Evening star., 1933-07-16

shows that insecurity menaces all classes Of
society. manual workers most of all but fire.
Quently those who have earned relatively high
incomes and been prosperous and thrifty all
their lives. He find the United States very
backward in its care Of its insecure citizens
in spite of the fact that it has abundant
wealth for the purpose. He has little sympathy
for any tax reduction program at the expense
OF scrapplng human beings and would un-
doubtedly look sourly upon the escape of our
wealthiest CITIZENS from their share in assur-
ing security for all
Mr.. Epstein is single minded social philoso-
pher. He has small use for any other plan of
social amelioration than his own-welfare
work by organizations, voluntary insurance,
ownership OF company stock. various savings
plans. He favors the British system, which
he does not admit is dole" with some modi-
hcations. Many will question the possibility of
carrying out such plan of general social in
Surance as his. with no social or governmental
control over the growth of population, and
those needing the benefits of insurance thus
increasing with progressive rapidty so that the
burden will become ever heavier as those able to
bear it become fewer Yet the picture he
draws of children deprived Of all the care
which shozald belong to childhood, Of invalidism
of destitute old age, is a tragic one 1t is
not more tragic than the facts, for Mr. Ep-
stein makes no of imagination or dramati-
which he has collected an overwhelming num-
Der. His book leaves little to be said on tine
subject. Three of his former books have been
on the subject of old age insecurity-'Facin
Old Age" The Problem Of Old Age Pensions in
Industry" and The Challenge of the Aged
FACADE. By Theodore Benson. New York:
William Morrow & Co.
THE facade of English society has behind
] it in these Gays all the political and eco
nomic problems with which Ramsay MacDon-
aid and his ministry have for some years now
been struggling. But these do not concern
Theodore Benson at least they do not in this
character novel. Being very intelligent
young English woman who has had every
opportunity to know about public affairs (she
is the daughter Of Baron Charnwood), they
probably do interest her very much, but in
her fiction she writes not of masses but Of
individuals, not of public but of private lives.
George Eliot did the same in most Of her
best novels Adam Bede." The Mill the
Floss" "Middlemarch," though in "Romola'
she wrote successful historical novel and in
Felix Holt unsuccessful economic one.
Miss Berson knows the English country
society of which she brilliantly writes, and her
satiric characterizations will delight all those
who read novels for characters and style
rather than for plot thrills. Two families are
The subjects Of her photography Birches
and the HardwickS. The Birches are seven, not
counting the father and mother, though they
do count Mrs. Birch for matchmaking and
Mr.. Birch for thwarting her schemes. They
live in Georgian house which provides
pleasant setting for the narrative. MatrimOny
plays a chief part in the tale. Philipa Birch,
with the average wisdom displayed where
marriage is concerned, determines to marry
Tony Hardwick. who IS suitable enough as
far as wealth and social class are considera-
tions, but has managed to get himself ostra-
cized because he has cheated at racing. They
are married.
There is another man. There is another
woman It would not be fair to tell the out
come but that makes little difference. for the
personalities of the people are what count.
The secondary characters are as well II more
slightly drawn than are Phihppa and Tony
Managing Mrs Birch: the eldest son. William
who has a taste for London summing Giles
motor salesman and his badly dressed, unin-
teresting wife, Olivia; Kitty, eldest daughter
married to a husband and provided with
lover; Phiippa's friend Lucinda; and a num-
ber of other members of the two families and
their social circle might all be actual partici-
pants in contemporary English life Bits Of de-
scription Of places along the Mediterranean and
in the East, short travel essays, either add to
the charm Of the setting or detract from the
movement of the story according to the taste
of the reader. This reviewer likes them.
STRANGERS RETURN. BY Phil Strong.
New York: Harcourt, Brace q Co.
A GAIN writing of his native Iowa, Phil
Strong has produced more varied. more
seasoned novel than he did in "State Fair"
It shows deeper insight into character and
human relations. 1t is family novel of Iowa
farm people; a novel of family conflict, Of
course it must be with numerous relations
living under the same roof Grandpa Storr,
- TO-, hoar JoI vv,;k1,
the last muscle" of his heart stretched to
the breaking point" harassed by the relatives
who have accumulated about him. still re-
mains master of the situation. He steps to the