Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1902-03-21
HIS FAVORITE NOVEL.
POPULAR ENGLISH WRITER AN.
sWERs A QUERY.
a Few Reflections Upon "David Cop.
perfield" and Some of Its Principal
Characters-Why the Book Will Live
Humanity Likes Sad Stories.

How can l say which Is my favorite
novel? l can only ask myself which
lives. clearest in my memory. which is
the book l run to more often than to
another, in that pleasant half hour be-
fore the dinner bell, when. with all
apologies to good MI. Smiles, it is Use
less to think of work.
i find, OF examination, that my "Da-
vid Coppcrtield" is more dilapidated
than any other novel upon my shelves.
AS l turn its dog cared pages. reading
the familiar headlines: .Mr. Micaw-
Der in difficulties" "Mr. Micawber in
prison." 81 fall in love with Dora," "Mr.
Barkis goes out with the tide" MY
child wife," CRADLES in a nest of
roses,"-pages of my own life recur to
use, so many Of my sorrows. SO many
of my joys. are woven in my mind with
this chapter or the other.
Old friends, all of you, how many
times have / not slipped away from my
worries into your pleasant company!
Peggotty, you dear soul, the sight of
your kind eyes is SO good to me. l
know YOU we'll, with your big heart,
your quick temper, your homely, hui
man ways OF thought. You yourself
will never guess your worth-how
much the world is better for such us
YOU! You think of yourself as of a
commonplace person, useful only for
the making Of pastry, the darning of
stockings, and it IL man-not a young
man. with only dim, half opened eyes,
but 81 man whom life had made keen
to see the beauty that lies hidden be-
hind plain faces-werc to kneel and
Kiss your red, coarse hand, you would
he much astonished. But he would be
IL wise man, Peggotty, knowing what
things Il nan should take carelessly,
and for what things he should thank
God, who has fashioned fairness in
many shapes.
Mr.. Wilkins Micawbcr, and YOU,
most excellent of fhithful wives, Mrs.
Emma Micawber, to you I also raise
my hat. How often has the example
OF your philosophy saved me, when l.
likewise, have suffered under the tenn
porary pressure of %pecuniary liabilities;
when the sun of my prosperity, too, has
sunk beneath the dark horizon OF the
wo:id-in short, when l, also, have
found myself in IL tight corner.
And you. awce Dora. let me confess
! love yea, though sensible friends
dee@ You foolish. Gallant Traddles. of
the strong heart and the unruly hair;
sophy. dearest of girls; Betsy Trot-
wood, with your gentlemanly manners
and your woman's heart, you have
come to me in shabby rooms, making
the dismal place seem bright. In dark
hours your kindly faces have looked
out ut me from the shadows, your kind
ly voices have chcered me.
10 sum up. "David Copperficld" is a
plain tale. simply told; and such are
all books that live. Ecccntricitics of
style, artistic triciery, may please the
critic of a day, but literature is n story
that interests u.s., boys and girls, men
and women.
1t is Il sad book, too; and that, again,
gives it All added charm in the sad later
days. Humanity is nearing it's old age,
and we have come to love sadness, as
the friend who has been longest with
lis. In the young days of our vigor we
were merry. With Ulysses boatmen,
we took alike the sunshine and the
thunder of life With q frolic welcome.
The red blood flowed in our veins, and
we laughed, and our tales were OF
strength and hope. Now we sit like old
men. watching faces in the fire; and the
stories that VIC love are sad stories
like the stories that we ourselves have
livcd.-Jerome X. jerome, in New York
News.