New Britain herald., 1925-07-24

nore spectacular sistcr-Works, is an men that we must regard aa par icularly favorable to the cause of 'etter letters we have long been ad beating,
 It is not our purpose here 10 dis. uss the very evident merits of this pochal book, for this has been dono by far greater minds han ours, and never an angle has ,eon neglected. IL Is rather our pur- 'oso to voice the hope here that eading America is al last oommy ut of the literary doldrrIms that it 'as been in since first afflicted hy he scourgo, "Jazzmania.'
 We thought much last fall when Percy Marks collegiate bucket of cum was riding crazily on the crest 'f popular approval that America vas tated never to recover its place n the sun as nation of intelligent 'eadnrs. For weeks. weeks. months md months, The Plastic Sgc" oc- ,uped the top floor of popularity. md for months after its star had apparently Waned. and e'erNone had seen reported as having read it al 'ast onoo, 1t somehow or other stil to keep it's place some where in the select ten"
 "The Plastic Age hcwoyor as dld arery other similar w"alth of dri}el and nonsense, went its way. un- grieve1. into oblivion. The book 10. Jay is never spoken of. and if will not hc long before its very existence Is unremembered For after all The Plastic Agc' vas not even well-done filth It Wa@ diStmcti,c not even in this
 "So Rig. on the other hand. is the novel of the 2 neratlou thus far. II is 3 literary masterpiece, 2 gom nf real Triting, possessing 2 real in sight on q class of American people distinctive in themsel}cs as is the book and the author Tho writes of them Fdnn Terber has done much in this novel tn help awakening America 10 the stern task nf casting aside the hcfuddling cloak of jazz which has caused so many of her institutions 10 tnttrr to crumhle, to fall smashed into 2 million tav dry shardS
 Away back follu"lne the close of the var 1t vas predicted that jazz would someday collapse, but as the years sped onward and la2z in the interim became but the more firmly tsta bliShed. it's final collapse seemed The whole world. from the soiGcr tom tom of the African Jungle to the whining sax of our own roof garden seemed afflicted. 2 mighty hrass-houud song flung jazz band englr4liug tho globe
 And aS the mu&lr tumbled up"arl in an unce2gluC medley of strange squawks and erluttorings utterly rhythmlrss, W a" lt fastcn ifs dread t1lons on our e7 "rv possession We saw nainlncs scared by its dread touch No va" unrocogniz8 blt sculptorngs AnI then 1t grappler with that art of arts, poetry, ant hrandfd I # into 2 million nameles' aud formlnes orl-sketChcs. l brought forth such atrocities in the field of pres as he She!k, Three Weeks" The Plastic Age and a countless horde cf similar i'm, possibilities
 But, its moro recent bursting tortl vas it's last The pace the la-. pace, 7c are inclined 10 think, ha! become too hot lag must, will and is succumhing 70 the relentless ness the inexorahl"nHss of time ! already has had its second wind, has run itself out
 Books such as "1f Winter Comes,
 "Nain Street, 'Blhhitt,' and thei subsequent popularity We regarded as truly omens of better times al around, and more especially in tn book marts of America And now we have the place tn the sun wor year and | half ago by one of tn most meritcrlous no els ever written and still being maintained by all un paralleled sale Why cannot. then ve say that this rrssae ees bette times, the return of America an the world 10 sanity, 10 nationality
 50 Big. " then, is the outstandins novel still in the first ten" and VI might also recommend as worth the Tealing in this magical list, "ArroT smith" and The White Monkey First place at present is occupied h, Margaret Kennedv's The Constan lymph We have not read thii book as vet. but have just manage 10 obtain it and will he able to tel more of it next week.
 Books meeting Vith the approvs of the American pock4tbook at pres ent, In the order of their popularit, are as follows The Constant Nymph
 Arrowsmith, The Little French Girl
 The Thundering Herd, The Whit
 Monkey, The Green Hat. The Caro-
 linian, The Inevitable Nillionairps
 So Big. The Reckless Lady. Tn
 Mothers Reccmpense, Soundings, th
 Loring Mystery. Orphan Island. Hi
 Wife-in-Law. 4 Passage 10 India
 The Painted Veil. Gods stepchfl iren, The Divine Lady. Barre
 Ground Martha. The Fnchante
 Hin, Father Abraham and Res Short Stories of 1924,
 In the field of uon-iction ne hay
 these most in demand. When W, ] EI~a-, Va -~-,.- e-r- ,,,...-