Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-09
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the BookIoper.

of the highest literary excellence Is
overlooked for the sake of their atmos-
phere. Beforethe-war novels of this
type depict what seems an almost
ideal life in the country houses of
the nobility and the squires. An old
manor, intellectually interesting and
often beautiful, whether Norman,
Tudor, Georgian. or composite. always
forms the center of the scene. Sur
rounding the historic house are the
lawns, terraces, gardens and park;
then the woods and coverts and the
broad acres with their tenant farms.
The daily routine is all concerned with
the land; visits to the gardens, the
orchard, the stables. the kennels, the
farms; interviews with the bailiff and
the agent; drives to the town and
about the county on matters Of pri-
vate or public business. Variations
from the routine. the diversions and
excttements. are furnished by week
end parties, meets of the foX-houndS
and stag hounds, occa sional prose-
cuttons for poaching. church and vii
lage fetes. and a few weeks in Lon
don during the season. Since the
war the novel of English country life
has changed and now reflects the dis
migrating conditions affecting the
great estates.
The popularity of Mrs. Humphrey
Wards many novels was due much
more to their delightful portrayal OF
English country life than to their pres
entation of English politics, though
undoubtedly their author considered
the latter her more valuable contri-
button to literature. What reader of
'Marcella" is half as interested in
Marcella Boyce's dabbiing in county
politics and excursions into socialism
as in the life at Richard Boyces i'm
poverlshed country place and at
aristocratic Maxwell Court? J. G.
Snaith's Broke of Covenden" is one
or the best Of the pre-war novels Of
this type. Broke is the fox hunting
squire. the family tyrant. the auto
c:at of his neighborhood. Without
money enough to keep up his estate
| or TO portion his six plain daughters,
he suffers no humiliation on that ac-
count nor resigns one fraction of his
| natural arrogance. Archibald Mar
shalIs reputation as a novelist de-
ponds altogether on his country life
settings. His Squire Clinton Is the
prototype of Broke of Covenden, only
more prosperous and more refined. He
and MS family appear in the four
series-novels The Squire's Daughter. q"
The Eldest Son." THE Honour Of
Changeth." In the last novel, written
during the war, the tragedy of the
landed aristocracy of England is
shown. The first chapter describes
the sale of great estate, swamped
by debts and taxes. "kemsale was
| being sold up-lock, stock and bar.
| rel" 1t is bought by a successful
ftnancier. fact typical and significant
of much
The breakup Of historic English
estates on account Of heavy postwar
taxes and death duties is made yiyidly
| concrete by Maud Diver In her novel
recently published. "Coombe St
Mary's." Mrs. Divers sympathy is
entirely with the aristocratic point OF
view. To her the British landowner
Is the natural guardian OF the soil
which is his sacred trust to he safe
guarded by him for future genera
| tons. The commercial spirit which
would develop" the land for profit Is
represented by two Of her characters
| but meets with no approving response
from her. Samuel Quinn. honest and
! kind hearted. but absolutely incapable
| or understanding the landowner
| point OF view. gets nowhere when he
attempts to prove to Daphne, Lady
Carlyon, that It would be a fine thing
FOR him to take over a large section
OF her estate. on d mortgage, and turn
! II into tourist resort with a big no
tel, golf links and amusement places
Daphne pleads pathetically: DO you
realize that, for five hundred years
there have been Carlyons here, in this
house? It's a trust from all Of them
| to be held for those who
who may come after. It's-oh, how
| can | put it?-like keeping a light ir
a shrine" Quinn pensively scratches
| his head and says: It's the first I've
heard Of these notions" She retorts
| 'All the same. these notions hav.
| done more for the real England thar
| all your horrid factories" Coombe ST
! Marys. the estate Of the Carlyons
lies in North Devon and includes. If
! addition to its farms and pastures
! beautiful wooded hills. moors anc
! cliffs above the sea. Daphne love!
every acre, every tract of moor. every
tree. every spiral cliff path running
| down to a sandy cove. 'St. Mary's 4:
! me-and ! am it." she says to hel
! lover. The land Is her religion. Blu
| in these modern days when democracy
| and commerCialism rule. she has t
fight for her inheritance. Her father
! Lord Carlyon, dies and leaves her.
| girl Just past 20. to carry on the bat
tie he has felt himself to be losing
She succeeds, at least temporarily
through the assistance Of Derel
Blount, the family friend. and Johl
Lutyens, the man who loves her. Blu
| Mrs. Diver has no illusions about tn,
ultimate fate OF all such beautiful OLE
estates as Coombe ST. Mary's. Ii
modern economy they are doomed AM
the world will be poorer for their loss
President John c. Merriam of til
Carnegie Institution of Washington
should write more popular scientih
articles like his thrilling story Of tn
finding of Ancient Footprints in tn
Grand Canyon published in tn
| January Scribner's. The Booklove
listened with absorbed interest to Dr
| Merriam as he told this tale year o
more ago and now is delighted to fin
it in print. 1t is the story Of the dis
covery Of the footprints OF salanar
der-like animal which thousands o
millions Of years ago had walked OF
the sand; the sand In the lapse @
ages had hardened to plates or slab
Of stone and been covered over b
| thousands Of feet Of deposits. Nov
at length these deposits had been GU
away, revealing the footprints. whic
seemed to go straight into the sid
Of the cliff. BY excavation Of the Ioos
strata, DR.. Merriam was able to trac
this long-eXtinct animal further int
the mountains. In this brief articl
DR.. Merriam communicates to hi
readers something Of the thrill tina
came to him from his discovery.
X y X
The January Scribner's might ais
be called a Carnegie number, for
not only has the article by the pres
dent Of the Carnegie Institution {
Washington. but also one by Presiden