Evening star., 1924-01-13
Reviews of New Books

portance, ones physical conduct
chiefly a matter OF taste in a philos-
ophy that ranks the mind fmmeas-
urably above the gross accidents or
matter. Indeed, man can win to
the initial step toward repentance is
to do something to repent Of In
the clear thinking and subtle insight
and ironic Implication of Anatole
France. to which Is added a complete
mastery OF the art of communica-
bility. IAbbe jerome Coignard stands
a unique and beloved figure to delight
the mind and warm the heart through
his joyous acceptance of life ana
through his generous Interpretation
OF it's meanings and obligations.
THE ABLE McLAUGHLINS. BY Mar
garet Wilson. New York; Harper
& Brothers.
For this first novel. which, by the
common agreement of it's judges,
proved to be a prize novel as well, Its
young author, Margaret Wilson. chose
as setting for the action a neighbor-
hood of the middle west In the pio-
neer period. The settlers of this
Iowa community are Scotch cove
nanters, contributing to the ultimate
sum of American life the Scotch
strength of character. its piety, its
honesty, its deep, unemotional affec-
tions, it's surface play OF odd humor.
The story itself is that Of the Nc
LauShlins-mother and son-lsobel
Mclaughlin and Wully, the first of
her children, the likest to her own
noble and admirable self. These two
alone would constitute sound evidence
that this new novelist recognizes
character as the prime essential OF
the novel. These two bear witness
also that she already possesses un-
character, projecting live and believ
able men and women into an excel
lently conceived picture of pioneer
settlement, with its fresh opportuni-
ties, its promise from the fruitful
soil. its special obligations toward
new political and social order. The
writer's gift of sympathetic imagina-
ton centerS around the growth Of
Wully Mclaughlin from boy to man,
from prairie farmer to soldier in the
civil war and back to farmer again
One of the greatly determining fac
tors in the development of young Nc
Laughlin is his love for Christie Nc
Nair, bringing the one test before
which men-all but the one out of
millfoR-retreat in an acknowledged
defeat. Fine and firm and even
throughout. the story projects an ex-
ceptionally clear picture of locality
in Il period of historic Importance, as
1t defines also not only certain char
dcltTS, out Ine dud pldtlOn
allen strains to the new life imposed
by the institutions and activities of
the new world.
THE UNBIDDEN GUEST. by Sflvfo
Nilln. New York: The Macmillan
Company.
Clearly these recollections of an
"un bidden guest" were set down in
moments of. deep homesickness for
the native land. Poignant memories,
calculated to waken one TO the in
evitable fact that the great majority
Of voluntary eXiles seeking new lives
in alien lands must suffer pitiable
hours of hOmesick anguish. And we,
already at home. fail to take this de-
termining situation into account as
we make glib summaries of the fer
eign element" However, that is
something else. This is the story OF
Carletto, an Italian. who, in this
country a decade and a half, has
achieved a substantial and useful
American citizenship. The Unb!dden
Guest" covers Carletto's off hours
from the strenuous business of MAX
ing himself over into an American.
These are the hours when memory
takes possession, sending Carletto
back to Italy, the source of his being,
the sunny playmate Of his childhood,
the bright companion of his. youth,