Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-09-25
~ IDkz GILBERT MYER
Many Splendid Mo0els ON the Autumn Book
shelf THE Stories ofFamiljes BY Genera
tiousHuue anAddifiou in "Inherifance.

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to live, rather than to give up hfe for few
dollars An excellent fellow, competent, neigh
borly. free handed. public spirted-but he lived
when by all the rules Of valor he should have
died. And he became obsessed with the passion
to know what that other man, that bandaged
and much lauded man, would have done IN ex-
actly his own place. Settling this one passion
to know becomes the climax Of this very un-
usual tale of mystery. No, the diseovezer made
Of his new-found knowledge. Sought
nothing Of further disclosure Of the case. His
main point was to test his own valuation Of life,
to test 1t with another placed he was This
he did IN exactly the way put up to him. And
the story ends
A novel, most unusual In It's fronting upon
heroisms As these are defined and rewarded,
Upon the values Of human life as compared with
material losses, upon the general current atti-
tude toward crime and its pursuers. A novel
If clear distinction IN it's structure and develop
nnent in its Unconditional and balanced sense of
character and incident. The translation by
Edwin Bjorkman Is in itself warrant for the
high quality Of Sigurd Christiansen's work,
would be If the author needed other warrant
than his own power Of dramatic writing within
the boundaries Of plausible human behaviors
and consistent reactions to the realities of cur
rent life.
sELF-MADE WOMAN By Faith Baldwin.
author Of The once Wife" etc. New
York: Farrar & Rinehart-
THE general engrossment of this popular young
novelist Is woman. The modern woman
prying out a career for herself in business
men do, or engaging in pursuits formerly fol-
lowed by the male persuasion. 1t Is an arrest
ing sight, gradually taking on the scope of
spectacle New York is the great center of
this growing industry. And. 50, New York is
the chosen field of Miss Baldwins literary ad-
ventures. 1t is in "Self-Made Woman" and
in others of the 10 popular novels standing to
her account. One slight disadvantage, possibly
two, rises from this preoccupation with a single
theme. The novels lack the element of tension,
suspense. The riddle is solved as soon as it
stated. Again. comedy in its essence rules
these various experiments Of out-faring woman
hood. Throughout each of them. Comus,
shaking both his sides. peers and leers II told
you So
Yet, despite such clear handicap some most
engaging tales Of woman denying her birth
right and obligation have come from the
slightly satirical art of Faith Baldwin. Here is
the story Of a New York realtor Cathleen Nc
Elroy. Successful in the arts Of this cryptic
calling. respected by prominent men in the
profession, carrying on with many gesture of
competence and prosperity it is, after ALL the
beautiful woman herself the charm of her
feminine graces that command both author
and reader Of "Self-Made Woman" There are
moments moments only, when bedrock bust
ness takes the lead But most Of the time this
Is adorned and furbelowed beyond the uses of
the hard bargain and the shrewd deal such as
the business man of parts depends upon for
sugar in his coffee and jam upon his bread.
Then, all in the days work, two men appear.
Right here the real performance begins. That,
by way of which, Cathleen McElroy. realtor,
beautiful 80 years old, gradually turns these
gifts Of life andn Of her own shrewd acumen to
the paramount woman issue Of being married.
OF loosening her grip on ONCE and the open,
for the supreme preordainment Of taking care
of just one man and providing him with
progeny to carry On his line. Amusing clever,
beautiful here and there. with no shadow of
surprise upon It at any point An interesting
line not so much line as circle which Miss
Baldwin follows adroitly and engagngly. I'm
thinking that "Seh-Made woman is one OF
her best.
NILE OF FREEDOM. BY Helen Train Hies
Illustrated by Diana Thorne. New York:
The Macmillan Co.
\A/ HEN say Here's a good story It's
w about q family that" and there the
matter usually closes by a swift turning away
of the one to whom think I'm giving . useful
piece of news for her enjoyment. What's the
matter with "the family" anyway? That it so
often fails as q subject to register reading de-
lights? Is it not the divinely working plan
that it has for 80 long been declared to be? No
matter. That is, no matter right now, for
sure's you're born here Is the ideal set Of folks
to go a-summering with. Family, at that On
the way to their Summer home in Maine, with
the governess in attendance. Father and
mother detained-Maybe that's the answer to
the riddle. OF course, not What children
could object to parents! They'd not be here at
all, were it not for those useful, and beautiful