Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-07

From 1881 to lSOO the fathCr was pro-
fessor of dcgmntic theology in the Gen
eral Theological Seminary in New
York. Whether he got it from his
father or not I do not know. but the
son regards men and women and even
little children with the kind and tender
pity that declines to sit in judgment,
and he has that charity of which the
famous theologian of Tarsus wrote in
his letter to tie Corinthians.
He does more than this. for he en-
velops men and women in magic light
like that which transformed the figure
on the bill in "'Thc Golden Scarccrow.
In this book he has q man aud boy
walking in n field Mt sunset. They see
on n ridge something suspended in the
air shining like golden fire. ITS like
n man with gold helmet says onr
of them. They walk on, the sun sinks
lower, and finally they look back to dis
cover that the figure was only scare
crow with n tattcred sleeve and with
tin can on its head.
TIE HAS wrought the same kind Of
Young Enchanted" George III. Dornn
Company, his most recent novel il
is n story of the efforts Of Henry and
NIillicent Trenchard to earn their own
living in London. The two young pe"-
plc were first introduced to Mr.. Wall
pole's readers in "The Green. Mirror.
The other characters are three sisters
who do not know what to do with the
money their self made father left to
them. The fnYorite daughter controls
the money. Her sisters are jealous or
her and ndventurera prey upon .her'
Mjllicent becomes the secretary OF IN"
sister who controls the money. Then
there is 4 knight whose secretary Henry
becomes in order to edit the family let
ters. Th, knight has spcndthrift
brother and Qucrulous and dissatisfied
widowed sister. Several Of the ecccn-
tric friends of the sister appear. AND
Peter Wcstcott, whose love story was
written in "Fortitudc." the first of the
Walpolc novels to be published Ill
America, Is introduced, fifteen years
older, with no knowledge of the where
nbouts Of his wife, and living the
lonely life of an unsuccessful and
unhappy man. And there Is Mrs
Tenssen, n professional pander to lust
whose daughter Henry loves in a
,omnntiC and chivalrous way. Ana
finally worthless young man with
whom Millicent falls in love.
Here is raw material for sordii
materialistic tale of greed and jealousy
and animal Appctites of various KINDS
But Mr.. Wnlpolc turns the mag" Iight
of his imagination upon 1t and, behoid,
!. is transformed into the substance OF
n romnnce so tender and moving that
ono loys down the book with rcluc-
toncc when it is finished. And the
novelist does it pcarly all through the
onchontment of the point of view OF
two youug people. Henry is vision
orv idealist, with little practical sense.
but he is sound Mt bottom, and MILL
cent :s n practical and efficient crea-
ture and so honest and straightforward
that shams withcr In her presence. Inc
old knight has his fine qualities also.
When he il about 10 submit I" sur
ciooI oncrotion which he does not hope
to surviye he says to Henry: IKE
mcmbcr 20 expect nothing very wondcrH'
ful of men. Remember that they don't
cbonoc hut that they arc all in the
same box togcthrr-so love them. Love
them whenever You can, not diSho4-
c,tIv because you think it II pretty
thino r. do, hut honestly, because you
can't help yourself. 1t seems
- ma so simple now that the end of
everything has come and it is too late
lo,o of man. love of God, even If lie
does not exist, love Of work-humtIity
bocousc the time Is 80 short anh we
are all 80 weak.
NNE of the most Walpolian passages
" in the book is where Henry Is
disourointed because Mrs. TenSsen,
who is 4 bad woman, Is not wholly bad.
lie finds her innoCently playing pa
ticncc on one occasion, and he knows
,lot she takes flowers to a childrcn's
bospital every week simply because she
like, 10 give pleasure to the children.
II worries him that people are not all
one thing or another
The whole story is told with that
lpiSlIrrlincSS ana cum lhht Is lOUnu
only in great literature.
II may be of local interest that 'Bill'
Tildcn is mentioned in the book. Its
ncriod is 1920, and MilliCrnt, writing to
hcr brother from the seaside in the
summer. where she has gone with her
EMPLOYER, says she tries to interest
the woman IN the news and reads to
her about tennis 'and the wonderful
IIldcn." This Is on page l51.
Milltrent, when she discovers the
worthlessncss ,f ncr lover. tries to for
get him by reading in ''Moby Dick"
about rhe "tCarlcssneSS of arid skies
that never rain" And the book ends
with a quotation from Walt Whitman:
"rhc wonder Is ulwaTs how there can
be n mean man ~ an iniidel. y
MIR. WALPOLE is evidently an ad-
lHl mirer Of Melville or he would not
have been familiar enough with "Mohy
Dick" to quote from 1t. There are
numerous others who regard Melville
as one of the greatest American men
of letters, or at least who are famil-