Evening star., 1926-10-03
IDA GILBERT MYERS.


TN Labels" Mr. Gibbs embodies
and projects England by way OF
single English family. This Is
i the new and strange England
left by the World War. some
what broken England. bewildered and
divided. feeling its way toward d
sound and healthy existence once
more The family gathered under
Labels Is also a broken family, Its
former solidarity shattered by d.
Vergent beliefs and opinions. its for
mer ways disturbed by new attitudes
and hehaviors. A family in flux, as
ali England is in process OF change
Two sons and a daughter. A father
and mother One of the sons went
into the war and distinguished him.
self there. The girl went to rance
also in war work. The remaining
son a conscientious ohjector. went 70
prison for his conscience and worked
there like q man in the trenches. IKE
digger in a ditch. The war Is
over The soldier son. wearing the
lanel Of a patriot. is curiously apa'
thetic toward the glory counted MS
The daughter is III clear reoetllon
against the vapidity OF her lie az
home She swears 4 good deal ana
smokes q lot and is pretty generally
obnoxious in her discomfort. She has
no English daughter should have
Luckily she keeps these TO herself
The ohiector is an outcast, repudlateo
by his father. who gathered in good
deal Of public appreciation by the
rather profita ble ways in which he
served his country during the war
There you have them. each a com
pletely recast individual by way OF the
war. each wholly unsuited to the CO
nd
family life The story moves along
bv wav of the readtustment Of these
members Of the family and by way
of couple of love stories that are
rather Incidental TO this general
theme of personal liberation than any
thing else The most that these TWO
romanCes do is to project character
under the stress and strain OF uh'
usual circumstance. Mr.. Gibbs is a
verv sincere student of the human
IN his reactions to circumstance.
slwsvs counting in these reactions
the lines Of blood that are so potent
IN everyhody's life. Reading TINS
sketchy analysis. find that II pre-
sents this novel as of dldactlc
strain. 1t is not that AZ all. II Is
primarily A story whose characters.
euddenlv freed from certain old IN
hihitions. are rather blustery and sell
=
talking of the aggressive kind. The
rirI in particular. is q repellent crea-
fure in her new independence That
right too for she is hunting TOT ner'
self IN The woods and Is Uhlstllng
to keep up her courage so WIN
ell of them They are new AND
bristIine. each according to his ma
tura. Under the appearance of change
end u.hin and erratic behavior. how
ever. the story itself moves forward.
orderly. coherent. consistent, toward
another step gained in individual re-
adjustment. A finely strong. a. nnelE
based romance Of the present in one
of its most vttal problems. no matter
Of what nationality this problem may
be. II Is simply Cne of the questlons
of the new day set out sincerely ano
IN excellent drama.
FAIRY GOLD By Compton Macken-
zie. author Of The Altar steps.
et, New York; George II. Doran
two islands. Room and Carrackoon'
off Great Britain. in the north
Atlantic are the chief characters IN
This lovely tale But nobody can
make q story. lovely or otherwise.
from two rocks lifting their heads 'cut
Of the sea No matter how overgroWn
these MAY he with green tansles OF
vine and bush and heather ana tfee,
no matter what melodies in sun ana
storm the Atlantic may have woven
about them. no matter 70 what curious
unseen peoples they may have offered
refuge and home. no matter What
strange and Turing legends may nave
grown upon them These are not
enough. not enough for an artist even
or for a poet or for man VINO teels
the old and charmed life Of the place
clear 70 his deepest heart. SO there
must he human life set upon this en-
chanted spot. And Mr MacKenzle
makes a love story TO fit Room and
Carrackoon. And he brings 1t up
as near the present as 1917. very
helpful time for situations that In
common periods could not exist. Ana
he puts q garrison upon Room. Ger
mans. YOU know and submarines. Ana
the Young officer comma nding the gar.
rison is good stuff also for the kind
of love story that Room could support.
Upon the island---a long time upon the
Islands, family, now much lrnpov-
Arished. but of degree Here IS
daughter, the party of the second part.
or is it the first? Quite plauslbly.
this boy and this girl being just what
they are. Mr. Mackenzie weaves love
story that, for innocence and sturdl-
ness, too, melts into tho spirit OF the
beautiful spot that he has chosen as
the prime theme of his new roma nee.
Here is a true modern, fairy tale of
wonder and beauty and happiness.
~ ~
MR. MOFFATT. BY Chester Francis
Cobb. New York: George II. Doran
Co.
A STRIKING and unusual novel, A
"a simple story But simplicity Is
not a unique quality in literature. In
deed, Il Is likely that all Of the great.
est tales are simple ones. Here are
q man. his wife and daughter. Every
day he spends in his pharmacy. wait
ing on custoners-not many OF these
AT night he puts away the cash, locks
the door and goes back to his family
in the rear OF the shop. They eat and
talk and go TO bed and get up-world
without end. or so It appears. Then
something happens, not much, OUT
enough TO give the hope, II not the
definite promise, of more money and
an easier and less monotonous eX-
istence Well. in the long run this
hope turns out 70 be no more than a
dream. But II was a protracted and
very ufelike dream. In its pursuit
the man lost or threw away many OF
the things that he mad supposed were
an inherent part OF his life. Indeed.
at times he seemed to be throwing the
whole Of himself away under the OBJ
session Of a bright dream that OBJ
scured all else. a story. you see. that
In outline could be claimed by great
majority as their very own. And at
last the plan stands naked. so 10
speak Quite naked as TO the great
bulk Of his former possessions ana
nrepossessions. Nothing at all was