Evening star., 1928-12-08
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the BoOklouer

Edith Wharton's novel, THE Children"
recalls Sanger'S circus in Margaret
Kennedy'S novel, The Constant
Nymph,' and Judith Wheater is spirit
ual sister to Teresa Sanger. Both fami-
lies of children are the victims, not
consciously unhappy, of parents whose
responsibility for their children ends
with bringing them into the world.
The artistic Sanger. in his life shared
between the Muses. and the BohemianS,
has no time for the proSaic duties OF
parenthood. Cliffe Wheater and his wife
Joyce start as conventionally happy
couple, produce Judith and the twins,
Terry and Blanca, and even when ro-
nance wanes Jog along comfortably for
| time. Passing quarrels become serl-
Gus when Joyce meets the wicked
Prince Buondelmonte and insists on
marrying him. Cliffe, divorced, marrieS
the movie actress, Zinnia Lacrosse, and
their child, Zinnie, is replica OF her
mother. Then both Cliffe and Joyce
divorce their second partners and de-
eide to remarry. Cliffe keeps Z1nnle
and in the temporary kindness of her
heart, Joyce brings with her the two
neglected children of Buondelmonte by
a former marriage, Astorre and Beatrice,
Familiarity known as Bun and Beechy.
The result of the remarriage is the
plump cherub, ChipStone. or Chip for
short. The reunited Wheaters, finding
their family of seven children a ham,
pering circumstance in their life at
fashionable resorts on the continent,
send them all off in charge of the 10
year-old Judith, with governeSS and
two nurses. to travel or settle down IN,
quiet pensions according to their will.
X x X
Whether or not the children of
1.-THE Children" could exist outside the
mind of a versatile novelist, they are
original and fascinating. In spite OF
their daily quarrels, the members Of
the little troupe are devoted to each
other and have sworn never to be
separated, taking solemn oath on
"Scopys book" the Encyclopaedia of
Nursery Remedies" of Miss Horatia
Scope, the governess. Judith and Terry
and Blanca, who, with Chip, rejoice
in the same parents, patronizingly call
Bun. and Beechy and Zinnie "the
steps," but love them none the less.
All the children refer to the parental
pair enjoying themselves at Biarritz
the Lido, Paris or CoWes. as 1.-The
Wheaters," and talk freely about Sally
Money, the Symbolical person who
always figured in the various divorce
cases. "Judith's never been child
there was no time" Miss Scope says
Terry. delicate boy, longs for an edu-
cation, but no one else seems to think
about this need of his. Judith, mature
as she is, has all she can do to find
pensions which will take her noisy
charges and, having installed them,
to keep them amused and fairly quiet.
Blanca has her mothers beauty, van
ity and love of clothes, but beyond
everything else she adoreS her twin;
what Terry does must always be right.
And really Terry is the only one who
has standards. Bun and Beechy, chill
dren of an italian prince and lion
tanner mother, are a pair OF savage
little acrobats, whom the other chill
dren call "wops" in their quarrels, but
openlv admire as the chief entertain
ers of the group. Orange haired Zin-
ME. whom Judith calls that little
red devil" is avid for presents ano
excitement, and, like all the children
sophisticated beyond her years. Wnen
urged TO return to her mother, now
become Lady Wrench, she hangs her
little red head and looks sober .t'strug-
cling with a, problem beyond her pow
ers." then says firmly, Il should ike
to consult my lawyer first"
y X X
Katherine Mayo, author of Mother
india is still being answered. @; .
Ranga Iyer, member OF tne AoiaL ma
Legislative Assembly, in book called
"Father India" speaks OF Miss Mayo
as a sensation hunting tourist, especially
seeking sex stuff, and with the second
arv purpose of proving that the In
dians are not worthy Of Sef-govefn-
ment. He then charges that there are
! some abuses in the United States Wfacr
call for reform and uses as proof GER
tain passages in Judge Lindseys Re'
volt of Youth"
An enlightening contribution to in
formation about the last days OF Tolstol
after he had fed by night from his
home and family, is small volume
published in the Hungarian language
s.The Tragedy of Tolstoi," by Arpao
Pasztor. based upon the diary of Toll
stoi's physician This physician, Dr.
Dusan Makovlcky, was fanatlcal olS-
ciple of Tolstoi and followed him on
his flight from Yasnaya Polyana. The
cause of that flight, as given in the
doctors diary, was the conflict between
the Countess Tolstoi on the one SIDE
and Tolstoi and the group OF disciples
who surrounded him on the other. Tne
! | countess,
the mother of a large family OF chill
dren, was determined to secure pos
; session of the diaries of her husband
for publication, and resultant royalties,
in order to support her family. the
doctrine of TolStoi was that literature
should be free to all humanity ana C1at
copyrights and royalties were unethlcal.
He and his followers wished to use the
royalties on his old writings tor tne
spread of their beliefs and to publish
!. the diaries without copyright, for the
use of all readers at low price. ThlS
!, plan ignored the question OF any pro-
vision for the countess. Sophia Alexan- si3ln.
dreyevna, and the children. Having
borne most of the burdens of the prac-
tical affairs of the family throughout
her married life, acted as her nus.
bands secretary, and adjusted nerselI
to the eccentricities of visionary
genius, she considered that she was en-
titled to means of support after her
husbands death. She probably o1ten
reminded him that the sons and daugn-
ters we're his as well as hers ana IN
other ways interrupted the rehectlons
of the philosophic life with unpleasant
practical truths. The doctors diary also
reveals that she became hysterlcal, at
tempted suicide or pretended TO at
tempt it, and never ceased by all these
means her attempts to obtain, posses
sion of the diaries. Finally TolStoi con-
fessed to the doctor that he could not
much longer tolerate life in his home.
Then came the escape by night, the
journey in a third-class carriage. the
wandering from one place to another
to escape publicity, pneumonia and a
lonely death in a monastery.
| X X X
| vii. YN,,oaU ~ TtalU
in MY Autobiography, pays tribute
to America as a Nation of creative
workers. st endlessly admire he says.
"those who make out of creative work
law of life, those who win with the
ability of their genius and not with the
intrigue of their eloquence. am Tor
those who seek to make techn1c per-