Evening star., 1928-02-18
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the BO0kl0rer

She won for herself reprobation both in
America and England by her book.
| Domestic Manners of the Americans"
but in view of the hardships of her
life and her acute destitution at the
| time one can hardly blame her for
capitalizing her unfavorable impress
sions of the United States and its
people. Married at 20 to proud and
| pedantic lawyer, whose star had pre-
| destined him to failure, she had seven
| children in rapid succession. Seven
years after her marriage her husband,
specializing on expectations of property
| from an uncle. took, on long lease.
an expensive country place near Har-
row, called Julians. Shortly the uncle,
now an old gentleman OF 90, married
a young wife and settled to the be-
getting of large family of children"
and the Trollope expectations were
| shattered. Thomas Trollope succeeded
as little at farming as he had at law
and was soon obliged to rent Jullans
and to move to a smaller farm in the
neighborhood, Julians Hill. A third
| move three years later brought the
| family to "a wretched tumble-doWn
| farmhouse" at Harrow Weald. During
| this period of rapid decline in the fam
| lily fortunes Mrs. Trollope had lost two
| of her children and was finding 1t very
hard to provide an education for the
remaining five. Her husband, worn
| by disappointment and persistent ILL
! health into a peevish invalid" spent
| his time shut up alone in the one ade-
ollate room of the farmhouse. sur
rounded by his books, busy writing
an immense ecclesiastical encyclopae-
| dia, "a book that no one wanted-a
book that by deaths decree no one
/ would possess"
! In 1927 Frances Trollope. always the
more energetic and reSourceful as things
grew worse, sailed for America with her
friend. Frances Wright. an American
lied Englishwoman who was promot-
| ing a scheme for an idealistic COM
munity in the Mississippi Valley. Three
of the Trollope children. Henry, Ce-
! ella and Emily, went with the two
women. The swampy forest of Nashoba,
| Is miles from Memphis. where the
settlement was to be started. discour-
| aged Mrs. Trollope at sight and she fled
to Cincinnati. where she ard her chill
| dren would soon have been reduced TO
the starvation point except for the con-
tributlonS TO their support OF the
French artist. Auguste Hervieu. who had
joined the party. The nadir seemed
reached. but other misfortunes were to
come. Thomas Trollope. in England.
| by desperate efforts. raised sum of
money and came over to Cincinnati to
| join his wife and establish a bazaar TO
| sell odds and ends to the barbarianS OF
the New World. A grotesque "Graeco-
| Moresco-Gothic-C Chinese looking build
| ing" was erected. stocked with cutlery.
leather goods. and useful and useless
| things of other kinds. and furnished
with fancy work exchange. lecture
a nt1d F1Yo ag
London painted by Heryieu Complete
and overwhelming failure followed and
the building was. until its demolition in
1881. known as "Trollope's Folly" Mrs.
| Tro!lope was desperate and in her ex-
/ tremity she turned to an idea with
which two years ago she had played
the idea Of writing a book" Is 1t any
wonder that Domestic Manners OF the
Americans" was cleverly satirical and
| somewhat ill-natured? Clever satire
vas salable and Mrs. Trollope badly
needed money. and her experiences in
America had not tended 10 make her
seel good-natured. To-day We are inclined
/! 10 be glad that Frances Trollope vas
able to pull her family out OF poverty.
even at the expense of our ancestors.
E, The United States was strong enough
| TO survive both her satire and later that
Of Dickens. The success Of this book
I
| ties. for 1t created a market for her
which she continued 10 supply, with
poor novels, until she was n years old.
Her troubles. however. were not ended.
| for III 1884 the bailiffs occupied the
| Trollope home near Harrow and sold
| out all their belongings. The cou-
:. rageous woman then transported her
/ whole family. with the exception OF the
oldest son, 10 Bruges. where living was
rf cfH - =, fs-.~
| last illnesses her son. Henry. and her
| husband, often sitting by the sick beds
all night long. "orugging herself awake
! with green tea. even With iaudanuni,
and writing. writing desperately" Short
II after her return TO England In 1885.
| her daughter, Emily. also died. 1t is
| gratifying to know that from this time
on her life ran smoother course. with
freedom from financial worries and the
two sons, until her death in her saith
year.
! In a Comprehensive Guide to Good
English" by George Philip Knapp.
man; prevailing errors are pointed out
and corrected. II is useful book for
the desk or library table. but rather
/ too thick 10 be carried about, though
it would be most helpful an list
minute aid TO public speakerSaswho af-
feet the inpromptu metho& Many
! colorful slang expressions ar given a
sort of recognition. as ''hliB Nskite."
| ''piker,.'' bunk ''pitiie." dckled,"
crouch" "dotty." "iabberga tlShy."
rag" beef" get ones G&E and
"lounge-lizard." 'cake-eatcr tea
hound" The correct pr,m ations
are given for many proper - rs fire.
1 tyNfc fS
not known just how that gtleman
| himself pronounced his nantef ECreigh-
ton. Caen, Cecil. CervantA Jowctt,
| Spuyten DuyvilS New Yorlscfs see 10
difficulty in this word>. Aid.N Bowoo!n.
| Arapahoe. Cholmondeley. grctaiSow-
| sky. VosgeS. Greenwich, Clough and
| Capuchtn The spellings OF proper
names follow the decisions ot the
! United States Geographic Board. In
! the pronunciation OF aviation" the
| first "a" Is given rs long. not short.
! The back 10 the farm" movement
| does not appeal 10 young people. ac-
cording to Ruth Suckow. She tries 10
show In several novels that exactly the
opposite movement Is tin movement OF
youth today. City opportunities tempt
/ young people as soon As they begin 10
| think on their own account. In The
| Ronney Family" Miss Suckow begins
| with the family OF pastor III small
| Iowa town. which Is really part oi
! the rich farming country surrounding
| II. She shows the forces which, one
by one take away the different mem.
| bers NJ the family 10 city life, until
only Sarah Bonney. the devoted eldest
daughter, Is icft~~with empty hands,
| The need of something To do 10 use
her abundant energy finally drives her
| forth also, away from her much~loved
country to the city, With lis hlatkened
| buildings and gaS-t,nted air, To many
the most delightful part ot the book