Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-12
REVIEWS OF BOOKS AND
NEWS OF. PUBLICATIONS.

NEWS OF. PUBLICATIONS
1.-THE Three Sisters" a Literary
Achievement, but Most I'm
pleasant Story.
BOOK BIZ AUTHOR OF EMMY LOU
Unceasing Grumbling of Disconnected
Group OF Girls Unpreparcd for Life
and Without Training Wears on
Readers Patience.
In spite OF the artistry that distin-'
cuisines the work OF May Sinclair, or.
perhaps. because OF II. her latest book.
The Three Sisters" (Macmillan). is
distinctly unpleasant While it is
marked by every evidence OF close
study Of human life and human nature.
the result OF which is impaired by an
admirable use of suggestion, rather
than statement, ond 10. therefore. to
be regarded ~ Il literary achievement.
the book is n revelation OF very sor-
did side of humanity. And to repeat,
in words-what has already been iBug-
Fested, the high literary quality of the
work intensifcs the gloom of the story.
The title is not fanciful. but indicates.
III a broad general way, the nature OF
the novel, which Is study OF three
sisters of different types. They are
the daughters of An English vicar. in
charge Of a small parish i'll tho coun-
try, to which he has obtained n trans
fer from far better living because
of scandal that has touched one of
the sisters. At the time the story
begins, the three sisters are waiting
d!smal1y for something. for anything.
10 happen, and 1t soon transpires that
all OF them arc waiting for the same
man. tho doctor of the village. Two
OF tho young women are unpleasant,
and the; third, whom the doctor first
thinks he loves, is made TO suffer
through self-sacrilce. Heredity is made
by the author to play q conspicuous
part IN the Interpretation and devel-
opment OF certain OF the characters in
the book. and the particular trait
Stressed as having descended from the
vicar Is one that is rarely discussed
I'M books other than those OF q scen-
tific. CT pseudo scientific. nnturc. Not
that the subject is discussed in THE
Three Sisters" but II is very clearly
suggested. On the whole, there Is lit
tic more to be said. within the con-
lines OF a brief review. concerning Miss
Sinciatr's story than has already beer
said here-that II is q literary achieve
meHt, and mostunpieasant story.
nlao In England. lis to DO found in Shei-
In kaye-STnith's The Three Furlong-
ers" tLippincotO, n story, however, OF
another and lower rank than Miss Sin
Glars. The principal chnracter OF
Miss Kaye Smiths novel aye also three
In number--two brothers and sister
and one OF them also has erred. But
In this case II iB one OF the brothers,
who returns to the farm after having
served three years in prison for hav-
ing been involved in a fraudulent pro-
motion scheme 1t is to redaem him
self before the eyes OF hts neighbors
that he sets himself. But he falls In
iove with young girl, and the con
sequences Of his trouble follow him.
Then the slater Yields to a 49, K lover
VINO deserts her: also the sp.sts brother
dies. The wicked are rewarded. and
the only brightness that lies IN the
future consists I'm the probability that
the ex-convict brother will make
name for himself Us Il violinist.
Ten more examples OF W. W. Jacobs's
yeia%e entitled aSish, ws,eh he%
has long been familiar to many Of us,
but to none of us has Its charm grown
less. and, whether the author occasion
at least OF thought, or not. a story, or
volume OF stories. as in this case.
In spite OF the characters that people
his fales-peoplc who. on the stage.
would almost Inevitably be low come
d!ans-Mr. Jacobs's stories are Inrari-
ably light comedy OF high order.
Mrs. George Madden Martin, author
OF Emmy Lou" has, in Selma" ZAP
pleton's). written another story about
z young girl hut girl more unlike
have been expected Of an author Who
had achieved one tremendous success
and and would. therefore, Il would have
her own lead. In her new book, Mrs.
tented girls living In a small Kentucky
have all recently. graduated from or
LEI, school; they find that they are un-
should be lived: they have had no
training. and yet they ali want to do
ssomethIng. ,untortunately. they obtain
many good times. which arc charmingiy
put before the reader. and they are nh
Very nice girls indeed. hut they are
Ing discomfort voiced by them is likely
TO become wearing upon the readers
patience.
Written before the outbreak of the
Eu noGmans war IA. s,c The nan,Angles"
4 federation of the seven Ensiish.
speaking nations: Great Britain. the
australia. New Zealand and South
Africa, peoples. as he contends, of one
civilization and with the Same funda-
mental principles of self-government.
Pan-Anglc civilization. to use his
phrase, Ia threatened by rival civiliza-
lions: German. Japanese. Russian and
Chinese. AS the internal evidence"
points to the authors British sympa-
thy. x not nationality, 1t is particu-
larly Interesting to motto his suggestion
that Germany might be included as a
sort OF buffer--against Russian uggres-
sion! Details of practical consequence
he Celebrates his idea only so far MS
TO suggest q federal government, the
scat OF which might be situated at
some point on the Canadian border.
The Harvard Architectural Quarterly
has published Thomas Jcfferson's
original drawings for Monticello. which
were discovered among the papers of
the late T. Jefferson Coolidge, Jr. Now
for. the ffrst time 1t ia possible to study
Iekfarsnn,s nlnce La, tI,a 49,: