The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-12-01
IN OLD KENTUCKY.
To Authsrs,i whs 1mmsrtalize tho Blue
Grass Country.


Ever since the days of Daniel Boone,
Kentucky, the land of tragedy, has
been the prolific source from whence
many writer has gathered material
for novel and romance. Its sturdy peo-
pie, it's mountainous ridges, its fertile
valleys and it's limpid streams have
been pictured by many facile pen,
says r. G. Cleaner in the Catholic
Columbian.
OF late years, James Lane Allen has
made famous it's Blue Grass region,
and John Fox has told the world much
Of interest concerning it's mountains
and the unique jewellers there. There
ran as serial this year in The Book
man, a story "Stringtown on the Pike"
from the pen of John Uri Lloyd, which
has commanded wide attention and al
ready has received hearty praise from
more than one literary pen. Mr.. Lloyd
lives In Cincinnati and has established
there the Lloyd Museum and Library
devoted to botany, chemistry and al
lied sciences.
This story is now out in book form
and we'll illustrated by Photographic
scenes by the wife of the author. 1t
has been predicted by more than one
critic that the book will be one Of the
"record" novels Of the year. 1t Is in
tensely dramatic the scenes being in
the early sixties, when Kentucky was
divided between allegiance to the
North and the South. The story is hu-
merous as we'll as pathetic and in no
sense is war story. The usual people
that loaf and chat about Il country
village store are we'll drawn; the local
squire, the teacher, the preacher, the
colored folks and the village topper;
but the most peculiar and attractive
character of all is old "Cupe," an old
time darkey, who claims to be the son
of an African Guinea COAST Chief
and who is a past master in all sorts
of sorcery and signs and whose stories
and yarns remind one of "Uncle Re-
mus"
Mr.. Lloyd says his desire Is Ito con-
trast the superstitions of ignorant peo-
pie and the errors of people bound to
science and materialism." This he
does with master pen and the whole
plot Of the story rests on the fact that
4 chemist, in Analysing the contents of
the stomach of man, who died sud
denly, makes a tremendous mistake
and In doing so, causes a death SEN
tence to be passed upon an innocent
man.
One of his characters, who doubts
the decision of the chemist says: "The
faith you men of science have in hui
man authority and the sneers you cast
on the Supreme Ruler and the dog
matte conclusions Of men who search
In fields your science Is too feeble to
invade, seems to me very near man
worship or egotistical fanaticism. |
Gail to see the difference between your
blind allegiance to ever-changing sci
ence and the fanatical faith of SUI,
perstitious slave bound to signs and
omens, which result from the empiri,
cal observations of cycles of phenom-
ena."
The evident design ofthe author is
to show how fallible are very often
the conclusions of chemists, who are
frequently brought into murder cases
,s expert witnesses and are liable tc
testify toward the side by which they
were employed. This portion Of the
work will prove highly interesting tc
lawyers and doctors and chemists anG
one will not be surprised to hear OF
many experiments made to learr
whether Mr.. Lloyd has discovered &
fact not previously known to chemlca
experts. Here and there in the book
are some epigrammatic sentences wor
thy Of repetition.
eft amt the man who hev done the
most good who gifts the soft seats tel
rest ill.," says the village topper; and OF
another occasion he remarks: -
sometimes fergits the good thing'
what happens, but hangs onter thu
other side an that are the fault o,
other people as we'll cs myself" Oh
"Cupe'' thus philosophises: "Yo an
smaht man, Mr.. Lawyah, but SOM
smaht men am like some dawgs, an
cain't cotch muffin. Dey am too SLOW
fo' a coon an too fas' TO possum."
His negro dialect is quaint and tn
same may be remarked of the speed
of the mountain people, whose feud H.
so we'll describes in all its intensit
and bitterness. The descriptions o
the scenery Of Kentucky from river
dale and from mountain to hill ar
not among the least to beauties Of til
novel and are placed in the right place
to relieve the tension Of the reader
They are not given like in so man
modern novels simply to pad and fl
in with, but they seem 4 necessar
part of the work and no one can ia
to be touched by the weird descriptlo
of negro coupe" and his "daw
Gawge' in their all night wanderin
about the outskirts Of Stringtown