Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-13

ALBERT GRoPE. BY F. O. Mann. New
York: The Book League of America
DR1NTED primarily by Harcourt. Brace 6
Co.. ALBERT Grope." by special produc-
ton and selection becomes the September
choice of the Book League Of America. The
classic set beside it for this month is THE
Seven That Were Hanged" by Leonid Andreyev.
Albert Crepe" is a long and even story.
Almost so pages long Even, with the slow
growth of life from boy to man. Sounds out
OF step with the hurry and the racing all
around out Of tune with the shrieking of the
sirens and the clamor of thousand bells hour
upon hour. 1t is out Of step. It is out of
tune. 1t becomes sanctuary by virtue of
these misfits haven of quietude and oppor-
tunity to catch glimpse Of life itself.
There is something about the young one that
is Immediately irresistible. Nothing but a
baby, clad in rough made-ever garb, pushed
into London east-side school to leave his
mother free to drudge the days through for
scraps Of food and place to sleep. Something
about his mild acceptance, his stole front to
Strangeness and lornnesS that makes one want
to take him up and tell him it is all right
even though it is all wrong. 1t is much the
same VIXEN Albert leaves school at the great
age of q dozen years to work for mite here
and bit there which more than once he
does not get This job and that. The JOY of
finding one friend-for the lad is lonely, made
of the lonesome warp and woof-the grief of
losing that friend In the main. this is the
story Of Albert Crepe. Looking for work, look
ing for friends. Finding the one, not often
coming upon the other. Simple program. Too
simple for so long a story? Hardly since even
the longest life can count not much more than
just this. 1t is the man wandering through the
book, the man looking through it upon life that
counts. A man of slow movements and long
pauses between this action and that one. But
the leisurely steps for much seeing and
more OF feeling. The long waits in between are
for the gentle play of intuition understanding,
mellow smile that is not humor, not quite.
And around Albert Crepe and his chronicler
hosts of people gather and then move on in
scattered lines or alone. And each one leaves
his bit of life with these two. And they. pat
terning 1t and arranging 1t in the soft lines Of
their own kindness and understanding let us
have it, whole ard beautiful, for our own ex-
pansion of heart and soul. What joy OF
book!
SUSAN SPRAY. BY Sheila Kaye-Smith, au-
thor Of Joanna Godden," etc New York:
Harper & Bros
| IAVING read Susan Spray" don't be in .
I ] hurry to say Nonsense! How came 30
gifted a writer to miss her leading figure 50
completely! Susan Is impossible. Make an
impostor Of her, If you want to, Miss Sheila
Kaye-Smith, but don't try to make honest
woman Of her at the same time!"
And that is the great point Of q story that
in itself touches genuine genius more than
once, touches 1t with inspiration and security.
We are all there, in some degree. In some
measure here and there, now and then,
next Of kin to Susan Spray Self-deceived,
maybe Unconsciously dramatized, possibly. but
there all the same.
little girl of Sussex, where Sheila Kaye
Smith knows the soil clear to the center Of the
earth knows its moods and it's human spawn,
from cradle to coffin. Susan is Of Sussex breed,
father, mother and many children trying to
hold body and soul together by field work and
any odd job One day when little Susan was
pulling weeds there came up great storm.
And Susan scared. But she dared not go
home for she would miss the sixpence pay and
gain the whipping for such behavior. A ter
lible flash and Grassland Susan saw God.
Bursting into the house, she cried out the
vision And it worked. The next Sunday
Susan was asked to tell Of Gods visit to her
before the little congregation in the shabby
church. It worked again. Here was an in
spired child. That was the beginning. From
it. little by little, Susan half believing in her
self and half doubling, became by sheer force
Of the Susan in her a noted evangelist And
why not? We have them. Married? Yes, sew
eEal times. But that has nothing to do with
religious sincerity and power. Has it? Step
by step Susan advanced along the evangelical
road laid out by her own ambition and will
to succeed Liar? Yes, sometimes, when only
. lie would do. Deceiver? Occasionally in a
good cause. Perfectly chaste, as q woman must
be? Oh, well, now here, that's going little
too far. Read for yourself And, having read.
II you do not call this a robust, homegrown
work OF art, wherein the human nature reacts
authenticity to its time and circumstance and
inner drivings- then, call the story mon
sense!7 If you dare-but you will not do that
Strong, self-contained, well sourced. and ire
ussudously engrossing Is Susan Spray"