Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-19
ma GH,BERT MYERS.

March," etc. New York: William
Morrow & CO.
TN large and broadly united pur
pose the novels Of Honore Willsit
Morrow serve to bring forward
u into current life more than one
important chapter of American
history. The pioneer days Of the
Northwest call TO this writer for their
resetting before the people in re
membrance Of the great adventures
of the Western trail. ION to Oregon,
Eve Must March, stand monu
ments to the human endurance that
won the vast sunset domain of our
present peaceful and undisputed oc
cupation. In such themes as these
Mrs. Morrow finds enough of adven-
ture, enough of heroic action and
daring leadership to dignity even the
wild and hostile and beautiful wilder.
ness of the old Far West.
Forever Free" moves out of the
pioneer period into the next stage
Of our history, that which declared
all OF our people free, that one which
stood in embattled resistance to a
dissolution of the Union. This ro-
nance of more than 60 years ago is
set in the City OF Washington. Its
chief figure is Abraham Lincoln. The
surface movement Of the story covers
a blend OF social, political, military
Washington. A spirited action that
shifts this way and that in the I'M
easy ebb and flow of those troubled
days. A consistent and skillful blend
K proves to be, since it delivers over
to readers a tensely animated and
neiievable composite Of the Capital
at that time. 1t is the undercurrent
OF the whole matter, however, that
IL OF prime Importance here. For
this bears deeply upon the actual
inner man, Abraham Lincoln. One
approaches him here from many
enthusiastically as President. as
leader among jealous and arrogant
subordinates. as head of the Army.
unframed and feeling his cautious
way, as head Of the family, with
wife and children and a general social
TODD around him. And in these vari-
GUS approaches Mrs. Morrow has
used, in a finely creative spirit, the
authentic facts of this situation. al
plying to their use, intelligence.
insight, sympathetic Interpretation,
training, q sense OF drama and OF
picture. In a word. here is the
creative imagination working, as with
poets and other artists. it works 10
serve their various purposes. The
effect is that of life itself. that or
q phase Of human endeavor projected
at some important point or period
The romance, in sum, contributes
markedly TO an understanding OF the
9nan. Lincoln. laboring under such
atresses as. not many times in his
tory. have tried the quality and test
cd the spirit Of great leadership. A
notably simple story. this one. de-
liberately simple story, whose prime
purpose is to set out a man OF world
size and world significance by way
of the period of American history
that established his place in the COM
pany Of the great men Of all time.
BERNARD QUESNAY: A Novel. BY
Andre Mauro:s, author OF ARIEL:
The Life OF Shelley" etc. Trans.
lated by Brian w. Downs. New
York: d. Appleton & Co.
"A NDRE MAUROIS is gifted with
( the power to turn bodies OF fact
into clear romance. He did this in the |
case of Shelley. Having sedulously
pursued the poets life in the thor
oughness of scientist trailing beetle
or bird. Maurois the artist and drama.
fist then took a hand, TO the end that
"Ariel" promptly winged its way into
wide popularity. He has done much
the same kind of thing in Bernard
Quesnay." The groundwork of this
story, the subject OF studious investi-
cation, is Industrial life in France. BY
way of rival trade houses the author
gathers up both the substance of COM
merclal life in France and it's deep sig
nificance as well. With this material
NJ. Maurois constructs novel wherein
trade takes possession of family life
from generation to generation, shap.
ing individual character in the image
of industry. limiting vision by trade
boundaries, concentrating attitudes
and activities upon the business of
each day. Within such setting is
placed Bernard Quesnay, con of one
of these competing houses. This son
is rebel against the family tradition,
as youth in every age is likely to be.
Or, he thinks he Is. To be something
other than his fathers have been, such
is the dream Of young Quesnay. The
story engages itself in portraying, ex-
actly and fully, the content Of this
commercial life, and in setting out
the rebellion of Bernard Quesnay
against 1t. A futile rebellion. for the
blood of trading generations is too
strong for the young man-and the
romance ends with his defeat.
II would be hard to conceive more
knowingly definite and intimate pic
ture of French temperament under
the dominion of industrialism than is
given here by way of these two fami-
lies. forced finally TO unite against out
side dangers that threaten their hon
orable and revered calling Just as
able. and even more interesting. is the
authors insight and skill in the por-
M nd hi NCatf
the defeated rebel.
4 y ~
YOUNG MALCOLM BY George
Blake, author Of The Wild Men,
etc. New York: Harper & Bros.
ITO be hocl. to grow up, to go TO
school 10 take up work. to get
married. pretty u.ual performance
that offers 70 points upon which to
hook the material Of romance. Never
theless, from this conventional frame.
work George Blake evokes character,
personality, vital and communicable
effect. A Scotch boy, this one, and
around him the author, himself born
in Scotia nd, has woven al he homely
and chara ctcristic threads Of life in
that quarter. The outloc,. Of the com.
n1unity. their ways OF speech, their
sturdy and t.lrifly hold upon circum
stances. These surround young Nal
colin. are i part Of him. Thee Co.oI
end shape his c.oOl life AMI it's asso
Citations. These direct his future
shutting him in at one point, giving ]
shade Of easement at another. setting
his course and marking its worth and
IInworth The simplest story imagin
able and yet the great story of the
making of man out Of the common
stuff Of circumstance around him. And
there is no bigger story than this
none that is more generalls' repre-
sentative and applicable. True al
every point, even true 10 the disap
pcintments rising out of the love illi
Zion. The great matter here Is tn,
way of the author himself. his way
of selecting and rejecting. Of combin
ing such and such, OF letting this ant
that stand alone, SO that. all told. on
..aniizes that he Is fronftn npOn Z