The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-27

cause of joyful anticipation to reviewer He
is ever on the watch in an effort to discover
some embryo Dickens, some hidden Georges
Sand. Notwithstanding popular impression
TO the contrary, new writer is always sure to
receive certain amount OF attention from
the critic. 1t was, therefore, to be expected
that "A Woman With Record novel by
Mrs Finley Anderson, should be opened with
feeling OF expectancy and the intentio of
giving it more than casual glance. The re-
suit OF reading half a dozen chapters, how
ever, merely served to indicate that the casual
glance was all that it merlted; for o. all the
trashy novels which 1t has been our mis-
fortune to review during the season this is
probably the trashiest.
The author OF "a Woman With Record" is,
SO her publisher. Mr.. Dillingham;, informs US,
q society woman. She has attempted de-
scrIption of the various component parts of
society in New York, having a special relation
TO its women. perusal of the story will
satisfy the reader that, like many another be-
gfnner in fiction writing, Mrs. Anderson has
CHOSEN an erotic novel as the stage wherein
to enact the role of philosopher, moralist,
preacher or all Of these com ned. She has
l. written book whose construction is of the
mQst sllpshod character. She has jotted down
a.iot OF disjointed experiences strung together
with the merest vestige OF a plot and inter
spersed with risQue anecdotes. Here and
there indeed, like GASES in the desert we find
blight saying, an apt illustration. but the
ar ID waste: OF commonplace which separates
them isso:yast as to require the utmost exer-
:cFse offhe:6eary pilgrims powers OF endur-
|:=gnce>:
= The record possessed by Mrs. Anderson's
+ :hetoiAeais toIerably shady one. This is a.
CHA cteristic however, which she shares with
/: .e4l the:other women of the book. We are led
+: by: our author to believe that the society
F WON an in New York invites wealthy men TO
/ her liable through whose information she can
make money. She is not particular in the
methods she adopts for extracting valuable
pointers from these men,. After numerous
affairs with gentlemen OF this kind, the hero
sine, firing OF what she calls "the jealousy,
shallowness and mountebank farce of society,""
changes it for Bohemia. This she finds more
congenial. To quote Mrs. Anderson, she "goes
|. home smokes d Nestor, sips liqueur, plays
with her dog, summons lover, or creates
situa tion-anything in fact, rather than be
bored with anything" But here again the
heroine is not alone in her performance of
these antics
The story itself can only be described as an
indigo no tch- po.ch suggestive OF nothing
more nor less than dime novel. This is par
ttcularly evident in the names by which Mrs.
Anderson christens her characters. Instance.
Lenoir Valiant Heloise Neville, Scion Maui
rel Che gentleman with this high-sounding
cognomen is described, we observe from Mr..
E:D$llipgnam's advance notice, ga fungus
/: growth upon the semi-society OF two CONT
III { rits' j Mrs. Mallory, Old Moneybags, Harry
=slnc}&if.
F. Open any page OF "a Woman With Record
:aId You. VIII find an 'epigram"-Ouidaesque
t.. CrajgieesqEe. or Hungerfordesque, tearfully
i and 4y0iderfuliy made and painfully suggest
+ Ing III pers fstent efforts OF dentist in draw
f. ing an obdurete tooth. There is nota chapter,
::sGa reely q page, upon which the broadcast OF
broad, views upon marriage or divorce is not
f adrapced.- We are told that 1.-The man who
makes his Wife,s life interesting merits re-
ward. 1T is so rare q situation" MARRIAGE is
THE beg inning of woes. Death is its ending"
f.. Thenthere are M ta few palpa bic paraphrases
+ of: sO=ealIed epigrams which We imagine
s haYe seen. elsewhere. Thus: 1.-The worst blows
|.>Me"teceiye are given by the hand we have held
in! friendship; ga woman's age does not mat
tier it: is how she looks; "The serpent in
E: Eden was q man; how else could Eve have
::teeIi tempted?" "a mans stories on
! OTHERS, not himself: woman often be-
E::tIAFs her escepades to her dearest friend"
E:* Iha influence of the Ouida school is most
l.. inarked where the writer of the work under
|: .:reYiew attempts to emphasize the distinctions
L. between society and Bohemia. Here is a para
|*@of up-to-date literature as worthy of having
dropped from the lips of Lady Dolly herself:
i:"3he difference between the smart set and the
clever one is that the women OF society travel
more and speak more languages. They are
better dressed and groomed. Their vices,
pleasures and heartaches similar. The
woman of Bohemia is less self-controIled. She
makes more scenes. She has less veneer and
more heart"
As we have said ii is difficult. to find solid
chapter of "a Woman With Record that is
worth reading, but if choice could be made
1t would probably be that entitled woman al
the Tape" which describes the stock sharps
and mudhens of New York City. 1t is in this
chapter that Mrs. Anderson makes the nearest
approach to the style of practiced writer OF
healthy fiction. She pictures upper Broadway
which is lined with branch Offices where
women trade; she depicts the coy offices, FUR
nished with all the allurements OF well-ap-
pointed salons. "All day they watch On the
big board the record of the manipulations on
the street. Home is neglected. Fashion takes
second place. Husband, children lovers are
forgotten in the pursuit OF abusive wealth.
These laces are as Monte Carlo is to France
the plague spot OF q nation. A loser IN TINS
place rece ntly declared her intention of taking
TO the church in the end. How eagerly we
offer God the refuse of our lives! When earth
fails and human lives and human hopes are
of human nature would indicate that the
Great Unknown must hold the potion which
gives eternal rest"
In her future work it might be well for the
writer of ga Woman With Record" to avoid
too profuse use of French. we submit that
liberal employment of that language is only
permissible in the case of translator.
phrase like 81 am ennut' suggests to the critical
reader that the person employing the same
has had tiff with Ollendorf We must also
confess that we do not feel particularly inter-
ested in the menus served at the tables of the
various New York hotels, nor are we espe-
cially concerned with the merits OF New York
dressmakers.
1t seems lity that well-educated woman
can find no other avenue for exhibiting her
talents to the public than that AFFORDED Dy a
novel like "a Woman With Record" 1t is
to b, feared however that SO long as it is con-
sidered smart TO write stuff OF this kind,
we shall be inundated with these so-called
studies in morals. Why In the name OF COM