Evening star., 1923-09-23
Reviews of New Book;
LEW TYLER's WIVES. BY Wallace
Irwin. New York: G. p. Putnam's s

LEW TYLER's WIVES. BY Wallace
Irwin. New York: G. p. Putnam's
Sons. 4
r 5SSIE, Colleen, Virginia. Colleen
was not his WIFE. The other
two were. America is full of
Lew TyIers. A handsome, open
handed, joyous-hearted, irresponsible
fellow. Selfish as the devil, but no
one thinks of his behaviors and mis-
behaviors as selfishness. That is
supposed to express itself grimly,
sourly. Not with Lew Tyler. He
laughs and takes toll. He goes his
way care free, no matter how many
Legitimate cares solicit him. A for
tune always in sight, tomorrow the
fairest of days-"Oh, never mind!
Come on, let's go" Now everybody,
or almost everybody. knows some of
the i'll things that can lie under this
sort of exterior. That is, every wom-
an in possession of Lew Tyler knows
them So, about so per cent of the
married women could concoct a story.
not nearly so well as Mr.. Irwin has
done it, but a true story, nevertheless.
about some sort of Lew Tyler. This
should, therefore, merely out of its
theme, be a tremendously popular
story of American domestic life. For
another reason, too. 1T is bound to get
ahead. 1t is so well done, you see.
When a situation is so general in it's
spread as is that of Lew Tyler 1t puts
a heavy tax on the author. This
greatly diffused theme has to be mar
rowed to a hand reach, and condensed
to individual lifelikeness, and set in
a plausible and consistent line of ac-
ton. 1t is all done here, in an ad-
mirable hold on relative Values, In
sure reach for interesting and suit
able situations, in a Keen sense Tor
the general lift OF story and, above
all, in a down to- -the-ground knowl-
edge of the lovable and tormenting
Lew Tyler. A good story-a good
one-skimmed right off our own af-
fairs right before our very eyes.
THOMAS NELSON PAGE, A Memoir
of a Virginia Gentleman. By Rose
we'll Page. New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons.
There will be other appreciajons OF
Thomas Nelson Page, tributes to the
charm of his stories so richly reminis-
cent of feyda Virginia, to the sympa-
thetic intelligence of his public service,
to the lovable personality of the man
himself. Not one of these, however,
will, or can, so thoroughly identify the
man with the tradition OF which he is
the perfect product as does this bio-
graphic sketch of Mr.. Page by his
brother, Roosevelt Page. The author is
himself a part of that tradition The
Identification which he sets up, here
comes rather through the flow Of his
own blood than through the course OF
any definite design. On the surface
the sketch follows the general formula
ancestry, birth, early years. educa-
tion. profession, ultimate accomplish
ment and influence. In effect, however,
ancestry and birth stand here as the
sure foundation upon which rests the
quality of the subsequent development.
Impoverished by the war, the Page
family at this period. nevertheless, hold
to the inherited point Of view, to the
habit Of mind. to the code of behavior,
that from the early colonial days on to
the present constitute what is gener-
ally known as the Virginia gentle
man." This record is made up of the
early mode of life of Thomas Nelson
Page in this Virginia home and. of the
outfaring of the man, unchanged, into
the affairs of the world at large. Sim
plicity and sympathy give the perfect
keynote to. this story Of one whose out
standing qualities were just these
simplicity and sympathy.
WHEN THERE Is NO PEACE. BY
the author of The Pomp of Pow
err" New York: George H. Doran
Company.
In the words of jeremiah this au-
thor sums the political situation of
Europe al the present time. Ger
many, France, England. in their out
standing approaches to common un-
derstanding and their unfailing re-
treats from this objective. are an
alyzed here upon the basis of indi-
vidual ambition modified by the in
evitable accommodations imposed by
their conflicting claims and aspira-
tions. The utilities of the peace con-
fpranra rabaarSed hv waV Of crit
icism of the three chief figures of
that conference. A word of dismissal
for both Clemenceau and Wilson,
chapter of invective for David Lloyd
George. That is the chapter by which
one gets his measure of value for the
entire discussion. There is a polit-
ical survey of Spain drawn from a
personal and intimate study of this
country by the author. There is, of
course. another analysis of the ques-
tion of reparations. another estimate
of the occupation of the Ruhr. Old
themes. Yet. in the hands of this
keen observer and shrewd analyst
and entertaining writer these old
themes take on the new interest that
is bound to come from one of wide
matters. from one of many first-hand
experiences in political and diplo-
matte fields. Most entertaining in
general treatment as it is also illum-
mating in respect to many particular
points of less open knowledge.
THE BETHLEHEM BACH CHOIR. BY
Raymond Walters. dean of Swarth-
more College. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin Company.
The general spread of community
singing as a recognized agency of So
cial and artistic value brings into
general interest this history of the
Bethlehem choir. Here is the fact ac-
complished. Here are example and
inspiration. Starting away back in
the middle of the eighteenth century,
the Moravians of Bethlehem organ
lied the society which today stands
as model and inspiration in this conn-
try for musical achievement through
community participation. The book
in hand is the history of this move