Evening star., 1927-05-29
BY IDA GILBERT MYERS.

etc. New OrK: Inc CeHtufy SoA-
pany. 80
IH ROTHER SAUL" is the full
- harvest of that tree among
whose branches have flow
D cred, season by season,
"Messer Marco Polo"
Blind Raftery," "O'Malley Of Shan
ganagh," ''The Wind Bloweth."
That love dream Of far Cathay, the
Marco Polo; that story of the boy
blown about the world, body and SOUL
by the beating wings Of chance ad-
venture; those other tales compact OF
the laughing voice and sorrowing soul
Of Erin, stepped in lore Of legend and
in old wisdoms whose source no one
knows. Beautiful blossoms of deep
true life and poetic fiction, all these,
each seasons growth toward this
SURPRISING Brother Saul"
Through the partnership Of modern
dramatic art and modern ways of
thought, the Bible is opening up an
amazing story Of the material and
spiritual progress of an oriental peo-
pie whose records-legend, parable,
allegory, song and psalm, fancy and
fact-have hitherto been closed to
every approach save that Of the de-
votional and ceremonial one. Under
the new dispensation of modernism
the Word is taking on fresh strength
and significance, fresh usefulness and
beauty, by virtue of such revealed
wealth Of human substance. Cases In
point coming to mind at the moment
are Barton's Book that Nobobdy
Knows" and Man that Nobody
Knows" with Oxenham's Hidden
Years." a tender story of the young
boy, Jesus. "#
Here Dom Byrne, master story
teller, gives us Brother Saul" Two
thousand years ago moves up into
the present, as alive as the morning,
as> vivid with humanity in its basic
feelings, impulses and interests as Is
the marvellous period unfolding month
by month around us in fresh miracles
| Of mans achievement. Here a period
Of oriental history comes to life, i'm
pressive in its events, gorgeous in a
pageantry of old Rome victorious over
the Near East, tense in it's drama Of
scourging destiny against the newly
risen sect Of the Nazarenes. At the
center Of this shifting historic field
stands Saul of Tarsus, tragic and
piercing personality.
From old piecemeal compulsory
Bible readings Paul became to many
Of us a TRULY repellent saint-a hard
man, unfeeling toward any frailty in
man, a cold and bloodless zealot
preaching by had adrnonitions and
unwelcome precepts. All head, st.
Paul, no heart at all.
But here Is the whole of Saul
just man set down in his own day
among his own people, endowed as
you and 1 are with certain tendencies
Of mind and heart that, for want Of
more specific guidance, must serve
him through life, as they must serve
us. A clever, studious boy, Saul of
Tarsus, whose brain worked with as
tonishing speed and accuracy. A boy
to get along early toward the abstruse
disputations of the elders. A member
Of the Sanhedrin young, too young.
A marvel Of logical acumen in the
spinning of legal sophistries pertain.
ing to the Jewish ritual. Indeed, the
youngest member Of the Sanhedrin,
proud Of himself, naturally-but a
hard fellow, bitter as death against
the Christos and the little bands
springing up around Him. Thrilled,
you have here a partaking part in
drama that fronts upon disaster.
Them the. journey down to Da-
mascus, and the vision on the road.
Saul's conversion. Saul's ministry
and trials and dangers-but always
Saul the indomitable, the unconquer-
able. No-not quite the unconquer-
able; nobody quite that, not even the
greatest.
For drama of the tensest sort, for his.
tory splendid and immediate. for a
great character that neither fact nor
fiction can surpass, for an authors
subordination to the free play of that
character in its passage through the
life span accorded it. for an authors
divination of the truth and for poet.
ically tender and sympathetic trans
lation of that truth-well, for all of
ther Saul stands as a great story,
great and beautiful revelation.
X X *
THE IMMORTAL MARRIAGE. BY
Gertrude Atherton, author of "The
Conqueror." etc. New York: Boni
& Liveright.
THROUGH the spreading network of
this historical novel runs thread
Of gold, the love story Of Pericles and
Aspasia.
But scant two or three of these
tales Of imperishable love survive out
of the long past. And these are rare
and precious jewels, shining in the
beauty of a priceless illusion that the
tempestuous present can neither Gre
ate nor counterfeit.
1t is through the long and slightly
blurring perspective of $500 years
that Gertrude Atherton points us upon
q man-and-Woman love exemplifying
in fact that which exists as theory to-
day upon the twisted and tormented
subject of marriage. However, the 70.
nance Is no propaganda, no preach
ment on the assumed social superior
ity of the past over the present. It is
just what it purports to be-a great
love story, set in the midst of a pc.
culiarly rich historic past. Holding
fast to that past by way of an inten-
sive study and highly intelligent
seizure of it's features and it's general
import, this author, nevertheless, pro-
duces singularly modern interpreta-
t1on or the outstanding twain of the
romance. Aspasia is modern-just as
a great woman. of the present would
be t1meless also in wisdom and out
look and in her approach upon life.
One meets her as a part of the pres
ent, a strong woman who proved her
strength and influence in a day when
women were inconsiderable in public
life. And the peculiar pattern of that
day-its pursuits, it's ambitions, it's
euSloiho Is gwen mere with prec1-
sion and insight that serve to bring
out one OF the rare qualities of Ger.
trude Atherton, novelist. In the pur-
suit or theme no amount of work is
too much for this writer to undertake.
Research is a part of the business of
writing novels with her. In this re.
spect "The Conqueror" comes to mind,
as do others of her stories. The effect
of this upon the novel itself is that Of
reliable substance, of enduring quail
ity, of true picture, Of firm drama, Of
believable impersonation, of an en-
semble altogether assuring and enjoy.
able and stimulating.
X " X X