The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-07-11

behttingly enigmatical title that Mrs.
Deland has chosen for her four puz-
zllng problem stories-problems both
ethical and social, of vital and endur-
ing Importance. but so much things Of
every day that, in the world around
US. their force is stayed by the CON-
monpiace. Mrs. Deland has clothed
them with particular and personal in
terest, and from her pages they APP
peal anew. Problems they are, how
ever, and problems they remain, in
adequately answered, so far as the
Wisdom of. Fools" is concerned,
perhaps eternally unansWerable before
any other court. !!5@ ~ s+iI.
The first sketch has for the main
characters a man of unusual force,
integrity, intelligence and spiritual
ity, and woman Of apparent appre
citation. When they are about to be.
come man and wife William West,
drawn on by a certain fascination.
though against his better reason and
his own philosophy of life, tells Amy
Townsend that over twenty years be-
fore, as college boy, he had forged
his benefactor's name. In answer TO
her: Il never knew you" he pleads,
but it was not mot" l., the man you
know. 1t was a boy. twenty three
years ago" The result-with the wom-
ans inevitable, and the question at
or duty to be silent? Was West a
fool or a saint?" 9TH be hanged if
I know" is the only answer vouch-
safed by the witness of the mans
life.
The second story, "The House Of
RimmOn," is the trying problem of
personal completely in the "blood Of
just man" in sharing, even indirectly,
the gold ground from the poor 1t is
a tale of strikes and starvation, wealth
and eXpediency, and one little weary
and unlearned woman sets herself to
answer her share in the bitter queS-
ton. Counting the Cost is the story
Of a girl OF the people," the daughter
OF a gasfitter. His love and pride
send his student daughter to an East
ern college, where learning and culture
add to her true womanliness, dignity
and grace. She is loved by a youth Of
wealth and family. who is not ade-
ouate to the solving CT this particular
social problem. Sc the experiment is
finally summed up rather brutally, in
a way by no means new: His kind
marry my kind"
The fourth sketch has the most in it
of squalor 1t is story of
the just person sacrificed to the sin
rer-in this case a worthless, weak
girl of inherited evil tendencies, whose
physical life is saved at the cost IF
many just persons. that her soul may
have a chance for future eXistence-a
soul whose present existence, even, in
the hands of the author is extremely
doubtful
The four sketches, called in hopeful
bitterness '"The Wisdom of Fools" are
startling and disquieting: of convin-
cling reality the premises certainly are,
but the answers are left for the future
to reach-if it can.
('The Wisdom of Fools by MARGARET De-
land. Houghton, Mif1in & Co. 1925 For
sale by the st. Paul Book and Stationery
company
"Sons and Fathers" is a decided and
agreeable surprise. Nc book could run
under a much heavier handicap than
this novel of Mr.. Edwards prefaced.
as it is, by the prejudicial statement
that it has the honor Of being the
prize mystery story" which brought
$4,000 from the Chicago Record; but
no book could carry off handicap and
prejudice together with greater ease.
Sons and Fathers is a story of the
South-the South of the reconstruction
period-a place and time we'll calcu-
lated for the background to a story
of mystery and tragedy. 1.-The peculiar
institutions of the South, it's wealth,
it's princely planters, and through all
the tangle OF love, romance, tragedy
and family secrets! The war, the
freed slaves, the old regime-courtly,
unchanged, impra ctical and helpless"-
this is the material Of which Mr. Ed
| wards has made good use and bent tn
| his desire.
| We have hitherto connected the
name of Harry StiIlwell Ed
wards with number Of shor;
| stories and sketches that have
appeared in the magazines for a num-
| Der of years past, some as far back as
the eighties. These stories among them