Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-02

When an author falls In love with his
heroine, especially II she happens tc
have been real woman. the reader
may expect to get an almost impossible
creature.
Such is the Adah Menken of Fulton
Oursler's 1.-THE Worlds Delight" pub
lished recently by Harper & Bros. Mr.
Ousler is so sold" on his heroine that
her half-dozen marriages. her bobbed
hair and cigarettes-in 1850-and' her
generally wild career mean nothing al
all to him.
He has worked up such an admiration
for the girl who handed herself from
one man to another that the reader is
very likely to be sympathetic, too, espe-
cially IL he has known some similar
young woman In his own life.
In a postlude to his story (Which he
is very careful to label "story, not biog-
raphy') the author harbors a private
opinion that THE Worlds Delight" is
IAN authentic biography of a nature. a
spirit that was Adah Isaacs Menken."
Those who have known women of alb
solute physical perfection so great that
1t sets the average man, who is at heart
spiritual perfection will understand what
woman readers will.
To the rest the heroine of this tale
will appear peculiar. astonishing crea-
ture, nine-tenths flesh and one-tenth
spirit, who INDUCED in a capricious
self-willed life, and whose early death
was kind of judgment on herself and
her kind.
Those who have read Emile lola S
Mana" with its never-to-be- forgotten
description Of the heroine's effect upon
mankind, will inevitably be reminded of
1t when reading Mr.. Oursler's paean of
praise.
THE musicians were playing as softly
and dreamily as they knew how when
Dolores" tafterward Adah Menken)
entered the ring, riding on Billy. At
the first sight of her the audience
gasped. So it was always when Dolores
rode out before the people The mag
netism Of her physical strength and
grace made itself felt instantly and i'm
peratively upon all her audiences
Beauty and power seemed to come from
her like O wild. sweet odor. The people
breathed deeply. as II she gave forth
incense. Talk ceased at their first sight
OF this young horsewoman. Men and
women stared, aware Of old STRINGS in
themselves Of shivery, guilty delights
Desire tingled sinfully once more. even
in the gaunt bodies of settler women.
when they considered this strange sis
ter, erect upon her stallion. The men
leaned forward with jaws dropped hum
gritty. For little while one could hear
nothing but the thin music Of the band.
The people sat with widened nostrils,
as II seeming the tang Of an old jungle
breeze. What was It? What was the
strange mystery that Dolores brought
with her into the arena? Later these
good wives would revile the girl rider
as shameless slut, and the men-their
husbands-would agree for the family
peace. What was 1t that now charmed
and tempted them?"
y So
Having thus presented the problem.
Mr.. Oursler proceeds to answer it, and
every reader must be thankful to him
for refraining from the use of the
modern slang word, at"
This is the way he explains his hero
ines devastating effect" as he calls
it: I'm all, some ancient racial men,
cries stirred to life in a moments ephem-
eral resurrection-a trembling and a
hoarseness and wish. Such was the
power Of Dolores upon all who watched
her ride in the ring. She was the
human animal, natural lovely. informed
with young, ungarnished fire. Through
her the flesh and its pleasures found an
unconscious and inf1aming prophet. In