Evening star., 1933-11-29
NEW BOOKS
l AT RANDOM
MGygaref Cermond

Margaret Cermond.
THE PROSELYTE. BY Susan Ertz.
New York: D. Appleton Century Co.
As old as the history of msn Is the
story Of his search for the true religion.
Not religion in the sense that the word
is used today In its application to sects
and cults and denominations, but In the
broader Interpretation Of its meaning
as related to the inherent desire Of
mankind to seek spiritual guidance from
some superior, celestial power which Is
the source Of all life. Based originally
on fear for physical safety, religion or
the worship of an indefinable force
greater than himself, became the refuge
of man against the tribulations which
beset him and a source Of spiritual for
titude and comfort.
Following after prophets has been
done since the beginning. and 1t will
be done until the end Of time. There
lsve been countless numbers Of
prophets and philosophers, and an equal
number of religions have been founded
upon their teachings. All but few
OF them contain some beauty of thought
by which mankind would find life more
is surprising how small is the number
OF people who possess anything more
than superficial knowledge Of any re-
ligion except that which they profess
or those who are devout members of
their chosen faith, the number who
know the full history Of the founding of
their denomination or sect is exceed
ingly small.
In the ancient world persecution Of
those who dared to differ with the pre-
vailing thought Of the age was an ac-
Cepted feature of civilization. That
form of punishment meets with little
tolerance in the modern world, except
in matters Of religion, and even today
there is unfortunately disposition in
some quarters to persecute in thought,
If not in deed, the followers after new
prophets. The new prophet may be
founding his doctrine and his teach
ings on the Bible, as Is the case in
The Proselyte," but the source of his
inspiration will be lost to all save his
followers, II doubtful public can find
anything savoring Of departure from
the orthodox upon which to make an
issue. The Mormon church is built
upon the foundation Of the Old Testa-
ment, with the vision Of the prophet
Isaiah of the future city of Zion as
its physical ideal of ultimate perfec-
ton Its people live in accordance with
the teachings of the leaders and
prophets of the Old Testament, and
their laws of obedience are strictly en-
forced. Yet these are not the things
which the outsider places first when
Mormonism is mentioned. Religious
fervor bordering on fanaticism un-
dcubtedly was a characteristic Of many
OF the missionaries who worked
throughout the world, seeking converts
in the pioneer days of the settlement
in Utah, for most of them had never
seen the new Zion, but they must also
be credited with a sincere devotion to
the cause in which they believed, and
ship and endurance % against % hunger, niger
thirst the elements, the Indians and
the opposition Of American Govern
ment.
is both illuminating and beautiful. She
has made a complete study Of Mormon
history, and upon the facts has built
vibrant, dramatic love story which
will endure for long time. Joseph
Hewett. young Mormon proselyter at
work in England and Europe, falls in
love with zillah Purdy. the daughter of
al Idl RClltCI. nc
against the will of her mother and with
the blessing of her father, mayries her
and brings her, along with his big
party of converts, to Utah, the promised
land. Long and tedious is the journey,
for 1t was on the 18th of February,
1856, that they left England for a
voyage of five weeks across the Atlantic,
and then nearly six months of hard
ship crossing the American continent.
A strong and passionate love has de-
veloped between these two, which grows
greater perhaps because of the suffering
and privations which they have en-
dured. With the vision of the new
Zion before them and their steadfast
love for each other a constant spur to
their efforts to safely deliver into the
colony in Utah the survivors Of their
group of converts, they believe i'm
plicitly that they have been especially
favored by the Lord and that in Salt
Lake City life will be cor .l'etely happy
and free from suffering.
Much has been laid along the weary
trek across the deserts and over the
mountains about the marriage system
of the Mormon colony. and the shadow
of compulsory polygamy casts gloom
and doubt upon Zillah, but that Is
bridge to be crossed when she reaches
it, and always there is the belief in
her soul that she will never be re-
quired to cross it. Monogamistic love.
however, was not looked favorably upon
in Salt Lake City, and eventually Joseph
is persuaded against his will to marry
second wife. A crisis is precipitated,
tense and emotional, but the events
following Joseph's second marriage in
tensify his love for Zillah and the chill
dren she has borne him.
The whole background of "The Prose-
lyte" and most of the action is his
torical, and in developing this story of
an epic in American frontier settlement
Miss Ertz has combined truth and ro-
nance in a novel which will be con-
sidered fair and honest in its tnterpre-
tation sof theme and richly human in
its portrayal of the courage and en-
durance of the pioneers Of more than
seventy years ago.
Among the non-fiction books which
have arrived during the week are:
INCREDIBLE LAND: a Jaunty Bae-
deker to Hollywood and the Great
Southwest. BY Basil Woon. New York:
Liveright Publishing Corporation.
HAPPY JOURNEYS TO YESTER-
DAY. BY George Aubrey Hastings.
New York: C. P. Putnam's Sons.
SELECTED POEMS. BY Oliver st.
John Gogarty. New York: The Mac
milan Co.
GLORIOUS STARS. BY e. M. Rix-
son. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
ADULT EDUCATION AND THE So
CIAL SCENE. BY Ruth Kotinsky. New
York: D. Appleton Century Co.
THE BOOK OF GOOD DEEDS.
1914-1918. Collected and edited with
q foreword by Bernhard Diebold. New
York: Farrar g. Rinehart.
A PATH TO UNDERSTANDING. BY
Stella Kramer, Ph.D. New York: Pub
lished by the author.
\ II \
Recent fiction and books for juveniles
include:
MURDER FLIES THE ATLANTIC.
BY Stanley Hart Page. New York:
Alfred n Kfpu