The Washington herald., 1921-11-13
Maiden Novel Sheds Calm
Ray on Turbid Southwest
Harvey Fergusson's "The Blood of the Con-
querors" Deals Not in Gore, but Con-
sanguinity Other Books.


change Is not easy: Il Is a terrible.
painful thing. and interviewer with II
are the changes in his son who goes
TO hight. comes back on leave. chang
ed and tnarticulate. and isfinally kill
ed Just as his father II appreciating
what has been going on In his sons
mind. OF course when Clerambault
dennitely comes out against war. the
swing OF popular feeling among his
friends. even his family. Il a fore
gone conclusion. ES daughter falls
In love with the son Of q man who
abominates Clerambault's teachings
and nnally shoots him as an enemy
Of the country.
This brief outline cannot rive evan
the smallest idea OF the story's inten-
sity,' or Of the spiritual struggles
contained in it, II Is a deep brave
study OF human soul when It meets
mob spirit and mob violence. Roll
land himself says. This book Is not
written about the war. though the
shadow ofthe war lies over IT," (ThIs
preface was written in March, 1910.
MY theme Is that the Individual soul
has been swallowed up and submerg-
ed In the Importance to the future OF
the race than the passing supremacy
OF one nation. He who would be
useful must first be free himself; for
love itself has no value coming from
slave"
Whatever may be our personal
reactions to NJ. RoIland's beliefs,
there is no doubt that this Is an au-
thentic war experience. and as such
II merits study. entirely aside from
It's literary value, which IL by no
means small. Il might even be con-
sidered In connection with the pres
emit arms conference, in connection
with Eugene Debs. in connection
with all our efforts to find out where
we were yesterday and where we
stand today-to avoid q repetition
OF the terrible catastrophe of 1914
THE GIRLS" by Edna Ferber.
doubleday, Page'& Coz
1t Is too bad that Edna Ferber Is
tagged and catalogued in most
minds as the creator of Emma Nc
Chesney. for The Girls" 10 far re-
moved from the chronicles O,
Heatherbloom petticoat days, AM
stands with Miss Lulu Bett" As
studp of American spinstsrs. not
one this time. but three. II ~ Tar
ana away the best thing Miss Fer
Der has done and should no be
lightly put aside as probably a mere
repetition of what the author has
done before. 1t is a brand-new,
unique story OF Chicago, and full OF
the atmosphere, not Of the stock
yards or OF business, but of the
ives Of ordinary people who live on
the South Side although Il Is not
fashionable. The Girls are three
members OF the Thrift family. (And
the Thrifts in connection with Chi
cago' go back to the days when
isaac was a settler out of York
state who foolishly bought land on
the South Side instead of the north).
The Oldest girl" f. Aunt Charlotte.
aged "a. She saw romance once
neetingly as a girl in the person Of
one Jesse Dick. Of whom her family
did not approve and who was killed
IN the civil war. A second Jesse
Dick. son Of the frst ones brother.
Is . poet and in love with tho
youngest OF the girls" Charley. an
intensely modern. emancipated per
son Of 10. But this Jesse Dick 4,
also killed. this time in our war,
AOoNCA5 LIAS may seem ZOO
impossible a coincidence, yet as Miss
Feroer tells II. II Is perfectly real.
And after all. life IL alarmingly full
OF condolences as II some Of the
fates were busy pulling strings,
The third girl" Lottie, aged 81, 4.
the daughter OF Aunt Charlotts's
younger sister, Carrie; niece Of Aunt
Charlotte, that Is. and aunt of Char
lie. Any one OF the three might be
designated as one of the Thrift
girls on the South Side" explains
Miss Ferber. Lottie is the least
emancipated of the trio, as she came
OF the generation before Charles
when woman's place was still en-
phatically in the home. She IL tied
hand and foot to her mother an ex-
acting. unimaginative lady. ana u
taxes the war to pry her loose, Rut
the story cannot be given its fuII
mayor save by Miss Ferber II Z.
iuh or reality, full of recornIzabIe
characters, such as, for instanc.
Ben CARTE, Lottie's erstwhIle s,Itor
VI Mrs. Payson, Lottie's IndomitahIe
mother. The book has MANY NJ the
1uahes which have distinguishes
MISS feroer's short stories. hun,or
eieVer caricature and quick and .ur.
Snaracterization. Miss Ferber knou,s
no" TO write dialogue and there q.
great deal Of IL in The Girls >,
ohe mas analysed the nrobIsr, =,
the suppressed spinster. sba -
not indicate its solution urIo
Eysn Lotle as having solved it.
ne that was chiefly resnor.IS, Aot-
told Is over arc
n OBSTACLE RACE, BY E,h.,
HI Den &c. P. Putnam's sons3
anyone can take Eth.I N
co.a Iousiy Is beyond our fesbIs
~ .p' enension' but there appear 70
60 nos who do, and TO them
NJ ehts viii doubtless seam
s1criIege. But we cannot rs-
a. serious anything so old ana
..I', as Juliet's spraininE her
tor instance, at the exact
h ent when Dick, the black
~ hero' arrives upon the
e. VI course she had met him
oeIore. Once she had conveniently
fallen or q cliff into his arms 90
win her sprained ankle. he ss,zas
her and says, Take NV arm :
Lean hard!" And she does. A storm
comes and she leans harder and
harder. After a passionate period
~ a nearby arbor, he takes her TO
the house and then. gazing into the
clearing sky, murmurs, 20 God.
make me worthy" That Juliet trips
lightly down to dinner a few mo-
ments later and explains that her
ankle was only wrenched does not
appear odd either to Dick or to this
reader. Nor do any of the ensuing