The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-11-18
What the Authors Are Doing
~ {. s. HITCHCOCK
"Ths House Of Toys"

The House Of Toys"
Henry Russell Miller seems to be
one or the few American uovelists
who Is showing US the higher and
better side OF life without In any way
sacrificing truth. The conflicts which
arise between his characters are due
to the different spiritual evolution
airy stages III one may so express I'D
20 which they have attained. In 1.-The
Ambitions Of Mark Truitt," the hero
was able to rise within his own life
time to great heighus, but In "The
House OF Toys" the tragedy In In the
everyday common experience OF two
people. one selfish and sensual. the
other aspiring TO ideals and spiritual.
trying TO live together as husband
and wife. They do live together and
the author feels that II IL con-
quest over selfishness that the hero
Wills II so. One cannot be sure. Ac-
cording to present-day social arrange
ments, perhaps. The character of the
book which brings out all the love
and affection OF our hearts Ia Jo-
nathan Radbourne, an ugly little man
physically, but with q pure white.
flaming soul. II the light which for
ever burns before Catholic affairs
symbolizes any such purity and con-
stancy, we can have no quarrel with
It. As for the wife and her House
or Toys" with which she seeks to
while away her life. one sees her
too often to fnd her o rare type. She
Is simply asleep to the beauty and
meaning OF everything OF value and
mr. N Il
ness by SEEKING upon what diversions
offer. The husband IL sacrificed. even
though the author holds him trfum-
plant Mr. Miller will no doubt pre-
sent us with new books from time
TO time and may some day write the
great American novel for which every
one IN waiting.
The House OF Toys" by Henry
Russell Miller; Bobbs-Merrill Co.. pub
fishers. Indianapolis; S1.26.
! .seth's Wonder Winter"
/ Nowhere II one more impressed BY
the difference In suggestive training
I imposed upon girls and boys than In
! the books which are written for them.
/ II you shut each sort up In an iron
safe Of its own. they could not be
more distinctly separate. Boys. pre-
sumably monopolize the outdoors, ad-
ventures and pretty much everything
worth having. while girls are fed on
sort Of pap made Of sugary sweet
dutifulness, fidelity and most m
natural and precocious charity to-
ward some other little girl. II girls
are to grow up into the self-reliant,
capable womanhood which Ii demand
ed Of them, and not the soft. cling
ing type (Which Il also demanded u
them) Il IL time this sort OF thing
changed. Our little boys and girls
are just simple noisy little human be-
ings, and should enjoy anything and
everything which 10 natural, healthy
and good. Why not cease this uncon-
scious work OF segregating and en-
phasizing sex so early In life.
'Beth's Wonder Winter" by Mar
vim Ames Taggart, Is about every
thing q little girl IL supposed to like.
w. A. wilde Co.. Chicago; $1.25.
4 "Cinders."
A series Of books for boys Is be-
ing written by Hugh c. Weir. In which
he proposes to not only tell an In
teresting story. but interest boys In
some of the great enterprises of the
day. BY taking boy as his hero
+ and making him real worker In
these enterprises. Mr.. Weir accom-
plishes what he starts out for. Gin
ders" Is the third In the series and
takes for It's subject the steel mills
OF Pennsylvania The young hero,
Eric, is an apprentice, and goes
through the various phases OF the
life Of the mills. One chapter gives
the early life OF Andrew Carnegie
written in a way to fascinate youth
and make II see a great future ahead.
There Ia no doubt but on the whole
these books are OF educational value.
! "Cinders.' by Hugh G.. Weir. w. A.
Wilde Company, publishers, Boston
and Chicago; 81.
/ Amazing Grace"
Amazing Grace" might suggest a
clerical tract and make many perfect
ly good but unclerical people little
shy. III they overcome their shyness
suficiently to dip into II they will find
a young woman OF the modern type,
afraid of nothing. who has been christ
ened by the worst possible name by
which she could be described She
Is a little too self-assured to be at
tractive. but We feel a real sympathy
and love for her when she throws
over her young Inan-waiking stick.
gardenia and all. and marries the rich
young lord with socialistic tendencies.
This improbable tale Is by Kate
] Trumble Sharber. Bobbs-Merrill,
publishers. Indianapolis, $1.00.
Honey Sweet"
Honey Sweet" by Edna II. l.. Tur-
pin. Just another story for very
little girls. Honey Sweet" Is doll,
very real to her small mother who
passes her over to little sick girl
with pangs OF heartache no little girl
should be expected to endure. Why
such tragedies among babies? Mac
MILAN CO. publishers New York so