Birmingham state herald., 1896-05-24
PAUL PRY LOOKS
 -auum~>INTO SUMMER BOOKS.

I who have caused troubles and vexations | obligingly die and furnish death-bed re- pentances that clear up and illumine facts that were otherwise uncertain and in- | comprehensible; family differences are l adjusted and all is serene and tranquil. | This is as it should be if "A Rogue | Daughter" like so many others Of it's class, claims entirely for it's raison detre | the very laudable desire to amuse the reading public. Then it is but just to | the reader that the author should clear away all unpleasant situations before closing her scenes, and thus leave no un- happy or regretful tendencies in the mind of her reader. (Stokes Co)
 s
 But what do you do with yoursef?"
 she demanded. "Do you never read any thing?"
 "Oh, yes; I have not forgotten my let ters. For modern facts I read the pa pers and for the other side of life l take poetry. But the modern novel is too severe a punishment. It is neither po- etry nor wisdom This most remarka- | ble statement was made by the hero of 'Amos Judd" story by J. A. Mitchell, | the editor of Life, and no less person | than Amos himself, who is described ass "A Hindu prince, a Persian poet or | simple corsair of the Adriatic"-a | swarthy youth, of whom handsome | young woman exclaims: "He is the most | artistic thing I ever saw! The lines of his eyes and nose are superb And what
 a chn I should like to own himn'
 You couldn't eat himn
 No; but 1 could put him on exhibition
 at $5 ticket. Every girl in New York would be there-you among them" You see there are some remarkable things in this little book called Amos Judd" edited in the dainty little Ivory Series" with an exquisite binding of white and deep green. There are stories Cf mt ne hsf fIUCt mil C c
 muster as being in any way readable, but this one is an exception, and is not only remarkably good story, but is also ex- ceedingiy well written in a style that is
 fluent and facile, humor that is deli
 cate as 1t Is all pervadng-a story that
 is pleasure to read, and to acknowledge
 afterwards that we were not only enter ta1ned by 1t, but to large extent amused.
 It is so pure and edifying that we realize With pleasure a delightful sensat tion, as of sweet morsel long after it Is finished.
 The originality of this bit of fiction counts for much in the estimate. Amos pos seSsed to a marvellous degree those spirit
 ual insights and psychological forebod- ings which are darkly hinted at and dis cussed with bated breath by leading
 thinkers today, but of which no positive
 Knowledge obtains His mystical powers of so clearly foretelling events of the fu- ture lend peculiar attraction to Amos, and the reader is captivated by his earn. estness and fervency
 It is rare to find such topics of thought so charmngly blended with a work of fiction as not only to lend additional in- tereSt to the story but grace and easy naturalness. And with the discussion of these thought problems who can tell what experiments and discoveries may be made in the near future. Subtle pow CTS such as distinguished our friend Amos may yet be revealed and ex planed.
 Speaking of the editor of Life" there was recently query propounded to him which seems to be troubling the great throbbing mass of humanity as much as Stockton's "The Lady or the Tiger" It seems in February issue of Life there was 8 cartoon of Delphic Charac- ter. A rather good looking girl is wal lowing upon sewing machine, while in the background, partly enveloped in a cloud, is young man holding another girl in his arms. Underneath the picture is legend of single word, "Alasp' Now the public is asking anxiously what this means. One correspondent asks what has the sewing girl to do with the fortunate young man, and further guesses that "the girl on the sewing ma chine has been tilted by the young man and that she is imagining him as now in the arms of a wealthier rival But an ingeniously symbolistic friend suggests | the additional touch that the girl was not only tilted, but that it fell to her to l make her rivals wedding dress. Any how, we adjure MT, Mitchell as a matter l of professional comity toward a brother l editor and because of his regard for a l nations peace of mind, to give us the | true and only explanation. Did the sew | ing machine girl make the others dress, l or didn't she? However, the papers | might get themselves into serious diff l culties and labors did they yield to ex- l plantations of all their matter.
 PAUL PRY.