The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-25
THE RATANCE "

By Francis R. Belamy Illustrated. | Doubleday, Page & Co.,, publishers, Gar 1 den City, N. Y.
 1 In Francis R. Bellamys story entitled The Balance the opening chapters re- veal a picture of provincial city called | "Melchester," where Sydney Tappan. playwright and hero of the story. better known to his intimates as Sammy was born.
 Here he spent the greater portion of his hoyhood and here he fell in love with Carrie Schroeder-a love which was to re- main with him throughout his life. Later Sammy S-mes to New York. where he wins meretricious success with play which is mental poison to it's audiences and is presently caught In the grip of
 nation-wid financial depression ''The Monster poverty kills his best friend
 and wrecks girl who had within her much that was good; but in his fight with it Sammy wins the vision which is his own salvation. He is an interesting char acter, well presented with his weak nesses and his strength his inability to
 resist playing the hero and his very real power and generosity. The instinctive feeling for and response to the dramatic situation, the quick fusion of fact and 1 timagina tion, which is nearly if not quite always part of the temperament of the born writer, part which allowed to have Hts way uncontrolled may easily mean moral ruin. is unusually well portrayed
 There is a high spirited atmosphere e sur | rounding ''The Balance and the closing poem puts into nutshell it's central though of The Soul and Body EVERYDAY WORDS AND THEIR USES"
 By Robert Palfrey Utter. Harper Broth CTS, publishers, New York.
 most companionable volume is Robert I'alfrey Utters Everyday Words and 1 Their Uses, companionable in the sense that it will prove a good friend to have on ones desk when in the throes of com rosition, whether the owner be an author an ordinary Social correspondent a writer of business letters. advertising matter, or any of the other forms of writing in which everyday words can be used and abused Ii is the authors purpose, as he points out in his preface, to explain the meaning and use of a thousand or more every day words which are fre- quently missused or misunderstood, and to give the information in compact accessi- ble form without pedantry, formality, or technicalty.
 The first F pages of the little volume are devoted to an exposition of the gem eral principles governing the correct use of words. Grammar, good use, precision. I the metaphors in words, and simplicity
 or good taste are the chief determining factors of correct usage. The theoretical portion of the book is comparatively small yet the ground is thoroughly cov- cred in these first 15 pages.
 The next 227 pages are devoted to the
 words themselves, alpha ar ranged. The author tells not only how to use each word, but-most important of all-how not to use it; precisely what each word means. and what it does not mean but is sometimes erroneously thought to mean. The finer shades of sig nificance are fully explained and reasons
 given why one of two words having the same meaning should be used in prefer ence to the other. A final section of 27 pages is devoted to a glossary of gram maical and other terms
 This book will prove not only an ex- cellent writing desk companion, but also a guide to correct speech; the most pains taking writers and speakers are apt to nod sometimes in the use of words, and this volume, if frequently consulted, will serve as counselor and guide to insure the habitual use of the right word in the right place.