Evening star., 1915-11-21

- ONE novels. most novels, in fact,
are ripe in spots, like a sun
neglected peach, around whose
~ generally hard lumpiness one
nibbles for the occasional mel
low bite. But this novel is ripe all
around. and clear through, consist
ent luscious richness of original and
sustained invention. 1t is the romance
of Sylvia Marshall. 1t is, too, the de-
lectably fresh story of girlhood, with
its dreams and awakenings and dreams
again. until the girl finds herself right
in the middle of a very real life that
demands many urgent and strenuous
things of her. This romance of Sylvia
Marshall moves along with home and
friends, with work and play and suit
ors. and. finally. with approach ching mar
riage for Sylvia. But this is the out
line of about every romance, telling
nothing at all about the special charm
of this one. For that, one must go, in
part. to the personality and character
of Sylvia herself. In other and larger
part. he must go to Sylvia's mother.
gallant Barbara Marshall Sylvia is
winsome and brimming with promise,
but Barbara is splendid. one cannot
afford to miss Barbara Marshall. And
Lawrence, the other children, are all as
human and appealing in their different
and lesser ways as are these other two.
The whole Marshall household, both in
its sane management and in the queer
and interesting persons whom it at
tracts and welcomes, is a joy, a warm
and verdant spot in the arid waste of
deadly monotonous homes. And the
wider radius of setting for this girl
and her mother. the atmosphere of the
university town of the west, is as hap
PLY natural and believable as the other
parts of the story are. This romance
has a message. but it is one that is SO
self-effacing that it would stay con-
tentedly in the background if the read
er himself did not bring it out. But
this the reader finds himself uncon-
sciously doing when pretty Sylvia. like
any other pretty girl, has the chance to
be silly and even wrong. At these
danger points for the girl one finds
himself saying: Barbara MarshalIs
girl is going to get this thing right. 1t
is not in the nature of her up-bring-
ing to go very far wrong" And SO it
turns out One cannot describe the
sheer worth and irresistible appeal of
Barbara Marshall. But if, after read
ing this story, any mother can even
approach her in love and sympathy, in
comprehension and comradeship, in tact
and plain common sense, then, in that
case, this mother is insurlng the essen
tial nobility of her children and, at the
same time, making home that is both
a JOY and a haven. Dorothy Garfield
has every reason to be proud OF TINS
new novel, just as her readers will,
without exception, one thinks. be CRATE
full to her for its achievement
TEN DEGREES BACKWARD. BY Ellen
Thorneycroft Fowler. author of Her
Ladyships Conscience" etc. New
York: George H. Doran Company.
When one sets out to achieve a happy
hatw oh nd
two she has a good deal Of a job on
her hands. The thing is all out of
nature and in life never works well.
The only way in which it may be made
to succeed. even tolerably well in fic-
tion. is to doctor the situation, trim
ming and pruning on the one hand,
pulling and coaxing on the other, and
then, the wedding accomplished. to
close the matter without further am
plifcation or to-do. And this is about
what the writer has done in this case.
To be sure, she prolongs the story past
the time when it should by rights, have
been ended. and it is here that it is the
least convincing. Set in a quiet corner
of England, the romance develops
agreeably in the atmosphere of Eng
lish country life, with Sir Reginald
and his sister and the vicar as its
center till the appearance of the wears
ward gives the essential turn upon
which the real matter rests. Sir Regi-
nald is startlingly youthful in looks and
behavior, as he must needs be. The
girl is uncomrnonly free from the
prince tradition of average girlhood.
BY dint of making her jealous of the
masterful and monopolizing sister of
Sir Reginald. a most modest and retir-
ing CHAP. quite exciting and many
sided love feeling for the man develops
on the part of the girl. There is no
end of clever writing here, quick dia-
logue. personal peculiarities thrown off
IN catchy and trenchant phrase in
teresting situations succeeding one an
other. and, in a word. a good story ex-
cept that when it is over the reader
feels that he has left those deluded
folks in good time to escape the sight
OF their certain disiIlusionment We
IKE to think--that is, We like to think
II IL we are on the losing side of the
game-that disparity of years is no
barrier to love. but observation and in
tesuGaton are rather dampening to
this thousnt 80, one quarrels with
this fine writer at her choice of SO un-
manageable a theme
hEaHT OF EUROPE. BY Ralph Adams
Irafn, LIT d. LII D., F.R-GS IL
iustrated New York: Charles Scr,b-
ner's Sons.
Between the Seine and the Rhine
lay once beautiful land Wherein moro
history was made. and recorded in old
monuments full of grace and grandeur
and fancy. than in almost any other
region of the world" 1t is with this
region. the heart Of Europe" that the
volume in hand nas to do. This hands
breadth of earth between the Seine and
the Rhine, the Alps and the northern
sea, has. for century upon century,
peen the meeting ground of hostile
hosts, the battlefield upon which the
slow and halting triurnphs of civiliza-
tlon have been won. History focuses
here in ancient cities and a monu-
mental art. sign and symbol of the
Vicissitous career of progress. Heart
OF Europe" is q glowing Kaleidoscope
picture of this region from the middle
ages. on through the Spanish dominion,
and the rise of the Burghers, and the
development Of a national conscious
ness. each period stamped and recorded
In the splendid arts Of architecture,
painting, sculpture and the purely in
dustrial aspects of art. Then follows
a summary Of its later mellDwing in
the peace and prosperity of modern
days-and then the shock and devasta-
ton. the seemingly irretrievabie ruin
OF 1914. The importance of this par
ticular study lies in the fact that il is
SO well suited to the needs of the gem
eral readar. 1t is primarily an outline
of history. holding up only the high
points of historical fact, for the read
er's ready grasp of the saliences of this
subject. But this outline. unlike the
dry skeletons that these commonly
prove 10 be. is rounded and filled and
vita lized into an animate and stirring