The courier., 1901-11-09

aim. which was to write a book -5a-
the people would read and then .1,,l.
and talk about the sociological .uI..srs,,
suggested by il, rather than abor- -,..
imaginary hero and heroine ana -5.
vicissitudes which preceded their +rgr
ly happy marriage. The author of +rr,
book is satisfied though the book H.
has written is not novel nor a --.a--
ise on sociology or religion. In m.
pauses where the action haIts amt IN.
old-time novelist used to say. .I,n,
smiled and looked out OF -hf. -v-D,t.r,.
where the distant mountains v.r-
bathed in d purple glow and the a.
cades hurrying TO the plains looked iJ,.
diamond pendants strung on grgrz.
neck etc, the contempOrar-- wr,ter
inserts some OF his burning ideas a1our
reform and the novel reader --aus
them and begins to have ideas of ms
own about reforming the world Dv l-
time he has finished the book.
But where an author, d real author
with the instinct and training II IN
artist, desires to write a novel and m
cidentaIly 70 teach something soc!olog
ical or morally good for the system he.
keeps his whole mind on writing / good
story about real people and in this n
deavOr, if he have the technical skill
and inspiration he is sure TO succeed.
In the meantime and because u ne
singteness of his object he has taught
d moral lesson unObtrusiveIy For
truth is beauty and beauty truth, ind
the greatest and most lasting beauty $
of the spirit.
Miss Wilkins has for the most part
subjugated the current almost uncon-
querable impulse to have ones say
about the problem of labor and cdpI-
tai The representative OF capital n
The Portion OF Labor is a young man
in love with the representative Of Ia
bOr a young woman. She is brilliant
imaginative and a strong partisan u
labor. Her lover is manager Of a shoe
factory where she works. After the
death OF his uncle. the owner Of The
business and factory, the young man
inherits the business and almost m
mediately lowers the wages OF the EN-
ployes for the reason that during
temporary depression of business he
factory has ceased to make money.
This unsociable snub from capital TO ID
Dor induces Ellen. the representauve II
labor to refuse to talk with her young
man on any subject except One-that
in which the employees of his factory
are equally interested. He soon restores
the scale and repeats his assurances 0f
affection and the last chapter presents
a view of their restoration to happI-
ness. At the end everyone Of the char
acters gets an authors slice OF happl-
ness and prosperity.
I find myself not much interested n
the heroine and the hero, although me
former is a very nice girl: delicate.
high minded brave and cOnCeited. 1hr
is an only child and a constant object
Of alteration. ever since her birth. but
she takes herself too seriously. like SD
many women. and before the end OF lAr
story she is somewhat of a bore. -1rE
father and her mother, and her grand
mother. Mrs. Zelotes. and Granville Joy
her hopeless lover, live. move anu
breathe Mrs. ZeIOtes. the severe oia
lady. believes in the sacredness Of m
blood which she inherited from ner
family and exaIts the purity and riE-
value of the blood which she transmIr
ted to her son. the father Of Ellen.
As a student of heredity, Miss WI
kins is always subtle and the resen
bIance Of her grandchildren TO