Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-03
EFFICIENCY MAKES
POWERFUL SUBJECT
OF NEW FICTION BOOK
Sidney Nyburg's Conquest" a
Strong Study of Ameri-
can Race for Sue
cess
OTHER NEW NOVELS

"Efiolency"-.t efficiency which make
e man all-powerful in his youth, but whic
grips ever tighter like a relentless Wis
until It holds him helpless in his prime
is the Characteristic of American life at
tackled by Sidney L. Nyburg in his ex
cellent novel, "The Conquest" q. b. Lip
pincott Company. Philadelphia). 1t is 6
daring expose of the inhumanty of the
adage Nothing succeeds like success
and Of the cruelty of the goth century
doctrine to crush the last drop Of life out
of ones own soul and out of other mems
bodies in order to gain power
The plot Is consistently developed, and
simple perhaps the author made II pur-
posely so in order that the psychology and
philosophy of John Howard, the lawyer
hero, might stand out the more clearly.
Howard, as soon as he entered the legal
profession, determined to get to the top"
Anything that stood in the way of his am
bition not only to lead the legal field, but
to dominate the entire financial and com
mercial life of his city Baltimore, had
TO die. 1t mattered not whether the per-
son were his legal opponent or his fiancee.
He cut himself free from her as coldly
as he wrecked the life of the other.
Finally, when he was only one step re-
moved from attaining his ideal, he mar
ried woman he did not love in order to
gain the momentary prestige that would
give him the power he craved. He con-
trolled Baltimore, but a trail of ruined
lives and broken hearts blazed his path
way to success" Suddenly his own
shattered life added the last milestone
he became a physical wreck although his
mind was as at It's best.
1.-THE Conquest" mas as a subtitle zone
Lawyers Life" and is divided into three
parts: The Plan of Battle, A. d. 1892: The
Heat of Battle A. d. 1898, and The Spoils |
OF Battle. A. d. 1913. The love element
is purely Incidental This is Mr. Nyburg's |
first novel and contains much food for |
thought. About a year ago he published |
his first book, "The Final Verdict" six |
short stories about lawyers.
The few defects In style noticed then |
have been almost entirely obviated in the
present book. Perhaps the best that can
be done now is to repeat few sentences
OF what this reviewer wrote at the time
The Final Verdict" appeared.
MIR. Nyburg's pre-eminent qualification
Is his splendid monologue. (One now adds
soliloquy) The character delineatioh is
as fine as has been found in present day
popular literature for some time. Mr.
Nyburg chooses his words with a fine
1eeling for their subtle values, with the
consequent result that interest is main
tanned at high pitch throughout"
decidedly aNcontraSt to "The Conquest /" !
"Hollyhock House" doubleday. Page &
Co., Garden City, n. ", Marion AIMEE
Taggart's newest book is a combination of
Little Women and "Pollyanna" 1t has
It's flock of girls, duplicates of Meg, 10,
Beth and Amy, and II is suffused with the |
optimistic spirit of the little glad" girl
But unlike many of the books of glad /
ness "HollyhocS House" is not sticlxily |
saccharine. The Garden trio of sisters are
a winsome lot There is even a Mary
among them, but she has no time for
singing. She is II and her young shoul-
ders bear the responsibility of the house
mold Flortmel is 49, and a regular clip
but as good and good hearted as can be-
Jane is 10, and her fiery temper coin
cldes with her red name There's a mother 7
too. but she does not count much-at first
She really needs the girls mothering and
loving and she gets 1t in a very salts
Factory development of fine book for
girls from IA to rs. If 1t were a boys
book we would say it was pppin. Possi-
bly, 1t may convey the meaning to say
that 1t Is veritable Maiden Blush of a | O
girls story. Il
Samaritan Mary is really entertain II
ing" say the publishers in their descrip-
ton OF Sumner Lockes novel These |
York !.
The title character Is just that-a VIII [
iage character who has a shrewd wit and n
a pretty way of putting it into words. She Is
Is as full of pithy sayings as Polonius or c.
Bartletts Book of Familiar Quotations II
but she is not so duh as the former, or SO n
reference -bookish" as the latter She Is
does not hesitate to speak out her mind, CT
and her mind is rather well made up on "
many things. 1t is homely sort of mind, ir
tull OF cheerfulness and quaint philosophy n
The chief value of Theodore Roose- S
velt. The Logic of His Career" by his s.
college classmate and friend. Charles c.
Washburn (Houghton, Miffiin Company.
Boston and New York;, lies rather in the In
clear enunciation which the biographer IL
gives to the orthodox Republican attitude OF
on many important questions of politics ne
and policy than in the review of the II
'ormer Presidents career. No attempt is III
made TO give the events in Colonel Roose- m
Telts life either in chronological sequence W
'r in the order OF their Importance It al
s conversational narrative of Mr.. Wash
'urn's relations with the man during his
college days early political history, presi- N
iency and private life since 1908. a.
The mere announcement that Mrs. Ger 10
rude Atherton has written a mystery WI
tory-qute in the style of Anna Kath- III,
rine GREEN'S calculated to arouse inter-
st, even though 1t may come as a shock
o readers accustomed TO look down upon
his style of literary effort and TO look up
o the usual products of Mrs Atherton's | n;
en-. Mrs. Balfame" CFrederick A. vi
tokes Company. New York; is a sure
nOugh mystery yarn, and viewed from
ny standpoint a very able one. Certainly
ne most practiced writer of detective fic- tn
ION could not have been more successful | be
a coneealing the identity of the person ! CO
'ho committed the crime which introduces no
he narrative II the chief purpose of a as
lystery tale is ito keep the reader guess ar
lg," Mrs. Atherton has achieved that pur-
ose in a remarkable degree. MI
l5