The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-12-03
SOME NEW BOOKS

In plays Pleasant and Unpleasant"
Chicago: II. >. Stone d Coz Bernard
Shaw has decided to appeal from Philip
drunk to Philip sober In other words,
recognizing that the mass OF people who
go to the theater and make possible the
profitable production of plays do not es-
pecially care to be problemized or in
struCted unduly but want above all else
to be er tertained, Mr. Shaw has decided
(and wisely, 10 offer his interesting stu
dies of modern society in book form so
that nobody need pay his money who does
not want the kind of pabulum which Mr.
Shaw vends. The plays pleasant " in
cludc arms and the Man." produced with
success by Richard Mansfield" "rhe Man
of Destiny" CANDIDA" and "You Never
Can Tell" and very pleasant plays they
are, too, evincing keen insight into human
character and motive, witty appreciation
of dramatic values and notable cleverness
The plays unpleasant" - "Widower's
Houses" THE Philanderer' and Mrs
Warren's Profes sion"-are frankly prob
lem plays, the attempt being TO convict
many existing soCial conVentionaltieS OF
both stupidity and init stice. They are es"
sentially plays to be read rather than
acted.
The author of the "Co-operative Com
monwealth," Lawrence Gronlund. in his
latest work, THE New Economy" issued
by Stone & Co., offers what he calls
peaceabe solution of the social problem
namely, obligatory industrial arbitration,
the more effective organization OF labor,
state productive work for the unem-
ployed, state coLtrol of municipal enter
prises, state maLGgcment of the liquor
traffic and of mines, a national telegraph
and express system, national banks re-
stricted to deposits, other national banks
of loans, national control of fares and
freight rates and a rational, department
of agriculture which shall be "a kind of
wholesale clearing house and exchange
for all the farmers in the country. His
programme is frankly socialistic in the
scientific or collectivist sense but 1t is
interesting and we'll argued.
"The Money Captain" by VIII Payne
(Chicago: II. S. Stone a. Coz Is tale of
Chicago business speculation and politics.
The money captain is the head of the
gas syndicate who buys up newspaper
support, boobies counCilmen at pleasure
! and generally runs things with a high
| hand. There Is one editor, however. who
| refuses to be bought and this story is the
| narrative of his fight with the duke of
gas" In the end the editor wins, marries
! happily and has the pleasure Of writing
his adVersary's obituary. The story Is
| sketched in strong colors but is narrated
| with force and makes good reading.
4 strong bu. saddcning story is Max
well Grays THE House OF Hidden Treas
| ure" (New York the AppletonsD. 1t is a
| story of q brave womans sacrifice, a
| study Of the upbuilding of character and
the uplift of society through Individual
| unselfshness, told as only this powerful
| analyst of human motive can tell 1t, and
| the ultimate effect, of course, is whole
some; but still it is a story which some-
how depresscs one during the time OF
1
worth studying, for it is undoubtedly one
OF the great novels OF the year.
The young Hollander who writes urder
| the pSeudonym of MaartCn Martens, in
| "Her Memory %. Appleton ~ Coz has
| drawn with singular delcacy q picture
| of the refining effect of grief upon a
| character primarily good. a young En-
| glishman of wealth and leisure loses ais
! beloved wife. For a time grief stunS
| him. But after time her memory comes
to be his guiding star and from Incidence
| and uselessness he rises step by step un-
| til he becomes one of the foremost states
| men OF his time, How this Ii accom-
| plished the successive though uncon-
| scious steps of his advancement are por-
| trayed with Consumn ate skill and the lit
| erary workmanship of the book from first
| 20 last is most admirable.
The liberation of woman is the theme
of an interesting novel, "a Champion in
the Seventies" by Edith A. Barnett, the
| American edition of which Is issued by II.
S. Stone & Co, 1t Is a story of the battle
| of modernty against conservatism in So
cety's adjustment of Womans place and
work, and it shows that a good deal IL
| to be said on both sides. The "new wo-
man" may go to extremes and be foolish
| in many ways, but at all events she In
a sign OF social progress, and In order TO
progress in any direction il is always nee
| Cessary for some venturesome person to
enact the role of pioneer.
| Harold Fredric's latest novel "Gloria
Mundi," which ran rs serial in the Cos