Evening star., 1932-05-22
% IDA GILBERT MYER
Novel BY the Author O of''GoodEarth. ,
Planning Our Soiet-Romauce andPoehy
ofMayun Ci0ilizatiou-Other Ne70
Books

an explorer among the Mayan ruins, here
proves his quality as novelist to whom both
history and legend serve literary invention In
fine effect. Old records of various date tell OF
a Roman galley buried in the sands OF Panama,
of the coming of bearded white men from across
the Eastern Sea and of Origen's testimony
that Paul of Tarsus had preached the gospel
as far as 1.-The islands of the West" The story
of lost Atlantis might, in the flexible schemes
of the romancer, have provided convenient
passage for such early transits into the West.
Gathering up what he could find Of possible,
plausible, fact, Col Rodney contr1Ves stfT-
ring tale of action wherein a Roman Centurion
and Paul are stranded upon coastal city OF
what is now Yucatan, seat of the ancient civl-
lization of Maya. Received as friends, the two
remain in the West one teaching its people
the arts of Roman warfare, the other the arts
of Christian peace. SO, in a sense, this be-
comes a tale of Christian missionary work. the
impetuous and fearless Paul an active emissary
of Jesus himself.
But there are resistance and finally rebel
lion on the part of those who read anger in
signs that emanate from the primitive gods.
And warfare, specially brutal since the natives
add to their own weapons and methods those
taught to them by the Romans themselves.
The story ends in vivid and somewhat spec
tacular way when the Centurion, with the
native queen in willing thrall to him, betakes
peace, Paul, back to Rome then center Of the
Christian world.
A difficult piece of pure invention, gathered
from varied sources of fact and fancy. The
action runs straight, however, and the char
acters behave in belevable fashion The set
ting is an absorbing one. So all told. this
an admirable work of artistry. Even more,
it is an engrossment of entertainment.
THE WORLD AGAINST MARY. BY j. M
Frank New York: E. p Dutton e. Co
+ RAY, dreary, pitiless. Iife's way with
~ Mary. Something must be done about it
and at once!" Such the immediate and
escapable effect of this novel That, clearly,
is the effect designed by the somber artistry
of an unusual story. In other words, novel
whose exclusive purpose is to excite pity, to
arouse protest, to set in action measures, reme-
dial and preventive for the rescue of helpless
humans. But the gospel novel is the weakest
of evangelsts. Created primarily to divert to
entertain, the novel in such role must fit itself
to the common level of entertainment OF low
level. If, now and then, higher order of
purpose and artistry assumes the responsibility
of rejecting the more serious aspects of life
in their actuality, that novel, unless of a truly
commanding greatness, receives scant atten-
ton from the majority So, here, Mary's fate
horrifies one, while reading But thousand
matters, slight matters, press and, save for un-
easy moments now and then, Mary is forgotten.
II never want to read novel like that again."
said the girl as she put it on my desk. Why
not?" There is not a happy line in it.
hated it." and little shiver Of personal dis
comfort passed over her. Not word of its
factual content, not word about the austere
perfection of its carving and shaping. Merely
the personal protest of discomfort. No, the
novel of reform will hardly do. But-here is
Mary. German peasant a farm worker herd
shining, Fritz came that way. And Mary was
endowed with what in time proved to be
unfathered baby. And Mary, after the fashion
of women, followed Fritz to Berlin. Then babies
were yearly occurrence fathered TO be sure,
but by brute and cruel drunkard. There
are women like that Men. too. And these
are allowed by pious world to multiply and
replenish the earth" superby sculptured
human figure of stark tragedy Mary with the
world set against her.
ADVENTUROUS LIVING: Kaleidoscope Mem
ories. BY Frances M Wolcott New York:
Minton, Balch & Co.
IN the spirit of Mrs. Foraker's II Would Live
! 1t Again!" Mrs. Wolcott, from her vantage
point OF 30 years, greets the present in COM
radely spirit and then turns back to the middle
OF the last century to pick up her personal
recollections of that period. Her own mind
becomes the perspective through which she
estimates the past so vividly pictured in this
volume From 1851 to 1889 the record runs
Since 1889 amazing changes have overtaken
the world in its political and social structure.
Science has reorganized methods of thought
and processes of industry. 1t has shortened
distance and speeded up events to the end that
internationalism will in no long time supersede
nationaliSm. World-mindedness is taking the
place Of provincialisms and the town outlook.
Such, in the main, is the perspective through
which this woman looks back upon the period
which she depicts, throwing upon it, here and
there, rays of understanding gathered from
these later years of active mental and emotional
vigor, gathered from the unabated years of
quite enviable woman
Before the Civil War these recollections begin