Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-05-19
CELEBRATION OF FATHERHOOD
THAT GLORIFIES MOTHERHOOD
The StorV OF rev Years in the Life of Typical
American Famlly of Three Motherless
Daughters Told by Ernest Poole

30 IiVe' He finds in them his own char.
'''e'Istlcs and the characteristics of bis
ancestors crop out in unexpected ways"
All fathers notice that" said DR.. Nc.
fabre thoughtfully.
And sometimes they are SURPRISED and
srieNed at it," said l. There used IN he
~ brooklyn a Society Of Ethical Culture
Nhlch studied Herbert Spencer and evo.
iutlon. Its president once said NJ ,,o,,.
us Whlch ! attended that the highest
incentive to morality lay in the knovl.
euse that we are responsible for the
character OF the future generation and
',at unless we live upright lives our
cniiuren will inherit our vices and the
race degenerate"
The Bible told us long before sroroor
wrote that the sins of the fathers are
VISITED upon the children to the third and
iourth generations" said McFabre
lnere Is nothing new in that"
IL is an old truth but each genera.
tloh seems to have to discover it for itself
The most artistic touch and tho truos,
III TINS whole book is the treatment Of
'he youngest daughter, in whom the wild
oats that the father sowed I'm his youtb
| spring up into an abundant crop She is
SelhSh and sensual and devotes herself to
pleasure She marries and Is divorced
ana Is married again, but she refuses IN
nave children. She appears occasionally
in the pages Of the book. but as a boauti.
i"' o'ehlsh' and we are given to under.
stand that this is not one Of the children
IN which the father will live on. When
she dies, that will he the end Of that
Phase of his character. Sin is barren
ana Ike the fig tree which bore no fruit.
Is plucked up and cast into the fire. You
may he interested to know, Dorothy. that
this daughter used TO dance the ,angn
ana to foXtrot on the roof gardens of the
lashionable hotels in the same company
with men and women with whom care.
tuIly reared young women should he
ashamed to be seen"
81 do not wonder that she turned out
bad" said McFabre.
But like to foxtrot and tango" said
Dorothy. Dick won't let me 60 to the
roof gardens"
"1ll take you" said Ames.
Not so fast" said his uncle. you'd
better get her brothers consent first. He
knows more about such places than YOU
do. If he does not want his sister to he
brought into contact with that kind of life
we should respect his wishes"
Il certainly do wish to keep Dorothy a
little chOicer than that" said Owen
I'VE are getting a long way from
fatherhood," l said to bring them back
to safer ground I'm spite of Mr.. Poole's
purpose to magnify the father, his most
interesting character is the sister, who is
school teacher. She is the personifica-
ton of motherhood and mothers the 5000
children in her school, and their parents
as well, and all the people living in the
part of the city which her school serves.
AS an example of what capable and eff
cient mother instinct can do for benehtng
the community, nothing better has ap-
peared in recent fiction. She finally mar
ries and mothers her own little child, and
thereby comes into more intimate rela-
tion with all those whom she is trying to
help. One evening a short time before
the father dies the daughter puts her
little boy on the bed beside him, where he
goes to sleep. The grandfather, looking
down at the infant and seeing in him
+ the promise of the continuance of his line
for another generation, whispers softly
Good night, little brother. God grant the
world be very kind"
ut must be a moving atory," said Dor
othy gently, while her eyes sparkled with
| moisture.
1T is, and 1t is the greatest story that
has come from the publishers this spring
great In its grasp of life, great in its mas
terful handling of pressing social and ed
ucational problems, and above all, great
in the sincerity of its purpose"
GEORGE w. DOUGLAS.
HIS FAMILY. By Ernest Poole, author, OF
1.-THE Harbor." New York: The Macmillan
Company. $3.50.