Evening star., 1923-08-05
CHALLENGE. BY V. Sackville-West,
author of Heritage" etc. New
York: George II. Doran Company.

NE, reads this novel as the
~ story of three people sketch
ed against certain back
~ ground of political life. Upon
a second reading the playground shifts
TO the role of chief character, with
the three people serving merely as
illuminants of the true nature of this
political entity. II is story oil the
Greek islands. 1t is the old story
'of the recurrent struggle or peoples
for independence and Self-goNern-
ment And OF these ISLANDS the
author has made a beautiful and APP
pealing personality. true to the life.
besides. in so far as the essentials of
history are concerned. Working in
their behalf is the young and ardent
idealiSt Julian Davenant. type of the
patriot everywhere in his tempeStu-
Gus championship of some beloved
stretch of earth. And there is the
woman. Kato-older, wiser. subtler.
unsCrupulous maybe, in a love that
counts the end rather than the means.
And there is the girl, Eve, whose alb
sorption is self rather than the un-
self that dominates the hearts OF the
other two. Big ideas embodied by
the mass rather than by the indi-
Nidual form the element in which
this author is at her highly intelli-
gent and artistic best. The Dragon
in Shallow Waters is. in addition TO the
novel in hand. a triumphant exempH-
hCatiOn of this power to project the
collective idea in the NividneSS and
the vitality and direct appeal which.
As a rule. are derived from the lndl-
vidual rather than from the group. A
novel of high distinction both in Its
substance and in its form.
THE SCUDDERs; 4 story of Today.
BY Irving BaCheller New York
The Macmillan Company.
And solomon said: Woe to thee. Q
land. when thy king is a child.
Drawn from any one of certainly half
the households Of America, Mr.. Scud-
ders story bears out in concrete d.
tail and amplifies in innumerahle
lines OF evidence the apparently in
controVertible fact that solomon
wisdom stands for today as well as
for the day in which il was exercised
for the kings own people. This is
story OF the overfreedOm of chill
dreu. II is the story Of the present.
when soft theories and lazineSs and
lack of intelligence are directed spe-
cf1cally upon the training or the no
training OF children. No invention is
needed for this story. None is used
a group and drawing from this the
actual picture of what takes place in
the majority of families. The impli-
| cation OF this novel is that some
where along the line life is going 10
exact responsibilities from every one.
And if this every one" has had no
practice in the art of responsible liv
ing he is doomed To suffer greatly,
often irremediably. from the lack OF
lessons in life at the time when les
sons arr. most easily learned. in child
hood and youth. But this fact does
not stand as preachment here. In
stead ii comes out in the mistakes
that freedom without knowledge is
sure to entail It comes out in the
fact of failure and disappointment
and sorrow to the individual And
later. when the combined fruitage Of
this neglect of children is due. it will
come out also in lament that the
words OF solomon viii express in a
complete fidelity to the truth.
THE ART OF TTE PRIMA DONNA.
BY Frederick H Martens Illus
trated. New York: y. Appleton &
Co.
Twenty artists of recognized dis
tinction meet here on the ground of
a common art-singing. either in
opera or on the concert stage. The
point of this meeting is to have each
discuss. from her own particular level
of achievement. from her own special
lime of experience and discovery, that
which to her constitutes the supreme
Significance of the art which they
share and exemplify in common. IN
addition to this each gives her own
self rived theories of the best ap-
proach to this art. indicating the
practices and methods that have
served her best in its mastery. The
symposium is. therefore, substantially
nd
dressed to those desiring and aSpir-
ling to follow the profession of sing
ling. on the other hand, the book.
from the standpoint of general inter
est. is bound to appeal to many out
|Side the special class to which it is
add dressed. Spontaneous and spirited
talk from these distinguished artists
is the stamp of the book. Interesting
women. these. as well as artists. The
whole of life is their domain. And
while the talk is. in the main. about
the art Of singing. it is touched BY
innumerable converging lines oOf in
|terest. The names of Calve. Farrar.
|ialli-Curci. Homer. Schumann-H -Heink.
Indicate the quality of the interviews
that MIR. Martens has gathered up
here for the instruction of students
and the entertainment of the general
reader.
THE DESERT HEALER. BY Z. NJ
Hull, author of fThe Shek." Bos-
ton: Small, Maynard & Co.
1.-The Desert Healer" is a clear
variant of The Sheik." Here are the
Isame ingredients, the proportions
islightly changed, the mixing of a
different consistency. The same
iesert setting for both The same
Englishman becomes
the prestige Of being able to make
sick Arabs over into well ones. Here
Is the same beautiful English woman
|incurably given to straying off into
the desert from the nearby town
where, for the time being, she be-
IlongS In the new story. however.
the Cave-man stuff is assigned to the
husband of the girl. Unlike the hero
.of the earlier romance, the desert
healer is harmless enough, or would
be IL let alone. Bitten by woman
in his youth he has become literally
soaked in the virus of that encounter.
= condition expressing itself in
deadly hatred Of all women. But
what can even Simon-pure, 100 per
cent misogynist do when. at every
beauty in distress! That girl has a
|clear genius for perilous desert sit
uations. Now abducted by a wild
Arab. now strayed into desert pit
without sign of exit. now baked in
| the deadly desert sun and again
beaten by the tempeSt-driven desert
sand. this girl perfected the habit OF
being constantly under foot in these
arid wastes. And, curiously enough.
Dit is the plunging feet of the mys-
FERROUS Arabs steed. under which she
so neatly places herself, not only for
rescue but for succor from
/ all the other evils as well. To be
sure, the girl has some excuse for
home since the prime indoor
sport of that institution is a thor
|ough and varied course in corporal