Evening star., 1933-06-20
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cermond.


NURSE ADRIANE. BY Norah c.
James, author of Sleeveless Er-
rand" etc. New York: Covici-
Friede.
A few weeks ago on day set apart
for the paying of tributes to living
mothers and of honoring those who
have passed into the great beyond. the
Nation as a whole devoted itself to an
observance deemed suitable to the oc-
casion. Motherhood was idealized by
ministers, sentimentalized by radio
crooners ard emotionalized by readers
and poets The next day most OF the
mothers settled back into the habitual
routine Of washing dishes. darning end
less pairs Of stockings, cooking an as
sortment Of food to suit the varied
tastes Of the members of the family,
and accomplishing the house work and
numberlesS other tasks as well. In
short. mothers had enjoyed their day
Of glorification before the world and
were back in harness. with not one
whit less drudgery to face than had
been their need before.
Sons and daughters who on that
particular Sunday had entered into the
spirit of the occasion and remembered
that they had mothers, fell back the
following day into the regular routine
Of their lives. making just as many de-
mands, registering just as many COM
plants and probably being just as dis
agreeable as usual over trifles.
1t is good sentiment to believe that
this unlovely picture Of family relation
ships is not true. In many instances
it is net true. But in far too many
families 1t is true. and unfortunately,
individual dispositions frequently Justify
the situation.
Suppose that on Mothers day some
one devoted a discourse, or a poem. or
ballad to the mother who is parasite,
or to the mother whose colossal selfish
ness is wrecking the lives of her chill
dren? The individual or the group who
dared such departure from theology
would probably be publicly condemned
II not ostracised. Yet there are thou
sands of such mothers, and nobody does
anything about it. If the sons and
daughters of these and other undesir-
able types of mothers lack the courage
and they usually do-to defy the
parental will. then there is apparently
no remedy for the situation and no hope
for the salvation and happiness Of the
unfortunate children.
The only worthwhile point in the
StOiy VI NuISC hul ldllc 10 Lllc StT ukblS
between two women to save a man.
Sister Adriane, graduate nurse In charge
of ward In South's hospital, London,
has loved Jerry Mimms for four years,
during which period she has waged a
losing battle to save the young man
from his mother For all the years of
his life the ambition of Mrs. Mimms has
been to save her son for herself
Adriane Is a girl Of modern London
highly efficient in her profession, pos
sessing superior and analytical mind
keen sense Of justice and a wealth of
human sympathy and understanding
Mrs. Mimrns is a parasite
II Adriane expresses the hope that
Jerry will take her to the theater on
one Of her few evenings off duty he is
pleased. Before the appointed evening
arrives Jerry reports that his mother is
not feeling well and she thinks it would
do her good to go to the show with
them. If the free evening offers an
opportunity to take the girl he loves to
dinner, before the sun reaches high
noon on that day something happens
to the maid and Mrs. Mimms thinks
1t would be so nice for us to have
dinner together" When vacation time
or holidays come along and Jerry plans
trips for his mother. on the day of de-
parture she is too Ill to go alone and
he must accompany her.
A great asset Is such a mother! Yet
how many there are in this world! The
privilege of motherhood Is q beautiful
thing to contemplate and to mediate
upon. The sacrifices and agonies Of
mind which all mothers undergo from
the moment the new life comes into the
world until 1t reaches maturity are
things which every individual tries to
appreciate and to understand sympa-
thetically. But for those mothers who
use these weapons as constant remind
ers Of debt which must be paid in
filial service and duty there can be no
kindly sentiment
As . background for q novel the
large London hospital offers a wealth
OF realistic material. Every department
OF the institution and every phase of
hospital work Is vividly portrayed in
the many episodes which day by day
project their influence into the romance
OF Jerry and Adriane To any one who
has known the blessing of being cared
for in first-claSs hospital and of be-
ing coaxed back to health by those
whose profession requires the utmost
endurance Of patience and hard work,
the descriptions and the events which
take place at Souths have a familiar
and q homelike ring.
A young man suffering from appendi-
citis is brought in for an operation and
is placed In Mary's ward. over which
Nurse Adriane presides. Bernard STAR
ling Is the nephew of prominent sur
geon and he could afford to pay for
disqualification. But the surgeon is q
bachelor and has loved the orphaned
nephew he has reared as though he
were his own son. and he wishes Bern
ard to be in the hands of Sister Ad-
riane. Therefore the young man oc-
cupies bed number twelve, vacated only
an hour or so previously by a young
chap who had let 90 the tiny flicker OF
life remaining after bad accident.
1t is natural for patients to fall in
love with their nurses, and Bernard
falls desperately in love with Adriane.
To his attempts to speak Of what fills
his heart she turns deaf ear, finally
taking advantage of an opportunity to
tell him that she Is engaged. He suf-
fers. but she Is so engrossed in her love
for Jerry and her fruitless attempts to
save him from his mother that she fails
to see what a truly unselfish love is
like. Bernard RECEIVERS and goes his
way, occasionally seeing Adriane at the
hospital or taking her for a drive and
dinner. The situation for him grows
unutterably hopeless, and then he is
brought again to the hospital this time
the victim of a crash in an automobile
race.
Meantime, Adriane has played her
trump card in final effort to gain the
love which every man is expected to
give to the woman he marries-and
Mrs. Mimms takes the trick