The Portland daily press., 1900-05-15
CONCERNING BOOKS.

am waiting with vivid curiosity and
interest to see what the critics will say
about Blanche Willis Howard's second
posthumous work The Garden Of Eden.
1t Is an extraordinary book. and on alto
gether different lines from any of the
other works Of It's clever and brilliant au.
thor, 60 much so indeed that one doubts
II han she lived, 10 would ever have
been published. 1t strikes one a. having
been to Madame Won Terfsi, a sort OF
safety valve for the expression Of Ideas
which she had conceived and pondered
upon, and Jet Was not prepared to make
public.
The took IL plea for the recognition
OF platonic love, written In the belief
that II is . moral force to te dealt with,
and one which cannot be ignored In the
order OF things, but has Its place with
other Intense and controlling passions
and thus should be respected. Danger
Gus ground, since the experience Of ages
shows such theories to be fallaceous.
The heroine OF this story, Monica Ran
doiph, has . fatal or extremely inconve-
nisnt habit Of falling In lore with mar
ried man; In and out again, since two
Benediots have been adored BY her In
turn, snd shs seems to have slipped rath-
er easily and with NO special reason,
from the yoke OF the former, under that
Of the latter. who leaves his wife and
children that he may die in Monioa's
arms.
The last chapters OF The Garden of Eden
are Of much beauty and power, If ct the
same tine ones New England conscience
did not force one to perceive the lurking
serpent In this Paradise OF happy lovers.
But In spite Of all criticism there 10
Q certain charm about the book, . grace.
Q simplicity, a clever handling Of this
delicate subject, and much that IL bril-
liant and entertaining.
1t il evident that the author had merely
thrown together the elements Of her
story, and one mis- ses the felioitious ar
Iangement, CLOSE supervision, and those
last touches which have made so much Of
her work quite perfect In pollen and pro.
portion.
Z OF platonio friendship, II one chooses to
give 1t that name, there IL happily, an
abundance; but platonio lover Mol in
spite OF Madame Won Teuffel's special
plsadings. Portland: Loring. Short
e. Harmony
Messsr. HougEton. Miffiin and Co. have
as we'll as many other delightful books
OF the season, The Son of the Wolf, BY
Jack London; knights In gustisp, by
Caroline Brown; The Burden Of Chris-
TOPPER. by Florence Converse; the Cam
bridge edition Of The Complste Poetioal
Works Of Sir Walter Scott and The Prose
OF Edward Rowland Sill. Portland:
Loring, Short g. Harmon
NE. Jack Lundon's book is sure to
make o distinct sensation. In these
clever and original stories he has done
for the Klondike and that region what
Bret Harte did for California, and both
have written in the light of their own
experience.
MIR. London is young man who has
had an exceptionally varied career At
fifteen he was knocking about the docks
and waters of San Francisco bay. At
seventeen he went to sea before the mast.
He has now settled down TO authorship
In Oakland, California, and while his
name has been attached to many maya
zine stories, he has now published his
frat book. which is graphic. virile, and
yet imbued with much that IL romantic
and of infnits pathos, each Of the nine
stories having . quite startling power Of
its own. The Yukon Indian .calls the
white man The Son Of the Wolf; hsnce
the title Of the book.
Miss Browns novel Knights In Fus-
tisn, is . tale of the Civil war. the scene
being lad In Indiana, the state Of the
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