Evening star., 1936-05-27
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
BY MARGARET CERMOND.

hart. New York: Farrar e. Rine-
hart, Inc.
Thousands of admirers of Mary Rob-
erts Rinehart have been hoping since
1915 that she would reapply her versatile
creative ability to the subject of the
novel which made its appearance in that
year and write sequel or natural
successor to *" The immediate re-
sponse to that sincere attack upon
system that permitted a cold-blooded
negation Of the value of human life
was warm-hearted affection for an
author, already popular, whose new story
gave her a status among writer's who
aimed at something more concrete than
pure entertainment.
Perhaps Mrs Rinehart was wise in
electing to let *" rest upon his hard
earned laurels. Sequels seldom equal and
even less often excel their Introductory
stories. A companion novel, however,
may afford an opportunity for new
development in an old field, and If there
may still be some who were keenly
disappointed by the failure of "K" to
reappear, they will find in "The Doctor"
full payment for the defeat of earlier
| hopes.
Noel Arden, M. D., completes his course
of his study and his years of work in
the city's fine hospital and is waking
| for the first time in a shabby room in
| the home of an indolent. futile family
| with whom he has arranged to main
tain waiting room, an office and a
| sleeping room. He has neither money
nor the backing of relatives to help
him through the early stages Of acquir-
| inc q nriVatp proAtjca in an indifferent
| and unfriendly community. The busi-
ness of winning the confidence of a
neighborhood and becoming established
as physician is difficult enough in any
circumstances. but the highly tempera-
mental and impatient young man who
| is hoping eventually to become surgeon
| is almost Immediately brought up short
with the realization that in addition to
his own problem he has become saddled
with the Walters family.
During his school days the name
Noel had been promptly dropped by
his classmates and Christmas" adopted
as substitute, had naturally contracted
to Chris" Discouraging days come and
| go when no callers appear except the
inevitable dispensers of pills and cure
alls. And then the red letter day dawns.
| SLlIA HAS d JdLlcIlLa hllSS LCWlSt
daughter of the wealthiest man in town,
brings her dog to have a bone removed
from his throat 1t is a case of love at
first sight. but the girl is rich and Chris
| not only is poor, but is possessed of a
stiff f-necked, unbreakable pride. Not long
after the dog episode Chris is called to
the Lewis house to attend one of the
servants, and from then on his practice
begins TO grow. 1t is among the poorer
people. however, that he practices where
| the only reward is the satisfaction of
saving life or of accommodating expert
ence.
Beverly's mother is incurably i'll. She
meets Chris, likes him and later con-
suits him. Then, for reasons which he
does not understand Chris becomes city
physician. Summertime comes. The
Lewis family is abroad. Typhoid runs
| rampant through the poor districts.
Chris rants and swears and speaks his
mind. People die. And Staunton Lewis
is the c1ty's big man. AS such he has
refused to permit the installation of a
filtration plant. But he is a generous
supporter of the hospital and many other
philanthropic enterprises. Chris hates
him. Another season rolls around and
|
Mrs Lewis is to i'll to travel and the
Lewis family is at home. Again Chris
speaks his mind to the world at large
on the crime of denying to the mill
and factory workers and the poor in
general the right to live in decency and
safety. And he loses his job.
Meanwhile he has been studying sur
gerry, Katie Walters has fallen in love
with him and he and Beverly have be-
come engaged. Katie's jealousy is a
menace to his profession as well as to
his happiness. But Chris sticks fast to
his determination to become a surgeon.
| The way is hard, but success comes
eventually. 1t is crowned with bitter
ness and despair, but it is success just
the same. Unhappiness, however, is a
part of every human life, and if the
way for Chris, seems more difficult as
the years pass, it is through the very
hardships and disappointments that he
is forced to endure that he is made ready
for the happiness he finally wins.
Mrs. Rinehart knows the medical
world and has kept pace with the rapid
development of the sciences of medicine
and surgery. *" marked the beginning
of great change in the attitude of the
municipality toward its obligations to
humanity. THE Doctor" may not point
to any direct phase of community well
fare, but it gives an intimate knowledge
of the long, tedious struggle to the
heights of the most extraordinary and
exacting of all professions.