Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-22
ssi
l. LTTERATURE AND LIF Ell
.:..;..:-!.:


Henry Van Dykes new book, "The
Ruling Passion" has met with fatter-
ing favor from the reading public. It's
contents consist of eight short stories
cr etchings-"Tales of Nature and HUI
man Nature"-in which is shown the
ruling impulse that dominates the
character; for as the author states in
his preface, in every life worth writing
about there is ruling passion that
governs and directs. weaving the stuff
OF human nature into patterns wherein
the soul Is imaged and revealed.
Nor is this leading force always love.
"There are other passions no less real,
which sometimes come earlier and last
longer than romantic love. They play
alongside and are mixed up with it, now
checking. now advancing Its flow, ana
tinging it with their own color.
ITO tell about some of these ruling
passions, simply, clearly and concrete
W." Is what the author wants to Go IN
these sketches. The characters. he says,
care chosen among plain people, be-
cause their feelings are expressed with
fewer words and greater truth, not be-
ing costumed for social effect. The
scene is laid on Natures stage because
I like to be out-of-doors, even when l
am trying to think or learning to
write"
The sketches are rich in local color,
| fine description and strong character.
The actors are natural, living. breath
ing human beings, not puppets strung
| on wires The qualities of the book are
such as we should expect from DIR. van
Dyke, showing the artist soul of the
man behind the book-the idealist
striving for perfection in his work and
searching for life's hidden meaning in
| the deeper motives which constitute the
secret springs of human conduct
No better dog story was ever written
than his sketch Of the faithful but un-
fortunate dog "Pinchon," entitled "A
Friend of Justice"
The sketches all hold bit of charm
| ing sentiment, but the first one, "A
Lover of Music" and the last, The
Keeper of the Light" are perhaps the
| best.
An unique feature of the book-one
To be commended to authors every
where's the Writers Request of His
| Master" following the title page, and
which runs as follows: T
Lord, let me never tag moral to
a story, nor tell story without
meaning. Make me respect my mate
rial so much. that l dare not slight my
work. Help me to deal honestly with
words and with people, because they
! are both alive. Show me that as In
river. so in a writing, clearness is the
best quality, and little that is pure is
| worth more than much that is mixed.
Teach me to see the local color without
being blind to theinner light. Give me
an ideal that will stand the strain OF
weaving into human stuff on the loom
of the real Keep me from caring more
for books than for folks. for art than
I for life. Steady me to do my full stint
of work as well as can. and when that
:s done, stop me, pay what wages Thou
Wilt, and help me to say, from quiet
heart a grateful amen"
And the author lives up to his prayer
We have always supposed that lit
erary life by keeping the mind alert and
active was conducive to health and lon
gevity, but the numerous recent break
/ downs among men and women in liter
allure do not tend to strengthen our
| theory Perhaps in this, as In many
other professions people are living too
| intensely and working too feverishly.
| The art of relaxation is worthy of
| study, but unfortunately 1t is acquired
| by most people late in life, and then
! only under compulsion. 1t is too often
the case that the brain works at the ex-
pense of the body, when the amount of
| eIectric energy transmitted into thought
| indicates corresponding loss of physi-
! cal vitality. 1t is not uncommon to see
| young men just entering Journalism or
] completing their first book forced to lay
| down their work, If not their life, be-
cause of exhausted vitality. And with
| in the past few weeks not a few notable
| cases have developed of women who are
Told enough and ought to know how to
!, handle themselves that are now bor-
| oering on nervous prostration. Kate
| Douglas Wiggin has had to quit work
land has gone abroad, seeking health.
"Lazarre" proved the added straw that
/ threw Mrs. Catherwood, and she is now
in a hospital, while Mrs. Townsend
! (Frances Hodgson Burnett), coming to
| America for rest and change of scene,
has broken down completely and is now
under treatment in sanitarium.
In a recent number of the Outlook
Lyman Abbott pays beautiful tribute
to his friend, Edward Everett Hale,
from which we extract the following
pertinent distinction between REFORM
erS:
"He CDR. Hale) is a lover of his fell