The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-10-14
BY WALTER d. HICKMAN


BY WALTER ID. HICKMAN
A SERIOUS study of the effect
IA of the World war upon some
men who fought in it is revealed in
"Magnifcat," written by Rene Balm
and published by the Macmillan
company.
Balm has tackled the problem of
showing the effect of the religious
idea upon some men who fought in
the war
Gidas Msguern entered the
World war with the thought that
when he was released he would be-
gin studies to become a priest
Gildas was from Brittany in north
ern France and it was not strange
when he was mere boy, voice out
of the air told him, "Gildas, you will
be my priest" that he believed.
He had no education when he
went to war but a kindly chap
lain in his division saw to it
that Gildas had Latin grammer
This book and the rosary we're Gill
And that faith in his church and
his personal devotion to his life
when he left the trenches resulted
in Gildas coming out unframed
physically during the war.
The first part of the novel is filled
really with symphonic beauty be-
cause the names of the characters
as well as the villages and the vari-
Gus religious holidays reate GER
tain tempo which really makes the
prose at times read like poetry.
Bazin is at his literary best in
painting the homely life of the
family Of Jean-Guillaume Maguerin
Of Brittany. His characters actually
step deeper and deeper into the
soil and the routine of the simple
life on the farm
Even when Gildas makes love as
youth to Anna, a servant" of
pure heart and body it is not a silly
modern petting party, but a spirit
ual experience on the seat of a
wagon en- route to Christmas mass.
The mental and spiritual struggle
of Anna to capture Gildas as her
husband and then her defeat when
she refuses to interfere with Gods
program of making GildaS a priest,
are wonderfully drawn by Balm.
Here is powerful and glorious writ
ing.
tremendously effective are the
chapters devoted to war and the
reaction of death and slaughter on
the sensitive spiritual nature of
GildaS.
Here is a powerful novel and re-
CARELESS of ones religion, it should
be read. 1t sells for 50.
n
Among the new books now avail
able in the business branch library
are: The Worlds Economic Cri-
sis and the Way of Escape" by
Salters and others; The New Psy-
choloey of Selling and Advertising, -
by Link; Confessions of a Former
Customers Man." by Salmon; us
Capitalism Doomed?" by Dennis. and
What Makes Stock Market PriceS?"
by Hickernell.
Those who are interested in
Charles Dickens will find much to
enjoy in The Letters of Charles
Dickens to the Baroness Burdett-
Coutts," edited by Charles c. Os-
borne, former secretary to the ba-
roness, and released by E. P Dutton
g. Co. on next Tuesday. These let
ters have never before been made
public One letter gives Dickens
idea of how to rule India.
Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt has
turned author again and Houghton
Mifflin will publish When You
Grow Up to Vote" 1t is scheduled
for release soon. Her new book is
on ciyics for young people.
In my mail this week. I received
word from the Modern Library. New
York City. that they have signed a
contract with Sinclair Lewis for the
publication in February of Arrow
smith," The publishers inform me
that they consider "Arrowsmith" to
be the most important and the
most likely novel to endure of all
of Mr.. Lewis books to date"
In my collection of books, I have
few that are autographed by the
authors. The latest one to reach
my never-out- of the house division
of my library is Tiny Garments, =
by Cornelia Otis Skinner, with
drawings by A. Winter and pub
hshed by Farrar and Rinehart
Sells for 81.
In sending me this book. Miss
Skinner told me that 1T was Just
her little book" It might be little
in size, but it is heavy in humor,
satire and thought on THE process
of having a baby"
She writes: Il suppose there is
no normal event in the ordinary
course of human existence that has
accumulated more extraordinary
taboos than the process of having a
baby"
The writer insists that when a
lady announces to her girl friends
that she is going to be mother
instead of bursting into tears, the
friends should evoke bursts OF
healthy laughter, for it is not only
the most Joyous time OF her life
but also the funniest