The San Francisco call., 1896-06-21

our men ana women and the way we live here.
Ihat the quality is not equal 10 the quantity
goes without saying. 1t is easier to produce
books than to beget genius. Nevertheless in
the later books on the subject there is dis
tlnct Improvement in the quality of the &C
count given of our manners and morals. If
there is not more OF genius there is at least
more OF truth. Writers have begun to study
California conditions seriously and are no
longer content to use them simply as means
OF displaying skill in the productions of sensa-
tlons or sarcasuls. We have now quite a num-
ner of novels that aim to give true account
OF California society, and if they have not al
ways succeeded in making 8 vivid and life
like picture they have at least made something
better than caricature.
90 One of the best of these more serious studies
of California life is the newly published novel
THE Quicksands of Pactolus," !" by Horace An
nesley Vachell, who is, we believe, himself
Californian. Certainly, he writes as one Ito
the manner born" and if his story is not
wholly satisfying as a work OF art, it has at
least the merit of being sympathetic aud of
showing fair degree OF appreciation of the
real manhood that is found even in those
classes OF California people who have been
most often the subjects of ridicule or denun-
citation by facile scribblers who have thought
to show themselves cultured by mocking at
everything of the Western type.
The story, as may be inferred from the title,
deals with the temptations, the difficulties
and the dangers which surround those who
have acquired wealth too rapidly to acquire
at the same time an understanding OF its
rlghtful uses and the fine art of ftly managing
1t. In the stream of PactoIus there are quick
sands as well as sands of gold, and it not in
frequently happens that in getting the one
avaricious ambitious men fall into the
other. That illustrations OF such a theme can
be found many times repeated in California
society goes without saying, and there can be
no question, therefore, that both the tale and
the moral are fairly enough Characteristic to
be justly considered representative of Califor-
MIA life.
The defect Of the book as a novel is the lack
of incident and the superahundance OF con-
veFsation. The characters describe themselves
and each other, and explain their motives in
an almost unbroken flow of talk from the first
chapter TO the last. Very few scenes are de-
picted actively as they happened. Nearly
everything is told by some parsonage in the
book narrating it to another This excess of
dialogue or monologue gives the book some
thing OF dramatic form, but does not give IL
dramatic vitality intensity. In fact the
talk not infrequently drags, and the reader
would be glad OF a change, even if it were
nothing more than description of a mansion,
e ballroom or bit of California scenery by
moonlight
The merits of the book are the excellence of
the story itself as q series of events probable
in San Francisco, the variety OF the characters
and their accuracy as types of California peo-
pie, and the absence OF any attempt to repre-
sent our millionairesa as vulgar parvenus, our
society girls as tomboys, and our average citi-
zens as gang of sandlotters. There is enough
of plot and circumstance in the story to incite
one TO continue reading ii despite the some
zrb q ta1 Z nd mn of
the characters, which after all can be easily
skipped. 1t is only fair, however, to add that
all Recommendations are not tedious. Some of
them are interesting by the swing of an at
tractive style OF saying things, and Others have
in them the substance of truth concerning our
social and business leaders and are therefore
worth reading on that account.
The story Is occupied mainly with the af-
fairs OF the family of Rufus Darlington, a
millionaire who lives in one of the palaces on
California Hill and who delights in the posses
sion of money mainly for the power it gives
him. Proud OF his children, but too absorbed
in his ambitious schemes to give much atten-
ton to them, he contents himself with being
liberal With his money on their behalf and
lets them h6ve their own way. 1t is in fact
part of his philosophy of life that young peo-
pie should be independent. He regards il
& true American principle that each indi-
vidual should stand for himself and "hoe his
own row" 1t is in the narration of the things
which the two sons and daughter OF the mil
lionaire did in hoeing their own row, and the
mess that the daughter and one of the sons
made OF it, that the story consists.
The hero of the story is the younger son, Dick
Darlington, who at the beginning of the book
comes home from Harvard animated by liUer-
ary ambitions and cultured up to Boston
standard OF morality, from which height he
,,r.sr,-oas tn lOo- down with sOpne condamDa-
ton upon the means and methods by which
his father manages to give other men expert
ence while he accumulates money. Given an
important post ton in his fathers bank he gets
an insight into the schemes of the old million
sire and finds them by no means in accordance
with Harvard ideas OF what business ought
TO be-
In one instance Dick finds that his father,
while acting as the director OF a railway COM
pany, lets contracts to himself constructor
Of the road and makes enormous profits out of
the Jobs. This condition OF affairs perplexes
Dick ''Father," he says, 'I don't understand
about you being your own contractor. Can a
trustee make money out of his own trustT'
To this question, after some parrying. the
millionaire answers:
It's not easy 10 explain. You would not under
stand or appreciate the motives which govern my
actions. You have not been through the mill.
You know nothing of what 1 have had to contend
with. Good lord when I stop and think of what
I and my friends have done 1 am amazed. We
saved this country from secession! Without our
East-and-West road the conflicting interests of the
vast countries lying east and west of the Missouri
would have eliminated in civil You may
smile but firmly believe it. Uncle Sam helped
US and 1t is true that we made pots of money, but
we played for big stake. We risked all We had
and our reward was commensurate All said and
done we saved the country. Looking back can
see nothing to re2ret. In all my deals I have
tained my self-respect. You put this down
a fac: man who loses his sef-respect can
hardly hope to be successful He must believe in
himself.
Mr.. harrington expanded his broad chest and
lit a cigar.
OF course, he continued, have told you again
and again that 1 do not pose as phIanthropist,
al thougn have done my share iii that line, too
But YOU mention the people. The people, as one
of my friends very properly said, is damned
fool You prate of their interests Let
Them look out for their interests. They WELD
all the power. They can confiscate every
cent we have if they choose to use that power.
They complain of bribery and corruption, ana
would foist the responsibility on-say my shoul-
ders What rot! The responsibility naturally
rests with them Let them begu at the bottom