Scribners Sons, |
New York.
George Wendem Gave Party is a
story supposed to be written by a we'll
known novelist who just for curiosity and
to crafty whm of his own has taken
the pseudonym of John Inglis merely |
to find out II his book will go on its
merits and not on account of the authors
own name.
Certainly the story is very unique as