Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-03

sanity, the happiness, Gnc HuInOf, Tie
fellow feeling OF this writer in the
on this altogether enjoyable world as
these are gathered up in The Ro-
nantes"
HIS WIFE'S ROMANCE. BY Clara
Longworth de Chambrun, author of
Shakespeare: Actor-Po etc. New
York: d. Appleton & Co.
THERE is one theme in whose accept
ance and treatment a novelist man
ifests both self-confidence and GER
tain innocence of the mind. For this
matter carried forward to even a fair
plausibility of effect savors of marvel.
miracle even.
And what is it? Simply a recovery
of the lost illusion of love within a sim
gle marital bond. Under this particular
yoke the great illusion does not suffer
merely temporary shock. 1t dies out
completely under the strain of days and
hours and minutes and seconds-under
the centurieS-of repetitious behavior,
of sparkless contacts, OF fatuous drib-
hles of talk, of the whole gamut Of emo
tons burnt cut to gray ash heaps of
monotony. Understand, we are talking
of glamorous romance and nothing else.
Now and then novelist of-shall we
call it daring?-takes hand at the re-
covery, within the marriage bond, of the
lost illusion of romantic love. His
Wife's Romance" Is a case in point.
Familiar pattern-a lady with two hus-
bands, only a scrap Of paper lending
legality to the shift of partners. Then,
in no very long time comes the in
evitable. The lady Is discarded by her
latest lord. And 1t is the business OF
this novelist to wipe out the adventure
to clear the way for q return to neg
lected happiness. Can't be done? No,
it can't be done. But, this is no ro-
mantle novelist bent upon q silly and
impossible issue. What does she do? AS
matter of fact, she lodges the issue,
leaving 1t to a future that lies beyond
the limits of the story itself. The best
that can be said Is that the matter is
making progress, in fashion. Leaving
the outcome to the lords Of love and
life, this writer expends herself on doing
some very interesting work with these
characters, in particular with that first
huSband-Adam he might be called
who is by all odds the real point In the
adventure. A personable and competent
man, a real man who takes q deal OF
treatment to get on top of the role Of
discarded husband, carrying 1t of finally,
as he so clearly does. Along the course
of this domestic to-do there is much in
the way of eXternals to charm the
reader For instance, there Is an out
faring into Africa by the two immedi-
ately concerned, and this gives the
writer q chance to do admirably in
formed work with that part of the world
with its political situation and the
leaders thereof, with the face of the
land and the pattern of the natives in
their looks, behavior, customs and con-
facts with the aliens roundabout. This
part Of the romance constitutes q way
wise and brilliant picture of North
Africa, which, for the moment, becomes
the stage of action for the two chief
people in His Wife's Romance" The
whole is an achievement in restraint
where this is needed, and, considering
the rather flamboyant character of the
theme itself, one is inclined to believe
that 1T is that same decorous withhold
ing that gives to the whole its fair.
plausibility and Its clear distinction.
=
YOU CAN ESCAPE. BY Edward H.
Smith, author of THE New Crimi-
nology," etc. New York: The Mac
milan Co.
WINHE study Of the criminal was a
lifelong passion with Edward H.
Smith. He knew the type. If it Is a
type, both in and out of prison. To
this study he brought both expert
knowledge and a deal of human under
standing. He was wise enough to know
the value of the modern scientific point
OF view on the criminal, and to this
point of view he himself made notable
contributions. This is Edward Hale
Bierstadt speaking by way of an intro
duction TO the book in hand There
lie before me-" he continues, some
small slips Of blue paper torn from an
old scratch pad. On these are written
the few notations that Edward H.
Smith made for what was to be the
preface to this book. Sadly enough,
Mr.. Smith is no longer here and his
preface remains unwritten, so that is
for me to do" Here follow the "nota-
tons" bearing by classical reference or
historic revival or spiritual unrest upon
the stories that follow--"19 true stories
of escapes from American prisons" An
immediate question rises. Should such
stories-true stories on this particular
subject-come into the open of general
reading? Well ask the newspapers.
They know. Outside any contention for
or against, you will md here records
of daring, cunning, persistence, inge-
nuity and endurance unbelievable, all
exerted In behalf of the most precious
of SSeSsionS-freedom There Is, be-
sides, q very unusual quality of under
standing on the part of the writer
certainly deep comprehension, some
times sympathy. AS sheer adventure
the tales are exciting, outdoing far and
away most of the inventions on the
subject. OF Edward Smiths compe-
tency to deal with this subject at first
hand, to deal with the criminal face to
face across the table, there Is no doubt.
1.-The New Criminology," of which he
was co-author with DR.. Max Schlapp, is
a modern, enlightened, scientific and
promising outlook upon the medieval
darkness that still envelops the common
attitude toward the criminal in this day
of light and leading"
y y
THE VIKING PRINCE. BY Arthur
Loring Mackaye, author of The
Slave Prince" etc. Illustrated by A.
Theme. Boston: L. c. Page & Co,
THE hero of this Morse tale is Harald
u TrygveSen. whose great adventures
rose from promise to his dying father
to carry out an inherited vengeance
against the enemies of the father and
of the land. At once this young Morse
noble set out in the name of Odin and
Thor and Freya, gods of his native
to fulfll the promise Of de-
struction. While OFF on this mission OF
pursuit and punishment the prince
hears stories about q new leader, about
a strange deliverer of the people, one
whose words are those of love and
peace, whose lessons are those Of under
standing and kindness. st. Olaf King
of Norway, was follower of the White
Christ" as the Morse converts named
him, and, listening to st. Olaf, Prince
Harald himself becomes q Christian.
But before this there are MANY adven-