The New York herald., 1921-09-04

grays.
"The mountains look on Marathon
And Marathon looks on the sea.
Music! The trumpets thinned
away, exquisitely thin. tiny, gone!
And high above the mountains and
far upon the sea~an organ shook.
'He said 'WcH. I'm dashed!' and
put the book away"
When he came to make school texts
for boys he tried to get something like
that into them. Here is the first para
graph of his England" which he was
a long time in writing:
This England dt said) "is your
IT belongs to yoa. Many enemies have
desired to take 1t because it is the most
glorious and splendid country in the
world. But they have never taken II,
because II Is Dours and has been kept
for you. This book Is to tell you how
1t has come TO be yours and how 1t has
been kept for you-not by kings or by
statesmen. or by great men alone, but
by the English people. Down the long
years they have handed 1t on to you
as torch is sent from hand to hand.
and you, in your turn, will hand 1t
on down the long years before you.
They made the flame of England bright
and ever brighter for you: and you,
stepping into all that they have made
for you will make it bright and
brighter yet. They passed and are
gone: and you will pass and go. But
England will. continue. Your England.
Yours"
Then along came war and threatened
to change the possessive pronoun.
But this is only incidentally war
book. Even in the midst Of il. one
of the most penetrating death scenes
in recent literature is not from hos
pital or battlefield. but In the quiet
room of an old woman whose son,
young Perch, had been killed In bat
tie shortly before Mark remembered
how the boy had never let his mother
cross "A road without him. He felt
that somehow she must be helped over
this last crossing.
"How in pity was she to take this
frightful step? He twisted up all his
emotions into an appeal OF tremendous
intensity. Young Perch! Come herei
Your mother! Young Perch. come
herep"
And the answer came.
HE heard. Now. then. mother!
Don't be frightened. Here I am,
mother Come on, mother. One step.
mother Only one. I can't reach you.
You must take Just one step. Look.
mother, here's my hand. Can't you see
my hand?
"It's so dark, Freddie
"Tt's not. mother It's only dark
where you are. It's light here. Don't
cry. mother. Don't be frightened. It's
all right. It's quite all right
THAT TALL pale young man with his
face like one of the old Huguenots
That very frail old woman with her
fumbllng hand and moving lips.
Where was gone that mask?
Whence had come this glory? That
inbabtant of this her body in act of
going had looked back, and its look
had done this thing. 1t had closed the
door upon a ruined house, and looked,
and left a temple"
But even without the revealing
touch of death, Mark was used to read
ing faces as he read his beloved books.
HE came 10 determine that infinitely
the most beautiful thing in life was
face lighting up with the pleasure Of
friendship. The greeting passed
tho light faded the wanting returned.
But he determined the key to the so
luton lay within that ambit. The
happiness was there. 1t was here In
life. found. realized in loving meeting.
as warmth is found on stepping from
shadow into the sun. The thing that
was lacking was something that would
fix II. render II permanent, establish Il
in the being as the heart is rooted In
the body
But though the book deals with
great themes there is humor in IL. and
even comedy, furnished by High |
Jinks" and Low Jinks." There Is
even humor in the unspeakable Mabel |
But she never Is aware of II.
A book TO read more than once, for |
II helpsso interpret hard meanings
to interpret the reader TO himself.