The Washington herald., 1913-03-02
By A. d. JACOBSON.

By A. d. JACOBSON.
MARK: By Frances Neuboid Noyes- Isew York;
Edward ]. Clode. publisher Price. *l-..
A polite novel. dealing with the doings
OF polite society, and politely told. Miss
Noyes is talented as a narrator as well
as q composer of plots. The story is al
together readable and has the earmarks
of earnest endeavor. The diction is per-
feet. the sentences short, and. above all.
in plain, understandable English. not
worrying the reader by following the au-
thor into heights of impossible syntaX
and sentence building. only to leave him
or her at the end wondering what it was
all about
It has always been a puzzle why
American writer's of either sex. mostly
though women authors, persist in delv-
ing into the British peerage and society
and into British life for their plots, their
heroes their heroines. and last. but not
least for their motif" 1t would seem
that in our day studies into human ma
ture and characters could be made this
side of the water quite as we'll as across;
just as full of meaning, just as enter
tanning, and just as pointed as to moral
or lesson. AS long as writer's will per-
sist in doing this, so long we shall not
have that literature of our own which is
the light that leads to n better under
standing of our own land, educational
possibilities character. and life. as it is
and as. for instance. Dickens so well
knew how TO see and describe in his ma
tive England.
But Miss Moves has done well with the
material she conceived for her tale and
which she used TO good purpose. believ-
ing that she had story to tell and
something to convey to her readers. from
which to draw their own conclusions.
an old family of the British peerage,
had been to the Antipodes, being then
ever SO many lives removed from the
succession to his title. has been sketched
by the author in some respects as
primitive colonial from the backwoods.
although here and there i must confess
his naivete, his uttering words tabooed
in society. his manners, are a bit over
drawn. perhaps to make the scene more
interesting and entertaining. That this
has been felt by the author herself one
may easily surrnise from a few words
uttered by one of the ladies on the very
first page:
1T will be a ridiculous party" said
Isabel Gordon las for your
Spencer man. he is quite. quite mad.
my poor Gertrude. ] talked to him for
five minutes and ! feel still mildly in
sane. He is infectious
The Spencer referred to is Mark the
hero. whose full name is Gordon Mark
ham Spencer. Just returned from Aus
tralia, and to tell the truth. he is quite
impossible. and as far as he is concern
ed. l should say. Miss Noyes' quota
ton with which she sends her opus out
into the world, "Mais que le diable allait-
il faire. qu'allait-il faire dams cette
galere" (as neat thing as Cyrano de
Bergerac ever uttered tells the story to
a dot
1t is book for girls. full of girls
talk sentiment. and that nondescript
gossip. which. in so large a degree. goes
to make up their social parties Often
the thread of the story is lost sight
OF in telling of the boiled eggs"
the ham,. the taking out OF Jam from
between sandwiches" &c.
''Madly romantic is what the chapter
The Curtain Falls might be called
were it not for the fact that it is diff
ficult to perceive why the denouement
should be SO full of tragedy and blood
thirstiness. Why should Marx do as
his father. the great statesman. did. who
blew out his brains when his dearly be-
loved Felicity died? Why make JAG
queline out a Marguerite. why lose
sight of Priscilla, who really is the one
who has discovered the impossible
Marx who ceased 20 be SO the moment
II was found that he was heir to a great
name? Why spoil a girls book with the
very mention of a man like Caesar?
The story is either too long or not
long enough. good deal is said in 1t
that really has no business in book
TO be read by young girls: and. on the
other hand. having Gived into the JAG
quelin-Caesar liaison and all that. there
was a different tale to unfold. Mark
begins finely, but ends as no genuine
"backwoodsman'' should like to be talked
about. There is too much girls and
talk about him and too little action.
Miss Moves. ii is seen, believes she
has a mission. and il is in her to grow
with her work. to separate the chan
from the wheat. to tell her story con-
cisely. and we predict success to her
efforts
HIGH COST OF LIVING. CAusE-REMEDY.
by T. Gushing Daniel. author Of Daniel and
Real Money. Published By the Money Educa-
tionsl Bureau. Washington, Il. c.
The soundness of the principles set
forth in this volume will become ap-
parent 20 every reader who cannot help
but realize his ability and his duty as
an American citizen to do his share in
trying to correct the evil
The debts with which modern system
has burdened its people. according to the
author. have increased to such an ex-
tent that the net earnings of labor no
longer can pay the interest and divi-
dends. He calls these debts ''manufac-
tured' and argues that they have out
grown all means of their redemption.
The trusts. says Mr.. Daniel. to a great
extent are dependent upon the tariff TO
keep up the prices Of their products go
as 10 make the profits that go to pay
interest on their over issues of bonds
and stocks In the consolidated enter
prises under their control. Leaders of