The New York herald., 1922-06-11

or MRS. Wnartons as an artist, Dut
with a quite different manner and
from a variant angle Of view there
remains a similarity Of thought be-
tween her writing and that of the
two elder women. 1t is the comment
upon life. or upon a large cross Sec
ton Of life. OF thinking woman, OF
experience, Of keen observation and
sympathetic understanding. Almost,
one might say. these modern Ameri-
can women novelists are slowly
building up body Of literature that
is in some respects comparable to
Thackeray's summing up of the life
of England in his day; widely differ
ent, of course. superficially, and ia
all respects a feminine statement OF
opinion and judgment. Perhaps it is
the more valuable on that account.
This story is somewhat unusual in
its form. which is not conventional
Its construction is unhackneyed, but
effective. The book in effect is rather
the assemblage of a series of indiyid-
ual problems well interviewer, but
each character really a separate. or
separable. problem in itself. than a
single track. conventional story with
one plot and the usual subpiots AMI
incidents. Interest centers now upon
one. now upon another character: IT
is quite as much the story of Naomi.
his wife. as Of Bennett Malin, and it
is never exclusively the story OF
either. 1t is conceived upon a large
scale. and really covers several gen.
erations. with good background in
the past. a detailed study of tho
present and a glimpse ahead at the
future. of whole family. Several Of
the subsidiary people. too, are i'm
pcrtant enough to hold the center Of
the stage. each In their turn.
The main theme. however. is the
life. growth. deterioration. tempta-
tion and fall. and subsequent partial
redemption OF the titular hero. Ben
nett Malin. who is a theological stu
dent. aged twenty-eight. when the
tale begins. He is studying to be a
minister not from any "call" or con-
viction. but merely to gain a leis-
ureiy life. for his real ambition is I
write. He has a passion for this. a
vaingiorious yearning. which. how
ever, looks at the production of the
great literature" he means to evolve
not subjectiveiy. as a valuable thing
for its own sake. but effectively as
a desirable end for him to attain. He
comes of a race Of writer's. of preach
ers. &c. OF New England stock. but
II some OF them had the true divine
spark 1t has skipped Bennett.
He is a beauty" an uncanniIJ
handsome human animal. both as to
face and figure. But he has a high
rasping. thin tenor voice, out of
keeping with his looks and the soul
of him is also a thin, chilly affair
He is vain. cold and rather empty
in reality. despite his specious ap-
pearance of intelligence and spiritu-
aiity; When We first meet him he
has just decided that he must marry.
and his decision Is characteristic of
the whole man.
He had tried to escape this domi-
mating emotion. to put it aside. to
remind himself that his plans for
life included no marital response
bilities. but he found escape from
his own desires impossible. and he
eventually concluded that only
marriage would cure the restless
ness which. il IL were not allayed.
might prove a serious ANNOYANCE.
III he married the young lady who
insisted upon occupying his
thoughts. he would in a sense get
rid of her. 1t seemed there were
constantly obstacles to be met and
surmounted or removed on the way
to glory. He had once been poor.
but that had been mended; now he
was in love. but that should be
mended, too.
Furthermore. the girls mother was
notably good housekeeper. and
Bennett is naturally orderly. He
wants a good housekeeper as well as
a wife. Yet this. and the ensuing
complications are so skillfully handled
that Bennett never becomes an i'm
possible monster. He always affects