The Portland daily press., 1898-05-26
CONCERNING BOOKS.

wish all authors had the agreeable
personality of MIR. F. Hopkinson Smith
that they were in their books, and their
books in them, thus making perfect
and harmonious combination. But un.
fortunately. q mans genius is very apt
to be thing distinct from his individu-
ality.
1t must be delightful thing to write
books which are SO eminently satisfactory
as Mr.. Smiths, for there 10 distinct and
varying charm about each one of his
delightful volumes, and above and be-
yond all is his "Caleb West." recently
published by Messrs Houghton. Miffiin
& Co. A more vital, living, breathing
and inspiring tale 1 have not read in
many long day, and it really has the
elements of greatness. In the first place
the author never touches a subject that
he does not understand down to the
ground. An engineer by profession, he
draws upon his own experience in light
house building for his superb story of
"Caleb West, Master Diver and he tells
it with dramatic intensity and power
that is absolutely thrilling.
Besides the grand old man, for whom
the book Is named, there is his dainty
little wife. mere baby in years. who is
misled for 4 time by handsome young
sailor whom shs nurses after an &C.
cident, and with whom she elopes But
she comes back to Caleb who loves her,
penitent and unhappy and far be it from
us to cast the first stone.
A real hero is Captain Joe Bell, and he
and his good wife Aunty Bell befriend
poor little Betty West. 81 amt a-blamin'
Betty, and amt a-blamin' Caleb" says
Aunty, "I'm only tbinkin' of all the
sufferin' that poor child's got to go
through now, an what mean world
this is for her to have to live in"
But the building of the lighthouse is
after all the tremendous part of the story,
and the romance and love making are in
cidentals. 1t seems that while the author
allows his imagination all the license
that is necessary to make his story bril-
liant one. he is at the same time relating
his own experience. "Shark LEDGE is
really ledge at one end of Fisher s
Island, and the lighthouse, the building
Of which the reader watches with such
eager and breathless interest from the
laying of the foundation stones to the day
when, in spite Of the duplicity of the
government superintendent, it is accepted
by the board of inspectors, and "Superin-
tendent Carleton is relieved from duty
at Shark Ledge Light" is Race Rock
Light, and was actually built long ago by
the author.
A distinguished officer of the engineer
| corps of the United States army, who
knows Mr.. Hopkinson Smith personally.
has just read his Caleb West with great
interest and has but ono criticism to
| make. He cannot believe, in the kind.
ness Of his heart, that the government
ever appointed for superintendent of such
work as the building of Shark Ledge
Lighthouse, man SO ignorant and mali.
cious as the Carleton of our story. How
is that. Mr.. Smith,
The Somger Of the Critic gives an interest
ing account of the way in which the
author found his protrait of "Calet
West" which forms the frontispiece OF
the book. 1t seems Sin his leot1lring tour
in the west, Mr.. Smith stopped at Iowa
City, Iowa, where in a photographer 8
case he espied, by mere chance, the
picture Of the old man. He WAS so struck
by the life-likeness to his mental Caleb
that he rushed in and eagerly asked If he
might have it for his illustration. The
photographer, much gratified, then
showed him another view which so moved
Mr.. Smith that he cried, God must
have sent me here 1t was even more
like than the other. The original is an