Evening star., 1923-11-13
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
LOVES PILGRIM. J. D. Beresford
The Bobbs-Merrfll Company.

LOVES PILGRJM. J. D. Beresford
The Hobbs- Merrill Company.
They call 1t the new psychology
Yet its foundations arc infinitely older
than those from which, within the past
half century. the modern science Of the
mind has developed The new psy-
chology" claims the unconscious mind
as its particular domain. The more
commonly accepted view Of this science
deals with the conscious mind, its
laws, processes, fulnllments. For it's
origin and growth the unconscious mind
goes back. illimitably, to the primitive
urge Of the individual to preserve itself
on the one hand, and. on the other hand
to perpetuate itself by way Of offspring
This double elemental urge gives ac-
counting, II one but seek II, for all
nutritional and sex hungers For the
greater security Of these two essentials
Of continued existence a third element
became active in primitive man. This,
the impulse to gather In groups--the
herd instinct, common to all life, espe-
cially marked in all animal life, includ-
ing the man animal This gathering
merfs, concessions. the individual Yield
ing for the good Of the group accom-
modatfons, adaptations. 1t Is upon this
third element OF the unconscious mind
that all subsequent social units rest,
that all civilizations rise and endure.
DR.. Sig1nund Freud maintains and
teaches that the unconscious is the
real man. The conscious man Is no
more than a deceptive automaton
made UP of endless ages of conven-
tions. rules, inhibitions. conformities,
a full and circumventing brood OF
"verbotens" behind which, as behind
an impenetrable darkness, the actual
man follows the primary and unes-
capable urges OF the unconscious
mind. The excitement of this theory
and 1t Is an exciting one-ls that. to
even the average onlooker, 1t points
the way of explaining many puzzling
aand disconcerting facts. For instance,
to take single example, there is the
family. conceded to be a useful and
noble social bulwark. Now the fam
lily has through the long ages become
so thoroughly institutionalized as TO
stand in the common mind as of divine
origin. 1t is buttressed by moral and
civil law. 1t is beautif1ed by parental
and filial claims Of pure and unselfish
devotion. Yet everybody-everyb
who sees at al1-looks out upon fam
lily hatreds and secret antagonisms
that declare themselves in a thousand
unconscious ways. What is the far
source Of these irresistible hatreds
the family, so Freud declares These
disclose the unconscious man acting
through his primal instincts. Again.
within the family. who has not seen
the father renewing his youth in
chivalrous and tender gallantrios to-
ward the daughter, the son a matter
Of slight concern? Who has not seen
the passionate unwisdom of mother
love toward the son, while toward
the daughter there is secret dislike,
envy, Jealousy. all cIeaked in pious
phrases of untruth7 What does it all
mean? The unconscious mind reveal
ing the actual man here and there
through the ,century-long overlayings
of convention. So Freud says.
James Robinson in his studies on
"humanizing knowledge" would say
that psychology, Of all sciences, de-
mands this humanizing agency. And
DR.. Joseph Collins. agreeing. declares
that the novelist is, Of all others. the
one to do this. 1t is the considerable
novelist who translates Psychology
into life. He presents character and
personality, and these reacting upon
viors, ideals. And how certain novel
lists have jumped at the chance pf-
fered by the theory of the uncon-
scious mind as Sigmund Freud pro-
jects and amplifiesf and emphasizes II.
Many woman writer's have gone off
writes from London about May SIM
clair, "a little old fashioned woman
who looks older than she need. nice
eyes and no great sign or her gen,
uine cleverness"-with no sign at all
that she had gone off" after the new
gods set up by Sigmund Freud. And
there is Dorothy Richardson. most
seif-confessing of ladies. and Rebec-
ca West, whose splendidly ornament
ed and topheavy story, The Judge,
depicts the exclusive and consuming
love of mother and son.
Tho men who are dealing with this
theme are many. Among them is
J. 3. Beresford with his new story.
Loves Pilgrim This is a good
story, but not better than others
written by Mr.. Beresford-say, not
better than tire one relating the ad-
ventures Of Jacob Stahl. Its special
interest lies in the fact that by way
Of it Mr.. Beresford. too, has gone
Off, on the psychoanalytic trail
This. however. is not all of II. Mr.
Beresford has written story that
can be read, which is more than may
be said of many of the novels baaed
upon a theme which is not only
prolific, but more than likely besides
to get clear out of hand and to go
gailopins away into secret places
where no sane man dares to follow.
In sum, it Is the story Of overlove
between mother and son. 1t is. how
ever. in contrast to all the other re-
oent novels based upon this theme,
keyed down to the level Of common
understanding and. therefore. down
TO the level of general acceptance.
The average reader can look around
almost any day and see the story of
Foster Innes working itself out in
whole or in part without being forced
TO dig back into primitive ancestral
instincts through q wallow Of dis
tressfng revelations. If, on the other
hand, one reads this story in the light
of Sigmund Freud's conclusions he is
vincingly as if II. had been clothed
In the reckless violence of--say, D. II.
Lawrence. Foster Innes tells his
own story here---that Of q. lame boy
shut out from the rough
world of BOYS. shut in. to a great ex-
tent. with his mother and his dreams
To this mother the boy constitutes
all the love life that she has ever
known.
The husband il dead. NeglibIe
when he was alive. A beautiful wom-
an the mother--intelligent, clever.
charming. The story grows with the
boys growth. with the change Of his
dreams into pictures of his own fu-
ture happiness wherein lovely
maiden always has the leading part.
In the course Of time the maiden
comes true, for this is 3 well born,
reads. So maidens do not stand aloof.
NJ under The hndilY hlenaish they