Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-02-19
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
RIGHT OFF THE CHEST. Nellie
ReYell GeorRa IL Doran CompanY.


Were a meeting between the two
possible, my literal old grandmother
and the familiar slangwhanger OF
tho present would come to speedy
loggerheads over the content OF this
title. The former. matter of fact and
distinctly dogmatic withal. would de-
clare-as II any fool could see with
out having 1t pointed out--that to
deliver anything right off the
chest implies lying fiat O. the back"
And the slangman. smiling superior
like, would retort: mot nowadays.
granny. It means just unloadin'
your mind" Like most disputes. this
right in part and, equally. both IN
part wrong. The exact truth OF the
matter is that Right Off the Chest"
was written with its author lying fiat
as a founder. while into the book she
unloaded some Of the expe rtences and
Pine helpleseness.
X X \ n
BY this time a great many people
know Nellie Revell and her story. A
host of friends came to the sound
conclusion that for his own sake
everybody would be doing we'll to get
acquainted with this woman. Out Of
the agreement there sprang up one
OF those blessed conspiracies of
friendship that now and then give a
tered belief in the boosted brother
hood Of man.
Bullets 60 back to the beginning
Of career, to the time when, like all
girls that amount to a hill of beans,
this one stood scanning the ways OF
life In order to choose one that prom
ised both happiness and success. Out
Of them all to her two seemed good
that is. for her. One of these was
journalism Sn ase ether the on usapa
thing. every day bringing the world
together in a community Of inter-
course and outlook, And the stage
was wonderful. too. In it's power to
to T STs She s. delight ass s
both on a high plane-one to mold
public opinion, the other to interpret
life itself. SO this girl went into a
newspaper Office. where. in the course
Of time, she ran the scale OF the
wide-awake reporters experiences,
covering everything from tea fights
to encounters more brawny and bru-
tai, il not finally more deadly, than
| their strictly feminized counterpart.
A successful newspaper woman
| emerged from SUCH exacting appren-
tfceshtp. This, however, included but
| half the original dream. Always her
mind still turned with desire toward
the romance and color Of the stage.
In the meantime Nellie Revell be-
came wife, mother, widow Gre
greater earnings imperative. So In
genuity stimulated by necessity and
| inclination working together sug-
gested a combination OF the theater
and the press as an approach to the
early ambition. The plan carried and
agent covering q field hitherto pre-
empted and held by men. Then fol-
lowed work and more work. Along
with 1t went heavy investments in
friendship among newspaper and
| theater folks. an enormous expendi-
Revell was gay as a lark, for she
was proving herself, and the future
stretched long and bright with in
creasing activity and assured success
X X X
Flat helpless lis Nellie Revell
Three measIy little bones of the spine
threw down their tools and quit work
leaving enough interferences' and OBJ
structions to throw the entire human
mechanism out of gear. Hopeless
was the verdict-which goes to show
that the announcements OF even the
bigwigs will sometimes bear bit OF
patient skepticism. For. so II Is said
Nellie Revell is getting well. And
this Is the book she has made while
jengaged-pretty thoroughly engaged
one judges--in the long four-yeai
Job of turning finally toward recov-
Jerry. Flat of her back, with writing
| pad laid on her chest and pencil in
hand, she made Right Off the Chest
| No, she does not here tell US al
of suffering and exhausted patience
and hope deferred. Excruciating suf-
lfering was there and hope deferred
but never exhausted patience. A gal
liant and unconquerable soul invites
US here. There is a God in heaven
measure, she throws in, land all's
right with the world" Can you beat
that for q tried and triumphant spirit;
! You cannot.
her sky has been the ceiling of q
| hospital room, her outlook small
window facing a blank wall. cit
might be worse" and. reaching down
into the rich store of herself, she fur
lnishes the Sky" with zenith and far
Horizons. the window with remember
ed vistas of the bright old days OF
work and achievement. That hospital
| room has become, in turn, news trail
land clearing house for the worlds
!doings, stage, salon, banqueting hall
rendezvous for the great friendship
clan. Speaking of friends. much OF
Nellie Revells time here has gone
Into counting OF her gains. Such huge
dividends have been accruing from
liner big investments in friendship
hot
of the matter, there would be an in
IveStigation calculated to make all the
iother Investigations look like plair
ipikers beside 1t.
Day after day they come focking
here, the old friends. Journalists
and reporters, actors and managers
prima donnas and chorus girls, so,
, ciety and mere folks. gods and half.
gods and no-gods-at-all among The
politicians; rich man. poor man. beg.
gar man, thief. And the gayety OF il
all! And the flowers and Hastings
those spreads" when Nellie Revell
for the occasional once, hurting de-
fianee at the whole die,etic business
spinach? Who invented carrots?'
falls to In a good make-believe o.
consuming piles of French pastry ant
buckets Of Ice cream-just to keep the
fellows feeling all right about theil
entertainment. Then the movie mar
comes with picture and. withou,
doubt. could one look in upon Nellie
Reyell at this moment she would be
tricked out in ear muffs-a radio fan
Friendship. love, laughter: the brave
heart, the valiant soul-these came
out upon every page of this story OF
a time that, without them, woulf
have CONQUERED even Nellie Revell
| "the brayest living creature l ever
saw in my life" Urvin Cobb talking.