Evening star., 1928-03-25

II comes by the plain intent Of the
author who himself. doubtless, feels the
impotence OF man when he is faced by
the truly stupendous tragedy of nature
itself disrupted and overboTne A weird
story but fine one, calculated TO make
us take new inventory OF our feeble
selves. However. there Is no moral IN
this authors mind. He Is, for the time
being. sheer natural force working his
way unmindful of small things. bent
solely to the art Of being omnipotence
in the business Of drowning world.
SILENT STORMS. BY Ernest Poole,
author Of The Harbor," etc New
York: The Macmillan Company.
THE theme Of Ernest Poole's new
novel is so general IN application
as to cover, practically. all the sons and
daughters of creation. just about
everybody can have a personally par
taking part in its affairs. A great gain
since We all so like. to read about cur
selves. Coupled with this basic fact
is the authors recognized gift and train
ing in the art of plausible and quietly
dramatic story telling.
Matrimony provides the setting for
the matter in hand. You see. therefore,
that either in actuality, or in prospect,
or in hope, here Is laid out the ultimate
universal camping ground of humanity
II is across this worldwide field Of con-
iugality that the silent storms" sweep
in season or out Of il. The point is
that they always sweep, more or less
silently to be sure, according TO the
special dignities and reticencies. or tfeil
lack, on the part of the paired com
oatants. A theme OF such scope must
OF necessity be reduced in scale, hedged
in by particularities. else the matter is
lost in the wide diffusion OF marital
warfare. To meet such prime need OF
lair circumscription Mr., Poole carefully
picks his pair-the old husband, the
young wife. Follows a short period of
illusive compatibility. Then under the
everyday stresses of matrimony deep
| seated prepossessions float slowly to the
surface. Difference in nationality, diff
terence in age, difference In habit and
outlook and desire are here. One Is old
and tired. finding 1t hard even under
the spur of vanity to live UP to the pro-
gram OF newlywed. The other is
young and ardent, seeking and desiring
that which Is not at hand. Well mean
ing people. fine people, both of these
out just not able to make 8 go of il.
And so-as the Old Stager in the
Fhiico Hour saws weekly-"the curtain
falls. Good-night!"
Such story might be made the sub
lect OF irony and ridicule. Its general
tone might have been You should have
known better. But. since nobody
Knows better" than to do what ne
earnestly wants to do Mr.. Poole accepts
tnls falling OF mankind generally, max
ing II the subject of keen sympathy
/ fnEfNhf ma
OF an exceptionally fine novel.
so MUCH GOOD. BY Gilbert Frankau.
author of "Masterson," etc. New
York: Harper & Bros.
60 much good in the worst of us. so
much bad in the best of Ms. Like
! this the old saw runs, thereby Offering
( points of contention that have done
( good service time out of mind. How
/ ever here Is novel. not q 6iSputation.
/ Titles are fiighty things anyway, often
meaning either nothing at all. or some
7 tllng so cryptic as to seem hardly
/ worth digging out. Therefore this par
ucluar title. hanging suspended in the
/ air as 1t does. seemed TO signify no
more Than an authors natural LEANING
( toward the unusual Untroubled BY il
I or. better, unconscious of it, ] read the
/ story, following the lead OF a specially
/ attractive young woman who through a
! sequence of plausible and interesting
situations carried herself with such
/ hole-hearted kindness, with such
friendlineSS OF intent. with such beauty
: OF mind and heart. such intuitive un-
| derStanding and response, and besides
With such gallantry of soul. that be-
came complete captive 10 her. In a
way, you see, she stood as a direct
response to my main contention, which
Is that kindness. Just plain kindness
/ Is what the world needs most needs In
religion. in society in business. on the
! ssreet. in the shop. needs everywhere
And here 1t was right before me. the
very spirit and body Of kindness
Naturally. therefore. / read the story
with even more than the usual measure
of enthusiasm accorded by me to the
admirable art of Gilbert Frankau. Such
telief. too. this novel, after the deluge
OF erotic stun that Is pouring out upon
I ended came to- a Novel in q New
Manner" Is the subtitle of this one.
I hadn't noticed 1t before, And, indeed,
/ so new" did this manner prove 10 hs
/ that for the fun three hours Of its
/ reading had had no notion that for
/ this length Of time had been keeping
compauy-~had been delighted TO keep
company--with lady Don Juan And,
all the same, the old saw holdS-"So
much good' all OF us,
/ HIS MOTHER. A Life History Of the
/ Mother Of Christ BY Alice W
/ Darton.. New York; The Macmillan
/ Co.
{ WEARS of work have gone into this
book. Studies OF locality of the
! period, of the Jewish family life of the
/ day here described, of Jewish COM
T munitieS In their plans and purposes
/ all % this and more is represented In
/ the long studies Of the subject by Mrs,
I Darton. Naturally too there Is the
! demand in such a work as this for
/ the trained and consistent imagination
I 10 take its important place An enor-
NOUS task the writer set herself, one
too, in which the ferVor OF love is clear
and complete And. IN word this
IS the conception ct the work repre-
/ Sented here. "AIary stands at the zenith
Of human history. The brief time dur
ing which Jesus of Nazareth walked
the earth constituted its most glorious
chapter, In that chapter Mary was
an integral part Withoue a mother
Jesus would not have been truly man;
Without Mary at the cross humanity
would have. stood eondemned as wholly
eowardly and wholly deSpicaele when
one looks back throuSh 20 centuries
OF struggle. progress defeat and sue
ceSS he sees Mary In the golden glow
emanating from the person 81 Jesus,
The woman and the babe, the Woman
, wha stood by at the end~-thsSs aspects
Of Mary have Won the homage NJ al"
Of her specific purpose the author
SAYS, Il have tried 20 present her.
since II is plain thas her neighhorS and
friends considered her person MSt
! like themselves, as doing luSt what
ayaex gosNd IaWiSh Nttl wnu,aN ana