The sun., 1919-08-10

of book, so sensible person as the late
Miss Edith Sichel, some time reviewer for
the London Times. Her New and CD
extracts from letters, character sketches OF
the various differing folk she encountered
in her philanthropic work among the poor
in the East End Of London, articles from
the Pilot, all prefaced with an instructive
and entertaining memoir by Prof. A. c..
Bradley-is worthy all attention, Is In
very truth, ..'the days best book" for those
who are interested in the art Of CONVEX
sation in England and France, the letters
of Saint Catherine of Siena, tie beginnings
Of the feud between Queens Elizabeth and
Mary Stuart; for all those who have any
curiosity concerning the court Of King
Louis XII. or the friends and acquaintance
of Rousseau and Voltaire.
Miss Sichel published novel as early
as 1898, and as late as 1911 life Of
Michel de Montaigne, with through the
years between two volumes on Catherine
de Medici, two others on the French
Renaissance, and still another on the
household Of Lafayette.
And she wrote well. Casual quotation
is unfair-I know: it has been used against
me-and proves very little; yet if you re-
fuse to take my word? "The
French are excellent administrators, con-
noisseurs of detail, but bad governors
and incapable of measuring big issues"
Written in 1902, time adds ever new
weight TO the truth of her observation.
And elsewhere regarding tn, French point
of view: ain France Nature has, before
all else, meant the spontaneous relations
Of man and woman. In ENGLAND Nature
has first meant the face of the universe and
the spirit that it breathes upon US. Rabe-
las and Montaigne looked frankly at the
sexes and problems they create; Bacon
devoted himself to probing the secrets Of
the earth. For us no Flaubert; for them
no Lake School. Unhampared by convic-
ton of sin, the French are natural, and
look upon as natural the half of what we
regard as moral, thereby causing misap
prehensions that obscure main issues and
falsify values of conduct AT this moment
England is rediscovering what France has
always known-that improperly and i'm
morality are not identical and that Nature
has her say in such things; is rediscover-
ing Nature, in short, with much clatter
from novelists and much reclamation Of
the ballet and the cult of the bOdy-too
much fuss about an obvious matterf And
France, it would seem from the books be-
fore us, has lately awakened to the simple
sense of earth and sky and what they
bring to us. E"
Miss Sichel not only wrote gell-I might
quote many fitting phrase-she was sane
above the ordinary and yet a
book reviewer Could any surprise be
more pleasant
NEW AND OLD. By EDITH srcHEI- E. p
Dutton & Co.
ID OBERT W CHAMBERS has the plot
IN for new excitator in the mystery
of George H. Doran's private Office.
Everybody who visits the sixth floor of
pa Madison avenue 'suppOses the pub
Usher to be lurking in the large corner
room occupied by Eugene F. Saxton. As
a matter Of fact, Mr. Doran is hard by
the elevator. Stepping from the lift, you
turn sharply to the right in the gloom
and press concealed button in the wood
panelling or rap three times. or some
thing. Be careful the girl at the switch
board does not give the alarm, thus
enabling Mr.. Doran to escape.