Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-03-04
"Marin ChnpdeIaIne.,

"Marin ChnpdeIaine." A story Of the
Lake ST. John Country. BY Louis
Hemon. New York city: The Mac
milan Co, Gi-6e Fifth avenue.
Price 81, net.
With a knowledge acquired by resi-
donce for more than year I'm the
country, among It's hard working,
honest, open-hearted and simple
people. the author has produced a
most interesting story. lie presents
a picture OF family life that Is most
revealing. carrying II the year around.
through the long winter. which fails
so suddenly In October, 10 the welcome
spring and the hot though brief sum
mor. which begins in May. One Is
given an intimate knowledge OF these
honest-hearted. home and land-lOving
folks, and their country. and undCr-
stands how they can patiently meet
it's strenuous labOrs, It's hardshlps and
ith dangers, without desire to move to
the more favored hnunts Of men.
Tho romance Of tho story Is most af-
fecting. II is the love Of Maria Chap
delaine and Francois Paradis. trapper
and woods worker. which is as sweet
and pure as any human love can be,
and q $ promising, But II Is cut short
on the eve OF fruition by the sad dea In
Of the lover. trapped in the wild storm
OF the winter and helplessly perishing
! IN the snow-buried forests. Maria
Chapdclaine was sought by others, and
for awhile Ii seemed as though she
would say nay 10 all. but in the end,
although her heart was faithful 10 hcr
only love. she listened to the appeals
Of one who resided in an American
city. where living conditions we're
easy and comfortable. and one whose
lot was on the inhOsptable land. a
Canadian farmer. In The end, the
appeals Of the home land decided the
balance and she pllghted her troth 10
the farmer lover
II was az a day laborer on n Ca
nadinn farm that Louis FIetnon found
the material for Marin Chapdclaine''
and wrote the story. II Was sent 20
lie Temps I'm Paris, but before the
ltttcr 81 acceptance reached him b"
Was dead, having been killed by a
train on the railroad while walking
with a companion And 80 the letter
u' acceptance was returned marked
dead. while the author was n mys-
tory. When the story was published
in the paper. Louis Hem0n's father
saw g.. and wrote 20 explain the re-
( lationship. and the tragic facts wcro
s.owlv fitted together.
After its newspaper publication.
Maria Ch@ pde!ainc" was forgotten in
Paris Tho Montreal edition won high
rra lse. but soon died" A white
marble monument was erected on the
spo, where the author was killed. and
- commemorative stone was placed at
The farm near 81. Johns Lake. whera
he wrote tho book. Two lakes nearby
have been renamed IN his honor. Lake
Hemon and Lake ChapdelaIne.
( But Maria Chapdelaine" was not
g. be lost go easily to the book world
" Halcvy. the famous editor and au-
thor. had clipped the story ~ it APP
pcared in Le Temps and pasted il IN
his scrapbook One day. years later
ne attacked a noted publisher with
his clippings. and said that this novel
was the greatest unpublished ms. in
Paris. The result was French edition
which has quickly sold over $4,000
copies. prefaCed by words of the high
est praise from a member Of the
/ French Academy.
Received of -he publishers.