The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-28
CRITICAL
REVIEWS OF
NEW BOOKS

Only refined, well to do people With
an assured position in society are al
lowed to share in the ethical discussion
which an anonymous author calls They
Who Question" (Macmilans) There ~
a lovely young woman. abnormaily soft
hearted toward suffering Of all kinds.
so ritualistic that she is almost "A Catho-
lie; there is the young man who mar
ries her, an aristocratic artist and a
sceptic there IL his blunt, outspoken,
materialistc sister, with plenty Of
troubles of her own; there is an amiable.
charitable old dean, with abundant faith
and wisdom. They are described with
great minuteness. so that they seem
representative types rather than human
beings, and all engage in debating reli-
gious matters; in these debates the
author eXpends brightness and epigram.
but seems rather Indifferent to settling
the questions in issue. The young couple
have crippled child, which suffers in
tensely, the materialist has a son who
10 the victim of hereditary insanity.
These facts seem to the author mex
pliCable; they are not accounted for
in the long sermon with which the dean
winds up the book. Humor is supplied
by a description Of the futile efforts OF Il
clergyman to elevate the poor In the
London slums and by satire on the
wealthy people who engage In that sort
of work. 1t can hardly be called
story: it is rather a somewhat artificial
discussion OF some religious matters
such as might seem audac.ousiy here'-
zeal in a woman's club.
We imagine that there must be some
good fellows and some decent people N
the European colonies In China, and even
some Cinnamon who are straight in
their way. though no such persons will
be found In Il. l., Putnam Weale's "The
Eternal Priestess" (Dodd, Mead aId
Company. That is the testimony. at
any rate. Of many persons who have
spent years in that country, and Mr..
Weale would probably have made his
point palmer If he had made his white
people less sordd and had left the
women out. What he tries to show Is
that the mode Of thought Of Chinese
and Europeans Is different and that the
men who are trying 70 introduce Vest
ern progress deliberately close their
eyes W what goes on before them. All
the whites, save one, apparently are
Enslishmen all grasping, vicious and
Ncentious and all seeking 10 exploit the
Chinese for their own profit; their
women are unspeakable, so that the
reader Will find IL difficult to make our
which are conveniently respectable
and which are merely prostitutes; non.
among them all is interesting, nor for
that matter is there much to interest
any one in the descriptions o: their usual
pursuits. The Chinese are better. for
the author presents several varieties of
the results of education in foreign lands,
and suggests what the real ideas or
these men may be. The intriguing
Frenchman would be amusing IL con-
slant repetition did not make him
bore. The period Is the eve of the over
throw " the old Empress The reader
will have surfeit of European life in
China long before he ends the book.
Some very fair stories OF a woman
reporters experiences not the real
things that happen to her. but those
she hopes for and would like her friends
TO believe she does meet will be found
in Elizabeth Jordan's May VERSIONS
Career" Garpers), n book that suf-
fers by appearing as sequel to a school
girl series, The episodes are exciting
and amusing, even II they occasionally
nave saffron tinge; but why does the
author make the managing editor fall
in love with the reporter, and why
does she pile on the agony in her ac-
count Of having her play produced?
That Is relapse into the schoolgirl
style.
Another rather mature tale. Wini-
fred k!rkland's The Old Dlller Pace"
nHoughton Mihiin Company, is adj
dressed on the title page TO young
people, Il tells how a shlftless young
oollege graduate, brought up in great
wealth, is moved to seek employment
az hiTe1 man - "a young and wholly
admirable country girl when she starts
IN N make money by providing refresh
nonts 20 passing Rutomob!llsts. A
craving for independence impels his
carnhl" sister ia start an aesthetic ten
m m near 10y, The impending clash of
cs's Is avoided by combining the
Two enterprises and by the end OF the