The New York herald., 1922-04-30

anu Nopie LIN ana tnat old wldower,
Ridgley, that grandpa hates SO, and
Mister Clairdyce and George Plum
and the two new ones from out of
town that Aunt Fanny Patterson
said you had at church Sunday
morning-Herbert said he didn't like
one of ems looks much. Aunt Julia.
And there's Parker Kent Usher and
that funny looking one with the
little piece of whislSers under his
under lip that Noble got so mad at
when they were calling. and Uncle
Joe laughed about, and / don't know
who all, Anyhow, there's an awful
lot more than three, Aunt Julia"
Julia through divers lively compIi-
cations is gentle to them all
to Newland Sanders, a horn
rimmed' reviewer, a poet, "and once,
momentarily, an atheist; to Mr..
Ridgley. lone of those widowers who
feel younger than ever. and behave
as they feel; TO Noble Dill. who
lived with his mother, had sixty-fiye
dollars in the bank, but. as Herbert
observed. mo muscle" and who
seemed to be confirming the many
prophecies that cigarettes would
ruin him; to the ardent vocalist"
Mr.. Clairdyce; and to all the rest.
".
The atmosphere of Gentle Julia"
is that which pervades so many OF
Mr.. Tarkington's books. There are
nights that are made for dancing":
there are music and singing; there
are numerous preposterous amateur
poemsi there are the grotcsque
petty tragedies which are heart
breaking to the young: there are the
absurd ideas passing through the
heads of the youthful: there is the
hilarious and diabolical savagery OF
the juvenile male, ana the extraordi-
nary dialect of fourteen or there
about. In a rage (Which she is In
good part of the time) Florence
Atwater addresses her Young cousin
and his bosom friend: IL wish to
make just one last simple remark
that l would care to soil myself
with in your respects. Mister Her
bert Illingsworth Atwater and Mis-
ter Henry Rooter.'' And there is
the strilSinsly keen observation OF
the American negro. Take this:
All colored people look startled
the first time they see a French
poodle. but there is difference
Most colored men do not really
worry much about being colored,
but many colored women do. In
the expression of colored man,
when he looks at black and woolly
French poodle, there is something
fonder and more indulgent than
there is in the expression of a coll
ored woman when she looks at
one. In fact, when some colored
women see a French poodle they
have an air of being insulted
The French poodle in the story,
Gammire. another present to Julia,
doubtless is a portrait of Mr.. Tar
kingdoms celebrated wopps. now,
alas! we've heard, dead. Golden
hearted little clown of all the world
writes the author in an eloquent
page in praise of the French poodle
And in an attack on persons who do
not like dogs he is almost as fero-
cious as Wallie Torbin, who ''al-
most from babyhood had been a child
of one purpose: 10 increase by bur
lesques the sufferings of unfortunate
friends" Another amusing intimate
touch in the book is what appears
to be an expression of the authors
distaste for tie game OF golf.
V.
Gentle Julia is an example OF
distinguished literary tact The
comedy OF the episodes broadens an
til il approaches kind OF farce
Illustrated in the activities OF Charlie
Chaplin with his custard pie. In
deed. wallie To~bin actually does
get hit by tom; to, presumably in
useless state With all that
deftness fof a very high degree ana
Continued on .Toi'oiciRo Pogs.