Evening star., 1933-03-26
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No Mere Generuhties in the Presidents Mezy
Book-7AeLife andWork Of Woodrozv
Wilson Fiction From
the Publishers.

IHt Il N
TO THE NORTH. BY Elizabeth Bowen. New
York: Alfred A. Knopf.
THE Great North Road OF England, with little
motor car flying over it at terrific speed,
Is the final scene Of this novel of unusual pene-
tration into human character and motive Of
unusual delicacy and reserve Of style. Mark
Linkwater whom every one calls Markie, not
from affection cannot be used as an argument
against the tendencies of the modern age. His
type has always existed and probably always
will exist-the entirely selfish man. graspng
with greedy hands for whatever he wants, but
retreating hastily before any suggestion Of re-
sponsibility ON his part. Mrs. Humphry Ward
created his blood kinsman in 4Manisty in her
novel, Eleanor" Markie says Of himself: "But
you knew was always out for what could
get" The MaGkies of the world must always
have their victims. If we ask impatiently why
any women will tolerate them, the only answer
is that there always some women who do
at least for time. Emmeline cool, gently iron-
ical, withdrawn in her love of personal solitude,
inexplicaby comes to love Markie, perhaps be-
cause Of his vitality. harder more suspicious
woman would have been good for him. She ac-
cepts him at first without criticism, without
reserves, though his brutal frankness should
have made her aware Of his quality. The scale
Is balanced when Markie comes to fear her still
ness, what Is going on behind the veil she has
dropped between him and her inner self. His
fear and uneasiness grow also his need Of her.
until finally comes their wild ride over the
Great North Road, which approaches the mood
of Browntng's line in The Last Ride Together":
who knows but the world may end tonight?"
Subordinated to the tragic disilluson of EN-
incline and Markie Is the pleasant reasonable
courteous courtship Of Cecilia and Julian They
are SO unhurried, know each other so well, and
make 50 many allowances for each others Pc
culiarities and disabilitieS-his large collection
OF pictures and unattractive niece and her an
noying casualness and meddlesome relative, Lady
Waters for example-that their chance for hap
pness in marriage seems good A fine piece Of
literary art is attained by the contrast of Ce-
celia and Julian sitting together by the fire in
the little house Of Cecilia and Emmeline In st.
Johns Wood. talking of their future home and
its arrangement, with Emmeline and Mariie, at
the same time, rushing through the night with
ungoverned speed Emmeline with frozen grip
on the wheel and Markie sweating with terror,
while they just glimpse a sign, black on white,
ITO the North"
UNION SQUARE. BY Albert Halper New York:
The Literary Guild
A SMALL section Of New York's "proletarian"
y population, with an occasional "bour-
geois," live in this novel, of which the real in
IL.
bounded by Fourth avenue, Broadway, Four
teenth and Seventeenth streets It Is Albert
Halper's first novel, the Literary Guilds selec-
ton for March, and contributes to the group Of
novels which compose together something Of an
epic Of American life, piece Of vivid naturalism
We are introduced to the Square during the
calm after Communist riot. Officer Terence
McGufy. famous around the Square for his ut
terance, Il have met the enemy and he is now
in JAIL" Is strutting about, watching the shabby
women, accompanied by many children and
pushing wobbly baby carriages who have come
to collect for firewood the boards scattered
around from the demolished platforms of the
speakers. In rapid succession, for this Is no
slowly-movng tale, are brought upon the scene
Grandma Volga, the pretzel seller; Mr.. Feibelman
the chestnut vendor; Leon Fisher, soft-spoken
young man, "a photo retoucher by day, an artist
at night and a member of the Communist party
OF America at all times; and Jason Wheeler.
who writes for cheap, sex-story magazines and
invests the proceeds of his writing in gin In
the same tenement with Jason live Hank Austin.
American laborer, whose ancestors fought at
valley Forge and who wishes the "foreigners"
m the tenement would 60 back to the old coun-
try, and his wife and four children. Next door,
In the Glen Cove Apartments, live Andre Fran
conf, barber. who looks like gentleman:
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Drollinger, Scandinavian
couple who have gone Russian, after reading
Tchekhov and Turgenev and visiting Russian
objets dart store, and call each other Natasha
and Vanya for the sake of atmosphere, and
Mr.. Boardman, dignified middle-aged man in .
good manufacturing business, with his mistress
q former hostess in "swanky speakeasy" There
are also Helen jackson and Jose Morales, New
Orleans Communists; Bessie Silvers, solidly built
stitcher in sweat shop. who is jealous Of the
New Orleans girl, and others who come and CO.
The story jumps from one group to another,
Is the chapters change. This was the method
Of Dickens. Some Of the scenes in Dickens too
are as sordid as those Of Mr.. Halper but other
wise there is no resemblance. Mr. Halper does
not love his characters he views them scientid-
cally as II he had them under q microscope
He does not give them happy endin,ys" either.
Between the time when We hrxt enter Union