The Washington times., 1923-01-07
SELF-:NADE NAN
AND A u0NAN'o
AFFECTIONS
Can the Modern Business Man,
Wrapped Up in His Financial
Affairs, Retain the Love OF
His Wife,

Mans Country, which mas
just been published by the Cos
mopolitan Book Corporation, lies
close to the heart Of American
life. It reveals the intimate
human side. what IL often the
tragic human side, of business
success. It IL the story Of the
forgotten woman-the business
mans wife.
The successful self-made bust
ness man, for. all his splendid
energy, self-confidence. and essen
tiaI kindness, IL inclined to take
his wife's love more or less as q
matter Of course. He Is too
bury to take seriously the social
and cultural interests which she
wants him to share with her.
He does not know, indeed, that
che would be only too glad to
enjoy less prosperity and more
cOlnpanionship. But business
stands between her and the man
she loves. Sometimes she makes
futile efforts to arouse her tired
and irritable husband TO the
haxrenness Of her life. Some
times she turns elsewhere-ro
society, 70 intellectual and phflan-
thropic interests. perhaps to an
either unan-to I'm the place in
her life which her husband has
left void.
This IL the situation In which
the principal characters Of mans
Country" find themselves. George
Judson's problem was that Of q
young man. self-made, highly
successful AZ an executive I'm q
Detroit autcmobile factory, called
by his associates Financial wiz
ard" Judson was Of humble
social origin. When he married
Fay Gilman. daughter Of an old
Detroit family, he had been .
delightful pIayfelIow for her. But
che found that as . husband he
did not understand. And ne
found that as . wife Fay was
unsympafhetic toward the work
which absorbed an his life and
energy.
George and Fay Judson come
% their senses I'm time 70 save
their home from utter catas-
trophe, and the author Of MANS
Country" believes that likewise
many unhappy American homes
can escape the jealous rivalry Of
business for the affections Of hus-
bands. Macfarlane has written
about his own book: ''I thought,
why IL the wives only understood
and IL the husbands also under
stood. And 30 I wrote
Mans Country" this story Of q
husband and q wife and bust
ness, and wrapped it round that
most thrilling industry Of modern
times, the automobile industry"
Mans Country il unques-
tionably the romance Of the auto
mobile industry. Why this most
stirring theme in modern Ameri.
can business life has never before
been adequately treated It IL hard
20 say. But here we have from
the pen OF q novelist who knows
his Detroit, and who has studied
his Industrial history on the spot.
the story Of the early struggles
against popular ridicule Of Henry
Ford, r. e. Odds, Henry Leland,
Henry Joy, and q score Of others
VINO had the vision Of the place
the motor car was to take in our
civilization.
On this colorful background
George Judson plays out his bril-.
liant career. Macfarlane builds
up Judson's character with care;
he gives US a full-length bio
graphical portrait. We see George,
o grimy youngster in the poorer
suburbs Of Detroit. as q newsboy,
~ the enterprising young pro-
prietor Of a chain Of newsstands.
a. salesman Of the idea Of the
automobile; lastly. as executive,
husband, and father. We have
had our I'LL of satirical and
cynical portraits" Of the Ameri-
can business man in the litera-
ture OF the last decade. Here we
see him as he really is-keen.
sometimes over-confident, but self
reliant, resourceful. essentially
honest, provident, sometimes
wrong-headed, but never petty.
MANS Country" IL rich in
texture; fits human values are
authentic and plumb clear down
TO the bedrock Of our national
virtues-and faults. 1t is an
honest, sincere book, an absorb
ing document in the history OF
the automobile, q story of q
strong love preserved from disas
ter.
ONE Of the very importan
biographical books of the sea
son will be 1.-THE Life Of Cardina
Gibbons" In two volumes, by Al
len Sinclair win, which the Dut
tons announce for early publica
tion. The author was an intlmat,
friend of Cardinal Gibbons b!
whom he was authorized to writ