Evening star., 1914-11-07


author of "The Price Of Place. etc
New York: George II. Doran Com
pany.
- IKE The Price of Place" Mr..
RIythe's new novel, The FAX
ers" is a most realistic seem
IL ing tale bearing down upon
the incorrigibie rascality of
poIiticians upon the ignorant and pur-
chasa BILE quality of voters. and upon
the sordid and yillainous degradation
of politics. The hero of TINS moderh
adventure. if so shameless Il shSster
as r. Marmatluke Hicks may be graced
with the name of hero, is piace-seeking
poIiticiau Even from his lowly be-
Einnings nothing less than a seat IN
Congress has loomed against the paint
ed Stage-horizon of I. Marinitduke
Hicks The road to this goal is by
The devious way of every back alleE
intrigue that the mind of this practi-
ca! opportunist is able to hatch out and
carry across Honorable William H.
Paxton, a power in the Senate. from
his point of vantage there begins to
coach r Narmadukc with prodiglous
inward glee. and incidentally he uses
Hicks to pull from the fire some OF
his own charred political chestnuts-
Th2 matter advances through the tor
tuous ups and downs of the political
career Of this hero. Surrounding and
:uimatinS the advance of Hicks is u
most remarkable picture of practical
politics in action With humor shaved
10 y Sa Sartionic needle point. with the
journalistic drive of his pen brought
to practiced perfection. My. Blythe ma kes
complete and full-blooded seizure OF
the character of this type of politician
He gets Il clean grip on the muitltudl-
nous facts of political chicanery. ana
grows intimate over the invoiutions
,,F I-,, l. a
.,trazing and convincing i'll effect, ana
obviously reforming in intent. Then
a the last, the author permits Marina
duke Hicks to break his own neck i'll
Il final fall through political over
reaching. At this point Mr.. Blythe
hedges. compromises. turns tail ana
fails. He tacks a silly sunday school
moral to what purports to be a ltarra-
tive of actualities. The only effective
issue here. the only one that at all
comports with the substance and spirit
of the story, is to seat T. Marmaduke
Hicks in triumph with the rest of the
takers. And this Mr.. Blythe, for some
insufficient reason. refuses to do. And
SO it turns out that. after all, the new
novel is no more than Mr.. Blythe's
amiablc Who's Who-inS in congrat-
ulatory and genial vein with the fax
crs. 1t really i'll effect turns out to
be one of sam Biythe's' jokes instead
of a substantial and serious work of
art by Samuel G.. Blythe.
shtNINS nAHfIA'E: n Mover. by
Upton Sinclair. author of sylvia"
etc. Philadelphia: The John {.
Winston Company.
\ story will catch d thousand readers
where plain discussion reaches one. And
a love story, above every other kind,
makes appeal to the majority. particu-
larly to the majority of girls and young
women. Mr. Sinclair has what appears
TO him to be vital lesson to teach. 1t
is. moreover. Il lesson for young wom-
en- Naturally desiring to teach il TO
the largest possible number of those
whom he seeks to benefit by it. he
bodies this lesson in the romance of
SylVlas marriage. In its three parts
Sylvias Marriage" presents Sylvia
wife. mother" and rebel" After Il
proper amount Of introductory to do
over the marriage of Sylvia to the
enormously rich Douglas van Tuver,
this part of the romance is given over
to such Il course of instruction for
sylvia as many now openly declare
should be commonly given to girls
marriage and the sex relation with its
mutual obligations and responsibilities.
The second part. containing the essence
of Brieuxs Damaged Goods portrays
Sylvia as mother the mother of d lit
Re blind daughter. In the last part
Sylvia is AN out-and-out rebel against
existing marriag" customs. She is an
open advocate of the single standard
of morality, of teaching sex hygiene,
of putting to practice the theory of
eugenics- Douglas van Tuiver fades
entirely e, out OF sight in the fury of
Sylvia's recoil. Nothing palmer or more
elementary i'll its handling can be
lima gined than Mr.. Sinciairs story Of
ters. 1t calls everything by it's own
name. it avoids no issue, it evades no
necessary step in the sequences of its
instruction, no matter how revolving
these steps may be. About everybody
by this time comedies that q larger and
finer understanding of the sex relation
would tend TO reduce greatly the mis-
cry of the world. The only question
that "Sylvia's Marriage raises is
whether or not the novel is the best
approach to this understanding. Grant
ing that II is at least Il fair avenue, one
might then discuss the fitness of this
particular novel to meet the issue with
dellcacy and force and persuasiveness
So bent upon propaganda is Mr.. Sin
clair here that one doubts his ever
having thought of this novel as liter
ature-
PLAYS: "'The Fugitive; '.The Pigeon:
''The NOb." BY john Galsworthy
author of The Dark Flower" etc
New York: Charles ScribIlers Sons
WashinStou: Brentano's.
Of John Galsworthy's nine plays these
three The Fugitive THE Pigeon"
The Mob make up the third volume Of
this series. At the date of this publica-
lion Two OF these had been produced in
London, and one, The Mob" in Man
chester. One, at least las been given in
this country. III are plays OF social sig
ni1icance. problem plays. all of them.
The Fugitive" puts into drama one of
the forms Of human sacrifice that is
bound TO accompany the passage of WON
en- from the old conditions into the un-
sounded depths Of the new. Thousands
Of the Young, the unequipped the un-
ready, are doomed To go under i'll the
struggle for Il readjUstment. The Fugi-
tive" is po snant example of these. A
remarkable play THE Pigeon''-a per-
fect play-is the drama OF an incurable
friend of all the world of outcaSts, as
distinct from organized means of rescue.
y more lovable character than We.lyn.
that repeatedly plucked pigeon" does
not exist. nor keener philosopher than
Fcrrand. the ininitable French vagabond
Tie Mob portrays the martyrdcm of
stephen More at tAe hands Of the COM
mon multitude whom he sought to en-
brace i'll the well-being - h s own ideal
ism. These three notable plays that
are enlinently worth While TO the play
maker. tho student and the reader.
GEORGE THE THIRD AND CHARLES
FOX: The Concluding Part of the
American Revolution. BY Sir George