Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-26
HEALING FOUND
IN THE MOUNTAINS
How IL Happened Told in One
Of The Most Delightful Books
OF the Season

There has been considerable dis
cusslon over the authorship Of I'm the
Mountains, Il delightful book. pub
llshed anonymously. Mrs. Edith Whar-
ton Is credited with it by one author
lN; Mrs. Margot Asquith by another,
ana third says that it was written by
the woman who wrote elizabeth and
Tier German Garden" now the COun-
tess Russell.
Mrs. Wharton could not have writ
ten 1t unless she has developed vein
OF humor which she has never before
displayed. 1t might possibly have been
written by Mrs. Asquith, but the
countess Russell could have done it
easily 1t reads like her and il dis.
plays the charming characteristics Of
her best books, and discloscs Il knowl.
edge of literature similar to that which
Is revealed in Elizabeth. But it may
be that some woman never before heard
or Is responsible for it. 1t was cor
fanny written by woman, for It is
Feminine from the FIRST Dagc to the last.
In form the Dooa rs the diary of Il
woman who had suffered from an emo
tlOnal crisis and had gone to chalet
IN the Alps to recover her poise. She
Dulit the chalet before the war and had
entertained her friends there. The place
was tull of joyous memories. But when
she returned in the summer of 1919 she
was too exhausted to do more than rest
III the sun for weeks. She writes Of
her tragedy without telling what it was
She tells also how many Of the friends
| whom she had entertained in the past
mad been killed in the war. Among them
was her brother, whom she loved and
who loved her. She says of him: ''lIc
called me sweet names and forguvc me
al my trespasscs. Finally, two Eng
lish women wander up the mountain
IN search of cool place TO stay, and
she takes them in. From this point
the book becomes a penetrating satire
on tn" narrOwness of the British point
OF view and an exhibition of the futilty
| OF hate, even for the Germans. The
author writes: "Whcn | look at the
stars I don't mind about Germans "
But the elder of the English women
does mind Her sister. the younger
one, had married two of them, and The
elder is in constant dread that it vii
be discovered, especially as the ScConC
husband was within the prescribed lin
its.-of kindred and affinities mentiOncr
in the prayer book. The younger siS-
ter, however, who is described as ''mad,
of love and laughter" does not mind
and the diariSt and she COnspirc to.
Retner 10 protect the SuSCeptlDllltlrS ~
the elder sister. Then an uncle of th,
hostess, dean of the Church Of Eng
land, arrives to scOld his niece for run
ming away from her obligations. anc
to take her back to London. But h,
sees the woman compounded Of love an,
laughter. and falls in love with her n
once and forgcts al about his crrand
He even fOrgets his hate of the Ger
mans and his respect for the prohibi
tions in the prayer book regarding mar
rying kindred and attintcs. and mar
rics the woman.
rhe book Is a skillful and subtle OK
position of the Scripture text abou
fleeing to the mountains. whence com
eth strength. for it exhibits how il
that clarifying atmosphere love con
quers both hate and the desire to re
bukc. and it does it so artisticnlly tina
it is not until one lays the volume dow,
that one fully realizes what has hap
pened. 1t is piece OF literature sho
through with insight int" the huma
emotions and liGhtcned with redeem
, ing sense Of humOr.
IN THE MOUNTAINS. Garden city lot
bleday, Page Co.