The St. Louis Republic., 1900-09-09
THE REIGN OF LAW

A LOUISVILLE. KY, gentleman has thi,
\ TO say IN the New York Times about his
! experiences with the Reign Of Law:
| at is my fortune. good or bad. TO be ir
| position TO hear a number OF criticisms OF
| MIR. James Lane Aliens latest production
| the position being to try and serve the ever
eager public at the delivery desk In a cir
culating library with all the latest and bes,
fiction. in return for which l am often
served with a great deal OF free criticism
much Of it very unique and rich And Mr..
James Lane Allen has by no means escaped
'scot-free' in his native State. For instance,
two quite charming and attractive young
matroDs came into the library together.
One returned her book and asked for The
Reign OF Law
The other said oh. you don't want TO
read that! 1t is just full OF impossible de-
scriptions about nothing but hemp. You
know. my husband. like yours, is tobac-
! conist. and what interest have We in old
hemp?'
"'Oh. WELL said the second woman, give
me something else. then. just any old thing.
II mildly suggested Gods Fool She
took IL and 1 am sure read II with more in
terest than she would have that surprising
ly beautiful soul study that has bean fur
nished US by MIR. Allen.
Another woman returned the book with
the remark: Well. here is your Reign of
the Law" and anybody who wants 10 is
with so much religion and no story, while
another returned IL after keeping II only
about an hour, saying:
Here, you can have this book back;
have read sixty-fvs pages and there is
not a single word about love in IT, and
don't believe there is going 10 be- SO give
me a real good love story.
Then there has been another class of
critics. We might call them the ultra
critics." who appreciate the good and
beautiful In the book. but don't want to
be too pleased, for fear they won't appear
critical enough.
One of these said. superciliously: "Ohl
yes Il Is fine book, well written. Of
course. but too polished. 1t really is at times
laboredr'
That class Of critics reminds one very
much OF the woman who was SO highly
cultivated musically and was such an acute
critic that In the music of the best musi-
slams she could hear only the discords"
But you must not think from the foregoing
criticism that the people Of James Lane
Aliens old home do not appreciate his lat
est book. for. indeed. a great many do, as
how could any real and genuine lover OF
nature fail to do? And those who have
ever lived In hemp-rasing country must
realize that there could not possibly be cor
recily made an adverse criticism OF the first
chapter of The Reign OF Law
There was a dear. lovely, elderly woman
who came into the library several days
ago in deep distress. She is a woman of
unusual literary ebslity and comes Of gem
erations'of cultured people.
She said: Il wish. when hear this book
adversely criticised. that / had died ten
years ago! / feel that this man has laid
bare his innermost thoughts 10 u.s. his very
souls struggles for a broad and true re-
ligion. that II is James Lane Aliens mind
and soul that We are examining beneath
the miscroscOpe! that II must not be dis
cussed In a light and frivolous way. When
read II l want to make his struggles and
trials my own-and then / wonder could
come out with as purified and exalted
mind as had David?"