Evening star., 1924-02-10

|
and sympathy which, summed and set
to the action Of this romance, pro-
duces a medium of understanding that
!, is ordinarily SO difficult for the west
I ern mind to secure in respect to this
| essentially oriental people. Russia
! has produced great writer's. 1t is not
| easy to recall one that serves just the
purpose of illumination and interpre-
! tation that Alexey Tolstoy serves in
| THE Road to Calvary"
trand W. Sinclair author Of North
of Fifty-three," etc. Boston,: Lit
tie, Brown & Co.
| the children's children of some out
standing and significant figure hold a
deep attraction for certain serious
type of novelist-like Galsworthy and
Maxwell in England, like Arthur Train
in this country. In America this lure
! is of special strength. Here, as history
| counts time. the pioneer is no farther
away than yesterday. One is able to
| gather him up with three or four sue
eeeding generations, extending the
whole into an objective and visual Sc
quence. Moreover the growth of Amer
lea has been swift, it's resources
marvel of richness and variety. it's op-
1ar-ranging in ScoHe. A fore-Shortened
projection, highly useful to the art of
the dramatic novelist. The Inverted
Pyramid is story of the northwest,
source and of lumber as an industry
both impressed TO the service of sin
gle family, the NorquayS. The action
of the story runs along in the present
with the business and social concerns
OF the rich Norquay family, father
and three sons. The history of the
house and its great business comes by
way of its present departures from the
standards set and the methods en-
ployed by old Roderick Norquay, pio-
neer, great landowner and head of the
lumber trade in the northwest. Pass
ing an undivided inheritance to the
eldest son from generation to genera
ton, this the grounded plan of old Nor
quay. under the theory that divided
Inheritance is dissipated and weak
ened one. So, here, the Norquay in
tereStS are in the hands of the oldest
son. But i'll the passage from pioneer
days to the present the old vision of
stability has faded, the purpose of
| keeping the forests rich and the lum-
patriotism in buSiness-these have
fallen by the way, just as the blood of
Grove Norquay has thinned to meet the
glamour of speculation in place of
business honest from every stand
point On the top here is a picturesque
story of modern life. Underneath is
the picture of family decay and moral
d1Sintegration. Both lines are carried
to the end in most competent and sat
lsfying manner. A big story in every
way.
If TODAY BE SWEET. By Ednah
Aiken. author of The Hinges of
Custom" New York: Dodd, Mead
& Co.
;. The hedonism of Omar Khayyam
th ti.s IN this title. as it does also in
Az ara De merry. for tomorrow"
The story itself. in quite contrary
spirit, dramatizes our common OBJ
lsations, not only to the present, but
ls yf.aJl II L.,
or prohibition which, embodied as
law, appears to have divided the
world into two classes--law breakers
ana. ana law sr observers. In effect the |,
cltIzenship whose proof is his atti-
tude toward law that is, to him.
obnoxious. Set in the wine district
OF Cali1ornia- the novel marshals the
american Am drama-the whisky ring.
the prohibition leaders and agents
the wine growers. The moral problem
- projected and worked out in the
a. romance gives point to some of
the action. The most of it, however !
mas TO 40 with the activities of these
connicting forces and with the per-
OF the poisonous substitutes of the
o!d beverages. The situation unon
whicn the story rests. is confused and
1naetefminate. nn. m as yet. In curious
sAS Seoiy. loo, pdTtakeS of this
quality. giving the effect of loose con-
seIuctlon. OF too many lines set for
satisfying returns from any of them,
MY LADY OF THE MOOR, Rv Jobn
Oxenham. author of Gods Pris-
oner," etc. New York: Longrnans
Green & Co.
A story of great beauty. which dc.
rives, in part. from its moorland
setting, s;1;1 , but in larger part. from a |
A1A
partake Of some other world than
this Yet its theme is drawn from
me common life of man. And 1t is |
SET. moreover. in @the clearly un-
Ip'fi'uai :. RI present of the great war
nate. or sin on the part of one and
creams or revenge on the part OF an
other Two men, these-loving. nos.
sessavcty' 3 sa;n as men do My Lady" is
love and desire her. Both are un-
worthy: any man would have been.
through the influence of her pure
spirlt one redeems his sin and wins
rer ner love; The other rises to a true !
nee of his own life for the beloved |
woman: story somewhat remote I
from the depth of it's religious es-
aenGe. t;s,'; perfect blend of the beau
s t,rul moorland setting in its sheer |
the high quality Of the drama itself |
produces an indescribabie effect NJ
uellcate textures and mystic influ- |
ences and other-world emanations.
THE CHILD's HOUSE. BY Mariorv
MacMurchy. New York: The Mac.
milan Company.
Little stories. these, covering inn
portant incidents in the life of !
vanessa as she moved out from eight !
years of age on toward thirteen
EVerybody in the world has his trou- !
PIES. SO, even little girl has hers. |
YanesSas great cross was that she !!
Vas dinerent from any one else. |
Queer" odd" "strangest child that |
ever was"-these are srievous words /
to hear about ones self at eight |
years of age. Vanessa's whole object |
IN life was to rid herself of this
oooioquy by becoming. just like every i
we follow VaneSsa about-to her first !
party, to the yearning for a parasol. |;
to one specially trying Christmas. to !,
one ., ana another point in this young. |
out or this book, as she should. Not |
only does she keep her person out |
OF 1t, but she keeps those fatal in !
terpretations out of it that SO many {.
writers about children seem pos !
sessed to. get into. Amusing little
stories when they are not pathetic =,
instead. :
FIDELIS. BY Jane Abbott. author of
keineth." etc. Philadelphia: J. r.
Lippincott Company I
WaywtSe to the interest of girls.
tnis writer offers them another story
that based on school life, reaches out
beyond these confines to many an ad-
will seize upon with zest and emula'
ton. Regulations and coursesof study
cut no great figure here There's a
reason. The thousand and one other