Evening star., 1923-11-27
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
SON AT THE FRONT. Edith
Wharton. Charles Scribner's Sons.

A SON AT THE FRONT. Edith
Wharton. Charles Scribner's Sons.
Against background of war
time Paris. Mrs. Wharton projects
| this war story OF George Campton
and his family. It's important to
| mention at the outset that an undue
allowance OF family had fallen to the
lot OF Campton. For, beside the Gus
| tomary father and mother to which
| the bulk OF the worlds progeny can
| lay lawful claim, young George pos
| sessed a supplementary parent in the
person of stepfather. The mothers
frail and futile prettiness had made
| direct and substantial appeal to the
heart of Brant. rich banker. long
after IT had ceased to register any
! thing at all within the interest Of
Campton senior. And, so. it had been
| arranged.
Americans, these, who like so many
others from all quarters choose, for
various purposes. to live within the
beauty and freedom of France.
Nineteen fourteen and the war. At
this crisis, deep fear moved In and took
possession Of the mother and the two
fathers of young Campton, likable
| fellow inspiring in the three elders
a common affection that, upon fire.
quent occasion. served to bridge the
chasm Of diyorce-court decree. The
family was frightened. Not George,
who. bit remote, appeared to be
| thinking of something especially
alive and inviting. Like many
frightened people who talk. partly
! to conceal their fear. partly TO deny
IL any foundation. tSse f;~A.zly fell t.
talking about - -w--ew hat obscured
fact that t-E wx-S A<Hsss~a~s, that
this was not thts~ war. that even
If It were. few months would serve
10 cover and bury it, long before
America could reach the fields Of bat
tie. The real kernel Of their fright.
however lay in tho fact that some
where III the birth records of France
George Campton stood. technically, "a
ject to call in defense of the country
should its safety be inperiled. The
boys father and mother, you see,
had not chosen his birthplace with
Imminent parenthood must be an alb
sorbing thing. with no leisure for
scanning political horizons in search
of unlikely war clouds. Was 1t not
had drunk deep of French blood
so their thoughts would have run
had the question come into their
minds at all They would have
laughed at themselves for a pair of
old women at the notion of racing the
Atlantic merely TO secure pure
American citizenship for the eX-
pected baby.
! And George Campton became a SOL
dier OF France, cooling his heels un-
der the desks OF certain staff officers.
barricaded against the sound or scent
OF battle by miles of solid soldiery.
frank and file. The combined influence
of the two fathers had looked after
that. From this rear zone OF safety
George sent back amusing letters on
the excitements and dangers of war.
Comfortable reading, those letters.
| Now and then they were pitched to a
slightly different key-"dull as dltch
water" "duli-damned dull Comfort
able reading TO the family back in
Paris, to whom mere duilness was
truly a heaven-sent gift. Periods of
silence, but nothing to worry about
that is, nothing personal to worry
about. There couldn't be under the
circumstances. Then, beiated letters,
| Mails shot to pieces" according TO
young George, "the only things that
could get shot aiounu mere, anu 80
on in a pleasantly of boyish nonsense
that fell like balm and oil upon the
! hearts of those three at home.
. . "Wounded?" Young Camp
TOM" 1t couldn't be true. Everything
in the formation of armies was
against it Everything in the potency
of pull" denied it. 1t simply couldn't
be true. But 1t was true. And in
some hospital near the front george
Campton lay crumpled and broken.
| That's the story in its essence and
directing impulse. y war story. it is
true. Yet other than that alone. 1t
is the story of youth that must be
served by all OF life. that must serve
all Of life as well. The story of youth
adventuring. youth flaming high in a
! courage that is impersonal, self-for-
getting. cruel even. And set off
against This Is the protective instinct
of parenthood, the caution of matu-
! rity the wisdoHls OF experience, the
temporizings and diplomacies that
years and disillusion inevitably bring.
No, no. Mrs. Wharton. the last one to
weave a story into a symbol of youth
and age. into any sort OF symboilcal
content This is merely the likely
story of young fellow who had a
very settled notion of what 1t was
up to him 10 40, OF what IL e vas gums
to do No point in bothering the alto
| gether fine folks who had always done
SO much for him and who were get
ting no end OF comfort out of the
safety game they were trying to pun
off. Once out, the matter could be
settled, right. He could easily get
. transferred to where the real busine SIS
was going on. OF course. they might
have to know, some time-in case,
we'll that would have TO take care OF
Itself And they did have to know
! more than once.
The war itself-that is, the field,
the fighting. the slauGhter-enters
here only by indirection. Instead, it
is the Paris background of war that
stands so sharply defined. Instead,
also, it is the mental and emotional
reactions of the group centering upon
young George Campton that fulfills
the complete triumph Of this story.
Ia handful of sketches-these are
Paris. The light of the station
filed with departing soldiers; old
| Nine. Lebel, huddled and shape
less figure of bereavement: the great
physician, hurrying away to his Ia
tally wounded son: this one and that
one. without regard TO station, swept
together in q common loss. Now and
then some one notices a swift morn
ing smile on the face of the beauti-
full city or a tender look at twilight,
hut not many. Paris is stricken clean
| of careless beauty.
equal economy of effort, Mrs. Whar-
ton moves over to the strange rela-
tionships in the family of young
4 George Campton. With touch here