Evening star., 1915-05-23
BOOK REVIEWS.


~YHE purpose OF tnls seh'i<'ii'
CHAPTER out of the literary
life of eighteenth century
London is to re-embody. IN
manner. the English salon. in
order to trace the relations existins
between literature and society IN the
age of johnson. Approaching the sa-
lon by way of the conversation par
ties. literary assemblies and the blue
stocking club. from which II grew
in successive steps. this writer recon
structs it, complete. Lady Mary Wort
ley Montagu. or another. at its head
the men and women of letters assem-
bled in open support or secret de-
risjon of the aims and claims of the
salon. johnson and Boswell are mere
Walpole and Chesterfield. Fanny Eur
ney. Hannah More and many another
of those eighteeth century writers and
artists. each talking in his own person
out of his own modes of speech. These,
rather than the writer. present the
case of the salon. or deny that 1t mas
a case at all, according to the separate
views prevailing on this SUBJECT IL
is for the writer. however. to discover
the causes that led to the passing OF
the English salon. causes lying IN the
nature and temperament of the Eng
lishman himself. 1t is he too. who res
cues from this passing Institution the
Influence that il did undoubtedly eS-
ert over certain types of literary form
Since the English salon was an at
tempt to pattern itself after the lit
erary world of Paris. the writer COM
pares the two in order TO set clear the
shortcomings of the English expert
ment The study throws many an in
teresting sidelight on the literature OF
the eighteenth century. Its positive
charm. however. lies in its lifelike re-
habilitation of the English salon in the
sum total OF its aims and qualities and
appearances.
ALICE AND FAMILY. BY st. John
G. Ervine author Of Mrs Martins
Man" etc New York: The Macmil-
Ian Company.
Jane Gertrude and Vilet. 'Erbie. Mr.
Nubbs and the baby. make up the East
London family upon which Alice here
practices her yeneralship. Under the CO.
gent plea that Nuhbs never was any
thing more than a plain fool. Mrs.
Nubbs. dying. wished her helpless
household into the capable hands OF
the little neighbor girl. Alice. This
being job after Alice's own heart. she
sails into 1t with energy and entnu-
siasm. In no time at all, warm and
comforting order routs the erstwhile
confusion of the place. Alice washes.
combs and dresses the children and
slaps them according to their daily de-
serts. She cooks and cleans and scrubs.
She engineers Erbie and Nubbs into a
little business, standing between this
innocent pair and raveniug world
while they are learning the tricks of
their own trade. The capsneaf of her
achievements is to marry Nubbs to her
mother. ITO keep down talk for Alice
will have no shady appearances around
where she is. From beginning to end
humor has this story of corner of
East London in hand. Neither so big
nor so serious as Mrs. Martins Man"
it is. nevertheless. within its intent
equal to that story, both in workman
ship and in it's feeling for the human
nature of the humble folk.
THE ROSE-GARDEN HUSBAND. BY
Margaret Widdemer. illustrations
by Walter Bisgs. Philadelphia: J. B.
Iippincott Company.
This is beautifully youthful story
II one can get through its beginning
with his credulity still on secure and
straight. the rest is easy and delight
full. That its heroine is beautiful is
acceptable. and it should be. That
she is in possession of a perfectly
good job as library teacher at fifty
dollars month is quite within belief.
But that she should give this up to
marry a rich young invalid whom she
had never seen. in order that his idoliZ-
ing mother might die in the comfort of
knowing him to be provided for, this
is the narrow pass through which one
must squeeze himself in order TO reach
the very engaging series of happenings
that make up the hulk of the romance.
As matter of course. true love story
develops here, the young husband is
stored TO lusty manhood and every
thing turns out just as il ought TO in
any world that is as we'll regulated
as IL should be. And the whole is a
very pretty business, with humor and
good sense and human nature nd q
knack of story telling pretty evenly di-
vided in its makeup.
CLOISrERED ROMANCE. By Flor
ence olinstead. New York: Charles
Scribners Sons. Washington: Bren-
tano's.
We're IT not for its setting, the love
story of Alethea Lawrence and David
Paget would be like the great ma jority
of such. matter of complete indiffer-
ence to all but the pair Immediately
concerned. But the cloister-Iife in
which the romance buds and blooms
does save II to 4 degree OF fresh inter-
est for a circle somewhat beyond that
Immediately held by the enchanted
pair When the stranger. David Iaget,
walking along the country way. check
ed Goliath. the clolster mule. in mad
ambition TO revert TO the wild and ca
SortinR days OF his youth. he no doubt
saved the lives of two little sisters OF
the poor but he paid for this gallant
act with broken bone and no end OF
general batter.ng Naturally. there was
nothing TO do but 10 take FACET to the
home for repairs and recovery. K was
1T the home that Alethea. the lady
bounfiful OF the little community, FIRST
raw MIN. And there the romance had
its beginning. AS mere figure of
speech Paget had named himself Il
tramp AS such he was regarded and
reported by the literal minded folks al
was. OF course. something like a mill
lionaire. But that does not come out
till toward the end OF the story. for
The very good reason that it needed
10 DO duty as the obstacle for true love
10 surmount. The BACKGROUND OF this
story is delightful The inmates OF
the home are as real as life-Mr. Sam
uel, and Mike and Mary Griffin and
Hafiz. the cat. and the good mother
Of monotonous routine. the childish
shirkings of duty. the small pilferines
to ease appetite. the truancIes ana
quarrelnXs and gosaipinSs on the one
side and on the other the staid and
pious devotion to duty-ttis is all
sympathetic and true. and most pleas
ing In its fidelity and workmanly re-
serve.
THE SOCIAL PROBLEM. BY Charles
A Ellwood PHI. D.. author of SO
GEOLOGY and Modern Social Prob
lems." etc. New York. The Macmil-
Ian Company.
As times and conditions change the
Ne