Evening star., 1936-02-12
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
Margaret Cermond.

Macmillan Co.
Western Pennsylvania, in the years
before the fruitful, rolling farm lands
became checkered with coal collieries
and mining villages, is the stage upon
which three generations of the Nc
Dowell family enact flve-part drama
of unurban family life that symbolizes
with significant spiritual clarity the SIM
plicity and strength that is fundamental
Americanisnl. The farming district "out
Confluence way" is typical of the great
basic influence that has nodded and
kept free from the undermining preach
ments OF false prophets the liberties that
are essential to successful democracy.
There Is nothing unusual in the plan
or the plot Of the story. Its strength
and its charm lie purely In the genuine
ness OF its characters as they grow from
youth to age, centering about the life
of JEANNE Mcdowell and rejecting the
wholesomeneSs of that span of years in
the Nations history before family life
was largely shattered by the shifting
foundation of economic balance that
grew out Of the Great Wharf.-The years
when the home was an unspoiled, whole
piece institution and the center of all
social fellowship.
JEANNE is the twelfth child born to
Sarah and Daniel Mcdowell. Only
four-Liza Jane, Betsy, David and
Jeannie-grow to maturity. But despite
the superior womanhood of Sarah and
the genuine worthiness of her children
serenity does not entirely prevail in
either the Mcdowell homestead or in
the district of Confluence, for Daniel
is not genial husband and father, and
the church is nearing the peak of its
policy of intolerance toward all who by
word or deed lapse from the strict letter
of the church law. The main body of
the story, in fact, begins with the trial
for wholly righteous and sensible act
of the most truly Christian character in
the district. Big Bob Forsythe is guilty
of taking in his wheat on Sunday. The
McDowells, driving to church on a par
ticularly glorious sunny Sabbath morn
ing, are sad and sorely disappointed
family. Rain has fallen steadily for
three weeks and the wheat can stand no
more. Sun on Saturday would have
saved the crop, but that celestial dis
penser of blessings had elected to shine
on Sunday instead. Monday would be
too late. The irony of the situation is
biting deep into the hearts of the Nc
Dowells as they drive along. They come
to the Forsythe place, and there is Big
Bob, genial, lovable, thoughtful neigh
Dor. taking in his wheat.
Big Bob had figured that If the AL
mighty had delivered sunshine on the
last day that the wheat could be har-
vested, the thing to do was to harvest
it. But Daniel McDowell's uncompro-
missing Scotch Presbyterian conception
of religion permits no sanction of so
fragrant violation Of the Sabbath. He
has Big Bob tried before the Sessions
and never quite forgives him for his
grievous sin, but in the hard Winter
months that follow the trial Daniel and
the Sessions members are grateful for
the bread and cake that comes out of the
Forsythe kitchen from that Sunday
garnered wheat.
Thus is established the theme upon
which a story of these hardy, devout
Americans is necessarily based. And
through the life of JEANNE the saga of
three generations is unfolded in a warm
hearted, sympathetic narrative Of an
age that is cherished by those whose
memories reach back to the beginning
of the century, and that is at the same
time near enough to the present genera
ton to appeal to the finer sensibilities
Of faSter-moving race.
Through Jeannie's younger years is
revealed the superior womanhood of
Sarah and her life with husband whose
religion recognizes no relationship to
the consequences of the too frequent
child-bearing Of his wife, yet demands
the reading out of the church a man
who saves his wheat crop on the Sab
bath. Then there is Jeannie'S own ro-
nance and fawleSS marriage to young
minister whose concept of righteousness
permits a broader tolerance and un-
derStanding OF the relationship between
God and man. An especially delicate
charm clings to the poignant love of
David and Terese, beautiful, whole
some girl, bound over to the Forsythes,
with whom David is forbidden to associ-
ate because she once was a dancing
girl in a circus.
And finally comes the blossoming into
young womanhood of the splendid
daughter of JEANNE, an exquisite, senSi-
tive creation Of loveliness who comes
nigh unto wrecking romance as per-
feet as her mothers because she has
inherited from her grandfather enough
of the uncompromising brand of religion
to compel her temporarily to lose faith
in young minister who can not har-
monize the practices of the church with
the teachings of Christ.
X X
1t is in novels of this type that the
stuff of which America is made is given
renewed force of reality and vitaliza-
ton. The more of them that find
welcoming, appreciative public, the less
likely is the Nation to become befuddled
by impractical idealists, upholstered
faddists and professional reformers
with crack brain schemes for the the
oretical revolutioning of civilization.
Despite the chaos that has rocked the
foundations of home life America is still
essentially land Of home makers. The
home has always been and will continue
to be the ruling influence OF the Nation,
even though the politicians have in the
past few years apparently forgotten that