Evening star., 1935-03-27
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cermond.

ErSklne. 1ndlanapOuS. Inc BODDS-
Merrill Co.
Is 1t possible for men and women to
forget the past and reshape their lives
to conform to the hypothesis that the
depth Of the foundation upon which
their future happiness is to deptnd
measures no deeper than from the
moment Of their conscious awareness
| Of each other2 That Is the question
which Mr.. Erskine undertakes to
answer in this extraordinary story Of
a man and q woman who believed they
could forget.
OF Lattimer Morton and Marguerite
Laval the author writes that they were
friends of his, who told their stories
separately. In recording the prob
lens Of these two, who were old enough
to have acquired more profound
wisdom than either displayed in the
| crisis which they hoped, perhaps even
believed, their intense love for each
other would avert. Mr.. Erskine admits
the possibility Of betraying a con-
fidence. but he believes that in telling
the story exactly as It was told to
him its principals. In accordance with
the law Of human averages, will not
recognize themselves, their actions or
their words. II by chance they should,
| in the opinion Of this hun: Die scribe,
they should be grateful for having
given to modern mankind, through
the able craftsmanship of a master
novelist, an intensely human story,
told with q sympathetic understanding
Of the blind madness that follows the
unleashing of unknown powers gen.
Grated in the stress OF overwhelming
emotions.
Lattimer is not an unusual type.
according to Mr.. Erskine. though any
man who has in these modern times
maintained from childhood to man
hood the beautiful relationship which
exists between him and his son would
be considered extraordinary at least
In that degree. A wise and prudent
man in his profession, and essentially
O gentleman in his social life, he is
nevertheless one Of the millions Of
men befogged by inhibitions as deeply
rooted as the conventions can make
them.
Marguerite would once have been
considered most unusual In New
York, or anywhere else, In the year
1885, however, she is one OF many
thousands of women who through
necessity or choice have chosen to be
self-supporting and free from the
slavery which for generations has held
women in its bonds. LAttimer's in
fatuation for her is swift and COM
plete. Their acquaintance takes place
in her shop, where he comes to buy
a fur coat. Had the woman for
whom the coat was purchased been
pleased matters might have been DIFF
ferent. But the lady happened to
want a leopard skin! A small item
indeed to change the course Of 90
many livesl But upon the episode OF
the leopard skin coat complications
OF unbelievable proportions cast rea-
son and wisdom into the discard.
Love, deep and enduring, is born
between these two whose experience
has made them the sane. dependable
and attractive pair that they are.
Neither OF them, in the accepted code
OF modern conduct, has transgressed
too far beyond the prevailing conven-
tions of q quarter of q century ago.
Yet the unaccountable and ungovern-
able combination OF doubt and jeal-
ousy leads steadily toward the crisis
which even the deep and superior
love Of those who have outlived the
unreasonable passions Of youth is not
great enough to prevent,
OF the two, Marguerite is the wiser.
Experience has given her a broader
understanding of human nature than
the average man seems to have the
capacity to acquire. But. then, man is
the more aggressive and the more
possessive Of the sexes, individual
opinions to the contrary notwithstand
ing. Lattimer wants Marguerite more
than anything he has ever before de-
sired He accepts her larger wisdom,
though in his heart he does not be-
lieve in 1t. She knows that he can
not forget, and that jealousy will some
day get the better Of him, but she
loves him against her will. They are
married. They are happy for while.
but what agony they both suffer until
the fires which scar their souls are
| quenched in the true revelation Of
themselves to each other!
Almost, Mr.. Erskine answers the
question which the title suggests.
There are really three answers, and
the story Of Lattimer and Marguerite
gives them all
Less compelling, but equally as con-
vincing, is the story of Lattimer's son
and his love for a girl who is too young
| to accept the transgression of his
father, and who just as blindly ac-
cepts with answering devotion the
same transgression on the part Of
Marguerite.
Somehow this challenge to Forget
II You Can" makes one feel that this
! is unquestionably the most powerful
and the best novel that Mr.. Erskine
has produced.