The New York herald., 1921-01-09
By PANAME.

Inc crltlcaI 1nkWellS OF far1s ers
overfiowing and one is almost afraid
to look into the Seine for fear it has
turned black. One of the new books
that has loosed this dark flood Il
"A Kingdom Of God" (Plon-N -Nourrit;
Paris), the latest work Of the brothers
Tharaud. Jerome and Jean. The frs,
prize of the Academic Goncourt-
whose name recalls a similar literary
pair-was won by their "Dingley. the
lilustrious Writer" But in the present
novel they continue the study of those
ukrainian types introduced to us in
their earlier book, "The Shadow of the
Cross
The scene of "A Kingdom of God" is
laid in market town of the Ukraine
called Whitechapel, which the Jews
have changed derisively to S,oarse-
Teme, meaning. in their jargon. the
village of black -mire. The pious folk
We're praying about their rabbi Mi
raculous" when the news came of a
pogrom in the towns next to theirs.
Appealing for protection to a great
Polish noble. master of the village.
they begged for Cossack guard. Al
though Cossacks were detested in all
the Russian Ghettos, the villagers of
Swarze- Teme welcomed them as their
deliverers, treating them gratefully
even while their presence was counted
a menace. The townspeople looked
forward to release from these impious
as soon as quiet should be
will not dwell on the story itself,
which is really of little Importance,
It is only a means to an end--the
picture of folk life, which abounds in
richly colored details of an amazing
variety.
"A little apart from the centre of
the town there is certain street and
between that street and the group of
isbas a pond, almost dried up In sum
mer, broad and deep from autumn to
springtime.
But this is not like other pools; !;
1t is a sea, an ocean which divides one
universe from another. Here the
peasants: there the Jews--two worlds
which, from the rising to the setting
of the sun, from birth to death,
throughout the length and breadth of
their being. have not single act or
thought alike, nor one sentiment held
in common"
And here we find ourselves with
the turning Of page, on the peasants
side OF the pool, among a folk that
dwell in a fiowery land whose abun-
dance and grace charm the soul of the
reader.
Few villages are lovelier than the
Of the Ukraine in spring. As
far as eye can see the fields are all
flowers and grain. The isbds are be-
sieged, as 1t were. by all this grain,
by all these flowers The stubble re-
that It was once alive and
Is covered again like the harvest
field with wind-waved stalks. In the
courtyard, where. one hears the dogs
joyous bark. comes up the sunfiower
and upon the windowsill blossom the
geranium and the sweetwilliam.
1T seems that all these flowers OF
the field come Of their own accord to
place themselves on the caps Of the
lads, to crown the maidens' brows
Thus adorned these young girls are
lightly clad IN tunics with
short sleeves and open bosom. above
n skirt that scarcely covers the knee,
leaving the legs bare.
THE complexion is warm, the eye
blue. the features are well proper
toned. the body is perfect, as one can
see at a glance. And the half nude
state of these rustic beauties, In the
midst of all the flowers makes of
springtime in the Ukraine a season
Of unrivalled luxuriousness. almost
delightfully."- primitive. Here
dwells poesy. fed away out of the
of men; here every passion
develops with the power of growing
grain"
II In I'm contrast with such intensity
Of life that the sombre shadows OF
the Ghetto gre set:
mot garden. not a flower :.
neither dog nor cat in the houses. no