The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-10-27

THE RIGHT OF WAY.
No serial of the year has been fol
lowed with such interest as Gilber
Parker's THE Right of Way" which
finished its course in the August mum
Der of Harper's Magazine. and is nov
published book form
"The Right of Way" is so far Mr.
Parker's best novel: there can be NJ
doubt of that. For some years he ha.
enjoyed the reputation Of a writer o
fiction whose work maintained a leye
above ephemeral fiction. He has al
ways striven to give of his best, and
his best has always met with tbs
warm appreciation that it merited
But no discerning critic hitherto could
call Mr.. Parker a great writer. al
though there were touches of great
ness in his work. Perhaps he came
nearest to his highest literary en-
dsavor in When Valmond Came &c
Pontiac" But that remains a beauti
full idyl and charming piece of litera-
ture.. and lacks the scope and range
OF the novel In s'The Right of Way
however, Mr.. Parker has not only
touched greatness; he has achieved it
From start to finish there are the IN
hasting. unresting marks of the con
summate artist. Every page bears the
stamp of originality. The work, in
short. is product of genius.
To tell the story in so many words
would be to separate the narrative
from the personality of the narrator.
and in this lies the power and charm
of Mr.. Parker's work. The story in
itself is an attractive and ingenious
one. but it requires the pen of an
artist like Mr.. Parker to create its
atmosphere and build up its dramatic
effectiveness. The hero is a young
Canadian lawyer of unusual mental
and moral caliber He is logged by
the curse of intemperance and is tram
Rf a Ag ap nqaasSym g marriage
and 1t is through his brilliant defense
OF murderer in court that the author
starts Charlev Steele on his dramatic
-~-svr auer winning the case, he
haughtily antagonizes the crowd at an
inn where he had gone to drink. They
become enragsd. and. analtreating him.
leave him for dead The man whom
he defended carries him away to the
little village of Chaudiere. where he
RECEIVERS. but for months his memory
is obliterated. AS the past comes back
to him gradually. he learns that his
wife, believing him dead. has married
again. and that her brother has un-
Justly accused him of a theft that he
himself had committed. Faced by the
terrors of this situation. Charley Steele
his former life. and under
an assumed name becomes an assist
ant to a poor little fanatical tailor.
The drama of the story deepens and
widens in its interest from this point
as his attachment for Rosalie Evan
turel. the postmaster's beautiful
daughter. ripens into reverent and
devoted passion He is confronted
with the consequences of the past and
the pressnt-his previous marriage
bond and his present love for Resale
Who has the right of way?
The foregoing details merely state
the situation. of which the whole story
is a development toward one of the
most thrilling and unexpected eli
makes in recent fiction. The conclu-
sion. indeed. would have been married
by anything less than an instructive
grasp OF the great artistic principle
which governs life. For 1t is not only
as an imaginative artist. profound in
his knowledge of human nature and
skilled in presenting it on the page.
but as a man of deep moral insight.
one who faces right and wrong and
does not finch from the consequences
Of evil. that Mr. Parker in "The Right
OF Way has proved himself supreme.
II is. we may say. through this very
spiritual element in the novel that Mr..
Parker grips his readers and holds not
only their interest In the story. but
their deepest sympathies.
The clash OF souls In the spiritual
struggle that ensues between the I'M
believing hero and the deeply beliey-
Ing heroine involves. as Il ALWAYS
does In art that is true to life. the
answer to the strong and
love which draws them to-
gether and yet keeps them forever
apart
"The Right of Way cannot fail
than that its influence win be Joined
10 that highest influence in literature
which Is a spiritual force Of the most
the most refreshing and the
most purifying kind
Published By Harper Bros. New
York: price. $3.50 For sale BY Wall.
Nichols Co, Honolulu
@ @ q
ATHE ETERNAL CITY,
r<<~-----t <-<<.--