Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-11-12

LITERATURE AND LIFE. ;,

A. u. n.

u
The Road to Ridgebys' is the liter
airy monument that Frank Burlingame
Harris wins in exchange for the life
laid down at the age of "A, with the
1 words, Il can't think any more. Tho
a native of New York state his life was
spent III the west, where he was raised
and educated. Graduating from the
Omaha high school he became for a
! time reporter on the Omaha World
| Herald. In 1893 he took the course in
English at Chicago University, after
which he began collecting the material
] for his novel--a story of farm NE IN
i Iowa. There are many farmers III Iowa
who may remember the frail youth, al
most boy in years, who spent Whoie
summer in tramping over the state ana
/ stopping at their homes IN order 10
make himself acquainted with the con-
ditiona of farm life and gather material
| for his work. With so much persistence
and energy ne pursued his task that his
/ frail physique and weak lungs soon sue
cumbed to disease and a trip to the
mountains of Missouri and across the
! plains of New Mexico came too late to
effect any permanent good. Anticipat-
/ ing his end he worked all the harder
/ to complete his book, and tho he never
saw the proof sheets he lived long
enough to know it was accepted by the
| publisher.
THE Road to Ridgebys' presents a
sad and hopeless picture of life on a
mortgaged farm. 1t is of the same
weave as Hamlin Garland's stories of
western farm life, and along with
7 them. enables Us to understand why 1t
! is that our insane asylums contain so
large proportion of women whose
i lives have been spent on the farm. III
! these are true pictures of farm life. God
/ pity those who are caught In the cease
4 less grind! The reader will hope that
/ such cases are exceptional and not fire.
7 quent enough to warrant authors in
using them as common types.
The book is up to the average of such
stories and shows much promise had
/ the author lived to the full maturity of
i his powers.
1.-THE Lions Brood" by Duffield Os-
borne. is highly praised for its scholar
ship by the leading reviewers. 1t is a
4 historic romance pertaining to classic
theme and period, about 200 B. G., when
the worlds mastery was divided be-
tween Italy and Carthage.
The title. 1.-THE Lions Brood" signi-
fies the sons of Hamilcar, the great Ham
/ ,jbal and his brothers. A love story is
skNlfully interviewer with the main plot.
The book opens with the slaughter of
Z the Roman legions at Lake Thrasimene
srd ends with the battle of Canine,
which is vivid and mastery bit of de-
scriptive writing. On its historic side
The book is regarded as accurate and IN
structive, with clear. graceful, classic
d.ction.
curious coincidence Of thought con-
Germs the title. The authors original
idea was THE Lions Whelps.' which
was at the last moment changed to The
Lions Brood" Without any knowledge
/ Of this fact Mrs. Amelia Barr named her
latest novei--in the press now-Ihe
Lions Whelp.' which concerns itself
with Richard Cromwell, son of the great
/ protector.
/ Duffield Osborne is not an Englishman
as many suppose, tho he has spent sew
/! oral years abroad. He is a native OF
BROOKLYN. N. Y. a graduate of Columbia
| College and Law School, from which he
| has received several degrees, and is
| equally we'll known as novelist, poet
and classical scholar. and as the latter.
! was selected to edit the Livy edition
| (lS9S) in Appieton's series Of the
| ..World's Greatest Books;" also the an
notated edition of Macaulays Lays OF
| Ancient Rome" published in 1901.
Another feather in Mr.. Osborne's cap
| is that in a purely imaginative story
written by him some two years ago for
Harper's Weekly. The capture of Agui-
| naldo was brought about thru strategy
/ in almost the same manner as was actu-
| ally accomplished later by Gen. Fun
| ston, and now the author wonders wheth-
Ter the Kansas hero ever read his story.
Did he? or was it another coincidence
thought?
| One has to cross the Atlantic to 'Sei
the real thing-a genuine review of an
American book. Here is an English re-
view of 'Eben Holden" that appears in
current issue ofLiterature:
"Americans are fairly acute judges of
literature. Above ALL their taste is
healthy. Few morbid works have the
run across the Atlantic that book like
David Harum' or 'Eben Holden enjoys.
The latter is chiefly concerned with the
old negro who gives the book its title,
tho he is not the hero, and the love
story that runs thru its pages is carried
on by white folk"
| N. B.-This review Is pointless for
those who have not read the book in
question.
Coleridge was of the opinion that "a
poet ought not to pick natures pocket"