Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-15

pariahs Of modern society.
Even yet women hold her in aloof sus-
picion, skirting their innocent menfolks
from her predatory assaults. And the
men. from behind this petticoat barri-
cade. treat her-in proportion to her
youth and good looks-to sly, lip-lick-
ing appraisal Even yet her only COM
pleteIy acceptable role is that of OBJ
security. along with the rest Of the
whipped dogs.
For the first time a grass widow here
energies into the open Of publication
with story that is as evidential in
quality as 1t is interesting in substance
and workmanlike in it's structure.
Young. pretty, poor. her own way and
that of four-year-old boy to make
in the world, the girl has no market
able work to exchange for the necessi-
ties of food and clothes. Besides. this
is mans woman-one calculated to
light the eye and water the mouth Of
the male. SO the story is the old one
of hopeful offers, of blind alleys eX-
plorcd, of swift and frightened flights
back into the straight road Of earning
ones living. The writer does not sign
her name to this novel. but half mill
lion grass widows could sign 1t, with
out doubt, the attested document OF
each of them. No. it is not an indict-
ment of the male. 1t is a mere telling
of how things are. If. apart from the
absorbing interest of the narrative
itself, there Is a striking admonition,
it Is that girls should be brought out
Of the silly and immoral uselessness Of
their upbringing and put to some sert-
Gus occupation that will make them
face with courage and confidence even
the opening of the doors OF the harem.
THE wANDERFR ON A THOUSAND
HILLS. BY Edith Wherry, author Of
The Red Lantern" etc. New York:
John Lane Company.
With surprising skill and sympathy
Edith Wherry weaves into the setting
Of this eastern romance the distin-
gushing marks of Chinese life. An
cestor worship, the strange marriage
customs. the subject state of the wife.
tho glory of the man child, the blight
and disgrace to the house where the
female is born, the home. the land
scare, the daily ceremonial of life, the
flowers OF speech. are here in an ad-
mirably harmonious combination of eff
feet. Within this setting is the dra-
matte and tragic story OF little Tung
Mel, daughter Of the village school
master, who in the spirit of sacrilege
itself has indicted Tung Mel into the
mysteries of learning. Marriage into
a station much above her own intro
duces beautiful love story, one that
is soon cut across by the tragic death
of her young husband and the murder
of her girl baby by Tung Nets out
RACED parents-tn-law. strange
chance brings a little white child into
her keeping. and with him she re-es-
tablshes the ancestor worship, broken
by the crime of having given birth to
a female child. Much Of the story has
to do with the complete GENERALIZATION
of this white boy, who later in a re-
Egious madness becomes the wanderer
on a thousand hills" Finally, compact
and wildly complete as is the eastern
background. 1t Is the human story 1T
self-the passion Of Tung Nets devo-
tion--in which the writer has achieved
a work OF real distinction.
CRIMES OF CHARITY. By Konrad
Bercovici. Introduction by John
Reed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Many thinking people are already
convinced that charity-either of the
organized or unorganized variety - is
wrong: that 1t Is a wasteful and mis-
directed haphazardry. based. not even
remotely, upon any economic principle,
and paying not the slightest heed to
any of the evolutionary laws of the So
cial organization. These claim. more
over. that charity is positively vicious
in Its ultimate results and essentially
Certainly no ono challenges the good
intent OF charity. But, since good in
tent may cover any amount OF Ill out
come, the opponents of charity refuse
to accept fair Intentions as the stand
ard of charitable output. This book Of
personal experience as q charity work
er supports, in effect, the contention of
these critics of the current scheme of
charitable enterprise. 1t is the record
of charity Investigator whose busi-
ness 1t was to follow up the applicants
for help. to determine tho legitimacy
of their claim, the extent of their per-
sonal resources and tho corresponding
measure of their need from organised
sources of help. Tho outcome Of this
experience IL an unqualified Yapudie-