The times., 1899-04-23

results obtained for each individual. 1t is
certainly worth the attention of educators.
New York: The H. P. Smith Publishing
Company.)-
Minor Fiction.
"Tales by Tom Hail. is book Of a Diff
ferent type from the work of this author
which is most familiar to the public. The
sketches which have appeared from time
to time above his signature, in various
weekly papers, have been sketches o. New
York life, humorous and slightly cynical
in tone. The stories in this collection deal
mainly with Western life-the life of the
army post and isolated ranch of the South
west Some have humor in them, but the
majority are brief tragedies, recorded
without waste of words, in the style which
seems to take possession of writer's who
attempt to deal with this particular re-
gion. Bret Harte originated it, and nearly
everyone else who has dealt with Arizona
and Colorado fiction has seen fit to follow
in his steps.
Some of the tales are original, and some
are commonplace, and few are mixture
of the commonplace and the original.
'Kanahee," the story of a little Indian
girl, is an example of the latter. The
theme is as old as the Oldest Forty miner
but the treatment is rather new. There
are several stories OF the erratic love af-
fairs which now and then take place in
these out-of-the-way regions, and two or
three are good; but one could wish that
the author had found some other way to
cure the love troubles of his heroines be-
sides that of the pistol. The first story,
in which one reads of a simple frontier
maiden falling in love with handsome
and thoughtless young officer, is rather af-
fecting, but after this same plot has been
repeated, with variations. some half dozen
times it becomes slightly monotonous.
Besides the Western stories, there are
several sketches of New York life, and
those which deal with one Mr. Rocky CAL
laghan are particularly good. One bears
earmarks of the conventional Christmas
story, and others are too evidently hack
work. But, on the whole. there is much
entertaining stuff in this book with the BIZ
zarre cover and wide margins. (New York:
Frederick A. Stokes Company. Washing
ton: Ballantyne. s1.25)
THE Span O. Life is a story of the time
CT Prince Charlie. and has rather an un-
usual interest from the fact that it is the
work of a man and woman, William Nc
Lehman and Miss ]. n. McIlwraith, and
that 1t Is impossible to distinguish the
work of either collaboration, or, indeed, to
find any sign that the book was not writ
ten entirely by one person. There is no
more picturesque time in English history
than that selected by these authors for
their romance. and the hero is, happily, a
young Scottish soldier attached to the
cause of the young Chevalier, and at the
time the story opens. in hiding from that
cause. The particularly original feature of
the plot is that this young man has two
love affairs which are practically going on
at the same time, yet without any real dis
credit to him. He has married trades
mans daughter, and is separated from her
by chance. Believing her dead, he becomes
involved with dainty lass Of a good Scotch
family, and then discovers his wife living
in an obscure street in London, and
disposed to disallow any claims which
he may have upon her, as she be-
lieves that he deserted her to save himself.
Subsequently the two women become ac-
quainted, and journey to Canada together,
and the solving of the problem which con-
fronts the young Chevalier occupies the
rest of the book. Suffice it to say that the
outcome of it all is satisfactory both to
the Chevalier and to the Lady Marguerite.
In the latter part of the book Mr.. McLen-
mans thorough knowledge of Canada and
experience in picturing the life of the
Provinces seems to have stood him in
good stead. (New York: Harper Bros
sL75.)
Gods Rebel" by Hubert Fuller, is
story of socialistic type, which is power
full in spots, and would be still stronger
IL the author paid more attention to his
art and less to the truth which he intends
to teach. AS it stands, the story would be
improved by great deal of simplifying.
Either 1t should be reduced to the form of
u socialistic essay, or i; should be made
romance pure and simple, the doctrine
only appearing in the action. Under Mr.
Fullers treatment all the characters are
Illuminating either for or against the ex-
isting social order of things, while two or
three of them have quite marked individ-
ualities of their own; and the result re-
minds one of an experiment which some
mischievous students once tried on Ages-
siz. They compounded an insect out of the
parts of several different insects, and car
ried 1t to their professor, with the request
that he tell them what kind OF bug it was
Agassiz gave one glance over his specta-
cles at the monstrosity and briefly replied:
"Hum-bug."
So the novel-reader who opens this book
expecting to find good story, or the stu
dent who hopes for some strong utter
ance on the subject of social and political
reform, will be likely to say that Gods
Rebel is a most emphatic humbug. There
is only one way in which a purpose novel
can ever be good; and that is the way of
genius When a man or a woman who has
thorough knowledge of the art of fc-
ton making happens to be imbued with an
ardent desire to right some particular
wrong, the fire of that writer's talent
sometimes blazes forth in a resplendence
which actually serves as beacon to light
up dark places hitherto unreached. But
without thorough training and great abili-
ty. the purpose novel should be left alone.
There is no use In spelling a good story
by sticking political aphorisms all over 1t
SO that il is as comfortable to have about
the house as pet porcupine. In addition
to this mistake Mr. Fuller has committed
the literary sin OF satirizing particular
persons under slight change of name.
Among other things he describes the condi-
ton OF thirqs in the town of Pullman
during a strike. Chicago: Regan Print
ing House. sl-25.)