Evening star., 1923-10-06
The Library Table
ny THE BooKLoyER

A middle-aged woman, we'll edu-
Gated ard a great reader, living in
Main Street town. was much Distress
ed over the lack of. opportunities and
restricted. rather frivolous, lives OF
her daughter.in-Iaw and the young
married women who were her asso-
ciates. The formal education tof all
these young women had been prema-
tureiy ended by early marriages ana
many Of them were now feeling their
lack of intellectual resources. one
day when the daughter-in-law ex-
pressed some such consciousness, the
mother-i In law. who was not OF the
kind represented in the joke columns
seized the occasion and suggested
that she form a small study club or
her daughter-in-law and her friends.
The offer was eagerly accepted. Then
the older woman was very anxious
to choose just the right. subject OF
study to begin the experiment-
something really educational and yet
not so "highbrow" as to discourage
her students at the outset She de-
cided against. a course in the devel-
opment of English prose fiction, be-
cause most Of the reading already
done by the young women was nc
ton. Finally she selected history as
the field for the winters study, and.
because of his popular style, COM
bined with thorough knowledge and
accuracy, she chose John Fiske as
the historian.
She also considered that her class
might with great benefit learn from
Fiske the interesting beginnings and
development Of the history Of their
own country. So they read and dis
cussed in order Fiske's series OF
American histories-"The. Discovery
New England" "old Virginia and Her
Neighbors." THE Dutch and Quaker
Colonies in America" THE American
Revolution" and The Critical Period
of American History" Then for des-
sert she furnished the class with q
were some of the historical periods
covered by Fiske. The list was as
follows: OF the period Of the dis
covery of America, J. F. Coopers
Mercedes Of CASTLE" and A; W.
of the New England colonies. Haw-
thorne's 1.-THE Scarlet Letter" BeuIah
NJ. Dix's THE Making of Christopher
Ferringham" and Soldier Rigdale,"
Amelia Barr's THE Black Shilling.
standish." Betty Alden" and David
colony. Vaughan Kester's John O.
Jamestown" Mary wilkins The
Hearts Highway" and Mary john
ston's prisoners of Hope" ITO Have
New York colony. washington Irv-
ing's "Knickerbocker's History of
New York" and Amelia Barr's The
House on Cherry Street" and THE
Bow Of Orange Ribbon; of the Pc
riod of the american Revolution, J.
chell's Hugh Wynne," Paul Leicester
Ford's Janice Meredith" and r. w.
Chambers ''The Reckoning" and The
Maid at Arms"
This incident leads the Booklover
to inquire whether there may not be
those who would like to have read
ing lists on other subjects. Requests
rom individuals, and especially from
reading clubs, will be welcomed and
If found to be of general interest
will be answered in this column.
X X X
The dangers of family life would
seem to be the theme of Gilbert
Cannan's novel, Round the Corner"
The Rev. Francis Folyat and his wife
Martha are the parents of ten
healthy children, not one of whom
ever amounts to anything. and as
The story Of their drab family life
progresses it becomes obvious that
with their heredity and environment
they could not possibly amount to
anything. The Rev. Francis Folyat
himself is a kindly man of high
ideals. but hopelessly weak and in
effective. His wife is a selfish senti-
mentalist The ample income with
which Mrs. Folyat's dowry and his
living supply them at the beginning
Of their married life is gradually
diminished by repeated encroach-
ments on principal, for the purpose
Of paying debts. financing futile en-
terprises and Strengthening out dis
graceful episodes for their children.
The only child who contributes any
satisfaction to his parents is the
rom a roof and is thereafter IDEAL
ICED and becomes sweet memory
for the rest of their lives. The other
children straggle through life to
ldult years and then to middle age,
Disconnected. accomplishing nothing.
other and their parents. Most Of
them marry and their marriages are
unhappy. Serge. the eldest, is a par
,ial exception in this joyiess family
picture. After deserting from the
Navy and being brought out by his
father. he develops artistic and phil
osophic tendencies and attempts to
,ring some harmony into the family
relations. He himself is careful never
90 marry. After over eighty years OF
ife. ana over fifty as father. the
Rev. Francis Folyat finally dies and
leaves his old wife sentimentally
convincing herself that theirs has
been very happy marriage.
+ \ X
The voting contest for the ten best
books of the century now being con-
Quoted by the Literary Digest Inter-
national Book Review is arousing
much interest in readers Of that ex-
ceilent monthly magazine. The con-
test, which closes November Is, is
being participated in by people all
over the United States. The COM
posite list Of ten books compiled
from the many lists sent in will be
published in the January issue Of the
international Book Review. Natu-
rally. each readers list must be Sc
'lected from the books of the twen-
tieth century which he has read.
and as presumably no one has read
all the books published since 1900.
no list, not even the final composite
one. will be based on complete
knowledge. The Booklover has just
sent In his list. which is as follows:
Albert ]. Beveridge's Life OF John
and Letters of Walter II. Page" the
Moneypenny-B Buckle Life of Ben
iamin Disraeli," H. G. Wells Outline
of History" William James ..Vari-
eties Of Religious Experience" Ed.
win Slosson's Creative Chemistry"
samuel Buffers 1.-The Way of All
Elesh - Edith Mharton's "Ethan