New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-04-12
A LIFE MADE OVER
From the Russian Pale to Bar
nard College.

THE PROMISED LAND. BY MatS AnI,s.
With illustrations from Pn ~ Niftlin
Svo, PIP. XIV, S75. the houe'''
Company
From time to time an Immigrant
or,ses and tells the story Of his progress
IN the New World. Whatever the views
10 the native American of the present
influx of aliens from the ola couii''''
these successful Americans by auoptio"
have no doubt as TO the outcome H''
70 still they assure u.s. the land Oh OPP
,ort,ritv the land of the future even
Gov thu overwhelming majority OF those
,,,o FAT, IN rise beyond the mass OF the
toilers. There is always a gam 10 'heiii'
even though in the material sense 1t
+ous 70 roach the height of their antlcl-
nations; and there is always gam 10
the country in the new generation even
.boupb II be at the cost Of the lmml-
oranY elders themselves. We may DOUBT
Of times of the continued efficiency of
orr vast machinery of Americanlzation.
The testimony from the other side is al
| TO the contrary.
"The Promised Land" is an excep-
tional book of this kind, the record Of
the success of an exceptional woman,
who persists throughout in assuring us
! that her case is not exceptional at al.
II is this detached, objective attitude
| toward her own life so far as 1t has gone
that protects Miss Antins essentially
subjective autobiography against the
charge of egotism. She is married now,
but prefers to write under her maiden
name. as il was Amcricanized from its
original Russian form. She confeSses to
a natural gift OF authorship. without
which, no doubt. her life would have
been laid in a different path; but even
so, her mastering of vivid, visualizng
narrative testiiies to the hard writing
that makes easy reading.
| Practically half Of the book is given
to pictures Of the life within the Pale
! pictures that are eminently well worth
while for their own sake apart from tile
purpose they serve of establishing the
clearest OF contrasts between the o.
preston Of hopelessness Of the old md
| the relief of untrammelled freedom Of
the new. II began life in the Middle
Ages" says Miss Antin, and here nm
I still. your contemporary in the twcn-
tieth century. thrilling with your latest
! thought"
Below the sketches of The poverty, the
oppression. the constant fear the hatred,
/ the lack of opportunity and hope of
Jewish life within the Russian pale,
below the pictures Of old customs and
narrowest orthodoxy, there lies still an
other delight in these pages that of
| delicate piece of child psychology. one
understands so thoroughly this little
girl, brought up in the strictest outward
practices Of her faith, doubling in icr
heart. and puttinS the doubt To the .cst
/ by disobeyng the law:
/ She stood a moment. her heart beating
/ 50 that II panied. Nothing happened! . d.
An age passed In blank expectancy. Moth
/ ing happened! The experiment was
/ over. though the result was not clear God
had not punished her. but nothing was
/ proved by His Indifference Either the act
/ was no sin. and her preceptors were all
I atCtlEtIN, OF IL was lfttTl SIN IN Inc eyes
/ OF God. bur lie refraiuei When she
went back into the house she gazed with q
new curiosity ut her mother. her grand
mother They looked difcrcni . As
she went 20 get her grandmother her Bible,
and accidentally dropped IT, she kissed II
by way OF atonement, just "a proper child
should do.
Tho later chapters. dealing with the
| struggles for a footing IN Boston of the
/ father Of large family, trained TO moth
/ ing in particular, and with large fam
| fly 10 support. are no less graphic and
more informing in their practical sim
plicity than many reports OF commits
sions Then the little girl comes into
| her own-her own OF free education. free
! libraries and the assistance Of settle
ment work; above all. into that wonder
| full possession. n country TO which she
can give her love and loyalty. instead Of
the fear and hatred Of the old. She
pays loving tribute to the memory Of
| Edward Everett Hale, and concludes the
story Of her quest. her finding OF herself.
! before she has completed the third dec
ade OF her life. And therein lies, in
deed. the deepest significance of her
story.