Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-23
studying Of the people of the story; still, the
plain story, told for the storys sake, is very ac-
ceptable indeed.


plain story, told for the storys sake is very ac-
ceptable indeed.
American literature began with the telling Of
an interesting story. James Fenimore Cooper,
| if he had lived as long as few men live. would
have been 100 years old a week ago. In 1920
| Cooper wrote "Precaution," and followed it
with "The Deerslayer," !" 1.-THE Pathfinder" !" THE
Last of the Mohicans," and the other delight
| full adventures of Leatherstocking. Cooper
wrote stories. He looked at life from the out
side. And we haven't outgrown that kind Of
| book even yet.
1t ought to be noted In these days. when
| Coopers centennial brings him especially to
| mind, that he began kind of writing in this
| country which has only of late found worthy
followers and which we ought to have good
deal more of. Cooper took a condition of life
which was quite peculiar to the land in which
he was born, and having made study of IL,
put it into his books. 1t was the kind of work
which Mr.. Cable has been doing for Louisiana,
and Miss Murfree for Tennessee, and Mr.. Har-
ris for the plantation negro. This is kind Of
realism which is worth while.
#-&
We get long way of from Cooper's Indians,
and from the life which Cooper's heroes lived,
when we open 'Sant' nario." Between Mohi-
can wigwam and Roman palace. between
Leatherstocking and Saracinesea there is not
much In common.
There are not many of us who know much
about either Indian chiefs or Italian princes,
but we can all see that Coopen knew good
deal about Indians, and that Mr.. Crawford
knows good deal about Italians. Mr.. Craw-
ford indeed, seems to be at home, and to have
the faculty of making his readers at home, in
several quite different countries. Take 'Mr.
Isaacs," and 'Zoroaster" and 1.-THE Tale of a
Country Parish" and "Greifenstein," and
"Marzio's Crucifx." and you will see that In
dia and Persia. and England, and Germany
and Italy become in turn the background of
the scene. Some people, mostly critics and
amateur authors" seem to think that writing
novels must be pretty easy work. And so per-
haps it is with novels of a certain sort-which
are often pretty hard reading. But when one
comes to consider what is involved in locating
a story in distant country, or in another GEN.
tury, how much knowledge of history, and
geography, and scenery. and customs, and
dress. and ways of talking and Of thinking
novel writing gets to be a rather serious matter.
Mr.. Stevenson begins 1.-THE Wrong Box" by
remarking upon ''the hours of toll. consultation
of authorities, researches in the Bodleian, cor
respondence with learned and illegible Ger
MANS" which the novelist has to go through
before he can even begin his novel. This is a
bit of fun on Mr.. Stevenson's part and will do
very well for him who gets most of his material
out Of his inner consciousness, but you may be
sure that Mr.. Crawford did not get his intimate
acquaintance with his various backgrounds
without some work.
Edna Lyall is another cosmopolitan novelist.
Donovan" is an Englishman, the knight
Errant'' is an Italian, while her last hero-the
book is in press-is "a Hardy Norseman."
Derrick Vaughn, Novelist" however. needed
mo- En0 1odp md in for ia al oh
story, not amounting to much. It is a kind Of
diluted Donovan" After the fine banquet Of
Donovan" and 1--WE Two" here is a cold
lunch on what is left over. Still, Edna Lyall
has never written anything yet which is not
helpful and healthful reading.
So
Mr.. Crawford, to come back to SAINT nario", |
seems to prefer Italy. "Marzios Crucifx," "a |
Roman Singer" "Saracinesea," and now this |
latest, have italian backgrounds. The sentence |
has been widely commented on in which Mr.. |
Crawford affirms that all foreigners who have |
written on Italy have misunderstood Italians. |
They have written up Italians after the fashion |
of a contributor to this months Fortni0htly |
ReUieaD, who begins a series of papers on RUS |
sian characteristics" with part One-Lyingp |
Mr.. Crawford thinks that he understands |
Italians; and who will gainsay himf
AT any rate Mr.. Crawford has done in 'Sant'
nario'' some of the best work of his life. The
story is strong, full of spirit and interest,
and holds ones attention from start
to climax. The characters are, without ex-
ception, people worth knowing. The reader
lives for the time being in the Rome of the days
of Garibaldi. One is given enough to see. and
enough to think about. To get inside one of
these Roman palaces and see how family life
goes on there, after fashion quite rs own, is
worth while. AS for the deeper side of the
book Mr.. Crawford has never written anything
better than his study of SAINT uario and Corona
during that critical time of their misunder-
standing, and OF the old librarian during the
days after the murder. This is work of no
common kind. -
And then, too, the story ends well; and in
these days, when it seems to be popular
fashion in fiction to write the last page so that
the reader, when he comes to it. will throw the
book across the room, that Is something to be
thankful for.