Birmingham state herald., 1896-04-26

John Strange Winter, the nom de guerre of Mrs. Arthur Stannard, was adopted by the advice of the publishers of her first books, and it was only when "Bootle's Baby" appeared that 1t became known who the author really was.
 Since those early days Mrs. Stannard has written some excellent novels nearly always dealing with garrison life and evnclhg the authors good understanding of the surroundings of the British officer and social conditions of the army as we'll In "The Soul of the Bishop" Mrs. Stan hard attempted religious work, endeav- bring, as she declared to present with un- mistakable force the attitude of mind she deemed very prevalent today; but the work was barren and dreary In her next book, q Married a Wife," which ap- peared last year, she draws again for inspiration from that field where she stands pre-eminent, and gives us pleas ngIy told story of life as found in ser vice in the "Back Horse," the crack com- pany of England. In reading it is hard not to contrast stunning" as it is usually called, work among the poor, as depicted in Elizabeth Stuart Phelps "A Singular Life" where the young minis terS earnestness and consuming zeal show forth in works that are so beautiful and that will one day win for the ardent worker a crown of glory, with John Strange Winters work T Married a Wife" The contrast is startling, and one can but feel that the stunning" the commendable zeal and endeavor of Miss Geraldine in striving to do even so little for the ameloration of that large class of humanity who labor, with cease less and weary tread along the humble paths of life, is held up for ridicule and chaff. If the story Is not lampoon upon some of the more popular fads or fancies of the nineteenth century woman and her aspirations along the line of benefit ing humanity in general, and woman's position in particular, then it is difficult to discover it's ralson d'etre, unless you accept 1t purely upon it's own meager merits of smoothly written, well-told tale of a chapter in one mans life who pleaslngly found an estimable wife and had the happy privilege of marrying her. and with the possession secured a most sensible mother-in-law, who d'd not fail, in her old-fa shioned ideas of life, to sym pathize fully with the young husband N'redericlk A. Stokes Company; for sale by Smith & Montgomery)
 In these latetr days of hustle and ac- tivity there is an intense and commenda- ble effort on the part of the great papers of the United States to gather news, re- liable news, all over the world, so that the commentator, or critic correspond ent, holds a responsible position and Will probably continue to hold it. This spe- cal correspondent must needs be man with infinite capacity for hard work, or ''hustling," and ability to get exclusive information, called scoops" He must also be trained journalist. Such worker is Ballard Smith, who writes such scholarly, terse, incisive letters to the New York World. MT. Smith had served on the Herald, Sun and World in several capacities, latterly as managing editor under MT. Pulitzer. He has done some splendid work for the World and proven how fortunate they were in choosing him as their European representative AS one reads of incidents in the lives of such men it just seems that smiling rate placed such opportunities in their hands, but it is possibly incomprehensible to the ordinary newspaper reader to realize the real amount of energy and intultiVe fore- sight necessary for the successful accom- plishment of some big scoop" For in- stance it is related of Ballard Smith that on his journey to England he went on the City of Paris few years ago, and it has been humorousy stated by his fellow journalists that the steamship broke down off the north coast of Ire land for Mr Smiths especial benefit. The adventurous journalist embarked from the helpless liner and, after many tribulationS, reached telegraph ofhce. 1t happened to be the operators wedding day and she refused to do any work, but nothing daunted the young journalist and he added to his report a few words, saying that the dispatch was being sent by one of Ireland's fairest beauties, who had consented to sacrifice part of her wedding day for the sake Of the world $ readers Yes" said the operator I'll send that" But it is on page 13," said the journalist, "and you must send the other first" So it was the World flrst printed the disaster to the Inman liner. And what a wonderful amount of tact, energy, or what you please to call It, must be necessary in this capacity.
 
 Julian Ralph of the New York Journal is equally energetic, and has probably travelled more in the United States and knows more public men than any living newspaper man. He lately said: "The modern correspondent now sends every scrap of news about the Roentgen dis eovery with as much avidity as two years ago he sent news about a. war. Such thing was then ridiculous but the fact that American people now want all such news is an evidence of the broadening of American interests in for ejgn countries"
 The Sun man is Harry R. Chamber lain. who has made a grand success of his work. His accounts of the Panama scandals are said to have been the best that were written.
 There are writers and writers, but few who can dash off good story with an equal amount or ease ana facllty With which F. Marion Crawford seems to ac- complsh the task.. He is born story teller, and it is just the same to him, 1t appears, whether it's a story of few - thousand or a hundred thousand words
 In his latest novel, Adam Johnstone's Son." the scene is laid In Italy, that country which the author has made his own, and as he writes he instinctively weaves much of the poetry and enchant- ment of it's sunny cline into his artistic ally finished work. Certainly 1t needs