Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-15
~ the BOOklOpsr

which OF the sensationalist repre-
sentatives OF seIf-made religion In the
United States did Sheila Kaye-Smith
take as her model for her new heroine,
Susan Spray, in her recent novel Of the
same name? or has England some Of
the same kind OF inspired fanstic-hypo-
critics rs our own country produces7
Susan Spray Is "the history Of Susan
Spray, the female preacher" born at
Copthorne, on the Surrey and Sussex
borders, In 1884, the daughter Of a
poverty stricken farm laborer and his
ver-prolific wife. Susan was the first
child Of her parents, and her advent was
novelty and received q welcome not
accorded to later offspring. Her mother
dressed her In little pink and blue calico
dresses and called her my Lady, eX-
pecting for her great future, far above
that of the class into which she was
born. But before Susan had achieved
the success, both worldly and spiritual,
which was to be hers both parents had
succumbed to the 'slings and arrows Of
outrageous fortune" chiefly the deSti-
tuition among the lower classes in Eng
land caused by the corn laws. Ruth
Spray lay down and died of starvation
when the eighth child was born, without
much regret on her own part or that of
any one else. Every one was too hungry
to mourn deeply the removal OF one
mouth which consumed its share Of the
turnip soup and thin -four porridge that
constituted the whole of the family food
supply. Soon after her death Adam
found hVy hfc <l0NaOhfaV-
Susan, in some ditch bushes between
Copthorne and Horsham. He had been
conducting a migration Of his family of
six remaining children, with all their
possessions, in a crude, homemade cart
to new territory, where he hoped to find
help from the Colgate Brethren, the
sect to which he belonged.
\ X
With the death of her father, Susan
Spray at 10 began her career. She had
already, had visions of Hur Colgate, the
founder of their religion, and of EzekielS
temple, and now "she seemed to see her
past life, with her father and mother
in it, rolling up like q scroll and Tying
away over the treetops behind her. She
was alone in free world, without father
or mother. She seemed to be beginning
life over again." The common lot of
woman, which meant to her drudgery
and frequent child-bearing, had been
repugnant to Susan from early child
hood when she had begun to observe
her mothers discomfort and misery.
She had determined not to marry, and
intended to be prophet" Her sister,
lamar, an example of the eternal femi-
nine, jeered at her and said: "A wom-
ans nought except to be mans wife"
Susan replied, I'm never be q mans
wife" Yet in the course Of her history,
as told by Sheila Kaye-Smith, she was
wife to three men before she had
reached middle age. Susan Spray be-
came Susan Strudwick, then Susan
Clarabut, then Susan Pell. Her first
husband was farm lahorer of the more
prosperous sort, dttcher, thatcher, hop
dryer; her second was the black sheep
of respectable clerical family, who
should have served q prison sentence
but escaped through family influence !:
her third was a childhood playmate, be-
come rich through thrift and hard work.
Her first husband she loved affection
ately because of his blind devotion to
her; her second she loved with brief
infatuation because of the glamour of his
dashing personality and upper-claSs
connection her third she loved not at
all, but married because of his power to
advance her ambition to become the
founder and prophet of a new religion.
\
Not one Of her husbands was allowed
to interfere with Susan Sprays ambi-
ton. AS the wife of Strudwick she
preached on Sundays before the Colgate
Brethren in the barn of High Hurst
Wood, where she had been a farm girl
The scorn and mockery of Clarabut to-
ward her calling caused her temporarily
TO forsake her congregation. Her mar
rage with Pe1i established her as the
head Of new religious community, the
Jehovah Jirehites. Her story, as far as
Shetla Kaye Smith tells it, closes with
her possessions of Hayes Farm, pur-
chased by her new husband the eStab-
ishment there of q dozen families of
followers, the nucleus of her congrega-
ton; and her first Sunday in the great
barn, which she has transformed into
a church, when she appears before a
throng of villagers and country people
as priesteSs and prophet. THE great
barn hall was full. The kingpostS
scared like forest trees into the shadows
Of the roof, and below was a dim, white
pool OF faces. It would have
been profane to applaud, but an indefi-
mite rnurmur went through the assem-
bly, as Susan appeared. wearing the
white robe, like an angels pinions. and
the headdress which was like q turban
and inter and crown and halo
Never had such pastor stood before
the congregations of the TillinEham
Valley, and at first they were shaken out
Of their normal stolidity in the face Of
religion. She stood for q moment
savouring the impression she had made
Then, erect and proud, full Of her own
triumph and the triumph Of the Church
of Jehovah-Jireh, she moved solemnly
to the Scripture desk and opened the
Book" In Susan Spray Sheila Kaye
Smith has produced book Of the cali
Der of "Green Apple Harvest" and
Joanna Godden." after some years,
during which her output has been some
what disappointing. If Susan Spray"
falls short OF Sussex Gorse," that novel
Of Titanic soil-mania, it is no cause for
pahle OF twice producing really great
novel.
The owner of but q small plot of
ground who yet Graves a garden win
find help in Perennial Gardens" by
III. Stuart Ortloff, frequent contributor
of articles to garden magazines. There
are in this book many plans for gar
dens of different sizes and belonging to
owners OF different tastes. Lists of per-
ennials with regard to their blooming
time also are given, so that the appear
anee of the garden in Spring, Summer
and Autumn may give the maximum of
pleasure. If Mr.. Ortloff's advice is fol-
lowed, there will be no dead season in
the garden except for a short time in
Midwinter. and there win be no clashing
of magentas and scarlets and oranges
in the blooms in way to cause pain to
sensitive minds and eyes.
=
Jefferson was too many-sided to be a
subject for full treatment in a single
biography. There should really be q
Jefferson 5-foot shelf. with each volume
treating different side of this versatile