The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-07-10


One or two very telling and dramatic il
Illustrations of this power are recounted in
the book.
Of cousse opinions must differ as to the
theoretic soundness of the present author's
solution Of the great problem presented.
What is man in himself when brought up
pure from the contagion Of evil example,
secured from external temptations and ap-
pealed to only on the higher side Of his
naturel Is lie essentially good, and thus
likely to develop into an angelic type of
mani or is he essentially evil. and there
fore Liable 10 act out his evil nature despite
whatever benignity Of environment The
trend OF public opinion seems, on tbs
wnOIe 10 incline toward the former alter
native of opinion. ana it is this which ap-
pears TO recommend itself to Mr.. Bachelor.
Rayel is good, noble, generous. The world,
when he becomes acquain ted withit. at first
interests him; then It shocks and grieves
him. Finally 1t awakens his profound CON-
passion, and he bends all the gifts and
energies of his nature TO make it better
than when he found it. In other words,
his function in life becomes in a measure
that of new Messiah but, being of NOR
tai parentage, the effect of his effort is to be
sought rather in the stimulus of noble ex-
ample than OF natural accomplishments.
physical or spiritual plane. But he can
prevt mt wrong, he can help the feeble and
nurse the sick, and be can give his life for
his friend All this and more he does; and
we arc made TO feel that no one can have
met and known such man without being
TN reby increased for the time being in
mental and ethical stature.
But though the world failed to corrupt
RRyel during the few years that he lived in
it. it did not leave him quite deathless. The
necessary acquisition of audible human
speech made him practically conscious OF
the impracticability of absolute veracity.
He was brought into personal collision
with crime in its most active and sinister
form. and he knew the pain of above that
could not be requited His life, from
the external point Of view, was conse-
queniiy an unhappy and unsuccessful one,
but IL is precisely from this point of view
that no trustv orthy estimate of such life
can be formed. There are spiritual salts
factions and compensations which tran
scend any Of the vulgar rewards of exist
ence. Rayel, in the midst of his disap-
pointments and griefs, enjoyed happl-
ness which be could neither communicate
nor describe it belonged TO the sublimIty
Of his nature and could be known only TO
those similarly gifted. That he should die
ii the early stages of his career was per-
haps incviLable; he must either CONQUER
Inc world, or be conquered by it, or die;
and, the flrst alternative being out of the
question. the third is certainly more well
cone solution than the second, whatever
may be said as TO its purely human interest
IL must not be inferred, because | have
dWelt mainly on the serious side of this re-
markable little book, that lis lines are uni
formly gloomy. On the contrary, 1t is full
OF arch and pleasant humor and of graphic
and dramatic description. The very first
scene in the book-the mysterious, speech
less old man, appearing out of the storm
and dying before the more important part
Of lis mission could be NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
attention to the evolution of the tale, and
there Is no relaxation till the end. Yet so
lightly and deity is everything set forth, SO
ouistly and unpretentiousiy are the marvels
desert bed, that there is never any feeling OF
resistance or incredulity. The evolution is
logical, and il is accepted. There are some
very natural and homely English folks in
troduced al the beginning of The story. and
q heroine who possesses the proper degree
OF physical loneliness and several other
good QuRlitios as well. To the practical
novel reader nothing will appear more
conmendable il the technical handling of
the narrative, than the wise forbearance
which has omitted everything that is not
structurally essential TO the work in hand
There is not as much padding as could be
et--A ACe VA lAC fCAut VI DCns huu not q
reservoir pen, either. 1t is possible that
too much has been omitted but, upon the
Whole. no one is likely TO quarrel with an
author who leaves Us with an unappessed
appetite for his wares. On the other hand.
the story is artisticaliy complete 1t might,
given the preliminary data, have been car
ried out 10 entirely different issues, but
what the author aimed 20 do he has sue
ceeded in doing, and that is ali we can ask
OF hira.
A work SO short significant and preg-
nant, and, from the merely literary point
OF view, so little open TO attack, can hardly
fail 10 be the forerunner of other books
which may enable US to gauge more fully
the writer's quality and possibilities He
has shown somewhat of a new force
-he is an element 10 be reckoned with.
One feels desire TO know how he will
treat other subjects which are just now at
tracing thoughtful and creative minds.
Prophesy is risky business but l GER
tainly should not be surprised TO hear,
IN the course of the next few years,
that something at once important
and captivating had appeared over
this gentlemar's signature. At ali
events, ne has started out in the right
track, and ne seems mature enough not to
DO IN danger of being seduced from it,
The Master Of Silence" is q good book
With good title, ard good titles by the
way are not the least part Of the secret Of
success in literature.