Evening star., 1937-07-21
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
BY MARGARET GERMOND.
CHILDREN OF STRANGERS. BY Lyle
Saxon. New York Houghton Miffin

From the heart of the deep South
comes novel of exceptional beauty and
charm which tells the pathetic story of
cultured and picturesque civilization
which is rapidly vanishing from the
American scene. Specifically it is the
story OF Louisiana mulatto colony
founded about 1850 by a Frenchman on
the fertile acres of stretch of land
which was separated from its parent
formation century later when the Red
River changed its course, leaving in it's
original bed a meandering stream of
sufficient breadth and length to create
Isle Brevelle
VIDAL was the name of the Frenchman
who, with his brother, took possession of
a land grant in Northwestern Louisiana,
then French colony. White women
were scarce in Louisiana and the French
had no race prejudlces. One of them
stopped off in New Orleans, found
woman at the famous quadroon balls
VINO pleased him and took her to the
northwestern wilderness, which in Mr..
saxon story is known as Yucca Planta-
Ilon. He was thrifty and prosperous
ana when he died his eighteen miles of
lano and his wealth were left to his
Tree mulatto children" and their
mother.
AuguStin, son of the first generation
OF Amerlcan-born VidaIs, became the
leaoer OF the colony. Rich, proud and
independent. he also became the bene-
FACTOR ana the grand old man of the
community He lived to be seventy wears
oIo ana when he died he left his rich
estate including more than a hundred
slaves, and his wealth to his children,
lnelr language, their culture and their
architecture were French. From This
lne OF new race descended Fannie
Lacour, heroine of Children of Stran-
gers"
The Civil War had been fought long
pelore Famle was born and the mulatto
plantatlon owners and slave owners had
oeen lett IN the same poor plight as had
tne whites. AuguStin's death had left
them without leader and the constant
redlVlslon of their land had gradually
leouced them to near-poVertv. Strange
lamllleS had moved in and the mulattoes
hao Withdrawn to themselves, poor and
oeleated, but still proud Isolated bv the
preJudlceS OF two races they sought
10 perpetuate their own race by marry
ing cousins. The result was a good
race, kindly, gentle and decent With
little degeneracy, even though the whole
colony was in Famies generation bound
by blood relationship
Except for the plantation owners who
nave lived among the mulatt0es there
mas been little understanding of the
problems against which this odd race
IN democratized civilization has str,Ig
gled for survival. Caught between the
mllistones Of two extremes, it was per
maps inevitable that it should decline and
eventually vanish despite IT'S cultural
background and its colorful contribu-
llon TO the glamorouS pageant of the
deep South. Happily, Mr.. Saxon is one
OF those limited few whose knowledge
ana sympathetic understanding Qualities
MN to present in friendly and candid
nctlonal form this peculiar phase of So
claI development in American life that
requires the fine discriminative ability
ana the artistic perception Of a skilled
craftsman.
Fannie LaCour is a beautiful girl. edu-
cated, oeVoutly religious and ambitious.
She is proud of her ancestry and she
loves the old house with the almost
priceless furniture and silver which COM
sixteen years old and Numa, a devoted
cousin, wants to marry her. Numa is
a fine lad, as directly descended from
old Vidal as is Fannie, and is the most
suitable choice in the colony for a model
husband. Fannie. however, is not sure
that the affection she has always held
Tor Numa is deflnabIe as the sort of love
woman feels for the man she wants
TO marry French ancestry is pre-
dominant in her character and in her
tastes. 1t is equally predominant in
Numa, but Fannie longs to know the love
OF man OF unmiXed blood
On her way home from the convent
scnool across the river Fannie meets the
man to whom in blind unquestioning
passion she gives her whole love In
hamed by jealousy, Numa surrenders to
an ungoVernable impulse to commit an
act OF treachery which results in a
Tragedy and which fails to reward him
With the happiness for which he has
paid SO great price. The complications
logically resulting from Famie's indis-
cret1on and Numa's breach of honor are
the familiar experiences of the human
race when cyclOnlc emotions tear it from
its normally secure moorings. but the
strength and clarity of character in
depreciation and spiritual generosity
which Mr.. Saxon so simply amplifes in
broadness of sympathy and beauty of
phraseology are the qualities which make
this book novel of outstanding merit
in an era when the bulk of fictional
literature is riding at ease in the back
wash OF drift-littered ebb tide.
The authenticity of background and
historic sequence of the predeStined fate
of Louisianas S children of Strangers"
needs no confirmation, for Mr.. Saxon's
previous stories, notably Fabulous New
Orleans" have won the confidence of
wide and appreciative public. Isle
Brevelle and Yucca Plantation are. of
course, creations of the authors imagi-
nation, but the representation is of an
actual community in Louisiana and the
festivals and ceremonies are descriptive
of traditional customs that have been
faithfully and whole -heartedly observed
since the first settlers established them
selves in the Southern territory of the
New World
Parts of the novel have appeared in
short story form in magazines during
the several years that the book has been
in preparation, but they have not in
any sense been shorn of their value for
having been published singly. One chap
ter previously printed as a descriptive
story Of religious gathering has been
rewritten and features a real sermon
nre9rhe6 in cl,,,rob ~, -