Evening star., 1915-02-28

the Russian DN constance u
New York: The Macmillan Com
pany-
ENRY JAMES said. SO report
- has it, that he could not I'm
ish this novel. And another
critic admitted that it vel
nigh finished him. Yet both
of these men, along with host OF
other competent judges, declare DOS
toevsky to ne one of the greatest nov
elists in the world Many of them also
point to this as one of his greatest
books 1t is probably better known ir
America than any other of the Russian
writer's novels. In word. the story Is
exactly what its title proclaims 1t to
be. Raskolnikov, a Russian student
murders two old women. He is led by
a woman, Sonia the harlot. to confess
his crime. Deported to Siberia, he
spends seven years there, and in this
time there has been gradual reb1rth
of Raskolnikov and the outlook upon
new life. Three sentences may cover
this outline. But it taxes 500 pages
of amazing analysis, of diffuse think
ing. of irrelevant interpolations-and
all of this as wonderful as genius alone
could make il wonderful-to develop
the criminal psychology of RaSkolnl-
koN, an unstable, visionary, ambitious
youth, whose teemins and unchecked
thoughts carry his actions into all
waywardness. The character of Sonia
gives one little relief from this well
ter of criminal tendency. Sonia IS a
great woman. accompanying Raskol-
nikov to Siberia, she becomes the heart
and soul of the convict colony. And
this development, too. is matter for the
microscopic method of DostoeVSky as
is also the character of each one in
the crowds of people that come to-
gether in this novel. Hard reading,
one grants, and in places practically
unreadable because of the horror of it,
but ~reat novel, nevertheless.
THE WOOcEN HORSE: The story of
nm Unrepcntant PrOdigal. By Hugh
Walpole, author OF "Fortitude, etc.
New York: George II. Doran Com
pany.
Our discovery of Hugh Walpole was
b way of "Fortitude,' a novel calcu-
lated to hold one close to the trail of
this young writer, pretty confident that
whatever he might do would be we'll
worth looking after Then came The
Duchess of Wrexe." and then THE
Gods and Mr.. Perrin"-one a justitica-
ton. the other verification of ones
confidence. The Wooden Horse" it
turns out is Mr.. Walpole's first pub
lished novel. There were several un-
published ones before that Indeed. at
the tender age of five ne planned a
historical novel, and at twelve
achieved one on the exciting subject of
Guy Fawkes. A born writer, it ap-
pears. The eldest son of an English
house. home from twenty years in New
Zealand, is the 'unrepentant prodicai
and also the hero of this story. The
signs of his unrepentant state are many,
and all of them are grievous to the
prejudices of his family. the old fam
lily of Trojan. The romance is that of
the assault upon conservatism by the
nj
Trojan family, save for this splendid
blacA sheep, is compound of conven-
ton He is freedom itself. 1t is the
free and vigorous personally of this
prodigal that enters the Trojan house,
scattering the fogs and mists of its an
cient prepossessions, just as the wood
en- horse. concealing the modern
Greeks, entered old Troy and overcame
1t. The story is set in Cornwall a cor
ner of England to which the heart of
this writer clings. place that is turn
ing into dream and poetry at the
hands of loving and comprehendinS
men who are interpreting it in song
and story. One might lean toward say
ing that since this is Mr. Walpole' s
first novel it shows signs of relative
immaturity. But it does not. In work
manship it equals his other work. Ger
tainly younger, it is certainly not
cruder. An altogether fine story of
Cornwall, and of English life, and of
life itself.
IN BLACK AND WHITE: An Interpre-
tation Of Southern Life. By L. H.
Hammond, author of THE Master
Word" New York: Fleming H.
Revell Company.
This is very fair and humane study
of the southern negro in his various
relations, in his relations to society, to
the immediate community of which he
is a part. and to his family. A life
lcnG resident of the south and the
daughter of slave owner, This writer
Is able to illuminate her work with a
thousand side-lights on the character
Of the negro. as she is able also sup
puEt X with innumerable facts drawn
from her own observation and study.
one is assured that this book is a
weil-considered matter. That it is made
OF good sense, and reasonableneSs, is
obvious IL is, one admits, brand of
id ;.Iism, but surely idealism is not at
odds. OF should not be at odds. with
reason and sense and kindness and
fair dealing. Certain words, and
groups of words, are now much in
vogue These serve to mark out the
loose pattern of current social en-
deavor. The social conscience, !,
m9ral aas the so0o4
among these phrases. What this au-
thor, in effect, does is to take the con-
tent of each of these shibboleths and
place it beside the actual status of the
opportunities. This leads to a survey
of the industrial and political place OF
the negro. to his schools. to the courts
that deal out justice to him, to the gen
uine support given to what aspirations
he may have. The sum of the little
study is that the negro is no longer q
special burden, but only a part of the
worldwide task of dealing with the
poor and the ignorant, as the north
has its task with the poor Immigrants
that swarm upon its sea boards.
THE MAGIC TALE OF HARyANGEF
AND YOLANDE. BY G. P. Baker
New York: George H. Doran Com
pany.
medieval tale. whose theme is Har
Nanger's quest of The lest Thing il
the World 1t is, in a word, the story
of every youths out-venturing to dis
cover the land of his hearts desire
The enchanted story moves to music
to the music of the chosen word ant
the singing phrase. Its pauSes arr
Journeys where knights in gleamini
armor meet. where swords flash ant
gay pennons fiutter to the breeze An'
then the story advances, through
twilight of ringing bells and tende
songs. to the Fair valley. And ther
Harvanger's wooing of the maid Yo
lande is brighter far than tlashIn'
tourney, gentler than the chanting bel