The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-12

periors to recognize standard of pur-
ity and virtue these same superiors
ScOrn for themselves, and at the same
time tempted by pleasure and ease on
the one side, and driven by poverty
and jOylesSneSs on the other; sin
judged without mercy in the poor and
sheltered from prOfane observation in
the rich; faces in the likenesses Of
England'S aristocrats unacknoWI-
edged, playing in London cutters;
these are a few of the evils the bur-
dens of Isaiah and Jeremiah are re
hurled against. John Storm wars in
vain. Glory, having left the Isle of
Man to become q nurse in q London
hospital, seems to be going beyond his
influence. This is the final evil and he
seeks escape from the miserable COM
plications of the world in the peace of
an Anglican brotherhood.
Love is love and only God is strong
en-" says John Storm. Here he RACES
for a year in ignorance of what is
happening to Glory without, until he
can stand it no lcnger. The mCnas-
tary is nit the call of God and he
comes out to. find Glory again. In the
meantime Glory has gone through the
depths of everything save sin, and
John now finds her a music hall ar
tist He has had enough of the mo-
nastic seclusiOn and work becomes
his gospel He deVOtes himself to the
cause of the women and children of
the London streets-devotes himself to
the unworthy" poor. He is perse-
cuted and belied; then the church that
he has rented and renovated and built
up is sold over his head for theater
for Glory! Says the prime minister,
But it all comes; you see, of the ride
ulous idea that we are a Christian
d.
occurred at the shrine Of a Pagan
god!'
Glory, who is always in love with
John Storm, thinks for a little minute
that she can give UP her worldly sue
cess for his sake. and he is madly
happy in spite of his discredited
church. In itself his religion is sincere
enough and welcomes sorrow and sac
rifce, but always and ever it is second
to Glory. She turns away again, and
taking the life VOWS of the Brother
hood, he begins his apostolic work III
London. The newspapers veer be-
tween denunciatiOn and canonization,
he has many followers, but choosing
to be the savior of ignorance and sin.
ignorance and sin first blindly worship
him, invent prophecies of doom, which
they attribute to him, riot with fear
when the time is at hand and mob his
! church afterwards because their own
wild prophecies are unfulflled; a man
is accidentally killed, glad Of an ex-
cuse his own class turns against him
and he is tried and committed for Sc
dition and accused of completely in
manslaughter. Released on bail, he is
done to death in a London alley by
some Of his own followers, and dies
with the words of Christ upon his lips
It is a daring book to be placed in
our own day in the city of London,
and either Mr.. Caine is very much in
earnest or very fond of creating a SEN
sation. We are inclined to believe in
his earneStneSs. The gloom and weary
Wickedness of the novel is relieved by
the presence of Glory, who is a very
strange young woman, but brave With
all, and honest in her high-spiritedness
One English gentleman neither sinner
nor saint, and, considering the tainted
atmosphere in which he is represented
as living, comparatively clean and
sane, is allowed by Mr. Caine to exist.
He cannot possibly be multiplied into
the ten righteous men" necessary for
the salvation of the city-still, such
as he is, he's a great relief.
1t is said that Hall Caine has ap-
preached too near for reverence the
the divine founder of Christianity and
imaged in John Storm a life and death
such as His.
| The parallel is drawn at times with
! daring closeness, both by text and in
! ference and, yet, we believe that in
/ Mr. Gaines intention the contrast
! and not the resemblance, is the motif
of the picture. 1t is, after all, just the
7 difference between the Christ and the
Christian, between the divine and the
human that is drawn. with startling
! distinctness. The simplicity and direct
ness Of the Christ life, it's settled in
/ tentiOn and singlenesse of purpose be-
/ long in no way to its feverish imitator
I John Storm is humanity complex and
not divinely simple.
Hall Game has CHANGED upcn a truth
the converse of which is the usual
teaching Man." says the preacher,
''aspires toward God in his intentions
and hopes, and fails in his struggle
against the world, the flesh and the
devil" Man." we read between the
lines CT the Christian, fails in his mo-
/ tiVes and desires, because they are un-
/ certain even to himself, mutable, shift
ing; it is in eXertion, often blind, in
struggle, sometimes purposeless, in
failure, even unworthy, that he is al
lowed to approach the divine. He is
able to reach the heights Of Christ, not
in aspiration and desires, but in suffer-
ing, struggle, and sometimes death
That "The Christians is a strong book
IN limited way, a book to arouse Bit
ter controversy against high places,
book to shakeseXistlng 1nst1-
tutions. even, it may happen,
book to purify for a little a
few rank abuses, and book to bring