San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-08-02
Written for the LIGHT.
SINGLE SATURDAYS

SINGLE SATURDAYS.
There are weeks in our lives some
times when the echo of the Sabbath
spirit seems to pervade the whole
seven days.
1t may be some gentle sentence
heard in the sermon, some deed of
friendship or Christian charity; often
er still, the mere expression of a.
spiritual crisis of our own.
No book can be more appropriate
to such a state of mind than the
"Silence of Dean Maitland, q volume
by no means new, to the reading
public, but certain never to grow old.
The plot has a resem alliance to Haw-
thorne's "Scarlet letter." but it has
no trace of the mystic charm which
maps that tale of old New England.
A young clergyman, gifted and with
traits almost abnormally saint-uke,
falls into error and in process of time
commits murder.
Circumstantial evidence fixes the
guilt upon his dearest friend and
prospective brother-in-law, who goes
TO prison for twenty years in expia-
ton of another's sin.
The return of the convict to find
the culprit dean and a great man,
is q strong point. The climax is fur
nished by the public confession of
crime,n made by the dean in his pull
it to an audience holding many a
bishop and the prime minister of
England.
Since Africa is all the rage one can
hardly do better, than glance over
the first pages of Grant Aliens book,
"The Tents of Shem."
If the two young Englishmen des-
cribed in the opening chapters, could
only have passed away in their early
bloom, they would have left most
agreeable impressions.
They 90 out into the Algerian
mountains, one to paint, the other 10
collect specimens of natural history.
They proceed to camp and make
friends with the natives.
SO far, SO good! We see the tropi-
cal blue effects of air and sky, We look
through artists eyes at the picturesque
half Arab people.
The remarks of the young men are
witty, idiomatic and pleasant, but at
the introduction of the women into
the story the interest wanes.
1t is rather hard on a patient novel
reader to have "borne the heat and
burden of an Algerian season." and
then to find the ancient travesty OF
q will discovered in the locket of the
native heroine.
The book contains a genuine villain,
who is so black that the author hard
ly knows how to finish him off. He
gets out of the difficulty by driving
him violently insane and cheerfully
remarks that most villains go crazy
This general observation would be en-
couraging if it were only true.
The best way, says Mr.. Allen, ia
contract "Acute Dementia" 10 tC
think only of ones self If this were
the case, what choice collection o.
raving maniacs would adorn every
circle.
"Lady Car" sketch by Mrs. Oil
phant, is q fine piece of literary work
but it is hopelessly depressing.
Tt relates to the heart-breaking ex
perience of q lady of rank, who Il
forced into a marriage with a bruta
millionaire.
The millionaire dies, or, rather, i
killed, and his widow marrries he
early love.
The early love is mice person,
hut he has not commenced to fulfil
any of the promises of his youth.
The tragedy of the tale, turns upo
her disappointment as the years rol
by, and he remains only mice pei
son" She tries to make him turn
literature, to art, to politics, sh
coaxes him into neatly appointe
library, but all in vain. She die
finally, before she is fifty, weary
the struggle.
Walter Besant is one of the mo
popuIar and satisfactory of our Twin
novelists. He has his "fads' and g,
ercises them, but as a rule they a
harmless. In the little volume b
fore me, however. called, '"They We
Married :" there is no fad at all; on
a beautiful description of East Indls
life. and love story, so simple al
pure, that in these days of comp