The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-08


;. d. L. Rossignoi in "Jean Baptiste"
II. M. Dent and Sons: p. p. Dutton
and Company. Tho French hobltant
he's made his way into poetry with DR..
Drummond's help and had his place
in the older hotion at any rate a. Q
tFappsr and hunter. tho coxrewr des
S0ia The author shows him a. he
- to-day whsn he has stayed at homo
ana has not wandered to the New
Bneiand mills or to the mines and
humber camps. His hero - q flne
fellow. q post and . man Of action
too. Who has picked UP an education
and sees the needs of the community.
He h abused by an because he knows
moro than they and because he wishes
t. change me old order. The reader
will like him and will enjoy the village
people. the priest, the farmers, the
plain girl. the vicious and voluble
old mischief maker. The vivacious
heroine 10 rather mechanical. and tho
evildoers a trifie too wicked and vio-
lent. The story shows much under
standing Of the people who are de-
scr1bed and great sympathy for them;
II Is pretty. poetical and enjoyable.
The literary merit of Susan Glas-
pell's Fidelity (Small. Maynard and
Company, Boston) is as marked as the
story she has chosen to tell Is re-
pulsive. A young girl falls In love
with a married man, keeps up an
intrigue with him for years. and at
last elopes with him. Neither she
nor the author apparently see any
thing wrong in this. for the girl Is
following the call OF her real self. The
effect on the people about her is shown
IN the minutest detail. their resent
ment at the concealment she has been
obliged to use and their adherence OF
the deceit involved in her silence. They
cannot forgive her and involve in her
disgrace those who stand up for her.
The mans wife refuses to divorces
him, and as the story follows the pair
wherever they go they suffer much
hardship. After many years the girl
returns to her fathers deathbed: one
steadfast man friend tries 10 make
the others treat her kindly. but they
are unforgiving, and the only result Is
that his own home Is broken up. The
account Of his wife's behavior Is bril-
liant. The girl returns to her lover.
who has been an invalid and has
needed her; his wife sets him free by
a divorce. but the girl discovers that
he has been chatting at the life with
her, that his love Is nearly dead. and
so refuses for his sake to marry him.
Then she has the consciousness that
she is free to be herself She has
judged her action herself when she is
consulted by younger woman who
is tempted TO do as she did: she paints
her life in the blacklist colors. though
she knows that she is breaking down
the others spirit. II is powerful
and a cruel book. a notable picture of
society. II the people show a lament
able lack Of charity or Of humanity
II is because the author has a thesis
to develop. What the thesis may be
We are not sure. II il Is that
woman should follow the dictates OF
passion at all costs the heroine's suf-
ferings. which are greater than Is
likely in real life. will hardly en-
courage others to initiate her. II 1t
il that a woman should be her real
self. less Objectionable ways of demon
strating that can surely be imagined.
Much more fiippantly and light
heartedly does William Hewlett send
a girl to the bad in "A Child at the
Window (Dufiield and Company.
She Is a little girl, vain Of her looks
and obstinate, when we first meet her
and with an inherited strain OF frivo-
lousness. She is snatched from a
gloomy rectory to be enabled to grow
up in would-be bohemian society. which
allows the author to be sarcastic about
many fads. but seems to be . nice
enough girl. even after coming under
tho influence of a vicious young per-
son at school. Even when she runs
away with q blackguardly aesthetic
humbug. which 10 the occasion for q
picture Of life in Egypt she retains
our sympathy. When that episode
10 over she deteriorates, she meets
again her vicious friend. who has de-
lfborately become tho mistress OF q
theatrical manager. goes on the va
riety stage and keeps in bad company
SO % to enable the author to describe
the shady side Of London life It 10