Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-03-28

that rules he tempest aud guards
! the tender blossom in the spring.
THE other two novels were written ir
L France and each has received a spc
cial prize for distinguished merit. 'Tht
Illusion" tPutnams). il a first move
by Raymond Escholier. curator Of th'
Musee Victor Hugo. In May of last
year the Lady Northciffe prize was
| awarded to Mr.. Escholier in recognition
of his achievement as a novelist. III
lusions' deserved acclaim, for 1t Is
beautiful piece OF work. II Is study
Of type of woman represented In every
community however small-the woman
who lives an imaginary life, deceivins
herself with illusions of beauty and
wealth, and refusing to face the reali :
ties. Madame Lestellc. Mr.. Escholier $
creation. is living in II large house IL
the South Of France which she has not
money enough to maintain. She Is
fifty years old and in order to conceal
the effects of her growing years, she
paints and powders. and she spends her
money in collecting antiques in the hope
that she may get a prize some day. Her
only friend is an abbe. who labors under
the Illusion that he is a faithful parish
priest. unaware that his defects of tenn
per ALLEVIATE every one from him. she
finally falls i'll and when the doctor
comes she welcomes him fully dressed,
in coat and hat with a heavy veil over
her face SO that he may not see that her
beauty has disappeared and that she
is no longer young. She refuses to face
the reality Of death, which overtakes her
at last when the curtain goes down on
the comedy of her life.
This theme might have been handled
with cold and biting satire. but Mr..
Escholier has preferred to treat 1t III
another way. There runs through the
whole book feeling Of gentle and toi'
Grant pity for the woman and an appre-
citation of her longing for that which she
could never have. There il no con-
demnation. for who could condemn
burning desire for the lightness ana
JOY Of life which. lacking the reality,
had to satisfy itself by the pretcnse OF
it?
Oniy tolerdntly compassionate
man could hare ,criteM a novel flied
wih such compassionate tolerance.
tSNIENE" George II. Doran Com
ANpanyl. by Ernest Perochon. is
study Of another phase of the feminine
nature 1t has been one of the popular
successes in France and won the PrlX
-, L. Il IN
Its scene is laid in the farming country
and it's heroine Is young woman who
had worked as farm laborer until she
was hired to do the housewOrk AMI
take care Of the children for young
widowed farmer. She had never liked
children and wondered how She was
TO get along with the little girl and
the baby boy in the household. She
finds the baby asleep and touches his
soft little hand. The little hand grips
her finger and will not let ii go. In her
efforts to release it she wakes the child.
She lifts him out Of his crib and he,
after looking at her a moment. pats her
cheek with his hand and COOS for her.
Beginning thus. her maternal instinct
is awakened. and she learns TO love the
children as if they were her own. They
fill her with happiness and she tinds
JOY in the thought that they always will
remember her. But the father marrlas
another woman after about four years
and turns Meme off. She goes back to
the house after two weeks and finds that
the children. pleased with the b!andish-
ments of their new mother, have al
ready begun TO lose interest in her. She
had secretly loved the father as well as
the children. 50 in her despair at losing
everything she browns herself.
1t is the tragedy Of frustrated mother
hood. tragedy played every day aud
perhaps in the very house where you are
reading this. In working out his plot.
Mr.. Perochon has resorted to some con :
ventional machinery, but he has writ
ten with an understanding of the mother
instinct which compcls admiration.
These novels shOU rhdt the modern
Frenchcman thinks Of romen.
0NE woman found Q frustrated life
~ too hard to bear. Another made a
comedy of her failure and the third
fncpd with a sturdy courage the future