Evening star., 1924-03-09
Reviews of New Books

by the best of authority. Reaching
from the selection of the site of the
Capital city to q picture of Jefferson's
administration, the story includes the
useful business of surveying, of city
planning and city building, of the
tfansfer OF the government. A period
constEac,ion ac iproceedings s;;, Of meehanicai
that reads like today. After this there
is picture, quite to the joy of this
writer and his readers. of the social
Washington of that early day and
under the administration of Thomas
JEFFERSON. The book. as q book with
print and pictures and outer dress
ilyes up TO the spirit of the story it
self. Most attractive and useful for
the period with which it deals.
A CURE OF SOULS. Rv Nav sinclair
author of MARY Olivier" etc. New
York: The Macmillan Company.
To dissect the heart and soul of
any human being must be a most ex-
citing adventure. To be sure, the
chances are all against its being a
success if truth is the measure Of
that success. Human motives arc
elusive, human behaviors are more
often than otherwise. of secret par
entage. However, among the writer's
who have more than the usual skill in
this direction Miss Sinclair stands
conspicuous. In "A Cure of Souls
Canon Chamberlain comes under the
blade of her sharpened powers of
observation and conclusion. Just a
lazy man, devoted to his own comfort
and ease A very common pattern of
man; man., Set, however; in a churchly
common pattern of man works out in
special lines of influence and effect
among those coming under his cleri-
cal influence. Well done, of course.
One expects a quiet competency oil
procedure from this writer. Not an
interesting story. There is not enough
OF the canon to make story. What
there is is too monotonous in tone
An admirable study in the method of
subtle irony: Quite another matter
in this respect. A lot of work,
though, for both the writer and tht
reader.
MICHAELS EVIL DEEDS. BY r.
Phillips Oppenheim. author of "Thc
Mystery Road" etc. Boston: Lit
tie, Brown & Co.
AS full of evil deeds as an egg OF
meat is Michael. A super-criminal.
with an almost equally superlative
sleuth set off against him. wonder
fully matched pair, whose improbable
feats one follows here in coniding
belief that all of these things really
did happen. The author makes things
move so fast that one has no time
to stop for the weighing of proba-
bilities; Nor. does he desire to stop.
roofing for Michael on the way, now
and then obtruding a hindering foot
in the path of his pursuer In spite
Of the nice equality of the two.
the under dog" and besides. Michael
has the fascination of wickedness
about his generally attractive per-
sonality. Each tells his side Of
the story, turn and turn about, max
ing one feel all the time that he him
iS 70 Inc 0f he ffav-
Things go with rush from bad to
worse. We leave them finally with
Michael cornered. Or he would have
been had not his pursuer already
shed his official authority, and had he
not meanwhile reached the conclusion
that Michael deserved another chance.
So they gambled-a game of golf, as
one recalls it-for Michael to have tho
chance or to forfeit it. Just another
bit of evidence. this narrative, that
even a most improbable piece OF in
vention can get by in rush of ex-
citement and interest provided its in
ventor has the knack of turning the
trick.
THE HEIGHTS. BY Marguerite Bry
ant, author of Richard" etc. New
York: puffield & Co.
The outside of this romance has 10
do with the familiar episode of Il
broken engagement and the subSe-
quent marriage of the young man in
this case to one who was generally
known as 'the peasant woman Eng
lish, the first pair, who with friends
were travelling, and stopping, here
and there in Italy. The end of the ro-
nance is a long way off, an ending
quite in accord with its beginning. In
the meanwhile, however, the story is
one of vision, of that mysticism which
projects ones thoughts and behaviors
into the region lying between the
real and the unreal or. better, be-
tween the known and the unknown.
The peasant woman" is, in a way.
seer, q healer, companion of many
Intangible influences. The man all his
life has been dreamer, not doer.
The story dwells upon the reactions
of his spirit to this exalted environ
ment to this association with wom-
an who is so remote from the average
existence as to seem at times wholly
outside of it. The climax of the TO
nance is the mans return TO a normal
life-just the return and nothing else.
There is where the story stops, !eaE-
ing the reader a good deal In doubt
as to the quality of his future. Tho
Young woman, the faithful young
woman, who has been waiting ourlnG
her former lovers excursion into the
realms of vision, appears to be cor
hdent of the future. So why Should
a mere onlooker express skepti"@t
opinions and disturbing doubts.