La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1898-10-19
"DASID HARUM."

David Harum' by Edward Noyes
Westcott. ID. Appleton & Co. E.So.D Is
certainly one OF the notable books OF the
rear. 1t can hardly be called novel. Il
more properly characterization, and
4 Characterization extremely well drawn.
1, Is true that there i a plot and love
story which 10 OF some interest, but that
subordinate to the max purpose which
the dsIinoatlon Of the chief parsonage
" the book. David Har'.u-
That tho character ~ drawn from real
tlfe there cannot be the least doubt Truth
stranger than iictlon In certain way.
,st there is a difference ia the quality Of
ne strsngeness which Is dis;inguishabie
An author might have invented David
Hurun bat he would not have been The
I!ying and speaking reality that is pre-
.rntsd IN these pages. Constantly
throughout the book there II the feeling
thar David HarGm and his sister, Mrs.
BiNbec. whatever their names may have
b,scu in real life. wcr. actual perEonsges
and that the principal incidents took
place as described
u is an Interesting question whether tho
higher art is inventive or descriptive. The
writer who draws on his imagination for
his scenes and his characters needs 10 pos
scss the creative faculty In a high iegrce,
and II seems at first thought that tho
highest literary ability Is shown by the
production of characters and incidents
entirely original. on the other hand Ii
cofupasssd within the bounds OF nature.
No true literary merit can exist which is
not natural and by natural we mean that
which comes within the limits of human
experience. II this be 50 then the literary
art In its highest form consists in the
ability TO select from the mass of ma
,nrinl which is everywhere and at all
times available, such particulars will
combine In the production OF harmon
ious and artistic whole. Another art.
that OF painting. has experienced the same
problem and there a more conclusive de-
cis!on has been reached that the artist
sorfelts none OF his claim TO originality
because he has painted from q model or
from an actual landscape instead of pic
turing nothing else than the creatures of
his own Imagination. The creative art in
painting and literature Is not so much
to make something out of nothing. as to
make something out OF something and to
add thereto the indescribable tinish which
makes u art.
How far David Harum'' in its realism
IL worthy of claim IN the upper ranks
OF literature may be left to the Individual
reader to Judge. II Is certainly natural
and artistic as well and no one can .ead
the book without being impressed with
the character portrayed, than anyone
could meet tho man In the flesh without
being impressed with his personality.
somewhat melancholy interest is added
to the book by the statement in the In
PRODUCTION that the authors death took
place March II. 1888 From this same In
PRODUCTION. written by Forbes Heermans
we extract the following summary of the
books central figure.
THE book Is a novel, and throughout II
runs love story which is characterized
by q sympathetic treatment and a con-
stantly increasing interest: but the title
role is taken by the old country banker
David Harum. dry. quaint. somewhat H.
literatc no doubt but possessing an amaz-
ing amount of knowledge not found in
printed books. and holding fast to the
cheerful belief that there Is nothing Who'll
~ bad or useless In this world Or in his
own words. "A reasonable amount of fieas
is good for dog. they keep him I'm
broodin' on bein' dog This horsetrad-
ing country banker and reputed Shylock
but real phiianthropIs. Is an accurate por-
.rnyal Of n type that exists in the rural
districts of central New York today, Var
iations Of him may be seen daily driving
about In their road wagons or seated In
their bank pariors, shrewd sharp
tongued, honest as the sunlight from most
points of view but In a horse trade mach
inclined 10 follow the rule. laid down BY
Mr.. Harum himself for such transactions.
DO unto the other feiier tho way he'd
like to do unto you. an do It fust.'