The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-08-23

Flint and Fire" a revelation of the
depths that lie in silent. suffering, and
the town library story which reveals
some quaint and unmistakable Yer
mont characteristics.
Not quite so intimate and with
more remote literary flavor are Mary
Walters stories of the Bethel 'Lympus
neighborhood, also remarkable in
some of Sarah Cleghorn's poetry and
prose. Our own Mrs. Dorr, Judge
Stafford Flagg, Hewitt and others
have made their verse national and
universal but what shall we say OF
zephine Humphrey, whose essay on
Vermont aroused such storm of pro
Test arOuple Of years ago?
Certainly Miss Humphrey is com
petent literary workman. over
Against Green Peak" with a definite
Dorset locale, conveys the charm and
appeal OF Nature and expresses a
pretty fancy that marks ii as good
literature, but evidently she has never
gone yellow he surface of the peculiar
temperament and reserve of the ma
tive VermOnler, and so far as one may
judge it is because of her lack Of true
sympathy with her neighbors and sur
IrOundings.
Her latest book, "The Homestead
is not only piece of almost inspired
fancy but it deives into psychology
with no prentice hand. 1t undertakes
TO show the influence on the lives Of
Vermont family of long established
farm house in which generations have
lived and died. She expresses her
| idea thus:
The old house knew how TO govern
her, too Imaginative from her baby
hood she had always thought of her
home as one OF the most important
Ipersonal factors in her life; aud now
that she was left so much alone with
It, the influence grew
She puts into the mouths of Daniel,
the lecturer, a purely literary crea-
zion further elaboration of the same
idea thus, 2se
There's something strange abcnt
old rhouses or rather, | suppose rs
not really strange at al, but inevitable
| Your house has had a hundred years
to gather personality from the people.
who have lived in it, and il has made
he NEST Of its time"
This. of course. is not Vermont taik.
| llthongh one could not say that the
| exceptional types she has created
night not say something of that sort.
| 1t is Zephine talk CT the most self
| conscious type, although perhaps il
night be said paradoxically that she
S uncouscious OF being self-conscious;
she merely puts her own fancifnl no
| ions into the mouths OF her charac-
| lers. and whatever Miss Humphrey
may be she is not a Vermontter.
Her character. Barbara, in The
Homes cad is another purely literary
creation. Granddaughter Of retired
sailor on the one hand and the rooted
Vermont stock on the other, she finds
wo Influences. pulling il her person
ally. IT'S a question of roots and
| wings, she says, 10 which the more
human Daniel very properly replies:
| Il never heard Of creature who had
both roots ana wings You don't seem
o be troubled with roots
Barbara makes some Roadway with
The House She says:
4 coaxelsthelbid house till it gave
OVERSEEING 40 abslrdiy mysterious and
gloomy Tile day L lasougiit home the
new ecrtaSisa It atshalIy amileds And
hat ag5Aiaa whensIl sabl on the steps
waiting Cor father, ii told me some
| very pretlyistories" fNa
AS fancy. this is surely very pretty
hut is it art2 Is It true? We can
imagine a Vermont-bcrn girl thinking
uch things. perhaps but when Bar
bara expresses them. il is in the
anguage q zephine
Her man Vermontcr, William, an
other imaginative. fanciful romantic
character has something zephinish tr
say about wings:
THAT which you are you are. God
has made you So He has given you
wings You mustn't clip them or fold
| hem; you must spread and use them
that dark old house is no place for
you, The sea is your place. Rome
is your place. Egypt, Greece. You be
long in the sunlight and open
Read ,that and then wcnder that
! Williams mother turns crazy in the
lnal chapters Of the book. burns
down that terrible incubus, "The
/ Homestead" and thus frees these two