The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-09-26
ELLA FRANCES LYNCH, AUTHOR
q EDUCATING TIC CHILD At HOME
Is+SDeS)

per's) nv Fannie Hurst. will he found
nine clever sketches OF girls who work
for their living manicures, saleswomen
and so forth. In occupations considered
more gcntccl than factory work. The
author has studied their language and
external characteristics with great care
and IL is probable that their fooishness
and sordid views are true to life also.
We imagine, however. that the working
classes manage TO get some enjoyment
out OF life and do not live all the time
In the state Of depressing gloom that the
Russian reallsts the uplifters and the
author lnnCt upon them. The stories
may be regarded as humorous by those
TO whom an slang and dialect Is funny;
most If them seem rather To he I'M
pleasantly tragic.
A biography rather than a story Is
what r. $. Stevens writes In sarah
Eden" tDodd Mead and Company. The
subject Of the memoir seems to be
rather stolld girl with a strong sense OF
duty. whose beauty attracts men and
women By nature and experience she
IL repealed by matters OF sex. so that
when she becomes persuaded that the
second advent Is imminent and goes TO
Jerusalem 10 await IL with her followers
she Imposes ceilbacy upon them. She
removes this condition, however. when
her daughter falls In love a rather lame
ending for the story. II justifies the
foreign impression that the British are
queer The steps In the heroine's spirit.
ual development are clearer to The au-
thor than they will he 10 the reader. the
most natural portions Of he story are
the accounts Of the unjust suspicious
aroused against the heroine and her
adher,nts 10y the narrow minded British
clergy The author writes beautiful
English. II may be that real events are
described, for the number OF strange
seCts that break out In England IL In
finite.
Much more than memories OF Little
Women" will be discovered In Margaret
Trumhuil's Looking After Sandy"
Harpersl. The author seems To think
that tho literary and artistic defects Of
Miss Alcotts classic formed part Of It's
attraction. The % ginning is capital and
, arouscs hopes which are not fulfilled.
After the young heroine Is once lodged
in the family that adopts her she ~ un-
! dist ngulshable from the other girls.
| There are many amusing Juven ad-
/ ventures which lead 10 nothing. and
/ after the girls grow up the authors
I chief concern Is apparently to marry
T them m In o somewhat haphazard way.
. Miss AlCott was a pioneer and broke
new ground with her book: many have
followed IN her path and have improved
on her methods; It Is too late to revert
20 her processes. There are plenty Of
pleasant pictures Of girl life In this
book which IS not very interesting as a
story.
Youth again comes 10 the fore In The
Scarlet Wagon by Claude II Girar-
deau Henry Holt and Company. the
tale Of the advance Of an ambitious
small boy with red hair The BEGINNING
Of the story Is good for The aid given
him Is such as people might naturally
grant. Very soon the bounty showoret
on him becomes too lavish and his good
ness excessive Then comes an ahsurt
hidden treasure adventure 10 spoil IL all
The characters the author begins viii
are capital and his scene a novel one
We regret that he did not keep It up,
The bright angelic child Of the tene
ments with her copious slang vocahu
larry is employed by Kate Langley
Bosher 70 bring together two lovers wh'
have parted In wrath In How II Hap
pcned' GIarpers). The helplessness q
the wealthy youth In the streets Il
astonishing. and the reunion is put Of
far too long In order that the child MAJ
he properly shown on The little stor'
belongs 10 q class that seems very pop
ular az present.