Evening star., 1934-11-04

uniqueneSS OF d. II. Lawrence. 10
her he is a tragic figure, misunder-
stood, vilified, bu@etei by the world,
embittered by its failure to appreciate
him, almost tempted at times to give
I'D writing because they aren't mt
for it." Chronic ill-health added to
his diScouragements the was suf-
ferer from bronchial trouble from
earliest infancy and increasingly
frequent and severe attacks of i'll
ness burdened their life with appre-
hension and furnished one cause for
his tortured, irritable moods" OF
which Frieda was the natural VIC
tim. In their quarrelS, she indicates
that she took her part, as both were
tempestuous souls, but her abiding
estimate of his relation to the world
Is expressed in the words OF Heracll-
tus concerning the eXiled Hermo-
dorus: They (the Ephesians) have
cast out HermodoruS, the best man
among them, saying: We will have
none who is best among us; if there
be any such, let him be so Elsewhere
and among others" The 80 letters,
chosen to illustrate different periods
of Lawrence's life, were written to
Frieda herself. to her mother, OF
whom Lawrence was very fond, and
to her sister. Some OF Lawrence's
poems are also included in the
volume.
THIS LITTLE WORLD. BY Francis
Brett Young. New York: Harper
& Bros.
A S MORE and more OF the little
space that is England is covered
with spreading highways, the far-fiung
tantacles of cities and acceSSlonS TO
the colonies Of standardized villas,
what remains Of the countryside and
typical villages of old England Is in
creasingly priced by those who query
the meaning of the word progress.
Francis Brett Young. who in Love Is
Enough" THE Redlakes" and other
novels, has shown what he calls my
own quite ridiculouSly consuming love
of my own country and has demon
strated his ability to convey something
of its charm to others, has in This
Little World" chosen a village in the
heart of Worcestershire for the protag-
onist of his story. Chaddesbourne IS
in the region where the Romans found
their progress checked by the marShy
mingling of the Severn and the Stour,
nearly at the Welsh border. Mr.. Brett
Young'S "Smoke-breeding' city OF
North Bromwich is not far away.
Chaddesbourne is little world, where
landowners and farmers are fighting to
save their land, the Welsh school,
master struggles to educate unwilling
children, the doctor knows every ones
affairs, the vicar has much reason for
peSSimism, the landlord Of the Om-
bersley Arms finds business good, the
chief village old maid finds fault with
all her neighbors, the war profiteer
boosts for modernism. and the young
people. as always, make love. 1t is
cross section of England.
All the important personages Of
Chaddesbourne are brought together
at the beginning of the story by the
funeral of the benevolent autocrat,
Roger Ombersley of Ombersley Hall.
The squire's son, Col. Miles Ombers-
ley. succeeds to the lands. the debts
and the death duties. There is some
good character description in the
chapters On the funeral. the taking
over of responsibilities by the heir,
and his growing acquaintance with
the villagers One of his first shocks
comes when he learns that Mr.. Hack
EFT, North Bromwich industrialist,
has bought Green Hill, adjoining the
Ombersley lands, has pulled down the
| farmhouse and is building a man
sion," with 10 bath rooms and ga
rage for six. Other shocks come. In
terest shifts from the squire's manor
| to a poacher's cottage. to a village
dance and fair. to Miss Loach's Geor-
gian brick establishment, to Ted Had
| ley'S tap room. to the laurel-sheltered
| vicarage, to DR.. Selby's surgery "a
converted stable), and sooner or later
to every strategic point in the village.
Mr.. Brett Young's conclusion seems to
be that of DR.. Selby-that if it is not
exactly "Merrie England" it is not at
all bad. and that the people are on
the whole honest and courageous. In
its quiet, steady interest, This Little