The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-10-31


intimation of his feelings, and having no
assurance with reference to her feeling ;,
no guarantee that some aspirlnt for n er
favor L az not bear off the prize whit Ii
he Is, QuIxotically, laboring TO deserve.
When the story opens young Bidrop Is
worn out with over-work and ment n
worry, and his employers give him i
5000 check and insist on his taking 4
good, long vacation, for which purpose
he resorts TO Westbay {: WestporJ on the
shores of Lake Champlain, where he
meets Ralph Jorman, man of vigorous
intellect, inherited wealth, skeptiCal ten
denotes, and psychological tastes. Mrs.
Erdby. a widow from Boston, whom We
at first regard as the impersonatiOn or
generous culture, refined SensibIltY and
profound religious feeling, although a
dark cloud gathers about her and OBJ
scures her fair fame as the story pro
crosses, and niece of Mrs. Erdby. Miss
Kitty EyalsUone, or rather q" Miss Royal
ty," who is an odd, but intensely real
istic, and very attractive mixture of i'm
pulsive qdcierie and simple hearted fidel-
ity and generosity.
These are the pyi. Cipal characters in
the story, and after the necessary obsta-
Giles in the course of true love Some of
which are novel in character and very
we'll managed George Bidrop marries
Martha Orlington, Ralph Jorman mar
ries Mrs. Erdby, who proves to be wo-
man of even finer character than we at
first conceived her 10 be, and Miss 10y
atty marries Orrin Barleck, Harvard
graduate, who is redeemed, in the course
of the story, from the curse of intemper
ance, and then has to be redeemed from
the curse of a morbid asceticism such as
so many young Episcopal clergymen
affect.
The characters IN the story are finely
drawn and warmly cOlored the author
is not content wiki mere sketches, al
though, in his humorous description of
Watering place life at Westbay, ne gives
us an amusing sketch of a certain Prof.
Aldrich, whom Rochester graduates will
have little difficulty in identifying) and
Ralph Jorman, Mrs. Erdby and Miss 10y
atty are endowed with very substantial
personality. They, as well rs George
Bidrop and the Orlingtons, are good
peopie-people whom one would like 10
know, and be the better for having
known. Indeed, il Is a somewhat unu-
sual and very pleasant feature of The
Psychologist" that its conception does
not demand the elaborate presentation
of the traditional villain who serves most
writer's of fiction rs q marpiOt.
Ii does involve, however, the deluGa-
ton of American social life, not only on
the shores of Lake Champlain, but in
New York City, in South Carolina, and
in Florida, and those sketches we find
suggestive and significant, Nr. Bishops
long residence at the South, and thor
ough familiarity with the Southern peo-
pie, has begOtten in him such sympathy
as leads HIM 10 say. These people shall
be my people" He emphasizes the evils
of carpet-bag rule, sets forth the
causes which not unn3tural!y led TO the
ku kluN Khan excuses, calls attention
10 the obvious difficulties in the way CT
utilizing free coloTed labor, and depicts
the better class OF whites as acquiesCing
in the result of the war and honestly
striving to make the most and best of
the changed situation. His view of
affairs at the South Is widely different
from that depicted IL = The Fools Err
rand = but Mr.. Bishop j. a competent
and credible witness, and lis deiineations
OF New York life, with which we are
familiar, are so infinitely faithful that
we are willing to give him the more Gre
dence when he introduces US to Unfamil-
lar scenes.
OF course, Ralph Jorman, the psychol-
orist of the volume, has his say about
psychology - emphasizing the iIupor-
tance of the feelings as promotive of hu
man action and determining human
character, but as he becomes the init
mate friend Of George BIdrop, associates
with him in New York and Dakota. and
accompanies him through the South,
other than matters psychological enlist
his interest, and his vigorous, we'll
trained mind is brought 10 bear on ali
those political, social and re
ligious-wh mic n are of paramount impUr-
lance III our nineteenth century Ameri-
can life.
The interest OF the story eliminates. %
my mind, in the conversation OF Ralph
Jorman, through tine influence and eN-
ample Of his Christian associates. in his
simple hearted devotion 10 Christ, and in
the exaltation which he gave TO the di-
vine ideal Of disc;pleship: NOT TO BE
NINISTERED Unto. But To MINISTER.
Ralph JOrman's intelligent conservation
of his wealth 10 his Masters service may
well serve both as an inspiration and a
suggestion To ther men of wealth who
profess to have taken Christ as their Mas
ter. Indeed, in Christian jus.iratiou
and Christian suggestion the volume
abounds.
l started Oy saving that ANY mar OF
native aCUtenesS, VIDE observation. and
generous culture. ought to Ic able TO
write one good novel / honestly think
Mr.. Bishop Is able 10 write more than
one. There Is less Of that ClUmsiuess and
crudenesS in the management OF his dia-
logue and the unfolding If his p.ur than
ordinarily CharactrrIzes a first adventure
in the domain of fiction. lie has given
Us already a volume hjch [ am disposed
to rank higher than the widely famed
g John lnclesant." Bv all uears let
him give Us more.
|
The Zebra ,,cvcr Yields.
The zebra Is true grit. The annual trim