Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-22
BOOKS CURRENT AND GLlMPSES THEREOF

BUOkS CURRtN AND GlIMPStS lHtRtOf
"Whoso with blood and tears would dig
art out of his soul may lavish his golden
prime in pursuit of emptiness, or strk-
ing trea sure, find only fairy gold, so that
when his eye is purged of the spell of
morning he sees his hand is full of with
cred leaves" These words. are CLEANED
in the "Proem,' found in Israel Gang
Wills best work. 1.-THE Master" words
which bear somewhat of prophecy of
the strange, weird life of Matthew
Strang. His was an intense, soulful
longing for the life and pursuit of art,
yet readily may he have cried a its close
that 1t had only brought him "withered
leaves" 1t was Marion Crawford, who,
in writing of the novel, said: 1T must
deal chiefly with love, for in that passion
all men and women are most generally
interested, either for its present reality
or for the memories that soften the cold
ly vivid recollection of an active past.
or because the hope of it brightens and
gladdens the path of future dreams"
Yet we find in "The Master" 400 out of
the 500 pages totally lacking this neces-
sary element, and only the last 100 pages
are given to the deineation of the subtle
essence which makes all the world akin.
Matthew Strang was a native of Nova
Scotia, and on its bleak, crude shores
the opening scenes are laid and no pic
ture could be more hopelessly dark and
dreary than the surroundings of his boy
hoods Neutrality-suspicious., indeed, that
an artistic, poetic temperament could
ever have found it's birth or nourishment
there, as really are seen and felt the
stultifying and whitening effects of the
sordid life of Mrs. Strang upon Mat
thew, making him old and wizened be-
yond his ears pensive, melancholy and
reflective.
Early, so far as years go, did Matthew
essay the pursuit of art, and while still
among the rugged wildernesses of his
native home with the crudeSt of mate
rails he made his first steps in the path
way of art, discovering and believing in
his own genius and ability. Trials and
vexations there We're, but the longed for
goal was reached, and London, the mon
strous city, was his
Far down the vista of thought and
years lay this rosy rim of Splendor,
faint haze dimly discerned, but the joy
of learning and practicing his art was the
essence of his yearning. And yet there
were moments, like this of feeling Lon
don under his foot for the first time when
consciousness of power weled up in his
soul-a sense of oyerfiowing energy and
immovable purpose that lifted him high
above the crowd of shadows"
I. Zangwell the Londoner who has
been characterized as the Anglo-Jewish
novelist has earned distinction along
new thoroughfare in fiction when ven
turing to depict the Jewish life and char
acter as in 1.-The Children of the Thetto."
More sources of popularity were embrac-
ed in ''The King of Schnorrers," stories
well wrought out and strong in tone and
character effects.
1.-The Master" is undoubtedly Gang
Wills ablest piece of work, and yet his
admirers are not altogether satisfied with
it. The character work is well wrought,
most of them being characteristic and
typical. Herbert Strang becomes real to
us. and the reader has no difficulty in
sympathizing fully with Matthew in his
struggles, his adverse fortunes and his
love of art A dreamer we feel him to
be, influenced more by circumstances and
environment than by innate will power,
as, when an opportune marriage held
forth the alluring prospects of art study
abroad and the surcease of financial en-
barrassments, he accepted Rosina and
her money with seeming indifference.
The moving picture of human life is
| good-very good there are detailed de-
| lineations of London life, with brilliant
| dialogues by art students thrown in, that
| prove the author thoroughly equipped
| with the technicalities of his subject but
| the impression of the whole is that Mr..
| Zangwill has not yet mastered the diff
| cult art of composition in the modern
Powers of observation, knowledge and
| humor Zangwill possesses, but while
| "The Master claims genius and very
| decided ability for it's author, there is
yet to be found in its composition much
| that is tedious and prosy and repeti-
| ton which renders the action slow and
| dragging. L Is not work one can read
lightly or hurriedly, and in this respect,
| like much of our fiction that will live be-
| yond the present every line counts for
| something in the estimate of the whole.
| Not much sympathy will be expended
upon the rather impossible Rosina-Mrs.
| Matthew Strang. Rather will the COM
| miserating reader feel that after over 400
pages of tedious, reflective, Illuminating
matter, is was about time that Matthew
fell In love with somebody, and the dash
| ing widow, Mrs. Eleanor Wyndwood,
with her charming friend, Oliver, has all
the appealing spirit, vim and go of one
| of Gibson's "own girls" The last 100
pages are dashed off with brilliancy and
esprit, as If the author had indeed just
reached the soul of his work. The mo-
| rality of the work will satisfy even the
most prudish, for Matthew Strang had
| lived many years of repression, and in
| one of lifes most excruciating trials he
had no difficulty in being the master of
| himself.
| Mr.. Thulstrups Illustrations in this
| story are very true to the characters
portrayed and remarkably interesting as
| pictures.
Julian Ralph complained in a recent
| interview that as long as he was news
paper man he never found time to get
acquainted with his wife and children.
II used to hear from outsiders that my
family was we'll worth knowing and that
had a lovely home. but had to take
their word for it," Mr.. Ralph has now
become perhaps the most restless globe
trotter and that overworked organ. the
EYE" is seeing great deal that is
charmingly written about and served to
the readers and admirers of Julian
Ralph.
There have been weary years of hope
full waiting by Emile lola, the French
writer, that he might yet find himself