The Sauk Centre herald., 1941-01-02
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PILGRIMS WAY
By John RuChan
BY Bernice Fi1neSdn

Dy OOuu DuCIlhn
Only week before his death,
Lord Tweedsmuir finished the final
revision of a unique autobiogra-
ply. This Essay in Recollection,
as he called it, tells the story of
his life against a BACKGROUND OF
his literary work and public ser
vice. It begins with vivid picture
Of his Scottish childhood, and
comes to it's first climax in the
story of his experiences during the
South African War. Then, after q
chapter on the middle years of
busy publishing and widespread
social contact, we reach the Great
War, in which as attache' to G.
H. @. in France and director of
Intelligence and Information for
the War Cabinet, he occupied a
singularlly effective observation
post. Next come the postwar
years in Parliament! the authors
views of America and of Modern
literature, leading to final sign
ificant chapter presenting, as he
says, reflections of a philosophic
optimist in evil times"
Lovers of John Buchan's work
will find this his most thoroughly
satisfying piece of writing. The
narrative is always modest and
richly relieved with humor. AL
though often subtly philosophic,
as THE education of Henry
Adams" it marches with the read
ability Of "Greenmantle." Not the
least of the charms of the book are
the sporting experiences and the
vivid backgrounds Of nature all
over the world: Scotland, the
Thames Valley, South Africa, the
mountains of Switzerland, the Can
adian Rockies, the great valley Of
the st. Lawrence, and the Canadian
National Park where lie the 5400
miles Of Tweedsmuir park, which
was called after him and which Is
almost unknown and partly unex-
plored.
The book contains personal por-
traits Of Lord Grey, Lord Oxford
and Asquith, Lord Haldane, Earl
Balfour, Lord French, Sir Henry
Wilson, Lord Haig, Lord Byng of
Vimy, and T. E. Lawrence, togeth-
er with many of the authors
friends less known to fame. OF
expecial interest are the pages de-
voted to King George v, who hon
ord him with his friendship. In
deed for American readers perhaps
the primary interest in the book
will be that 1t presents, from the
inside, a picture Of the very best Of
the British Empire at its peak can
produce. This it is that will give the
book it's permanent historical i'm
portance.
SAPPHIRA AND THE SLAVE
GIRL
BY VILLA Gather
For some time past it has been
know that Miss Gather was at work
on a new novel, but the setting re-
mained, until very recently her own
well-kept secret For Sapphira and
the Slave Girl she has gone to Vir-
ginia-just west of Winchester,
where she lived as a little girl be-
fore the family moved to Nebraska.
The chief theme of the novel Is
the subtle persecution Of a beauti-
full mulatto girl by her jealuos mis-
tress. The unconventional opening
chapter at the breakfast table
strikes the keynote of the whole
story, in which strong feelings and
bitter wrongs are hidden under the
warm atmosphere of good manners
and domestic comfort. The period
Is 1855, just before the outbreak of
the Civil War. The setting Is the
beautiful Virginia countryside, and
the narrative is peopled with un-
usual characters: the mountain
people, grim disapproving ERE
publicans," and Sapphira's African
Slaves, who are, and doubtless were
meant to be, the most interesting
figures in the book. These colored
folk are presented in an unusual
way. They are attractive to the
writer as individuals, and are pre-
sented by a sympathetic artist who
is neither reformer nor sentimen-
talist.
The theme is moving and drama
tic; and it is treated with the SEN
sitiveness and imagination of a
master. Here again Is the calm
dignity of her beautiful style
matchless among those Of writers