The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-13


MOL" CHarpers). The history OF the
family OF a domineering unscrupulous. !
successful business man in a manu-
featuring town anywhere in the Mid
die West is marked chiefly by very
frank discussions of the matters that
impress the author in natural and
forcible language. His chief TRADE is
against the craving for bigness at any
cost, but at the end no seems TO find
something in that to glory in. The
vulgarity, the lack of refinement, the
incapacity for enjoyment, the blind
ness to anything but business and
money OF these people are emphasized,
but the conduct OF those who have
been brought up better does not shine
by contrast. The real foil Is a dreamy
son of the family with an addiction to
literature, whose treatment by his
matter OF fact relatives will arouse
sympathy and who develops business
ability suddenly in an emergency in
a manner only possible in fiction. He
makes an engaging hero; his forcible
father is more natural in spite of the
authors eXaggeration: he can be liked
and understood, and so can the other
men. Tho women, however. are tar
tars: no redeeming quality is allowed
10 tho vulgar, spiteful and wholly
selfish daughter-ln-law nor to the
self-willed, vixenish and silly daugh-
ter: they are never allowed to appear
a. .,NT lts-hN te u lV,ar
of strain to accept the capable
heroine's good qualities notwithstand-
inS the soothing effect she has on the
hero. The best part OF Mr.. Tarking-
tons book is the speeches; he uses the
language most people are accustomed
to and expresses the thoughts that
good many people have sometimes,
even If they do not care to put them
into words.
\ like effort 10 depict forcibly view
OF American life is made by Ernest
Poole in THE Harbor" (Macmillans),
which is in form the biography of a
magazine writer. The author employs
the device. used also by Emile lola
and Frank Norris. of asCribing mys-
te"ious power "a an inanlmate object:
In this case the harbOr of New York.
The impressions the harbor makes on
the hero color the subjects the author
chooses Ia discuss as he goes along,
such as the decay of American mer-
chant .hipping, the emptiness of coll
lego education. the desirability of a
concerted plan for developing the har-
Dor. the woman suffrage movement,
the treatment of stokers the conduct
f,,f. at of I'm fFrI atC
and so forth. The book contains much
respectable newspaper work and
brings up many questions that nave
attracted attention of late years. The
hero, who at one time was captvated
by the efficiency idea, winds up with
yearnlngs for the [. w. w. form Of
socialism and blames the harbor for 1t.
The eXasperated wish of an over
worked young woman Is granted with
miraculous suddenness in Margaret
widdemer's "rhe Rose Garden Hus-
band" q. b. Lippincott Company, a
very pretty story. The manner In
which she obtains wealth and rose
garden and nominal husband is
devised humorously. When the reader
has accepted that, he will be pleased
with the way the young woman man.
ages the situation and turns the make
believe into a real husband. She Is
a very nice girl. The author has bal
anced sentiment and fun very skill
6ully in this fanciful tale.
From the time of Mr.. Swiveller's
NIarchioness the sharp little girl OF
the slums has proved attractive, and
"Amarily of Clothes-Line Alley
U.tttle, Brown and Company, by
Belle X. Mandates, is no exception
She is blessed with large family and
amiable neighbors, and their doings
are amusing, but her fancies and de-
vices are captivating. We could dc
with less of the surplice and the
extraordinary price It fetches, anc
could wish that the young woman
who keeps the minister in suspense
were more sensible; between then
they cast a needless Sunday schoo
shadow over the tale. The little
heroine is all right, however, and thu
author thoughtfully provides pos
sible lover for her In the days wher
she grows up,
The London fog in which Harold
MacGrath revels at the beginning o.
1.-THE Voice in the Fog" (the Bobbs
Merrill Company, Indlanapolis) per
meates the whole story. The author
IL so intent on misleading his read
crs that he falls to give any individ
uality to his hero, who maintains hi
cabin steward level of intelligence
after tho wiful heroine has put hin
IN better position. We are Obliged
20 Mr.. MaCGrath for two rich moi
who have human feeling and SHOW
ordinary sense; we could easily SPAR
the stale gibes at English Intelligence
lie had put together the material TO
good mystery story, but prefer
10 talk about other things that ar
Irrelevant,
\ story of adventure on the British
Columbia coast that will hold tn
attention has been written by Harol
Bindloss in "The Secret of the Reef
Frederick 4, Stokes Company, bu
the author evidently planned a bette
story than he has written. Thre
BdVcnturers in "A small sloop try /
ge' the gold from . steamer wrecke
on its return from the Alaskan ports
They are Murdered by ice and storms
which are described graphically, an
by the Vaccinations of the forme
owner Of the ship, when they &c
the treasure they find that "A swindl
had been pcrpetrated. ON the fac
II seems 10 have been against tn
insurers; in reality it was against III