CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1898-10-13
.DAvID HARUM..

David Harum,v by Edward Noyes
Westcott, I'd. Appleton & Co.. N.50.) Is
certainly one of the notable books of the
rear. 1t can hardly be called a novel. 1t
more properly Characterization. and
4 characterization extremely well drawn.
Ii is true that there is plot and love
story which Is of some interest. but that
Is subordinate 10 the main purpose which
is the delineation of the chief parsonage
of the book David Harum.
That the character Is drawn from real
life there cannot be the least doubt Truth
Is stranger than fiction in certain way,
but there Is a difference in the quality of
the strangeness which is distinguishable.
An author might have invented David
Harum. but he would not have been the
living and speaking reality that is pre-
sented in these pages. Constantly
throughout the book there is the feeling
that David Harum and his sister. Mrs.
Bixbee, whatever their names may have
been in real life, were actual pcrsonages
and that the principal incidents took
place as described.
higher art Is inventive or descriptive. The
writer who draws on his imagination for
his scenes and his characters needs to pos
sess the creative faculty in a high legree.
and II seems at nrst thought that the
highest literary ability is sho-yn by the
production OF characters and incidents
entirely original On the other hand 1t
may bssshown that all literary art is en-
compassed 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 SO then the literary
art in its highest form consists in the
ability to select from the mass OF ma
terial which is everywhere and at all
times available, such particulars as will
combine in the production of a harmon
ious and an artistic whole Another art.
that of painting has experienced the same
problem and there a more conclusive de-
cision has been reached that the artist
forfeits none of his claim to originality
because he has painted from a 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 finish which
makes II art
How far David Harum' in its realism
is worthy of claim in the upper ranks
of literature may be left to the individual
reader TO judge. 1t Is certainly natural
and artistic as well and no one can read
the book without being impressed with
the character portrayed. than anyone
could meet the man in the flesh without
being impressed with his personality. A
somewhat melancholy interest is added
to the book by the statement in the In
production that the authors death took
place March 81. 1895 From this same in
production. written by Forbes Heermans
we extract the following summary of the
books central figure. t
.'The book is novel. and throughout II
runs = love story which is characterized
by sympathetic treatment and a con-
stantIy increasing interest; but the title
role is taken by the old country banker.
David Harum, dry, quaint. somewhat IL
litarate 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
1y bad or useless in this world. Or, in his
own words, "A reasonable amount Of feas
is good for deg. they keep him I'm
broodin' on bein' dog This horsetradr
ing country banker and reputed shylock
but real philanthropist is an accurate por-
trayal of a 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 parlors,' shrewd. sharp
tongued. honest as the sunlight from most
points of view but in horse trade much
inclined to follow the rule. laid down by
Mr.. Harum himself for such transactions.
DO unto the other feller the way he'd
like to do unto you. an do It fust." /"
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