Evening star., 1925-05-03
Reviews of Spring Books
Henry c. Wallace Former Secretary of Agriculture Writes
About the Farmer-A Few of the Nea1 Novels.
Phil potts Has New Volume.

failing laws as are the stars in their
courses. Accepted, rather, as natures
primary plan to which endless mis-
interpretations have been applied,
endless inhibitions have been i'm
posed-then the matter does begin, at
least. to show the quality of intelliS-
billty. We are talking about matrf-
mony. That is, Bruce Marshall is
talking about matrimony by way of a
dramatic treatment of this ancient and
honorable institution We are taught,
and accept, matriInony as a synchro-
nized stepping out of the immemorial
two upon an exactly cadenced march
through the storm and stress of life.
A trlumphal progress, this, by way of
the harmony of spirit, the unity of
plan that informs and inspires it,
Bruce Marshall, looking about, ap-
pears to have found that many, of
these matrimonial pairs break step
when only little way along the mari
tai course. Enough OF them, so he
implies, to make these limping couples
subject for consideration SO we have
here the man who tires of his wife and
the wife who makes him tired. We
find broken vows and unlawful con-
sortlngS-the common expressions OF
matrimonial fatigue. Fine backgrounds
go along with these errancies-France
England, Paris and London and the
outskirts of both. One is compelled
to admit that the reassorting all
around is seemingly a little better
than the original assignment But
this is. of course. wrong. So retribu-
ton takes a hand--a cruel and dis
astrous hand. And everybody feels
better, except those so badly ground
up by the juggernaut. Whatever you
may dislike or resent about this un-
usually we'll made story, don't blame
its author. He is laIerely telling the
truth. Look after yourself instead.
MOCKBEGGAR: A Novel. BY Lau.
renee. w. Meynell. New York: ID.
Appleton & Co.
"WE saw presently deceiving
W house Of fiattering vanity that
is called Mockbeggar" This helps
you with the title and suggests, be-
sides, something of the frothy iri-
descence of the story itself Hardly
story either. Rather a gastronomic
carnival-dinners q deux, a quatre
memorable dinners and some of more
inconsequence, suppers and tea par.
ties. nip at a bun, a bite at the
celery or radish or whatnot-this il is
along which the happy twos and fours
and eights of this carnival make their
frolicsome way. However, despite the
evidence ii is not eating that SO fully
engrosSes this young company Talk
ing is their business. Right there is
where the single flaw in the whole
delightful business appears. Too much
talk will spoil anything under the sun.
When this talk is aimed exclusively
upon the smart effects-why Just a
little of that sort of talk goes a long
way. Nothing is worse to get away
with, either mentally or physically
than little square chunks of epigram
with nothing in between to soften
them and get them rightly placed in
ones insides. A half as much of this
KIND or discourse-yes, a quarter as
much-would have made of this light
and graceful little story just exactly
the thing that the author-obviously
better endowed with real gifts than he
Is with elf-control-designed it to be
Seven stories made out of this one
Will give us seven brilliant hours OF
distinct and separate enjoyment
x x x
PORTUGUESE SILVER. By Charles
Neville Buck, author of "A Gentle
man In Pajamas," etc New York
The Century Co.
RY taking recent account of the
Portuguese settlements along the
New England coast, writer's of fiction
are giving many a fresh turn to the
deeply conventionalized character OF
| that locality. This coast connotes
| the Pilgrim Fathers of dour and for
bidding mien. When an author dares
to lodge an international crimina'
somewhere along the staid haunt OF
COD and Puritan the very audacity
| OF the move arouses attention. When
furthermore, he creates a settlement
or PortuGuese-true 10 life and there
fore, as exotic to this soil as Kin
hlang TO Harlen-this bright splotch
OF color along the gray coast becomes
thing of lure. And when a fine
gentleman rides the nearby sea the
| whole Summer long in a beautiful
yacht-what more likely to come 10
pass than that the whole coast of
| cod fishers should ALLOW" that this
was the very rascal that the whole
world of criminal hunters was after,
A curiously self-assured man. this
aloof, but not unfriendly yachtsman.
upon whom every amateur sleuth
from far and near is casting coyetous
but not over-confident glances. This