Evening star., 1926-11-21
REVIEWS OF AUTUMN BOOKS
An Outline of the Religions of MankindA Novel Two
Fresh From the Presses-A Volume Concerned
With Old Mother Earth.
ing Of the psychological cadenoes OF
the life Of the human male.
Il n 4

ing Of the psychological cadenoes Of
the life Of the human male.
CORDELIA ACIANTRELL. BY Meade
Minnigerode, author Of "The Sew
en- Hills" etc. New York: G. p.
Putnam'S Sons.
0CORDELIA CHANTRELL" Is a
~ moving picture of social Charles
ton Just prior to the Civil War and Of
certain aspects Of the war itself In
that locality. The story Is so purely
dramatic In content, so concentrate
and vivid in projection that. just as
1t reads, It is in effect q Aim produc-
ton, devoid, as such productions are,
of the explanations and paddings ana
"atmospheres" that stand as an es-
sential part Of the written romance.
By the artiflce Of discovering Cordena
Chantrell's old diary up In New York,
girl went at the close OF the war, Mr..
Minnigerode gives vitality and I'M
mediacy to matters dead and gone
these so years or thereabouts. Here
the gay and aristocratic Charleston
lives again in it's elaborate social cere-
monial Of pre-war days. Moving pow
ers within It are the Chantrells. the
Penmarches, the Bainbridges. With
these. too, develops the romance OF
requited and unrequited love such as
one meets in the struggle or youth
the world over to fulfill itself. Among
these young folks. each one taking
his place or her place here In bodily
and spiritual actuality Of effect, Cor
della Chantrell is clearly the crown
Of Mr.. Minnigerode's art in this par.
ticular projection. A fine, outstanding.
passionate, beautiful, heroic girl. "a
real spang beauty, none of your sim
pering droopers" as they say down
her way. Here Is a girl who can
think and plan and carry forward her
plans, and who would not recognize
defeat. And all along the way the
author pays homage to her; the
della" And by and by these quail
ties of Cordelia are needed in more
momentous matters than her own
love for man. Cordelia becomes an
instrument Of the war, moving easily
and superbly along her way for the
triumph of the South. Unhappy Cor
della! History and romance together,
the history vitalized by the human
content of this beautiful story, the
romance expanded from personal
doubts and fears to the measure OF q
South.
THE BLUE CASTLE. BY L. M. Mont
gomery. author Of Rainbow Val
ley," etc. New York: Frederick A.
Stokes Company.
A PRETTY story. one hand wav-
ing a fairy wand. the other
pressing an electric button. On the
one side a castle in the air peopled
by a dream lover and gallant knights.
On the other a brisk and capable
matrimonial self-determinism.
This is the story of a 30-year-oid
girl upon whom a fool minded family
spent open and insulting pity for
her lorn state of being an "old
maid" It was out of such degrad-
Ing torment that the girl retreated
to her house Of dreams making of
this fair domain of fancy in lieu
Of the hateful reality. Pure fairy
tale, this. Then, one day, this young
woman stepped up to a man and
said, will you marry me?" Recov-
ering quickly, he said he would. And
here Is the plain practical record Of
making go of married. life.
A gifted Imagination projects three
nance. Here is a sympathetic play
of fancy where youth lives in a
measure shut away from actually,
shut away in its own blue castle"
Here is an understanding realism
working out a commonplace pattern
of life, where small pursuits and
petty thoughts and a conventional
rigidity prevail. And here in equal
realism is that phase of immediate
modern life which is expressed in the
new independence, in the new free
dom Of the young woman Of the day
And these three lines, each so clearly
conceived. are interviewer to produce
q consistent unity whose effect is
that of an interesting and pleasing
story.
THE LAUGHING HEART. BY Bea-
trice Sheepshanks. New York:
Harper and Brothers.
IF. possibly for your own easement,
you stop beside this title expecting
light and laughter and gayety to come
your way from 1t, you are headed upon
disappointment. II. on the other hand,
you are In need Of the courage that
smiles under heavy hardships and
many Of them, this story will certain
ly give you some one to emulate. The