The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-11-05
Its Popularity
Richard Carvcl and Why
the People Read 1t.

| evidenced by heavy sales, has goOd cause
for being the vogue, outside the requisite
vigor of style and Understanding
| adroitness of narration.
| In the first place it is a much longer
| novel than is ordinarily written now
adays.. 1t has a good strong physical
vein, the woman of SURPRISING beauty
and the man of prowess and dramatic
courage and charming inclinations to
feats of needless daring. But more, 1t
seeks to re-create the atmosphere of Col
onial Maryland, and does it.
We have many colonial stories, many
just swaddled, but none Of them surrounds
the characters it creates with the at
mosphere of their time, beautifed by the
blue of distance. Another colonial story,
Janice Meredith the work of Paul Lei
cester Ford, tries to create this atmos-
phere, and does it, but leaves off the dis
tance-blue that ought to attach to retro
spection, which is the past chiefs delight
the charm of it's remoteness. In Janice
Meredith we reserve the right to revolt
against truth. We hate to be told that
leader of the colonists in one point in
New Jersey was a low scoundrel of vi
cious character and vicious tongue. We
rebel, in the face of historical foot-notes,
at the narration of the retreat of a craven
Connecticut regiment, and refuse TO be-
lieve it. The vista of an hundred years
makes every colonist noble, and brings
Benedict Arnold before the eye, not so
much as despicable man. a name, as
a far removed personification of trea-
son. The author of Richard Carvel,"
Winston Churchill. makes his hero a
type, a colonial type which fatters US, as
We read, into the desired belief that all
colonists were noble.
Only a long book could have sufficed
for that The book reviewer who is sup
posed to direct a verdict of popularity |
may prefer the short novel. If the inter-
est is sustained the public which pays its
$50 for a commodity giving so much |
thrill voltage, does not prefer short |
novel, because a short novel fails, bar
ring rare exceptions, to make the reader
lose himself and become a moving shadow |
among the creations of the printed page. |
Shorter than it is Richard Carver' would |
have been failure and deservedly so. |
Thousands have read the first volume Of |
Carlyle's Frederick, the Great" and quit,
but no man ever read the first four vol
umes and did not read the whole work.
Of the hero in Richard Carver it may
be said that he is, as all types, the en-
bodiment of all colonial good in strength,
physical and mental, and in honesty.
Early in the game the author introduces
onslaughts with the sword
which charm us. The hero is large, and
by each succeeding evidence of his
strength, delights us, just as the slave
in "Quo vadis wins us when he breaks an
athlete over his knee. This element in the
hero is kept in the crucible to the last.
1t is not true. of course, and not possible,
but il is thrilling. and excusable in a type.
The heroine is surprisingly beautiful, so
beautiful that she takes London by
storm, provincial as she is. Herones
must be beautiful, if they are types. Ev-
cry one has in his life felt a keen disap-
pointment when he first ran across the
fateful line that Joan, the Maid of Or
leans, was plain. After that line she
really seems unjustifiable in history.
Her name is Dorothy and we come to
love her-love her because she is true to
our colonial type-the American.
But the authors real service to us has
been his portraiture of John Paul Jones.
John PauPs life was the prototype OF
modern America, the first of a long line
which has cried farewell to a country
which had been unjust, and sailed across
the Atlantic and through Castle Garden
Or the barge office. and merged into citi-
zenship John Paul was not a colonist.
He was an immigrant. Scotland, through
the agency of narrow corner of it, had
treated him unkindly, and he allied him
self with new nation, as the Mennonite
Of our Kansas prairies did an hundred
years after. as the Scotch-Irish Deweys !
lid formerly, as the McKineys, and the
-Ievelands and the Hanks and Lincolns.
The author. with John Paul Jones, is at
MS best. The exaggeration requisite to :
he hero is absent, and this omission, af-
er all. makes John Paul more heroic.
The great mans abject subservience to
feathers, his love of gaudy clothes and
inc laces, the slavery of his great honest
,oul to the petty Sights or the insOlence
If the titled make him the more loveable.
The addition of Jones to his name in
,reases ones admiration of this man OF
small things and great things. His fast
for the hero of this novel, his
cotching of Mungo Maxwell, the muffin
us carpenter, the homecoming to Kirk
the visit to his mother,
lis farewell to Scotland, his life in the
onstable's prison in London are drawn
trognly. vigorously. and make this l
nan of our history. real touchable. .
he master piece of the whole work is
he description of the battle between the ;
'on Homme Richard and the Scraps.
One Of the purposes of the novel is TO
urther a kindred feeling between Mother
England and America. The author does
OF succeed in ingratiating 10 our memory
harles Fox. much as he would. nor does
e lessen our estimation Of Burke by his :
lew Of him. a view dictated by an anx- :
rus effort towards impartiality.
The narration is of a young man of .
Iaryland in love with a fascinating and
-ulful young creature Dorothy, who goes :
} London to find trimming social tri-
mphs. with a forgotten. difident Richard .
aryel at home in Maryland. A most
lrilling succession Of adventures brings
ichard Carvel also to London. The :
aader is introduced to the London of :
gorge III. and given the closest init -
iacv with men and things as he has E
reviousiy been acquainted with colonial
fe. The interest is held in many ways, L
Re chief thread being the contest for
orothy's hand between the young man
-om the colonies and members OF the Y
obility encouraged and abetted ~ the @
Dung woman's father.
The novel deserves this-to be placed in
he hands of young students OF American \
story, in school or out. L will give q :
ny or girl better coloring for their \