Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-04-05

of books that we love and of how they
came to write them. OF 1.-The Gates
Affair."" which the authors early friend,
Jean Ingelow, called frankly your most
strange book" she says: when [ re-
member just how the book came to be,
perceive the consequences of its being,
and recall the complete Inconsistencies
OF the young author as to their probable
nature, there are moments when 1 am
fain to answer the question by asking
another: What do we mean by insplra-
tionY That book grew so naturally, it
was so inevitable, 1t was so unpremedi-
tated, 1t came so plainly from that some
thing not ones self which makes for
uses In which ones self is extinguished,
that there are times when it seems to me
as If had no more to do with the writ
ing~of it than the bough through which
the wind cries, or the wave by means of
which the tide rises. The angel said unto
pne Writer and / wrote
The father of Miss Phelps as she was
known at this period, was professor of
rhetoric, and being an unusually busy
man, suffering also with i'll health, the
author says she never burdened him with
reading any of her manuscript. I'm
known to himself / had dedicated The
Gates Ajar' to him. In this dedication
there was a slip of good English. or at
least in such English as the professor
wrote and spoke. | had used the word
'nears as verb, instead of its proper
ication quietly, thanked me tenderly for
it, and said nothing. II was left for me
to find out my blunder for myself, as
did in due time. He had not the heart
to tell me of 1t then. Nor did he insinuate
his consciousness that the dedication
might seem to involve him-as it did in
certain ctadels of stupidity-in the views
Of the book.
There is also in this number an uncan-
ny, gruesome story by O." called 1.-THE
Householders," which. although it causes
a tingling and numbness down ones
spine, which exceptional tragedy gener-
ally produces in a sensitive organization,
pet the reader will admit that it has also
an element of the humorous, and Will no
doubt smile, even while he signs over
the credulity and simplicity of mankind.
There is also the first installment of a
story by Anthony Hope, that romantic
young author whom most readers love
and enjoy. "Phroso, A Tale of Brave
Deeds and. Perilous Ventures" by it's
very name promises the good things
about which Mr.. Hope knows best how to
write.
The gorgeous setting of Mr.. Archibald
Clavering Gunter's latest work, Her
Senator" is only equaled by the spicy
sensationalism of the Interior and since
this clever author wrote Mr.. Barnes
and "Mr. Potter" stories that were wor-
thy and well written, he has rather re-
trograded than advanced in his chosen
profession. over one-half of Her Sen
ator" must be passed over, somehow, be-
fore the reader feels anything but dis
taste for such palpably poor tale, and
not until we come to the Senator" who
is a big, generous hearted fellow from
the west, from "Populoso," to be more
explicit, does the story move with that
degree of ease which is necessary to en-
list the attention of the reader.
In her desire to visit the sins of the
father upon the son, Mrs Montressor
has indeed a very thin and weak excuse
for her supposedly wicked designs upon
the SENATOR and IL the patient reader
can wade through page after page of
fiippant conversations and scenes that
are too suggestive in their coloring, he
will at least be rewarded by very pref
ty and moral ending, for the big, brave
senator does not sell his manly vote
and he does marry the young and beauti-
full widow Mrs. Montressor, as the sa-
gacious reader well knew he would do.
The literary critic in ore of the recent
magazines .facetiously says: Lift up
your heads, o We critics, and be We lifted
up, we everlasting devourers of fiction,
for Mrs. Hungarian, surnamed The
Duchess hath written a new book 1t
is called The Professors Experiment"
Books by 1.-THE Duchess may not be
classed among standard literature that
will live and endure but they have no
doubt served their purpose, and 1t is pos
sible that there are many readers who
will hail with delight new work by this
pleasing author.
PAUL PRY.