The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-02-18

widens the transparent spot in the flimy
 screen separating the regions of the heredity and the varative principles ai- lowing the mind to seize and utilize the most useful clements of each. Thus the
 author says one of the wisest sayings of the Hebrew kings was "The fear of the
 Lord Is the beginning of wisdom
 THE MARRIAGE PORTION" By Mrs. H. A. Mitchell -Keays. Small, Maynard &, Company, Boston Tn her novel. ''EIe That Eateth Bread
 With Me-. Mrs H. A. Mitchell Keays.
 presented a phase of life that was far from cheerful. In fact, it was SO pessimistc that her
 readers wondered at her attitude. Following closely on the heels of that widely read book she gives us another "The Marriage Portion" which is even
 more pessimistic and inclined to the gloomy side of life than the other, if such is possible.
 Mrs. Keays has an admirable style, a fluent pen and an altogether wonderful gift of delineation, and one stops to coll slider what she might do in an optimistic 1 mood.
 | Her English is always so perfect, her viewpoint always so original, that even in l Spite of the sad commentary she makes 1 on life the reader maintains an interest 1 in her stories whether he happens to agree
 with the lady or not. l In "The Marriage Portion,' the author presents number of mismated people, all l of whom live in a college town. New
 Town. presumably standing for Cam
 bridge. A, 5.S S 7 ". q l'S..s l Professors and their wives are liAag at cross purposes and about as ,unnappiy yoked up as any set you can possibly inn
 agine 4c tftg srts~
 l There Is only one couple out of the many in the book who bears even tho slightest seInblance to happiness in their make up. ', s ftF
 l Even then there are misgivings as to whether David is really happy with his l Adela after they are married. a' ..-s | There is decided charm about the her cine, but even then one must admit that
 she plays with fire when she essays the
 role of playing upon the. emotions of men
 "a dangerous thing for any woman to 1 practtce.e ta rstss s-s t+ h. Mrs. Kiburn is. of a different type. far coarser in her flrtations, for which there | seems really more excuse than for the l other. ss
 Julian ware is the cad of the booK making trouble for every woman with
 whom he comes in contact. and should have been kicked out of decent society early in the game | l all the while but underlying 1t is deer psychological interest for the intelligent
 reader, 4 'rs ,s l M s-.;s THE BEACON |, .s a By Eden Phillpotts. The John Lane Com l pany. New York. .ts57F e A,N sXA 1 The denouement of MT. Eden sPhilipotts inovel, "The fBeacon.' is quite as striking I and dramatic as that of."Tlle Whirlwind. a. book which everybody read from the pen of this interesting writer and en- 1 ioyed. l,- s fri.A r. l1
 While there may be little excuse for | such book as "The Beacon" still il
 deals with the primitive moor people
 with great clearness and conciseness. l The most striking characteristic of !, "Dartmoor'' humanity is it's explicitness. 1 If one man hates another he tells him so, and gives his reasons. or if he hap | pens to love married woman he is l equally as unabashed. | MT Phillpotts is considered by his crit | ics to be man of genius and certainly
 he has not disappointed them in his novel, l 'The Beacon
 1 Of "Demeters Daughter a Boston ie-
 viewer said. Every moment of the story
 is alive" and another-a New York man
 of letters-observed that Tt was worthy | of the best of Mir. Phillpotts books l strong sincere and intelligent l The same encomiums might be delivered l in regard to "The Beacon" l One of the fine flashes of genius in this
 story is the paragraph in which one of the
 characters is giving his idea of women. l He says;
 sos tiger got mind-or wolf. or
 any other beast N2f prey. And she's a
 beast of prey-eveN woman is, like every eat is They only Nretend different--t to
 hoodwinlS such of us As can he hoodw,ni<-
 ed But never was tiaer born but could
 be broke under the will An6\whip of man. ! And never was woNsrN born that couldn't. Don't know? HaNen't I had
 feelings with them and bested el<? But