The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-04-03
HEHAS-NONEW THEORIES
+. NOPKINSON SMITH DEALS WITH
MARRIAGE QUESTION
HIS Latest Novel May Not He the
Most Pleasing to the Modern Club
Woman, Whose Ideas of a Eyife's
Obligations Are Not on the Old
Accepted Lines-Joel Chandler
Harris Latest.


Correspondence The st. Paul Globe.
BOSTON, April 1.-The last few years
have produced a surprisingly large
number of novels discussing the uues-
ton Of a wife's obligation to remain
with a husband who Checks the de-
yelopment Of her loftier nature" Or,
shocks her finer .sensibilities;" or
'stlnshly desires to nCnopolize talents
which might redeem the human race"
CT, to put it plainly, does not suit her
taste in every way. Nearly all the
books have been written by women,
and two amazing specimens, THE Red
Bridge Neighborhood," by Mrs. Louise
| Pool, and Poor Max" by Mrs. Mann
ine'ton Caffyn, appear just in time to
contrast with Mr.. F. .Fopkinson Smith S
Caleb West, Master Diver" to be is
sued Saturday OF next week. Mr..
Smith has no original theories whatso-
ever, but permits himself to be cabined
cribbed, confined in the prayer book
formula, and describing two marriages,
one with slight delicate touches, the
ether boldly and plainly, makes the
same decision in each, and it will be
pleasant, sitting at a safe distance, to
hear what the female admirers of the
ladies novels have to say Of his. There
is little doubt as to the opinion CT
have not had time to become com
pleX," a state of mind in which a man
is very like an unhealthy girl. The ma
tGral man will agree with Mr.. Smith
as far as the first case is concerned,
for iii that the question as to mans
duty when he perceives that another
mans wife cares more for him than
she herself would acknowledge, is de-
cided on the very highest grounds; on
for Caleb Vests wife deliberately de-
serts him for a younger lover, and
when she returns and he is satisfied
that she is repentent, he forgives her,
and all the other chara cters in the book
approve his course.
AS the case is not a mere trif1e of an
international quarrel involving a posi-
bile war, it is necessary to know it's
details, if one desire to form an opinion
but bare statement Of this question
IS enough to stir a fever in the blood
of any club Of women, and no story
printed In the Atlantic Monthly since
the appearance of Mrs. Deland's
philip and His Wife" has caused so
much discussion.
it of the book is not to be found in
the detail most provocative Of popular
discussion, and in this case 1t lies in
the fine group Of masculine characters
clustering about the hero. Sanford,
engineer and contractor, upright, con-
scientious, athlete and scholar, many
sided, but with not an unmanly facet
in his nature; Captain Joe, amphibi-
| Gus physically, and mentally and spir-
itually high-minded gentleman, in
spite of the fusilades of profanity by
which he rules his men; Caleb West,
loving, gentle, brave, master Of his
dangerous business; Captain Bob, the
typical young New England seaman,
and Maj Slocmb, the very jewel OF
Bohemians, are persons to remember
as long as if they were real. AS for
the two villains, they are so beautiful
ly unattractive that when one "gets
his f1ogging at the gangway," as Mr..
Kipling phrases 1t, ones sole grief is
that he was not killed in the same
railway accident which disposed of the
other, and even the villains are men,
not in the least neurotic or degenerate
or effeminate.
Mr.. Smith has not illustrated his
book himself, and the work has been
performed by Mr.. Malcolm Fraser who
has pictured the scenes in Sanford s
rooms and on the yacht, and Mr.. A
I. Keller, who has made portrait of
Caleb and has drawn the sea views.
Mr.. Keller is the artist whose three
babies disturbed the slumbers Of Mrs.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her
daughter, and thereby gave the New
York board of health quarter hour
Of laughter. while it, considered the
ladies grievance as set forth by
various doctors. also Yadies., The in
fants do not seem to deprive their
father Of sleep to such an extent that
he cannot make good picture.
AS the novel was published in the
Atlantic, 1t Is hardly necessary to saw
that it bears the imprint Of Messrs
Houghton. Mif1in & Co., and so does
Mr.. Joel Chandler Harris Tales of
the Home Folk in Peace and War. I"
which will appear the same day. r.
is a collection of short stories nearly
all reprinted from the Century. and
| is perfectly described in it's title. Fox
| hunting and fighting; adventures on
| the picket line, and the ground between
| two hostile armies from the main sub
| stance of the book, but there is one
| CHASTITY tale Of murderous passion. one
sketch of French Canadian life and one
legend, evidently "a spontaneous
growth of the negro cIavos, fo,a,,