The sun., 1919-02-16
By CONSTANCE MURRAY GREENE

w b. AAA"ELh Is SILL Writing
w Church of England novels in
spite of his service as Captain In the
Royal Fusi6ers. The Mirror aud the
Lamp follows a silence of five years and
Is 50 positively not the novel one would
expect In the circumstances that We are
convinced it was partially executed, or at
least conceived, before the wars begin
ming. Mr.. Maxwell is the son of NJ. E.
Braddon and has been novelizing for
matter of eighteen years, The Ragged
Messenger and The DerTS Garden being
among the best known of his books, all Of
which have received enthusiastic notice,
particularly in England.
Toward the end of this story Edward
Churchill, its rather bloedless though low
able hero, becomes England's foremost
novelist and writes a book which strikes
rs from the description as being much
like The Mirror and the Lamp. at was
not perhaps much of story, and it was
certainly very long; but through it there
shone a steady soul radiance. The book
was ike Edward Churchill. You only
had TO know it well enough to love it"
The first part of the description fits the
case exactly, and the second might be
made to. Perhaps if We read this book
a great many times We could learn to
love it. If it be really ike Edward
Churchill there is hope, for however much
he bores US he never loses our affection.
So far the impression is of fuility, espe-
cially after the first half is done. Mr..
Maxwell is again responsible for con-
Meeting our train Of thought with the
odd definition of metaphyAcs-that is,
Ike a blind man IN a dark room hunt
ing for black hat that isn't there. But
We have read the book only once.
Mrs. Churchill, the upright mother, is
made a brutally discouraging example.
She brought up her three sons with the
home fires burning at white heat; didn't,
so far as we are told, interfere unduly;
sacrificed herself painstakingly, and got
IN the end-whatf OF The three who went
TO the dogs but one returned, and he
after her death. No explanation is Of
fered for their behavior unless it be that
q too religions training at school and in
he home caused a reering in the oppo-
site direction. The two elder sons an
nouneed their intention of entering the
church and chung to it until the real choice
came, then chose as we have mentioned,
the dogs. Edward, the best loved of his
mother and the most loving, reserved his
decision until the hour that it could take
effect and became ehurehman with the
intensity that marked his every act.
1t Is with his five years preparation
at Oxford that the story really begins,
and from this point it also begins
to lag. Heretofore it has been possible
to amble along In a pleasant content
despite occasional sorrows, but now there
is continual rocking back and forth with
Edward in his nuctuating faith, and sbso-
hte lack Of repose or Of satisfaction
whether for good or evil.
During the fifth year at Oxford Edward
felt the break in the sequence of his ideas.
~He began To think Of the soul as a lamp
which burns bright and clear, Illuminating
the mirror which is the mind, and for per-
feet peace the mirror should show moth
ing but the steady fame of the contented
soul"
Throughout his life he trusted b the
Mirror and the Lamp and he had the rare
faculty Of never regretting a decision,
however unhappily it might apparently
result. He did what seemed right and tn