Evening star., 1923-10-21
Reviews of New Books

JEREMY AND HAMLET. BY Hugh
Walpole, author of Jeremy" etc.
New York: George II. Doran Com
pany.
$T7HE critics would curl the lip
OF scorn our way were We to
say that Hugh Walpole never
wrote better story, never
turned out a truer bit Of art, than
Jeremy" So, we shall say no such
thing. That, however, Is our secret
conviction. Oh, yes. we do feel the
majesty and splendor of The Ca
thedral." But a boy beats cathe-
dral any day Jeremy" seems to be
surprising. Just as "a job turned off.
And as a live boy Jeremy--wel, II
you don't know the lad, get acquaint-
ed, and you will see. Just one thing
Jeremy Iacked--a dog. And here he
comes again. this time with that COM
pleting touch, his dog. Jeremy and
Hamlet" is a joy, a Joy that we cry
over here and therefor instance,
that time when Jeremy came from ON
school with Christmas presents for
everybody. each one neatly wrapped
and marked and hidden away till the
great day. How he used 10 60 a dozen
times 4 day, to stroke each little
package and gurgle with the antici-
pated joy OF giving them. And then,
his father--ob, well, that is quite too
sad matter TO bring in here And
many other times had 1t not been for
the understanding heart and the low
Ing speech of Hamlet, ltfe would have
| been q dreary business for Jeremy. IL
would be for any boy, and Is, with
out hamlet. There was, too, no
end Of fun for the two, and Hamlet'S
fights were some times of classic di-
rectness and sirgleness of purpose.
Great story-all boy, all dog-ail boy
and dog.
ERIS. BY Robert W. Chambers,
author Of THE Common Law"
etc. New York: George II. Doran
Company.
Eris is the American girl--that in
Vulnerable gfrl--who ran--and does run
away from home to go into the movies.
The accepted formula of treatment for
these Erises is TO set them down in the
primrose path and TO leave them there
subjects for future jeremiads on
What are our girls coming to-" Mr..
Chambers does another way. Upon his
particular Eris he brings to bear OBJ
seryation, experience, true divination
and u sturdy faith in her basic sound
ness. And n fine girl energies from
this consideration. One that II is a de-
light to follow I'm her natural ambitions
and hard work and general sincerity.
So much for the girl. There are men
In this story. One. who turns out 10 be
the lover of Eris. is the best Of the lot,
but. compared with the girl herself. he
is less sturdy at the roots, more spind-
ing At the top. However, he is a some
what over-burdened young man for. be-
side the business Of being a lover he is
also writer. And upon him in the
,atter role Mr. Chambers laws the bur
den OF working off bulky block OF
opinions about modern literature-ro-
nance, realism, pseudo reaIisn-and
about the hopeless stupidity Of the
reading public, named The Great Am
crican ASS" by the irate dsputant. In
deed. the discussion becomes so hot and
50 bitter as to suggest that the author
himself may be taking a personal hand
in the controversy between two Of his
characters. However. one dislniSses this
! !htruding Thought as impossible For,
looking al the list, one finds fifty-six
novels charged already to the account OF
Nr: chambers. SO he cannot by any pos
! SiblitE have the shade OF a Quarrel
with the public. No. IL Is. clearly the
young man in the story who has SO deep
grievance. The girl, Eris. is a fine
gif!' hcr story one of deep interest
31oreovcr she is, in a sense, true IN
the HE Of many OF these girls who
move out capably and successfully irto
the thick Of things. An admirable story
polemfcs. Vi