Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-28

Inc SOhiP'''S'
- -R ZANGWIIL is of the
IN choice ones who have learned
Nx to think. and to think within
the vital zones of human life
Moreover in the exercise oil
this art he has not forgotten how to reel
And courage animates him from center
70 surface. And the gift OF words
is upon hin1-words edged to wit, satire
ridicule invective: words smoofhed &c
tender uses: words swollen with DIG
meanings. packed down and OVERLOOKING
And every word chosen with a StralGh'
instinct for it's peculiar color and warmth
it's individual temper and carving. Ano
ali strung together in a gorgeous harmony
of effect. Here. these powers are In fui
possession. shaping this drama, controll-
ing and rounding it. About this particu-
lar play what one likes first is, that II
PLAYS 1t does things. When 1t goes
upon the stage IL acts in its own proper
person with energy. direction. focus. fin
ish This fact stands it off sharply from
the static marionette play. from the two
faced allegory. from the complex mathe-
mates and swaddled secrecy of the sex
problem-play The theme. religion
spreads through the triple movement oil
III,
is against the inconsistencies of the Chris
tan religion. against the unsubstantiality
of its ground for faith. The experiment
is a spiritual adventure in the field oil
materalism. The return is triumphant
II Know That My Redeemer Liveth, y
yelling from the deep places of the soul
yearning. importunate. not-to-be-denled
A young clergyman, his wife and child
embody this development. The man him.
self is the rebel. The boy becomes hos
tage to the Lord of Life and Death for
the renewal of broken faith. The wife,
the mother, is the one to repudlate
fercely the hopeless fnality of materialisrl
and to shout aloud the Resurrection and
the Life. A play of deep rootase and in
eradicable growth. shaped in consummate
art to the best uses of the drama. The
author. in characteristic manner. submits
a predatory note running to the effect
that the performance of this play in
Great Britain is forbidden by the lord
chamberlain. One. for the life of him.
cannot fathom why IT should be thus
forbidden. Also in particular mood of
his own. Mr.. Zanewill dedicates THE
Next Religion to Frederick Whelen. 1.-The
chivalrous champion of all foreign hopes,
from Persia to the British drama"
BELLA. BY Edward Charles Booth,
author of THE Post Girl" etc. New
York: D. Appleton & Co.
Edward Charles Booth must, just at
inns pt dpOut III a oSotC VI
unbroken joy and exultation. 1t is not
in human nature for him. under the cir
cumstances. to feel otherwise When a
Young author has created the most ador-
able and the most real little girl that
ever danced out Of the page OF book
straight into the heart of reader-one
with never fieck or a flaw about her
genufneness-and when everybody is deep
IN debt to him for this, why, then. that
ioI,t ~ no fryII act
measure Of pride in achievement. This
u a story of friendship-the friendship Of
BELLA" the little girl. twelve or so, for
the Poet, about twenty-one, and his
friendship for her. 1t sprouted by acci-
dent in the sands at the seashore-at
.'Spathorpe"-but thereafter it was nur-
tured with the greatest assiduity. The
story from beginning to end is pure
poetry, Sourced in a most anaz ing in
sight and complete fidelity to the truths
Of human nature-particularly of Young
human nature-in genuine sympathy and
straight cross-cuts from heart to heart,
from mind 10 mind. So Enthusiastically a
poet is this author that the reader hope
lessly confuses him with THE Poet OF
the story and is not at all able to sepa-
rate the two In his own mind. So he
eloses the book happily convinced that
they are one and the Sames Late, or
somewhat late. in the story Bella S moth
er comes into the friendship Bella's
mother is beautiful, too. Moreover. she
is a siren. And. moreover, classified
among women. she belongs to the order
called fallen The story. naturally
complexes around this fact of charming,
clever Isabel Veronica Dysart The au-
thor takes up this part of his story with
consumnate skill. He builds in subtle
line the pity of 1t; he suggests the bitter
beauty and misery OF it, and leaves it
at exactly the right point. This writer
is an honest man-honest with the tran
scriptive office of his poetic art. That is
why ne dare not soothe our fright and
dare not yield to our opportunities to
promise a fair future for adorable little
Bella. This book is one Of three-out of a
carload. more or less-which one chooses
10 hold in memory and to read again.
THE STREETS OF ASCALON BY
Robert W. Chambers, author of THE
Common Law" etc. Illustrations by
Charles Dana Gibson. New York
l.. Appleton & Co.
The billboards announce that in addi-
ton to beng most brilliant novel, THE
Streets Of Ascalon" is also q perfect So
ciai document on the sayings and doings,
the goings and conings of the smart set
of New York and every other great
American city. One takes exceptions to
both of these proclamations. In the first
place. only Shaw, or some of his folks,
can make the smart set either significant
amusing Mr.. Chambers, by taking
these poor people seriously and respect
FULLY If for no other reason, excludes
himself from the tribe of Shaw. In the
second place, the smart set, as social sci
ence, as a human study, should, Of all
sets and for obvious reasons be confined
10 the tabloid form of presentment-sta-
tistics. pamphlets. even tracts One reads
This long story, tired and. impatient
These feelings source back about half
and half TO the banal crowd under por-
trayal. and to an author-certainly popu-
lar and presumably capahle-who is will
ing to waste his own time. and inc Mt
ally ours on such alternate stun about
able-bod,ed men and women who act like
lunatics and talk Ike fools After "A
great to-do. and out Of an astonishing
motley of feeble incident, an inconce.v-
ably beautiful and innocent widow mar
ries, or is about to marry, six feet of So
cial loafer who is loud in voc'ferat .ng
that he is going 10 make good" Here
doubt assails the reader. Prenuptial
promises like those of deadly Illness have
the strings OF old habit and disposition
attached to them. When marriage on the
one hand and health on the other super
monty in demand This is a most talka-
tive story. Pages and pages go on like
this:
widow-"You were-you happened to be
thinking of me? And you said something
aloud about me?'
Hero t?l-"About you-and to you"
How delightfully interesting. What
was IL, please?
'Oh, / was only talking nonsense"
Wont 1t bear repetition"
I'm afraid not
MIR. Quarran, How maddening, I'm
dying with cur osity.''
And so on and on. charters at a
80 Hx,t AHxFt -.