Intermountain Jewish news., 1926-03-25
The Novel Of Jew and Gentle Has Been
Written

crhc Encmy's Gates, by Richmond l. barrett poni and
LycrghD
1t Is for deep clasriu that not a jew but
uoiIcw has the understanding novel of jew and
GENTLE Mr. Barrett has cyuccd a greater sympathy
kccncr appreciation, cyauntion In his appraisal
of the Jews relation TO his nonIcwis friends than any
Jewish writer who ever written ON the subject And
yet, it is unfair to call The Encmys the novel Of
jew and Gentle. The catcgorzing of Mr. Barrcts work
problem novel does injury his adetncss ut story
telling to his shrcwdness in characterization, his
pcc freedom from interest In the Of the story he
has fashioned.
onc has learned to fight shy Of novels dealing with
Jew and n0h-Jcw They have always tried TO prove
thing another And though by n fatal prcdcstnaon
every novel touching upon the subject abominaby
written The Encmy's Gates" T. everything TINT
Of Might was not. Elias Tobcnkm what purposed
to lc novel merely because wanted Illustrate his
hccf In the compatibility of jew and nonJcw far as
marriage is concerned So intent he upon arriving
at his final, telling climax which clinch the same
opinion in the minds of his readers that he failed
his characters with life lie robbed them Of self motivatcd
action. he imposed upon them thoughts that
logically their own Only objective criticism can permit
even the mentioning uf Irrcits and Tobcukns books
the same paragraph and in contrast.
The story of Tho I;nemy's Gates" is really unin-
portant. Even the characters such negligible But
fc finished whole gives impression of compactncss of
unity Of purpus,ncycr permitted he shown however
Barrctts writing has been compared TO that or g. Il.
Stern Only in the remote that they both deal in
family dynstics this he said TO be- true. \ COM
rarison between g. L. Stern and Richmond Barrett forces
to the reluctant conclusion that larics characters
though sometimes and inconsistent. nevertheless
more vital than those of the English Jcwcss. Stcrn'S
creations, upon rcmnisccncc he nuny. insu-
saniu caraccrcss. impotnt. Nowhere in "Matriarcl"
IdcSItc its hnumcrabc and women Is there per
somgc boldly outlined vivid, mcaulngful Bar,
reS George Morgcntha. The Encmy's Gates" derives
added prestige upon comparison to Matrarc' point by
point Notwithstanding. g. H. Stcrn's JcwSncss notwi-
standing her coscncSs 10 the situaton the problem u-
directly beautifully and ingenously indirectly pre-.
scutcd in THE Encmys Gates Barrett the nolJcw
driven closed to the truth than his fellow novelist.
The EncmyS Gates" presents Mark Morgcntlal, dcs-
ccldum Of long line of American Jews with his wife
and three children. Marks marriage had deferred
him from cnnjucal dcHntiSm. which gradually sapS
his wifeS Vitality George the first born in shy bull
headed iurovcrt of the sensitive type. Morton is
srlHvc superficial but posscs>or Of sufficient ntcli-
to be called cgotistic Jc>sca is all
Morton attends church regularly during his college years
and denies his Jcwshnes though his brother at the
same college could he mistaken for anything else
hut Jew.
II is Ann Cartur, whom Morton believed he wanted,
who senses George MorgwhalS burden. and who de
him She finds early in their life together that George