Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-14
PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH
IN NEW MARTIN TALE
In Her Husbands Purse
Helen Reimensnyder Martin
Has Penetrating Study

Helen Remensnyder Martin has writ
ten no more profound and penetrating
study of Pennsylvania Dutch" customs
and characters than appears in Her
Husbands Purse" (the Century Company,
New York;. The quaintness, the near
ness and the diversity of this curiously
isolated section of life stand out by con-
trast with the typically Southern man
ners of Margaret, the heroine. "herself' of
the title. The holder of the purse is not
to be called a hero, How can one justly
so describe a man who is as parsimonious
as he is rich cultured and interesting He
is a Harvard graduate and a pastor to
boot Into his household comes the daugh-
ter of the Southland, with its bountiful-
ness, its cheerfuness. She is true
daughter OF the South, The changes and
contrasts from her own home life to that
of the Reitzel menage, with its literally
miser master and his two dominating sis
ters. one iron. grim, unloving and un-
lovable, the other silly, with the romantic
fancies of l6 running riot through her 45-
year-old heart, afford Mrs, Martin capital
situations. rich in opportunities for COM
edy and satire But ii is all good-natured
and has a serious implication underlying
the fun. BY indirecton. too. there is a
bit OF social preachment on the legal
rights and due privileges of the wife in
domestic economy.
John Bogardus" CThe Century Com
pany. New York; is not an inferior piece
of fiction, but il does not reach the
standard of story and Characterization of
Home" or Of psychology and human in
terest of Through Stained Glass, the
two earlier works of George Agnew
Chamberlain. Mr.. Chamberlain cannot do
poor work; his new novel maintains a rair
level OF plot, situation and character But
one feels ne can do better work than this
good as it would be for the average novel
ist): that he can scale heights and plumb
depths If he but takes more time One
gains the impression that he is writing
too much that he does an Anthony Troll
lope daily stint" And the result is many
a mOnotonous page,
John Bogardus" takes the hero over
many lands, across many seas, through
many experiences, emotional and psyche
logical He is a rebel against conven-
tions, a tramp, a sailor, a farmer a
scholar, a university professor. He loves
four women OF wonderfully diverse types
The gift Of epigram and phrase-making
characteristics Of the author in his earlier
books. is found again. page after page.
Geraldine Bonner, known for her ad
mirable California trilogy" and CO.
authorship Of several plays, has with a
couple OF volumes taken a high position
among writer's Of detective fiction. The
Girl at Central was a very good story
The Black Eagle Mystery" %. Appleton
& Co. New York;. Is a better II thrills are
reekoned numerically and ingenuity Of
plot Is a criterion. Yet one hopes Miss
Bonner viii not eonfne her great talent
as a novelist 10 detective literature, sue
cessfnl as she Is in the field In this field
curiously enough. women writer's have at
tanned almost a hegemOny. Witness Anna
Katharine Green Carolyn Wells, Mary
Roberts RinehaTt.
In The Black Eagle Mystery" Miss
Bonner has employed a device BY which
the dead man actually takes a prominent
part IA fsrreting out the murderer What
Il Is cannot Be divulsed here. II Is not
estiquette" for E reviewer 70 uncover the
mystery u 4 mystery story THIS one :
ueil forth reading the story for. u con-
ezrns q easns aHa Beautiful ToH.all--saa-
Izseled. q fplfa lawyer ana tVo De-