The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-15
A Popular Book
No. 5 John Street
and It's Scheme.

The title, ''No. John Street" of book
published by the Century company is sug-
gestive of a novel and touches the mag
3nation magically with expectation of
secret passage Of advantageOusly placed
closets and summons up a wealth in an
ticipation of intrigue, tragedy. comedy.
But mo. John Street is not a novel;
it is hardly a story. 1t is tub in which
a modern Diogenes crouches and growls,
or outlaws, over wayward world, a
world that is so pure and beautiful and
hopeful through a telescope, and so creepy
and wriggly and maggoty under a micro
scope.
Nothing has been written in many
day in its line so able as this little work
The author, Richard Whiteing, pares his
apple exceedingly close. so closely. so
truly, so artistically that the man who
fails to read this book has suffered a dis
tinct loss OF the exceedingly rich of
London this part OF America, or any in
dividual in it, knows little, but it is sup
posed that the author knows what he is
talking about. OF the wretChedly poor in
London We know a little, and can mag
sne more. Instinctively we feel that the
author has not exaggerated the cove. and
the flower girl and day laborer OF Lon
don.
In fact his whole book impresses you
with the fact that you stand face TO face
with man who is trying to be infinitely
honest.
The author. writing In the first person.
belongs to the aristocratic portion of Lon
don. 1t happens. through a twist in cir
cumstances that he is delegated to report
the Queens jubilee to the simple people
of little island in a far off sea who also
srSo6ly request Of him that he make 4 re-
port on the laws, customs. institutions
and manners Of the mother country.
This he sets out conscientously to obey.
In the jewel-Structure of society he
knows that it will not do to report only
on the facet that is turned always to the
sun and Is alive with brilliant light but
that he must also give word Of the under
side. He puts away money. announces =
trip to the Caspian and locates among
Inc poorer classes 81 London ut M. ;
John Street. and earns his bread in the
sweat Of his brow. With the poor man
and his environment the author Is
gloriously fair and for his work
in this deserves crown He does not
find them always miserable He treats
the extreme anarchist fairly. the laborer
without the usual weakening commisera-
ton. He points out with extreme nicely.
that it is not the food Of the poor that
Is so much lacking or so poor. as it is is
manner Of service. He gives the ex-
1remely poor their JOYS not with the tx-
aggeration Of Dickens. but with She sim
pie sentiment which really char7cterizes
them.
There is a Tilda in the book. coste-
woman who knocks men down upon oc-
casion. He pays her this beautiful trib-
ute: 1.-THE devil IS in her defiant port.
the devil Of scorn. passion and self-will.
It is a devil Of the back streets and its
manners and expressions are not as
choice as those OF the Borrowing head OF
the firm who is in personal attendance on
Mayfair She helps one to understand
literature, sacred and profane. The earli-
er women Of spirit were furies Of this
sort. feel sure She is Boadicea, skip
ping centuries of time-Boadicea, strong
sn her hands and usually not bi. 100
clean of them. splendid In reasonless pas
ai0n- decidedly foul-mouthed, no British