Evening star., 1915-06-13
BOOK REVIEWS.
worst. author of Big Tremaine.
etc. Frontispiece by c. H. Tans.
Boston. Little Brown & Co.

lotion of the realistic sort IS
nowadays overrun with records
of the social havoc wrought
through the invasion of the
downtown office by women
According to the story-teller, the fe-
male stenographer. typist. private sec
retary or confidential clerk is the mod
e,n siren. Her song is the joyous clat-
ter of the keyboard over which white
hands flash and flutter in maze OF
fascination that is quite past the pow
ers of mere man to withstand Ihese
romances. from this common starting
point diverse through many primrose
paths only to come together in
final agreement of personal disaster
Miss Van Norsts story of the type
writer girl is better than the best OF
these Mary Moreland is a character
of distinction. To be sure Mary mas
herself deeply in love with her married
employer. according TO rule. But. be-
ing a fine sort, Mary. though oVertaken
by the accident of unfortunate love,
will not be worsted by it, And the
story progresses through the workings
of this girls beneticent spirit, spirit
that goes after its own shortcomings
and spurs them up TO the standard OF
an all-around fair-dealinG. Mary
Morelaud is we'll worth any ones
knowing and her story is a good one
While Mary has the center of the stage.
as she deserves to have. tne other
characters are genuine human beings.
each admirably fitted for his part in
this modern story of at least one of
the social complications that is likely
to await the young woman facing the
world of business. To have created the
two persons. Mary Moreland and Big
Tremaine. is an achievement of which
any writer may well be proud.
THE RED GERANIUM. BY William
Carleton. author of Zone Way Out.
etc. Illustrated by H. c. Wall and
F. r. Gruger. Boston: Small. May
nard & Co.
Mr.. Carleton has gone back to the
land with SO much of contentment
growing out of the venture and SO
much of reasonable success attending it
that. quite naturally. he is pretty well
saturated with the joys of that kind
of life. Potatoes and radishes. beans.
peas and posies, beautifully expressive
as they are. do not. however. fill quite
to the brim the measure of the mans
need He is possessed, also. with an
urge to tell others about the satisfac-
tions of his life. So. gifted with the
knack of story telling. Mr.. Carleton
has become. in addition, a literary
evangelist. preaching by way of story
book the glad tidings of modern farm
ing. Three short stories on the sub
5ect make up this volume. The first
one gives the book it's name. This is
the story of a plucky woman who. pen
niless and unframed. took up the sup
port of her three children when her
spineless mate slipped out of the game
by the quick and ready road of pis-
tol shot. In substance, this is the story
of the development of a market flower
mild and unobstrusive romance
goes along with the sturdier matter.
The Case of Mathews and My Son
are also stories of farming. the first
of farming experiment, the second
as profession. Mr.. Carleton has a
good way of telling these tales-a
plain. blunt way. that perfectly fits the
nature of the theme and meets the pur-
pose of telling them. Anybody who
leans al all toward this subject will
find much to instruct him here, and
an equal amount to please and enter
tain him.
JUST GIRLS. By l. T. Thurston, au-
thor of The Torch Bearer" etc.
New York: Fleming H. Revell
Company
Westbrooke was dull and sleepy
little village whose folks. both young
sickness of narrow routine. One day
Frances Loring came to Westbrooke
And in no time at all she had rounded
Up the girls of that mildewed hamlet
into the most electrified bunch of hu-
manity that one could find in a months
hunt for genuine life. With Frances
at the head to show them how to do
IL. the girls formed themselves into a
club In whirl of industry and inge-
hnt l.
house into clubrooms. From this point
they Sailed out to do about every sort
of useful and beautiful thing that nice
girls can think of. At this point it Is
important to make note of the fact
that all girls are nice. if given half
chance. Boys. too. This story speeds
along with SO much of interesting in
cfdent to carry its sails. that before
. long the bows of Westbrooke had laid
aside their big airs and were begging
TO come in. And soon the grown folks
were looking forward to the very spe-
cfal events that permitted their pres
ence. In the prodiious Occupation
of their many affairs the girls forgot
the little jealousies that idleness and
boredom had bred for the time being in
. their young lives. They grew as sweet
as they were designed to be-friendIy
companionable. helpful and really use
full to the whole little place. Girls will
like this story. 1t is natural. stirring,
absorbing. Herself Young and human
IN making these girls charmingly good.
instead of DULY and revoltingly good.
From the many welfare movements for
boys and girls now operating through
out the country rhe has chosen as the
foundation of this story the Y. W. c.
A. Eight Weeks Club" The adven-
ture stands as A competent and equal
companion to the other stories for
young folks that Mrs. Thurston has
already written.
RABfNDRANATH TAGORE: Bio
graphical Study. BY Ernest Rhys.
New York: The Macmillan Com
pany.
= By reason of their artistic beauty
and essentially modern spirit. the writ
inEs Of Tagore, or '"fhakur," the
name stands originally, have found
warm appreciation in the west. There
IS only a short step between love for
mans genius and keen interest in
the personality Of the man himself
This book spans the step by giving
readers the important facts of the In
dian poets life this is. on the one
hand compound of the immemorial
traditions of his country and. the
other. lighted and lifted by the dawn
of our new day. Tagore's writings
hail him the modern man. But be-
side the nodernity there is the elusive
"a 20