Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-09-03
!
/: ! LITERATURE AND LIFE. /

~
i LlTERATURE AND LIFE. /
A. j.. n. +
1 ! ! ! -
Few writer's have the courage nova
days to moralize and philosophize after
the manner of the good old three-vol-
ume novel. They must be sure Of them
selves and of their message to do It.
They must have the gift Of thought and
the style wherewith to clothe the
thought.
One of these few writer's is Mrs. Cra-
gle, whose proneness for unhappy peo-
pie, problems and philosophy reminds
one of George Eliot.
In her sequel to THE School for
Saints one is impressed by the strong
intellectually that dominates the book.
1t is full of high-strung, high minded
people, who create for themselves all
sorts of perplexing problems, and then
worry thru life trying to solve them.
We advise all those readers who are ac-
customed to Swimming thru books of
large type and wide margins, with
scarcely more than a glance at each
page, to avoid Robert Orange" unless
they are equal to the exertion of think
ing.
But do not for this reason imagine
the book is dull. Nothing Mrs. Cragie
writes can be called dull. Robert Or
ange" abounds in bright and sparkling
epigrams, shrewd observations and wit
lty cynicisms. The authors view of life,
while not strictly orthodox. is broadly
religious. Her character sketches are
worked out with infinite delicacy and
detail.
| 1t is not lacking in action and severaf
love stories cross and recrcs,s in tangled
web. Yet like life, a spirit of sadness
broods over it's this quality of sadness
| the secret of power in most of our best
| fction?-and weaves it's spell about her
| central characters. There is a well sus-
tanned plot. whose ending will puzzle the
| reader for the situation changes FREE
| quently as the actors are skilfully
| moved.
Robert Orange" is one of the few
stories that not only deserves reading,
but compels thought and discussion, and
lit places its author in the front rank OF
novelists. Mrs. Cragie has the gift of
| impressing and stimulating.
| Her earlier cynicism has in her later
forks given way to kindlier sentiments.
The years have mellowed her reflections
as they have brought her wider obser-
vatiop and tolerance of human frailties,
and with only thirty three years of life's
|experience behind her the future prom
1 ises much from her gifted pen.
Il
Mrs. Cragie was born in Boston amid
wealthy surroundings. A recent biogra-
| ply in the Bookman says her first liter
airy efforts were achieved in her 9Th
year. When 8 years old she wrote a
story for DR.. Joseph Parker's paper, the
Fountain At IS she determined to
devote herself to literature. Her first
book, Some Emotions and a Moral
occupied a year in writing-a year of ill
mess and domestic anxiety. The manu-
script was offered the McMillans, who
4 offered to publish it provided the autho,
i would change the ending and the title
i This she declined to do. 1t was finally
4 accepted by another publisher, who
4 yainly urged a change in the title
Eighty thousand copies We're sold. Thel
, followed The Herb Moon, y The Schoo
for Saints its sequel, Robert Orange.
and now another one just from the
press, Love and the Soul Hunters
I Her philosophical writings are less
known.
j Concerning her pseudonym-John Oil.
Yer Hobbes-she says she selected the
name of the philosopher on purpose te
control her tendency to extreme senti-
!. mentality.
4 The July Munsey tells us of a writer
4 whose fame came as the result of a mos
discouraging experience. After publish.
j ing three books he completed his fourth
J. with little doubt of success, knowing Il
to be the best work he had DONE but t.
his surprise the manuscript was re.
turned with the usual formal note of re.
] gret. In the same manner it was de.
clined by five different houses. Their
after examining the work and being un,
/. able to find wherein it was wanting he
A made out list of twenty-five publish
4 ers in America and England, sending
j The manuscript to each in turn. Ate,
u consuming year and half and ex.
hausting his list he began again witt
the same list, with the result that the
lsSIoiiu iiouse promptly accepted the
. work, praising it highly and inquirins
for more. The book made its author ia.
1 nous. This story is suggestive of Jane.
4 Whitcomb Riley, who says he waited
twenty years for the acceptance of /
manuscript.
4 Lillian Bell tells US that in her inter
view of Tolstoy, he pronounced Mrs
Humphrey Ward the greatest Twins
; writer novelist we presume) which
: leads critic to remark, Tolstoy % be
4 hind the time. If he would come t,
4 New York ard read the advertisement
or the elevated railway he would lear1
there are several greatest living writ
ers.' but that Mrs. H. w. is not enc o
them.
In the July st. Nicholas. Librara,
Ballard, writing of BOYS and Girls il
Libraries" has this to say:
II confess that during one year
!, practiced a mild sort of semi-decep
!, ton. One day girl from one If gu
! factories repeated the trite demand TO
one of Mrs. Holmes stories. They wer
all out. Acting on sudden impulse,
!, offered Elsie Venner,' remarking quiet
: ly, all the books by Mrs. Holmes ar
!. out, but here is one by by Mr.. Holmes
and some people think that he wrlte