The Washington herald., 1913-09-21

and was brought into contact with and
became one OF the vast throng Of men
who live by Drawn and wit. The end
of Mr. London's argument is a plea for
! the suppression OF the trade in alcohol
in all its forms. His one panacea Is
woman.s vote. He is sure that II women
get the franchise the demand and crav-
ing for alcohol will cease. II men have
the exclusive voice, he assures us that
the sale and the use OF alcohol will go
on forever
Nevertheless, although he is so con-
vinced OF the dangers of alcohol and
| so hopeful that II may be banished from
our civilization. Mr.. London does not in
| tend voluntarily to abandon its use. There
speaks the man of truth. He is certain
that the desire for alcohol is nothing
more or less than a habit of the mind,
and since his mind claims II he will not
| refuse. He appreciates its social values,
and he intends to avail himself of them.
And long before the final pages VIC find
Mr.. London telling us that as long as
| John BarleycoTn is accessible, so long
will he stand everywhere for manliness
daring, and spiritedness.
| Ii Is a wild story Of wild life, ranging
| from oyster piracy in San Francisco Bay
to less dangerous exploits, that is dis
closed by Mr.. London in John Barley
corn yet. with its occasional verisimilI-
! tIide, the idea possesses us that he is
writing IL in the mood of the writing Of
The Sea Wolf or Of The Call of the
Wild" Painted against a background
of fact may be found many vivid colors
and spectacular scenes that are the prod
uct of its ingenious authors irrepressible
imagination. He may have started out
to write an autobiography. but his theme
ran so far ahead of him that the result
lis a book of fiction,
DEGARMO's WIFE: By David Graham Phillips.
| New YoTk-D. Appleton & Co.
Readers of Mr. Phillips always have
been given food for reflection as to his
attitude toward his characters. Did he
dislike them or did he secretly ADMIRE
and envy them? Or, after all, was he
handicapped by a magnifying and multi
plying imagination?
Degarmos wife is put before US as an
| admirable young woman, beautiful and
serious To have child has been her
dream from her earliest days. As she
grew up and began to see further into
| the meaning and mysteries of life 1t
thrilled her to think that she was a
woman. set apart by nature for the honor
and joy of motherhood To her women
meant mother; and when she learned that
there were women who could not be
mothers she began to be haunted b. the
fear that she was one of those wretched
ones.
Norma WAS seventeen years old when
she married DegarmO. who was thirty
seven. and believed the working people
ought to have the children; and had
planned to take his beautiful young wife
10 Paris, helping her in fancy to select
the more intimate parts of her wardrobe.
the costly fiimsy. sensuous things that
stimulate jaded appetites." But why. in
attempting to arouse our admiratiOn for
Norma. did Mr.. Phillips tell us that she
purchased and read fifty or more books
on maternity and infancy?
One answers maybe that Mr.. Phillips
could not help putting il on thick" The
result becomes a kind OF coarseness,
which the author himself may have little
suspected; or. again, it it becomes a kind
of dogmatism that carries no conviction.
| 1t was easy for DegarmO's sister, a howl
ing swell" 90 travel All that she had
TO say was "Bernice. nous partons de-
main" Apparently it was not at all
necessary to say where nous partons
for. Bernice would reply: 'Parfaitment,