Evening star., 1927-04-23
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY The Booklorer

brought out all the sordidness and
scramble in the medical profession,
and exaggerated it in a manner IA
miliar to his readers. Warwick Deep
ing in "Sorreli and Son" has, as only
one Of the issues OF his story.
shown its ideals AS one doctor has
remarked. "Arrowsmith was not a
scientist: he was an adventurer."
Christopher Sorreii, on the contrary,
sees his way clearly from boyhood
and does not diverge from ft-and it
is a good way. His father, with a
rare wisdom, has resolved that Kit
must be perfectly free to choose his
work and manner of life; it is for
this that the elder Sorrell has under
gone the humiliation of being hotel
porter and strained his back wrestling
with trunks. II am not going to be
the fool father, throaty and pompous,
he says to himself. But Kit, at the
age of 13, though a serious boy,
is altogether absorbed in his coach
ing and his boxing lessons with Mr..
Porteous, the curate, and has not yet
felt any decided inclination toward
any special career.
Then Ethel Froblaher most idolized
of British movie actresses, is terribly
injured in u motor accident almost at
the door of the Pelican" where
Stephen Sorrell is head porter. The
great surgeon, Sir Magnus Ord, comes
down from London. operates, and
saves her life; and Kit. on the out
skirts of the excitement, says refiec-
lively TO his father, 81 think-it must
be rather fine to be n doctor" And
later: II think ia like to be q doctor,
Pater. And mend things, save
people. 1T must be- great to be
able to do things like that-when
everybody else is feeling-just-help
less" That is the beginning and from
that time Kit never wavers but goes
steadily on, acquiring a difficult edu-
cation through long years, in order
that he may save people" His only
hesitation, which often recurs, is be-
cause he feels that he Is too long
burdening his father. Sometimes
I feel--like sucking your blood" But
stephen Sorrell, well-to-do now, re-
plies: my dear old chap, call it
commercial TRANSMISSION. DO you think
/ regret it? ]. have never found life
so good
On the day when Christopher Sor
rell, NJ. D., now an assistant surgeon
at st. Martha's Hospital performs
his first big "op' in the surgical
theater Of the hospital, surrounded
by tiers of doctors and students, he
does not funk it, The long, slender
hand that guides the white blade,
as it makes "a steady line that grew
red upon the pale abdomen does
not tremble but moves Slowly, with
blessed deliberation. But. just as
Sorre1l, the son, removes the tumor
from the unconscious body on the
table. Sorrell, the father, rises, Stun
bles up the steps and out into the
corridor, where he faints away.
4 y y
1.-THE Purple Land" by W. Fl. Hud-
son, might with equal fitness be called
"A Sentimental Journey" The Eng
lish teller of the story, whose person
ality is entangled with that of the
author. wanders about the Banda
Oriental, now the Republic of Uruguay,
in company with reVolutiOnists, BAN
dts, vagabonds. heroes and rascals
of all types. Wherever he goes he
encounters a woman, old or young,
dark or light, fat or slim. Though
he is married to 81 Paquita, a beauti-
full Argentinian. whom he has left
at Montevideo with her aunt, he is
not imperyious TO the charms of the
various beauties whom he meets on
hie i0yYy-YYaNvi1pa ia hn Qlfnonf hAYs
guiitless Of responsibility when so
many of them become enamored of
him, First there is Margarita, the
golden.haired, fair.skinned daughter
of two sWarthy. half.breed parents,
who intrigues the traveller because
he cannot reconcile her with the laws
Of heredity. Then there is the fat.
slatternly Toribia, spouse of a rural
who looks like "a hippo.
robed IN flowing bed-cur-
tains, and takes such a fancy TO him
that she tries TO detain him indefinite
ly in her dirty, fowl.ridden house. The
pale, pretty Monica makes excuses to
meet him, as IL by accident, along
the river and presents him with a
stalk of crimson lilies. The lovely
Dolores bathes his wounded arm and
feeds him with rich purple grapes,
but expects him to propose marriage
and is indignant when she learns
that he is married The little pout-
ing mink Cleta looks in his direction
so often that her surly husband be-
comes jealous and. locks her up in
the bedroom while he goes to neigh
boris ranch, but the traveller forces
the door and let's her out. Finally he
and Demetria form a sentimental at
tachment, which fortunately resolves
itself into a friendship, and he takes
her back to his wife at Montevideo.
When he rejoins his Paquita, after his
long absence, he marvels at himself
"for having, after possessing her,
considered any other woman even
passably good-looking."
* X y k
The blight of decay which has fallen
on an old New England family affects
all its members, in Louis Bromfieids s
Early Autumn" Old John Pentland,
kept all his life from the woman he
loves by the presence of an insane
wife in the north wing of the Pent-
land house, shuts himself up with
q whisky bottle periodically because 1t
is the only way he can "go on living"
His sister, Mrs. Cassandra Struthers,
having destroyed full-blooded, stupid,
chiyalrous husband by her whining,
fainting inyalidism, from which she
recovers at his death, now exercises
tyranny over the younger members
of the family, to hold them to Pent-
land traditions. Arson Pentland, old
Johns son, is a withered neurotic at
40, who spends his days writing a
book to be called 1.-THE Pentland
Family and the Massachusetts Bay
Colony" His wife Olivia, not a Pent-
land by birth but possessing healthy
irish blood, is yet drawn inexorably
into the Pentland scheme of things.
For one wild, hopeful moment she
thinks she may break away from It
all: then fate draws her back, as old
John Pentland says to her, There
are things, Olivia. which people like
us can't do" Olivia's son Jack, after
years of struggle to keep alive for