Evening star., 1913-12-06
BOOK REVIEWS.

Mr.. Blythe'S new novel Is OF the
simplest 1t is the amazing in-filling
OF this not unfamiliar sketch that
gives the book it's individual dis
tincuon, its downright and forthwith
vigor, its effect of scientifically trained
pugilism.
In the rough this is the story of James
Marsh of Morganville, come to the Con-
sress of the United States. Like any
other new and right young congressman,
Jim Marsh comes on to Washington,
visioning along the way some seventh
heaven of political righteousness wherein
he, himself, is TO have great and glorified
part.
Mr.. Blythe's story is a page-by-page
record-an expert inside accounting-of
the fall of James Marsh from his original
high estate. It is the drama of d man
lighting sfercely for his integrity, then
lighting less and less fiercely, until,
finally, only half-resisting, he delivers
the captaincy of his soul over to the
forces of his undo.ng. There are two of
these forces. One is the wife. Molly
Marsh The other is the insidous
urgency of willy and wayside colleagues
TO Washington in no heavenly trance of
any sort. Her two feet are plumb to the
ground. while she. herself is as busy as
a beaver gnawing off neat plans for
money is not only the root, ii is also the
stem and flower and fruit of the tragedy
of James Marsh. The Unsuitable source
of this need is Molly Marsh And per-
haps this is the place TO say that
throughout this story Mr.. Blythe builds
the knowingest possible picture of that
most constant and bhghting of tyran-
MES, the unacceptable night-and-day
tyranny of the domestic sort. Marsh S
increasing need of money and more
money Is met in the market place where,
in spec;ouS and devious fashion, law
makers are bought and sold. This Olynl-
plan place is dedicated to the game,
crowded with its pastmasters and redo
lent with the ardors of playing the
game The story ends with a dash of
Inelodrama. Marsh, i'll self-accusatory
retrospect mutter.ng, ooh my God.' and
the rest of it. He is nevertheless and
despite this condemnation OF himself.
now Senator Marsh. a man of growing
prestige and power, while Mrs. Marsh Is
already we'll on her way TO the top notch
of social success. Such In very meager
review is the surface of this matter. 1t
is story, however, that, so TO say,
develops inside out in an astonlshlngly
open accounting of the price to be paid
for political place even by those of
original high intent and hitherto un-
broken rectitude. And along with this
accounting, as a part OF 1t in fact, go
pictures of the political and social life
of Washington. pictures of perfect real
mastery of their contributory details.
The book appears to be the free and un-
withholding avowal of what MIR. Blythe
believes to be the quality-the essentially
low quality-of modern life in so far as
it reflects the politics of the present
This writer has had a long schooling in
practical politics. He Is ShreWd seeing
student of men, He is an unsparlng
critic. These powers and gifts he has
turned loose. as 1T were. upon tn build,
ing of this tremendously interesting and
provocative political novel. 1t is a big
story-brutaily big.
THE PASSIONATE FRIENDS. BY II:
c. Wells author of Ann Veronica,
etc New York: Harper & Bros.
They were children together, these
passionate friends'-Stephen. the rec
tors son, and Lady Mary Christian.
little later they were boy and girl friends,
In a level, give-and-take camaraderie.
Then they were youthful lovers. dream
ing the love dreams of youth. looking into
a future where they together, In glori-
fed and equal partnership. were to ad-
venture on some surprisingly great ana
noble emprise. And then. suddenly-or
so IL seemed to Stephen-Lady Mary
Christian became Lady Mary Justin, and
the Boer war engulfed the misery of
Stephen. The war ended, and Stephen
back in England, the old fires between
point that the real story begins, the
story that Mr.. Wells is trying to tell.
For. right here, sets in the struggle be-
tween Stephen and Justin for the pos
session of Lady Mary. for nothing less
than the bodily possession of Lady Mary.
The mutual jealousies that these two
males create around themselves open up
the whole bitter human business OF
SnareS set, and watched, and sprung
Of the creature caught and made an end
OF. For the story closes with the self
destruction of the Lady Mary, the cap
tive self-released and with the two dead
~ combatants standing at the last equal
ly empty-handed. Now the interesting
point in this drama, in fact its supremely
significant point, is that the Lady Mary
by nature and growth and spirit is en-
tirely outside of any adequate under
standing of the motive and essence of the
combat waging about her. And in such
measure as she does catch glimpses of its
real cause. In exactly that measure does
she recoil from being possessed by either
The Lady Mary loves the lifelong COM
panionship with Stephen, their equal
friendship her power TO light the fires of
his heart and mind, the dreaming to-
gether. the visions in which they share
so evenly. She loves, too, the spacious
and dignified life that Justin spreads
around himself, and Incidentally around
her. But the traditions and ritual OF sex
the sole and supreme issue very
stands. But since the sex motive does
rule here, and since the possessive male is
paramount, these two men literally fight
the Lady Mary out of the world, defeat
ing, al the same time. each his own
hearts desire. This. in its largest sub
stance, Is the story. II is the age-old
comedy. whose foundation is the primal
barter between the male and female-pro-
lection and shelter on his part, and on her
part herself, with all rights and titles
thereto. And upon this foundation, the
huge superstructure of hypocrisy and
general make believe to perpetuate this
primitive practice OF possessing and being
possessed. But the Lady Mary, i'm her
being and essence, in her spirit and in
fluence Is a sign that this old sacrosanct
institution of owning and being owned is
breaking in places, or that ii at least is
weakening. and that in million years or
SO. counting from our past rate of prog
ress, there may here and there come "A
recognition of such spirits as Lady Mary
typifies; a realization of her real part in
the beauty and amplitude OF life. Then
these, ioyfully and by common consent,
may be released from the bond of the old
tradition, left free TO dispense the iargess
OF their hearts and minds. There are other
vitaiiy interesting lines here-the story of
Rachel More, Stephens wife, with her
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