Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-08-11
Editors Table

The STOPPING Venus" by Bruce
Marshall, author of This Sorry
Scheme"
The Modern Girl. chastised by
clergymen and lady professors, be-
rated and extolled by the Sunday
papers. and generally looked upon by
the sober faced middleaGed with
whole hearted disapproval Louise
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. %, very sophis-
ticated. clever, and gay, and quite
decided a to what she expects TO get
from life, is the young lady whose
story is related by Mr.. Bruce Mar
shall.
You have met the young person
frequently. She is alert, keen witted,
and up" on everything. Morality,
she pronounces Is a series of oushts
and musts" which are not to be taken
seriously by people who have gotten
beyond all that" Religion is forcing
yourself to believe in what you know
isn't true. Has religion asks We
ronica, Louise's modern young friend.
ever worked as electricity and steam
engines have worked" The answer
is. no! Look at the war and the al
mighty failure of religion in 1t! We
the more advanced OF us con-
tinues Veronica, ARE up against
Church and State. against monogamy
and miracles, priests and prophets
and retired green-grocers who 90 to
church on sunday. We're out to put
an end to Shams and deceits. Trlpe.
calculates Veronica, "Tripe'
Announcing that old fashioned
sentimentality means nothing in her
Young life. Louise marries Lord jim
Strathcrombie. 3 years her senior,
whom she admits she does not love.
Being somewhat less obstreperous
than Veronica, she makes herself as
comfortable as possible although she
consistently meets her husband
attacks upon her stern philosophy
with Il believe in myself. Love is an
almighty humbug and I'm up AGAINST
all superstition, inevitably
however, there comes along the sue
cessful young novelist, Robert Hewitt
before whose sincere belief that
"cleverness is the curse OF this mod
ern age, Louise's stout-hearted phil
osophy collapses! With very little
difficulty she conVinceS herself that
she is lin love for the first time" and
Hewitt soon believes that ne is hope
lessly in love with her. AS they are
neutrality-suspicious., moderns without
creed. they decide that nothing shall
restrain them, and agree to courage
ously announce their love to all the
world, including Jim Strathcrombie.
When it comes to facing her hus-
band, however, Louise funks hope
lessly and like many another men,
her of her sex, side-Steps the truth.
Recovering from this shocking dis
honesty, quite incxcusable in mod
erns," the two go away together, and
serenity reigns again until Hewitt
finds himself confronted by his pub
Usher whose respect he is anxious to
maintain. All unsuspecting, the older
man delivers a little lecture on how
the successful novelist must watch
his p's and as and make himself a
circumspect member of society. :.
The collapse of their romance is
thereafter effectively and dramatic
ally worked out, and the story closes
with Louise's late discovery of love.
clever novel, very readable, and
with many a satirical shot at the
self-styled ''moderns" and the
strained sophistication of the youth
of these times.
Published by E. P. Dutton and
company, 6S1 Fifth Avenue. New
York.
The writer of "A Northern Coun-
tryside," Rosalind Richards. has pic
tured in most delightful and enter
tanning manner some Of the many
beautiful country spots in the State
of Maine, centered around the quiet
little town in which she herself lived.
The appeal of the book lies in the
simplicity of the daily repeated mir
acle of living, woven about the lives
of the few homespun characters, the
telling of whose quiet doings, COM
bined with a naturalists insight and
intimate knowledge Of the countryside
and true knowledge of the intimate
trend of human nature, make the
book most charming and fascinating.
1t Is not a novel as IL contains no