The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-01-07
In the BordcrInnd.

"The Wife OF His Youth and Other sto-
ries" is the second book OF Charles W.
Cheenutt, whose "Coniure Woman" at
tracted much attention a year ago. This
later collection contains nine studies OF
negro life, -four of whict at leas. are OF 4
type almost absolutely new In fiction. We
have had dialect stories ad infnitum, pre-
senting the plantation negro in numerous
paases. A few treated the subject with
tragic earnestness; others mingled pa;hos
with humor and still others saw in the life
81 the African nothing but material for
caricatuTe Of the broadest Every South
erner who could write fiction a: all tried
his hand in this familiar field, AMI IL is a
curious fact that of all the scores of scrib-
blers who have done so, not more than
half a dozen have come anywhere near
painting the negro as h. is. Harris. with
his "Minervy Ann" and Uncle Remus
Page, with "Marse Chan" and 'Meh Lady"
HoI kinson Smith. with The one character
OF Chad, devoted seryan: Of Colonel Car
ter; Harry Stillwell Edwards, with DE
Valley an de Shadder" and Two Pun
aways:" Grace King, with the Nanny"
of her Balcony Stories" and last and best,
because most sympathetic, Ruth McElery
StueTt, who has created d dozen real char
actors, and almost never strikes false
noie-that was the list up TO few years
ago.
Then Dunbar's Folks from Dixie"
struck a new note, a little uncertainty. for
the tales were slight things; but the negro
OF today was pictured in that book as well
az the old-time nanny and uncle. Later.
the same writer -hss drawn even more
skillfully the negro CT the towns, the plan
tation type tTansplanted to the alien con-
ditions OF New York and other cities; and
last year new author came into the field
with The Conjure Woman" pure dialect
stories full of the quaint superstition. the
eccentric humor and the hopeless pathos
Of the quarters" and proving once more
that, other things being equal. a man
knows more about his own race than any
outsider can know. Certainly no outsider
could have written this later book OF Mr.
Chestnut, though IL is faulty in places
The four stories The Wife Of His Youth.
Her Virginia Nanny" The Sheriff's
Children" and "A Matter of Principle
deal with a type of negro almost untouch-
ed hitherto by the writer OF fiction, and
never portrayed with absolute fidelity and
thoroughness-the educated intelligent
and refined class OF this Infinitely differen-
uated people. The truth probably is that
few writers know anything about this
class. or. II they do, lack the intimate ac-
quaintance which alone could make a cor
rect portrayal possible. The happy-go-
lucky, warm hearted, irresponsible darby.
ragged and picturesque. IS familiar enough:
so IS the half-educated and sometimes
pompous politician. preacher, or lawyer,
but OF the large class Of men and women
OF color who are correct of speech, gentle
OF behavior. and thoroughly educated in
one way or another. the public knows al
most nothing. 1t is this class which Mr..
Chestnut essays to picture In at least two
of these stories.
THE Wife of His Youth" is the story
OF a colored man who. by his own efforts,
has risen to a position OF comparative
wealth among his people. He is. as the
tale begins. about 20 give a ball. at which
an attractive young widow is TO be present:
and he hopes eventually TO make this lady
his wife. During the afternoon there APP
pears a wizened, bright-eyed little ne
gpess. who tells. in the simple dialect of
the plantation, OF her long search for her
Sam. from whom she was sep
arated in slavery, and for whom she has
been looking in all the large cities OF the
North, for the past twenty-five years. The
tale is pathetic one. and possibly the