Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-23

time the breakup Will DC uuc 70 1llo
having carried to excess two of his
noblest and most honorable virtues; his
trust In woman's good qualities, and
his leniency, born of the sense Of
strength, toward her weaknesses-ttll
these virtues become vices, amid which
his civilization will languish, to the ad-
vantage of the many other races among
whom more natural relations between
the sexes are still prevalent and con-
tribute more than anything else to give
their culture just that stability which
is lacking in ours"
This is the conclusion, and these are
the closing words Of this scientists
study of the general theme Under
psychologist material has, in the hands
Of DR.. Wieth-Knudsen here taken on a
form sufficiently popular and readable
to command pretty general attention.
To command also vigorous denial and
heated protest. Here Is an outline OF
the evolution Of marriage and the effect
Of the family as such, at various periods
of history Even In the ancient days
there was the woman question" in the
middle ages, too. But, interest centers
In the present, and here the author
gives full account Of modern feminisn1
In its origin, in its economic facts and
Implications, In Its relation to legal re-
lationships Finally the author sums
the real, and positive, contributions of
the womans movement to civilization
and to the promises of the future. From
the serious and completely dispassionate
study may be gathered the forecast
that man Is doomed-delightfull and
agreeably doomed-by his confidence,
by his generosity to women, by his
curious blindness to the truth about
Ix,f hat rrla
as "chivalry."
To be sure you will fight the book.
The theme leads to that, since 1t is a
ferred from the general field to q per-
Sonal reception. Moreover, 1t is hard
to grasp the scientific spirit, so absorbed
in the search for truth, so unmindful
of the personal application. This man
cares nothing for the individual. He
Is making a study, historical, in its full
content, q study by way OF which he
locks out upon the present and the
future of womankind as an influence In
civilization itself. Surely, you are going
to pounce upon this book and its author
will be compelled to read (which Is
the main point.
THE ROAD. BY Andre ChamSon
Translated by Van Wyck Brooks
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
CIMPLE, cool, true to nature and X
~ human nature-here Is new move
by a young French writer, likely to be-
come better known to readers who are
tired of eccentric. bizarre. neurotic as
poets of modern life as substance for sc
| much current fiction. This Is study
Of peasant life, Of the countryside II
France, of the small interests that make
up existence there, of the deep feeling.
| that, nevertheless, often stir those living
close to the ground. Upon this broad
background Andre Channson traces thu
personality and character Of each of twt
| French peasants, a man and his wife
| In the woman there Is the seed OF ava
rice: This Is acted upon by cnang'
| IN the mode OF life for the two. The!
| 20 from the country where they have
| always lived to a little factory town
The malady Of money getting takes firm
hold upon the woman. Not an unusua
| thing to have happen anywhere. A
second seed, avarice. Here in straight
course and in perfect fidelity TO the mat
| ter itself. this author follows the work
ings Of the poison IN the heart and con-
| duct of this woman. He makes no gen.
| eral application. The reader does that
| out Of the comprehension and clarity
| of M. Chamson's intent and procedure
Another study stands opposed to th1!
one. That is the husband, poised In hi:
| true kinship to real things-to nature
| to the peasant ways, to animals anC
their care, to their love for him. Here
is a dependable hold on life and Thu
| the author makes plain by way OF thu
man himself. He. the wife having died
| goes back to the realities from which N
| had been led away. The story Is more
than merely simple. 1t Is transparent
also, the reader partakes of the whole
matter, so communicable Is 1t. A beau
! tiful workmanship stands In plain evil
| deYlce here as the medium OF life bS
! way of fiction.
MAREEA-MARIA. BY Sophie Kerr
| author of lone Thing Is Certain,
etc. New York: Doubleday, Dorar
& Co.
| A CURRENT theme, yet lasting one
"A Like a river. Always a running
stream. Yet, every hour turning &
fresh. though familiar, aspect or mooc
outward Here is story Of the fanil!
| In one of its most common phases. II
one of its most prolific sources of sor
row and disaster. Mother, son, SON.!
wife. It is an old theme, yet as oper
! to new treatment as there are varieties
in human temperament and in situa'
ton. We are just coming to see, or II
acknowledge, that there is no passion
more devouring. more selfish, more un
reasonable, than sometimes comes intt
the open under the hypnotizing nam,
Of mother love-" a mothers love fol
her son. The discovery, at first a gen.
uine shock, Is now offering the novel.
| list an incompatible chance for the
heart searching and mind searchins