The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-22

SO 106iitf
HN HE art of fiction has enlarged
wonderfully the boundaries 9f
life. In the last few years Ne
have all come to feel at home In
India, China, japan and the
isles of the sea--thanks TO Stevenson, Kip
ling, Long Louis Becke and great many
more; also we have learned about The ifeel-
ing. OF engines and engineers, of them
that no down to the sea in ships and OK
them that build lighthouses for the com
fort OF mariners Every trade has its ro-
nance, and these real romances are stead
fly working their way into fiction. which Is
marvelously enriched by them
But II is not only fresh countries and
fresh occupations that have been added TO
the stock in trade of the novelist. but
fresh, that is heretofore unexpected types
of character and not the least interesting
OF these are the college boy and the col
Iese girl. as seen by themselves
"smith College Stories" by Josephine
Daskam, is easily the best book of college,
girl tales yet published. The stories are
crisp, breezy. well written They give
more than glimpse into the bright,
varied, busy, happy life of the ordinary
undergraduate. They present a vivid, at
tractive picture Of her doings and the feel
fngs she has about them--but there is
good deal more about the doings than the
feelings. They are healthily objective
stories. This is somewhat unusual in the
work of so young a writerLfor Miss Das-
kan is very recent graduate OF the col
lege whose life she celebrates here-and II
Is q very promising indication for her lit
arary future, and all the more so from the
fact that she is at her very best In stories
OF more subjective type, as is proved by
"A Family AFFAIR" and "A Case OF Inter-
ference" To be very young and to have
= marked gift for the interpretive and
analytical. and yet to be able to hold It in
check and TO employ one's pen upon the
external and synthetic aspects OF things
this means power of no common order.
and holds out q promise of unusual future
performance. for the union of the two
aptitudes Is generally an achievement
rather than gift. People are born with
the freedom OF either the outer life or the
inner life. and n ever they acquire the lib-
erty or the one to which they are not
born. they pay for II with q great price.
There are ten OF the stories The book
opens with q little tour de force. ..The
Emotions Of a Safeguard" which Describes
the freshman.sophomore game OF osske,-
hall and the feelings of ono OF the under
studies OF the freshman team about q ALI
There may not Asem to be very profound
human Interest In game OF basket hall.
but u IL, at the least. as vital perform
ance ~ football OF the national game. ard
Theodora's thrills and exoitements arc as
she trAhfully observes. mo joke-net in
tho least" "A Case OF Interference IL
the tragedy of q misunderstood girl--oniy
u IL not tragedy at all-and "a Family
Affair Is study OF unusual penetration
dealing with the giri-genus- there are
such things. and. as Susan Jackson's story
shows. Il II not an excessively happ, lot
TO b ons OF them during the years OF
growing pains whatever It may provo
later In life. The book IL full of clever
CONSIDERATIONS Who that has known
girls by the hundred does not recall the
double OF Alberta May Bunting, "a whole.
some. kindly creature. with high principles
and no particular waistlino. who drank a
great deal OF milk. and was a source Of
great relief to her teachers. her Rotations
being practically perfect" Equally hfe,ilse
II Martha Williams who returned 10 her
chums after hours OF solitude with the air
Of ono willing to impart TO these immature
and inexperienced young persons "thc mel
low oynicism Of a tolerant. IL fatisusd,
femme du monde" In the intervals OF her
retirement she wrote modern and morbid
verses and when her conservative friends
were disturbed Martha would elsbomteiy
suppress three-voltme smile and murmur
something about meat for babes" sn.
kept great ivory skull on her bureau
vita japanese paper snake carelsSsly
crawling through Il. she cut her classss
ana cultivated an AIR Of fine dtsiatn and
the sahit OF late breakfasts AT tho tuxu
restaurant paironised by the college gIsls-
and s,ili she was not happy. 4lJts
But most OF these smith sIrls are entire
~ normal and fascinating young possS ~
and In any case to make thelr aeaualpt.nc,
is distinct gain TO the reader. a.
C'smith COLLEGE Stories" by Josephine
Dodge Daskan. caas. scrihna'ss suns
$3.50 For saie by i-owman 4 Hanfordl.
the author OF Kate weiherfll:t Az
Earth Comedy" divides that strong ans
tragic little book into three s~ctious
hali. purgatory and paradise. and pref
aces u with this quotation from Dante:
whence We see why my wcrk 1.
called 'Cemoedia.' For II We regard ths
matter In the commencement II u horri
Bile and offensive. Inssmneh as V begin,
with hell, but In the conclusion 1t Il
prosperous. pleasant and desirable In
ssmuca a. IL ends with paradise. II W,
look 90 the style. that Is lax and uupre.
taadins. since Il Is written la tho vul
sar tongue. Ia which women and chii
aren speak"
The stery OF Kate Wetherfll Is told
with much power, insight and uteraY,
skin she Is q woman 81 unusual fore.
yoked 20 what seems a hopelesSly un,
equal marriage, and as unhappy as only
a woman Of imagination can be Foi
that reason her story viii appeal chlen,
20 other women. II Is told with
thousand sahtistlcs ana restraints. The
author has thDrhuehAV mastered tina Az