Evening star., 1933-08-30
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cermond.

Like the opening strains of an ex-
quisite symphony are the first few SEN
tences of this unusual novel. Before
the grey October morning on which the
story opens has faded behind the slowly
advancing light Of the new day there
comes sense of spiritual peace, as
gentle in its possession of the soul as
the often quoted caress of an angel.
One thought comes to mind during the
first few pages, and with each succeed
ing event in the life of Mrs. Barry that
thought grows in strength and perhaps
in the beauty Of holiness. Here is the
eternal mother!
Poets, artists and composers have
through the ages deeply touched the
hearts and brought tears to the eyes of
all mankind through their tributes to
the mothers of the world. The wonder
and the glory Of motherhood, it is to
be hoped, will never cease to be the
influence which inspires the human race
to strive for the attainment of the
higher and the finer ideals of life And.
fortunately for all mere mortals, the
eternal mother still predominates in
modern civilization, despite the laxity
of parental guidance and care which
apparently prevails to SO large an eX-
tent. In all castles of society, however,
whether lowly or great, poor or wealthy,
the eternal mother is to be found,
moldlng the characters of the future
citizens of the universe, asking little
for herself-and frequently receiving
less.
Mrs. Barry is widow, with one small
son. Once upon time she had known
wealth and had enjoyed all of the priv
ileges which money and social position
have to offer. She had married man
Of her own social and financial stand
ing, whose moral and spiritual endow-
ments were as splendid and fine as his
material possessions. But there came
a crash in the financial world. and both
fortunes were wiped out. When the
debris had all been cleared away. both
families discovered themselves to be
stranded and facing hard, working
day world.
Not too proud to stoop to lesser po-
sitions than those which he had at
tanned. the husband of the beautiful
! mother of this story had gone to work,
but to lower and lower planes of oc-
cupation was he compelled to resort
as his health became undermined until
finally he broke under the strain and
passed on into the beyond.
Mrs. Barry has been reduced to the
status of rooming house keeper in the
tenement district of Glasgow, and it
is in the sordid surroundings of the
little three-room apartment-with two
rooms to let-that Mr.. Niven stages his
story. With small group of kindly
ScotchWCmen as neighbors. all engaged
| in the same business of letting rooms,
Mrs. Barry ekes out an existence for
| herself and her admirable and manly
small son. Neither the boy nor the
neighbors know that there had at one
time been a very different sort of life
for the lovely woman whom they loved
and trusted
The courage with which the mother
heroine of this deeply moving novel
meets the difficulties and tragedies
| which beset her life is of a nature
beyond the grasp of those whose faith
is of lesser strength. Perhaps it is only
the Mrs. Barrys Of the world who ever
attain that superior strength of char
acter through which faith shines like
the star of Bethlehem. shedding beauty
and happiness upon All who behold it.
Mr.. Niven dedicates his book to the
memory of John Gait and those who
knew him. To thousands of individuals
who did not know the man thus nobly
honored it will be received not only as a
memorial to him, but as masterpiece
of exquisite workmanship, offered in
tribute to the mothers they have known
| and loved. 1t is indeed the work of a
fine artist, portraying in every episode
the simple story of a courageous moth
er's love-the love that passeth under
standing.
EARL DERR BIGGERS TELLS TEN
STORIES. indianapolis: The BobDs-
Merrill Co.
The stories of Earl Derr Biggers will
never become passe. They may never
be allotted space on the shelves devoted
to the immortal classics, but they will
undoubtedly be assigned to place OF
honor in the annals which to future
generations will give the keynote to the
inner type of mystery and romance in
the telature of this present day His
stories are wholesome and true to life,
and they abound in character studies
of all types
The untimely death of this popular
author has naturally caused a heavy
demand for his works. and it is most
gratifying to receive this volume of ten
| short stories and novelettes. handsomely
bound, and containing scores of tributes
from newspapers and individuals from
all parts of this country and abroad ex-
pressing appreciation of his superior
ability and sorrow for his passing
| A splendid selection of stories has
been made for this collection, giving in
ten specific tales an entirely diversified
run Of themes and characters, thereby
making the volume valuable as COM
pendium of the wide range of interests
and the versatility and ability of the
author in handling them
THE Dollar Chasers.' a novelette, in
which wealthy a Californian takes a
party of not easily mixed acquaintance
on yachting trip, is the only mystery
story in the volume. The theft of a
silver dollar while on the cruise leads
to some complicating and perplexing
situations in which young newspaper
! reporter figures as the bright would-be
detective
Moonlight at the Crossroads" will be
remembered as the delightful tale in
which two members of theatrical
troupe on the way to Australia stage
little private drama at Waikiki to
save a man whom they have come to
greatly admire from disastrous mar
riage. Broadway Broke and The
Girl Who Paid Dividends" are also
stories of stage people. but. like those
which relate to automobile affairs,
eASy olC do foot1y oul dS IllSul
and day.
Selling Miss Minerva" is an account
of breezy young California automobile
salesman endeavoring to sell to Miss
Bluebottle of Stonefi' Id Mass, the latest
model which his company has produced
His job depends upon the sale. EXclu-
sive, MasSachusetts-b bound Miss Minerva
refuses to ride in an automobile or even
to allow one to stop in front of her door
The endeavors of these two to defeat
each other are highly entertaining
Idle Hands" relates the pathetic efforts
OF an automobile mechanic who has
risen to fame and fortune through the
invention of fine motor to life in idle
ness and retirement. and Nina and the
Blemish'' is another story which hinges
upon the automobile, though of widely
different character from the two other
tales.
The Heart of the Loaf" Possessions"
and "A Letter to Australia" reveal the