The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-10-03
THE philosopher or DRTFTwooD.
~ Mrs. Tenness Miller. Washington. -.
@. TenrsEs Mir Publications.

-grzstsr 70 have her appear n me Fple y
q novelist xss c41osen ~ her years ago e1s
ser n -er nT5eF preface she takes OCCASION
70 assure her readers that the profession
~ uoviis vas chosen by mr. years $50. DIX
that Circumstances witch proved stronger
tran personal inclination forced her %
accep. the platform work win watch her
name has been sc identified. buJ = seems
ia nor change her determination 70 wife
q novei when q fag0Tinag tine sa91id come
This sl-ne having arrived. as one msSat
have surrnlNed. knowing the writer ad-
vsnred tendencies. she has produced
problem novel fall o. analysis. and EN-
hodyInz IDEAS Of her own on that burning
question Of The hour. divorce.
The motive % TIE Philosopher o. Drift
wpod" rs tae exact opposite % Marion
Craagf ford s ~ a Rose 81 Yesterday II
the lasfer story Mr.. Crawford has been
accused % setting forth the ideas q . gen
Grafton that H. dead and gone. 81 tneoflz4hs
over the question IN manner thag the al
sanaed present prouoances uAaTkish ana
sentimental
Mrs. Ienuess Miller holds that divorce in
cases where lose Is not mutual j. a neces-
sifv and a duty. Upon this view and al It's
Consequence ste has written a Eociai-stads
novel fuii u interest, wltn fresh uph&cA-
nsyed Character. replste with lfe eIBi nat
uraIress. whose sttrActiyeuers the reader -
of All Of the sentiments or actions.
sllsa UraEaon is the philosopher and he
lives with mis- daughter AImeda- in the III
TO Maine sea-coast town OF Driftwood.
waifher comes q wealthy man % the world
named Kingsley Alaufon. who a previous
GUNNER drifting along the Maine coast IN
his yacht nad anchored of DriI-w0od met
the philosopher mi formed q warm friend
shp for him. Manton. a cOemopelite 70
HE finger tips is a thoroughly ine fellow.
and whel Mrs. Miller sends aim back 20
Drfffwo0d the following winter In "a blind
ms storm. makes him fan passionatelF IN
lore with Almeda. only 10 be promptly re-
lected, ard then dlsmissca him oar Of the
hook Nth 20 reward BIT a broken heart
ard ,he doubtful satisfaction Of knowing
that aH - as feelings have been analysed
Tor the entertainment Of the reader one
cannot bet 6sei shat he Wa deserving o.
better treatment even though he serves
as fae medium 70 bring 20 light the philOs0-
piers guarded secret. and 10 bring Almeda
into touch sslth the mother whom she had
never known.
ssllas BraEdon had been married some
twenty years before to beautiful and ami
g hle Southern woman whom he loved truly
ard dovoscdly. But she soon discovered
that. much a. she respected him, she
had no real love FOR him. After the birth
~ Almeda. the stress became 20 great that
keep the child only 50 long as she remained
unmarried in event OF her contracting an
other marriage she was 20 return the child
10 Siias. Shortly after the divorce she met
her true affinity A fine man. who became
later United States senator. and so she was
compelled to send hack Almeda 10 her
father.
Slias Bragdon became a sort OF philan-
thropic and philosophical reciuse. rearing
a loving
care. educating her thoroughly In all book
learning and instlling into her mind many
OF his altruistic beliefs. But the name Of
AInedas mother never passed his lips. un-
III Manton's proposal brought out an ex-
PLANTATION Later. through the intercession
Of Kingsley Manton. Aimeda visited her
mother in Washington. The scene IN which
they meet is pathetic. The beautiful wo-
man. In spite OF her luxurious home. her
loving husband, her sons and daughters.
has always sorrowed and hungered for the
love Of her first born. But when they meet
the girl has no love 10 give the woman who
left her child to marry a second husband.
and she makes no pretense OF any.
But II Kingsley Manton's lot was hard,
that of David Baldwin. the Driftwood fish
erman is harder Almeaa thinks that she
loves him just as her mother had thought
that she loved Silas Bragdon. David. in
spite Of his lowly position. is a man OF
power. and one cannot help admiriug his
manly character and sterling worth. The
love scenes during the engagement are de-
iightful- The philosopher insists upon
long engagement. doubling whether It Is a
mutual love that will endure. lie takes the
young people with him TO Europe FOR the
advantage of foreign travel
IN Paris they meet q wealthy and admir-
able young banker. and In two short days
Aimeda begins 20 feel the charm Of his
presence, and her susceptible heart 10 lut-
ter ln response 60 his Elances
David Ga the nrst to see taf turn a affairs,
and he al once offers Almeda her liberty.
not ln anger. as an ordinary man might 90.
bat kindly and sorroWfully. in the c0nvic-
tion that fate forhids him this happiness.
az course Alncda weep and denies and
ends rs accepting her freedom. They re-
turn 70 pTiftwood. aud David seeing that
his love Is hopeless magnanImously writes
- the lover I'm Paris shat the way IS clear
for him and the story ends with the happy
marriage ~ Almeda 90 the banker and her
departure for France
The sAddsst passages N the book are
when David rows her oui 70 the ship when
she leaves Driftwood and his lonely Wiki
THAT nieht In her little deserted room
Nrs. Jenness Miller crrren5s throughout
she hook that love s thr only thing thar
makes marri8Fe hInd.nr-that There iS m
surh tslnr Ass "holy wadl1ck after one or
enc other has cessed % love. Divorce should
fo1lsw ard refusrriarc Is the riEhl OF either
81 Ae or sire nnas :ruc love Sne says -Is
wac the Syst marriage ~ A}n7cis = mother
yo} the second. tAaf nature revult-5
AGAINST she had Verfsr. moral rIrht On
enter iuto She 81. an3 w4rrtayr . Between
divorce and loVelr~s uH{ou taare can be uo
hesitation Fin SIZE minds oe tire urnrefs-
diced She continues on the subject az re-
marriage
But shy aat divcrce WITH TIE prIvIfevr
cr marrying ssslu There IS 10 rcasou WHY
sn unfortunate mistake should dtbar enc
from Az h1upl9ess fiFUsN OF urefult.a
There ,e. huf ncf a shadow - hseir {7 stsn-
port az surh theory. Tho facts are thsf
We }sy altaSe,her roo mach stress uuou The
lacal aspect ~ marriage ~ .rves- the
trN wenfe soohen hv priest or magistrate
vth e Sf9a ~ divinity that is a r,,+-s et-
re~stifteu TIE e. rpu1onv that reeserf ICES i,
certain man rsNt r0 ltvr with certain
u-ruan 70 sn 8fTstr - faN snf oartakrs .,
frt spiritual oniy IS Gar as gre NATURES cams
omitted naFfake ~ tarte hlrAer Qualities
Nnv legal marriage haud heca,rs .ealy
frotrinsony. se>ordi~E to orr 0rrsr0t r~ast-
tlrns WON God h8s ~ -t,i -az..- h..r' On,
1~lees everything leg '--trozn she marriage
.7e severance o. tNe world wo~n reur vl-r
e.-lsh fnnc~r-cs throusN ~ the -~aaes d,
sal htrN women tr the -su,- % ~eltkss- ard
law market their -Ha~-7s So tha as.fs.sf
Nissvrt And atfs.ra ~ tAr N.a~r asp N.f-
neither more nor los tssn -Hesa Ia ,>a
ewes ~ cNu~-N auf safe Nsr wonder
fnrn that thinking rRn s~t women ers
es-nriav - balance tie legal 8~t moral
aspects % marriage es We ar5 90 TODAY
admitting as tAey weigh relative vs.net
ear the underlying soTceS w ht-h c-rstt-