Evening star., 1931-12-12
THE LIBRARY TABLE
BY the Bookloper

Several years ago Clemence Dane.
whose real name is winifred Ashton,
wrote a novel in four parts, which was
the chronicle OF as many generations
of an English country family, a family
steadily declining, until it became ex-
tinct. THE Babyons" is a piece of fic-
ton of unusual distinction, such as if
is difficult for an author to duDncate
yet Clemence Dane has this Autumn
produced another family novel equally
well done and of greater intricacy
"Broone Stages" Six generations of a
theatrical family move through its
pages, and in the end the family does
not die out, but shifts its interest from
the legitimate theater to the motion
picture industry. The first Richard
Broome was born in IT'S and spent his
childhood making brooms. He sold
them TO the lazy gypsies and brought
the halt-pence to his mother" Chance
and inherent dramatic taste led him
from poverty to c2ardom of the stage,
one day the ragged boy saw a crowd
gathered before an old barn, "The
huge barn door was bar locked and the
children Of the village, among whom he
was already an outcast and a man,
crowded round the crack talking their
nonsense. They said the actors had
come. What were actors? He had
never heard the word. He wrenched a
Sloooerlng farmers youngest from the
coor-post, peered through the crack
himself, and saw a fairy queen" So
began the stage life and domination of
the BrOomeS. This Richard became a
successful actor and the owner of the
Glorlana, or Glory Hole, the Broome
theater through succeeding gener-
atiOnS.
Richard Broome the First was fol-
lowed in both acting and management
by the son of his second marriage,
Robert. He also contributed to the
stage a granddaughter, Hilaret, who had
a rocket success, but left the stage to
become a duchess and to produce IL
children, many of whom pursued the
stage tradition. Robert was more in
tense than his father, who became the
substantial founder of a family. He
mace religion of the stage and. when
MS son William made his first appear
ance as Shylock and he realized that
william was a better actor than him
self, he shot himself in the rear of his
box. In the mad letter he left be-
hlnd him he very clearly avowed his
intention, which was to put a bullet
through his son should William fail as
Shylock and so disgrace the Broome
tradition. But should William indeed
prove a finer actor than his father, and
the greater man, then Robert knew
even better what he intended to do"
1t will be seen that Robert was tenn
peramental.' William was also "tem-
for he always blamed
himself for his fathers death. and at
his own death, in the Broome box in
the Broome theater, he saw his dead
father smiling and beckoning him. To
nave averted tragedy on his first night
as Shylock, William would have had
10 achieve success, but a moderate sue
cess. II father and son were cursed
with temperament, Williams wife, Let
tlce (daughter of that Hilaret, grand
daughter of the first Richard, who be-
came a duchess), was a very practical
person, both in youth and extreme cd
age. Lettice always knew what she
wanted and always managed to get IL
She separated from William for some
years because she found him too exas-
perating, but took him back when he
needed her. Her domination over her
son Harry was usually perfectly salts
tactory-what she had always hoped
Tor but never entirely attained in the
case OF her husband.
X X X
There are many other Broores IN
Broome Stage" of them min
teresting. Domino Broome, daughter of
Harry. was one of the most dominant
Oh the BrooneS and carried on a con-
test with her father which ended only
With his death. A famous actress in
Tragedy parts, a successful manager and
business woman, she was vet really
happy Tor only three years of her life
the years she spent with her elderly
1rst husband, whom she married when
she was is, and his two old sisters on
his rundown Irish estate. She was
happy, because for the first time in her
lie she was not criticized, she was
never popular with her own familv0
because she was admired and loved So
N middle life, when she was far too
young 10 leave the stage, she retired
alone 10 the Irish estate, kept diary,
earned 10 think, and found a philoso-
ohy Another very interesting Broome
really Broome only bv mar
mage. Is Elinor, wife of Edmund. the
son OF Domino. Though Elinor eIoped
with Edmund while the guests were
waiting In the church for her marriage
20 Lewis Wybird, her guardian, she long
0utIlVed ner romance, ceased to forgive
Edmund his infidelitieS, won all their
children away from him, and was still
popular actress in light. miSchievouS
comedy when he died alone one night
n his big house. At the close of
'Broome Stages" Richard and John.
sons OF Edmund and Elinor. have lust
:ormed partnership to operate the old
5roome theater as a cinema house.
Inc Broome tradition has passed.
X v "
Son OF cloth finisher Of Leeds. Jo-
'eph PrieStley had probably small
chance, at his entry into the world of
'ecoming famous-that is, it would seem
70. But for some reason, as vet unex-
planned by biologists or PSYCHOLOGISTS,
ne had an unusual mind. He went to
icnool and while other boys were l-arn-
ng "a little Latin and less C~"0--." h2
acquired a good knowledge of Greek.
latin, Hebrew, Syriac. C~a'|c2. Frer h
-tallan, Dutch, and SO h~-Ntc. Is
syta-nmentS marked him fer the. min
Stry ana In f55 he became a dissenting
minister. Later as a teacher. he wrote
lis first scientific treatise a "Historv IF
Acquaintance with Ben
amin Franklin in London gave an i'm
'etus to his career of acientif1c discov-
Try, already begun. His fame TODAY
'ests chiefly upon his discovery of oxv-
zen. His biography, "A Life of Joseph
,rlestley," by Anne Holt, emphasizes
he diversity of his interests.
X
The Letters Of John Wesley" COL
ected and edited by John Telford. fill
,lght volumes. which have been pub
ished in London. The letters are ac-
.ompanied by many annotations, The
lrst letter Is dated November 3, 1721
vhen as youth Wesley had Just An
shed the Charterhouse School and was
'o1ng to Christ Church College. OK
ORD AS the years pass and the let
ers become more numerous, they show
more and more the ardor of this apostle
o tne common people for what he con-
elVed to be his mission. He was no
niarch1st, stirring up she people to re-
'olt against their rulers, but rather
III cred to the Door and sIffaripo q boro