The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1896-02-15

in the least that suffusion OF feeling
when they shall again see virtue
triumph on the stage. Whether such
= book as this which makes the criminal
a high-minded. generous gentleman and
engages your sympathies for him in
spite Of yourself is healthful is doubt
full. 1t belongs in the same class as La
Dame Aux Camellias' in 60 far as il
makes the person and nearly all the
character Of the criminal adorable. Ut
course the style is not to be compared to
Dumas to whom words were subject
genii and did his will forever with in
slant power. They are alike in apothe.
osizing the criminal and they both al.
low crime to destroy their hero and
heroine's happiness and after long tor
ture to give their bodies to death. Their
crimes do not allow them to be happy
or even to live. The only question is
can real Camille or real thief be 30
charming. can they have honor, be self
sacrificing, delicate, lovable. 1t seems
as il vice 80 iugrained would make
their souls opaque, suspicious Of others,
cruel and selfish, hut the two books in
question show heir subjects with only
one decayed spot, the rest is untainted,
sound. think this cannot be either in
apples or in people. A man can not
be perfect gentleman and thief too.
II he love both these careers he Eust
choose one and leave the other. An
author will always fail in trying to make
credible union of these two PROBES
sions in one person. When an author
fails to make out his case his book be-
longe with Riuer Haggard's She" on
the library shelves. Which is not say
ing it is a failure by any means. "A
Social Highwayman is well constructed.
1t hangs together. The action is rapid.
the plot is interesting and unfolded with
great finesse. No wonder that the Hol-
land brothers have played it with so
much success. 1t is book most easily
dramatized. 1t need hardly be touched.
The scenes follow each other with dra-
matte order and accuracy. No trans
position is necessary except in the case
Of the lovely Miss Burnham who ap-
pears almost at the close l presume in
the play she is introduced at the first
dinner party and superinduces the
trembling Of "Courtic els" :. fingers when
he relieves the Duchess Of her diamonds
otherwise the love motif is so slight that
the audiences romantic sensibilities can
not be made to sufficiently sympathize
with the hero. There can not artistic
ally lie two motifs Of equal strength in
book or drama but the love motif can
not be sighted entirely. An audience
must be put en- rapport, las the ghosts
say) with the woman in the case at once,
or it will flutter programs, cough and
move its unexpressible feet. Miss ~
Train has written besides this The
Autobiography Of Professional
Beauty" and some short stories, none of
which have had the success Of "A Social
Highwayman." She deals with actions,
events. Her character study is that of
an acquaintance rather than that of an
intimate. She does not split hairs. no.
body is ''sicklied DER with the pale cast
OF thought" Her characters do Lot
question themselves nor weigh impalp-
able motives from the first to the three
hundredth page in Howells' tantalizing
manner. They think. and act immedi-
ately after. The book is short and is
a very pleasant, il rather improbable