Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-26
EXPER7,NESS OF WOMEN IN
I THE WRITING OF ESSAYS
Ninred kirkland DscomSeS The Con- feSsons OF Scene
Maker and "SyIish Stouts in Way Possible Only to
Member of the Sex Interested in the Matter
by FELIX T.. SCHELLING



TT HAS been my happy fortune to view
l for review, successfully and of late.
thc cstimablc essays of two ladies, or
70 mt il in elder wise, the essays of
,ro estimablp lndics--AIrS. Clipston
s,urcis, in whom Boston rcjoiccs, and
our own Miss Rcpplier. whom. in true
philadclphiu fashion, we appreciate
but not nearly enough. To complete
this embarrassment of riches there
comes TO me now third-and no
minor third eithcr---in Miss WlnifrCd
kirkland. to complete the triad, And
while my case Is not quite that of
tabled Paris Of Troy, asked to judge
between three goddcsscs. as well might
ono say which Is the lovelicst Of the
croccs as determine which of these
skillful craftswomen in the delicate art
of the essay is to, carry off the palm
from her sisters. However. see 10
reason why the palm should be car
ried off or even paraded, and, rcmcm.
herring what comparisons are, they are
easily cvadcd. A more liberal lover am
| than was ever doughty Captain Nc.
Heath. of ''rhc Beggars' Opera" who
could only have been happy with either.
In this matter of essays. be they but
written in the manner of these, and
ran be happy with any or them all.
MISS KIRKLAND, who will be re -
lu membcred by many as the author
Of n striking essay in the Atlantic
not very long since. "Thc New Death, "
entities her new volume "Thc View
Vertical" in clever introductory
essay. contrasting the horizontal ntti-
trde of the body which was ours in our
smopban days back in the primcval
slime, with our gradual rise through
the ape to the humans vertical or up
right. 1t is n pleasing fancy that we
stand thus, us men and women, facing
life. to view things from the vantage
Of such stature as may be ours. And II
may be said and truly that Miss Kirk
lands own view is always the view
fortnight, frank, kindly, illuminated
with wit in dcCorous control and
warmed with q humor that reaches
humor's best extreme at times in ten
dcrness of feeling. What pleasing titles
are some of these. Miss Kirkland ;
former volume was called 1.-The JOy'
Of Being Woman" and Mrs. Sturgis
INDUCED in "RandOm Reflections OF d
Grandmother. Moreover. how these. ou1
graCcs in the literary arts, are shuttinG
mere miserable man out in the cold
They have us hopclessly beaten at this
game: we who know only the neglected
condition of being II man and. as grand
fathers, are ourselves little more thar
reflections. Among the delcctablc titles
Of Miss Kirkland are confessions 1"
A Scene Maker" stylish Stouts. -
Solilouuy on Sorting" and 'Drudgerl
ns n Fine Art" delightful in substanc,
as we'll as in title. There is not one .
these which does not subtly glory il
the ioy Of being n woman. | will no
say that only a woman can make
scene, though assuredly none can MAKE
one more successfully. "Stylish StOuts'
suggests that we turn the other wa!
lest we pry into business which is nom
Of ours. 1t is only in drudgcry, man
proper portion. that we share, and nom
Of us can approach the art of IN
charming woman set forth by Nils
Kirkland in this essay.
COME time since Il polite publishe
~ returned the manuscript of book O
essays with n new excuse: 1t was TO-
disiontod in subject matter. Tabl
talk, n dictionary and the essay, thcS
are the three things in life-about tn
Gnly ones lrft-which have not bee
organized into consistency. One of tn
lessons for the tabled Mrs. Parting
toms fondncss for dictionaries was tina
in the reading of them and of cncyclo
pedias she found such a lively chang
Of subject. Miss Kirkland'S "Nicw
Vertical" are ever consistent in th"i
Ncrticaity. but her subject matter is a
changing in mood and ns varied
theme as even the heart Of Mrs. Part
ington could wish. Disjointcd ioI